Fluorspar, the mineral form of calcium fluoride, has played a remarkable role throughout human history, from its earliest recognition as a metallurgical flux to its modern status as a critical mineral essential for electric vehicles, semiconductors, and advanced technologies. This versatile mineral, whose name derives from the Latin word “fluere” meaning “to flow,” has been prized for its ability to lower melting points in metal production, its stunning fluorescent properties, and its vital role in producing fluorine compounds.

Today, as the world transitions to clean energy and advanced manufacturing, fluorspar has emerged from relative obscurity to become one of the most strategically important minerals, with global demand expected to exceed supply by 40-70% by 2035.

Be sure to check out all other critical raw materials (CRMs), as well.

A History Of Fluorspar

The story of fluorspar spans nearly five centuries of human discovery and industrial innovation. From its first scientific description by Georgius Agricola in 1530 to its designation as a critical mineral by major economies in the 21st century, fluorspar has evolved from a curiosity of Renaissance metallurgists to an indispensable component of modern technology, playing crucial roles in everything from the Manhattan Project to the production of lithium-ion batteries.

Chronology

• 1530 – German mineralogist Georgius Agricola first described fluorspar in his work “Bermannvs sive de re metallica dialogus,” noting its usefulness as a flux in metal refining, and naming it from the Latin “fluores” meaning “stones which become liquid in fire” [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
• Late 15th century – Basilius Valentinus reportedly mentioned the use of fluorinated minerals as fluxes in metallurgy, though this may be apocryphal as his writings were not known until about 1600 [8, 9, 10, 11]
• 1529 – Georgius Agricola recorded the earliest uses of fluorspar as a flux in his writings [8, 10]
• 1556 – Agricola’s major work “De re metallica” was published posthumously, further describing fluorite’s use in metal smelting [9]
• Late 1700s – Fluorspar deposits were discovered in Weardale, England, with the mineral becoming popular for ornamental purposes [12]
• 1809 – French scientist André-Marie Ampère proposed that fluoric acid was a compound of hydrogen with a new element [2, 4, 13]
• 1813 – Humphry Davy announced the discovery of the new element fluorine, giving it the name suggested by Ampère [2, 4, 13]
• 1818 – Remarkable green fluorite with daylight fluorescence was discovered at Whites Level, Westgate, Weardale, attracting scientific interest [12]
• 1835 – The earliest mining in the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District began at the Columbia Mine, Crittenden County, for lead [14, 15]
• 1838 – Sir David Brewster investigated the optical properties of Weardale green fluorite crystals [12]
• 1843 – Geologist J.B. Jukes made the first official recognition of fluorspar deposits on the Burin Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada [3, 5, 16]
• 1850 – Sir George Stokes began studying fluorescence in fluorspar specimens [12]
• 1852 – George Gabriel Stokes named the phenomenon of “fluorescence” after fluorite in his paper “On the change of refrangibility of light,” describing how fluorspar emitted blue light when illuminated with ultraviolet radiation [3, 5, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25]
• 1868 – Mineralogist J.D. Dana first used the name “fluorite” for the mineral [8, 10]
• 1873 – Uses for fluorspar in lowering the melting temperature of iron to remove impurities during smelting were first recognized in the Western Kentucky Fluorspar District [15]
• 1880 – Commercial fluorspar production began in the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District [26]
• 1886 – Henri Moissan successfully isolated elemental fluorine on June 26 by electrolyzing a solution of potassium hydrogen difluoride in liquid hydrogen fluoride, using fluorspar (fluorite) stoppers in his apparatus [27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36]
• 1890s – Expanded market for fluorspar was created by the development of the basic open-hearth steel furnace. Fluorspar became widely used in steelmaking as a flux with the introduction of basic open-hearth furnace technology [8, 10, 14, 37, 38, 39]
