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Fluorspar
Fluorspar is the commercial name for the mineral fluorite. Found
in a variety of geologic environments, the fluorspar is used
to make hydrogen fluoride, an intermediate for fluorocarbons,
aluminium fluoride, and synthetic cryolite. It is also used
as a flux in the steel and ceramic industries, in iron foundry
and ferroalloy manufacture, and has many minor specialised uses.
The pure fluorspar contains theoretically 51,1% calcium and
48,9% fluorine and is colourless.
Commercial fluorspar contains attached mineral impurities such
as calcite, quartz, barites, celestine, various sulphides or
phosphates. These varieties of impurities give fluorite a rainbow
of different colours, including green, purple, blue, yellow,
pink, brown, and black.
Production of Fluorspar
tonnes
| |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
| Europe |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Bulgaria |
– |
200 |
300 |
0 |
- |
- |
| France |
105.800 |
80.000 |
70.000 |
105.000 |
110.000 |
105.000 |
| Germany |
28.260 |
31.124 |
30.381 |
34.429 |
33.289 |
33.203 |
| Italy |
46.916 |
40.000 |
38.000 |
60.000 |
62.000 |
64.000 |
| Romania |
15.000 |
15.000 |
15.000 |
15.000 |
- |
- |
| Russia |
153.800 |
33.600 |
34.000 |
32.000 |
20.000 |
17.000 |
| Spain |
148.238 |
135.000 |
136.000 |
134.000 |
125.000 |
130.000 |
| Turkey |
4.812 |
4.113 |
1.669 |
1.500 |
718 |
880 |
| United Kingdom |
40.000 |
36.000 |
50.000 |
53.000 |
56.000 |
56.000 |
| total |
542.826 |
375.037 |
375.350 |
434.929 |
201.718 |
406.083 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Africa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Egypt |
500 |
143 |
502 |
550 |
500 |
490 |
| Kenya |
93.602 |
100.102 |
118.850 |
85.015 |
80.201 |
117.986 |
| Morocco |
83.100 |
77.800 |
96.500 |
93.125 |
95.000 |
80.000 |
| Namibia |
57.599 |
66.128 |
81.245 |
81.084 |
85.000 |
81.000 |
| South Africa |
217.540 |
212.709 |
286.400 |
227.000 |
240.000 |
235.000 |
| Tunisia |
520 |
950 |
930 |
900 |
920 |
930 |
| total |
452.861 |
457.832 |
584.427 |
487.674 |
501.621 |
515.406 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| America |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Argentina |
6.000 |
6.000 |
5.800 |
5.900 |
5.530 |
5.400 |
| Brazil |
44.926 |
45.000 |
54.399 |
47.899 |
45.000 |
53.032 |
| Colombia |
- |
980 |
1.000 |
900 |
850 |
840 |
| Mexico |
557.106 |
635.230 |
619.468 |
622.477 |
756.258 |
842.698 |
| United States |
- |
9.000 |
7.000 |
7.000 |
0 |
0 |
| total |
608.032 |
696.210 |
687.667 |
684.176 |
807.638 |
901.970 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Asia |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Afghanistan |
|
1.100 |
1.200 |
1.400 |
1.500 |
1.700 |
| China |
2.230.000 |
2.200.000 |
2.200.000 |
2.150.000 |
2.450.000 |
2.700.000 |
| India |
220 |
2.000 |
1.900 |
1.800 |
1.700 |
1.600 |
| Iran |
18.387 |
18.500 |
35.986 |
32.006 |
47.730 |
47.730 |
| Kazakhstan |
|
83.000 |
82.000 |
80.000 |
76.000 |
73.000 |
| Kyrgyzstan |
2.997 |
3.000 |
1.175 |
2.656 |
- |
- |
| Mongolia |
153.693 |
168.000 |
127.293 |
160.000 |
122.340 |
288.500 |
| Pakistan |
220 |
990 |
1.000 |
1.100 |
1.200 |
1.400 |
| DPR Korea |
|
26.000 |
27.000 |
28.000 |
25.000 |
22.000 |
| Russia |
|
302.400 |
306.000 |
288.000 |
180.000 |
153.000 |
| Thailand |
13.005 |
4.745 |
3.020 |
2.270 |
2.368 |
2.375 |
| Uzbekistan |
|
92.000 |
91.000 |
90.000 |
88.000 |
86.000 |
| Vietnam |
3.000 |
3.000 |
3.000 |
– |
- |
- |
| total |
2.421.522 |
2.904.735 |
2.880.574 |
2.837.232 |
2.995.838 |
3.377.305 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| World total |
4.100.000 |
4.300.000 |
4.300.000 |
4.200.000 |
4.840.754 |
9.093.475 |
Source: Österreichisches Bundesministerium für
Wirtschaft und Arbeit (Federal Ministry for Economics and
Labour of the Republic of Austria), World Mining Data, April
2006
World Mine Production and Reserves for 2002 and 2003
tonnes
| |
Mine Production |
|
| |
2002 |
2003 (1) |
Reserve (3) |
| USA |
0 |
0 |
NA |
| China |
2.450.000 |
2.450.000 |
21.000.000 |
| France |
105.000 |
110.000 |
10.000.000 |
| Kenya |
98.000 |
100.000 |
2.000.000 |
| Mexico |
650.000 |
630.000 |
32.000.000 |
| Mongolia |
200.000 |
190.000 |
12.000.000 |
| Morocco |
96.000 |
95.000 |
NA |
| Namibia |
81.000 (2) |
85.000 (2) |
3.000.000 |
| Russia |
200.000 |
200.000 |
Moderate |
| South Africa |
227.000 |
240.000 |
41.000.000 |
| Spain |
130.000 |
125.000 |
6.000.000 |
| Other countries |
310.000 |
320.000 |
110.000.000 |
| World total |
4.550.000 |
4.540.000 |
230.000.000 |
Notes:
(1) Estimated
(2) Data are in wet tonnes
(3) Measured as 100% calcium fluoride
NA: Not available
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodities Summaries,
January 2004 - http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/
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