Halite

The mineral Halite is common rock salt.

Halite
Chemical name	Sodium Chloride
Chemical formula	NaCl
Identification
Colors	Colorless, or tints of gray, yellow, red, blue
Crystal habit	Usually a simple cube, rarely octahedral; faces are commonly cavernous and develop into hopper crystals
Crystal system	Isometric
Cleavage	Perfect, three directions at 90°
Fracture	Conchoidal, Brittle
Hardness	2-2 1/2
Luster	Vitreous
Name origin	From the Greek hals, meaning salt
Specific gravity	2.16
Streak	White

Sources[edit]

• Chesterman, Charles W. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, Alfred A. Knopf: New York (1987)

Gallery[edit]

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  Halite crystals

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  Halite crystals