• 1906 – Henri Moissan received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his isolation of fluorine and development of the electric furnace [27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 35]
• 1920s – Blue John fluorspar was heavily mined in Derbyshire, England, for use in the chemical industry and as flux in blast furnaces during World War I [40]
• 1928 – Commercial interest in mining fluorspar began at St. Lawrence, Newfoundland [3, 5, 16]
• 1933 – First fluorspar ore was extracted at St. Lawrence, Newfoundland [3, 5, 16]
• 1935 – Blue John Caverns in Derbyshire were opened to the public on April 1st [40]
• 1940s – The Manhattan Project marked the first time fluorine was produced on an industrial scale, with fluorspar essential for producing uranium hexafluoride for uranium enrichment [41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49]
• 1942 – S-50 Liquid Thermal Diffusion Plant used uranium hexafluoride (requiring fluorspar-derived fluorine) for uranium enrichment at Oak Ridge [50, 41, 49]
• 1945 – K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant at Oak Ridge used uranium hexafluoride in over 3,000 diffusion steps to enrich uranium [49]
• 1945 – Blue John Caverns in Derbyshire were taken over by the Harrison family [40]
• 1950s – United States was the world’s leading producer of fluorspar until surpassed by Mexico [4]
• 1956 – USGS estimated total fluorspar reserves of the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District at 8.1 million short tons of measured ore and 4 million tons of inferred ore [26]
• 1967 – Fluorspar deposits were first discovered in Kenya’s Kerio Valley region [51]
• 1970s – U.S. fluorspar mining industry began to decline due to foreign competition [4]
• 1973 – Mexico’s fluorspar operations took a downturn at St. Lawrence, Newfoundland [52]
• 1978 – ALCAN closed fluorspar operations completely at St. Lawrence, Newfoundland [52]
• 1982 – Only a single U.S. fluorspar producer remained due to foreign competition [4]
• 1985 – All fluorspar mine production ceased in Kentucky [14]
• 1989 – World demand for fluorspar peaked before declining due to CFC phaseout under Montreal Protocol [8, 10]
• 1990s – China dumped large quantities of fluorspar on the market, causing global mine closures [53, 54]
• 1995 – All fluorspar production ceased in Illinois [26]
• 1996 – Primary fluorspar mining in the United States ceased entirely [4]
• 1997 – Kenya Fluorspar Company was privatized after becoming insolvent due to Chinese competition [51]
• 2001 – China began restricting fluorspar exports, causing global prices to rise [54]
• 2009 – United States and European Union filed WTO case against China over fluorspar export restrictions [55, 56, 57]
• 2010 – China produced 3 million metric tons of fluorspar, accounting for approximately 60% of global production [8, 58, 59]
• 2011 – World fluorspar production peaked at 6.2 million tons according to USGS [53]
• 2012 – WTO ruled against China’s fluorspar export restrictions [56, 60]
• 2013 – “Lost” Blue John deposit was rediscovered in Treak Cliff Cavern, Derbyshire [61, 62]
• 2015 – New Blue John vein discovered in Treak Cliff Cavern, the first for 150 years [61]
• 2016 – Kenya Fluorspar Company temporarily stopped operations due to weak global demand [51]
• 2018 – U.S. Department of Interior published list of 35 critical minerals including fluorspar under Executive Order 13817 [4, 1, 63]
• 2018 – Canada Fluorspar Inc. commenced mine production again in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland [3, 5, 16]
• 2018 – Kenya Fluorspar Company’s mining license expired, ending fluorspar mining in Kenya [51]
• 2019 – Canada Fluorspar developed new shipping port on Burin Peninsula for fluorspar exports [3, 5, 16]
• 2021 – First shipload of fluorspar ore shipped directly from St. Lawrence, Newfoundland in 30 years on July 31 [3, 5, 16]
• 2022 – Canada Fluorspar closed operations in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland, after running out of cash [64]
• 2022 – USGS released updated list of 50 critical minerals, with fluorspar individually listed [65, 66, 67]
• 2023 – AMED Funds acquired St. Lawrence fluorspar operation for $25 million through court-approved insolvency sale [64]
• 2023 – Mongolia exported 912,732 tonnes of fluorspar to China, a 348% year-on-year increase [68]
• 2024 – Kenya signed new mining contract to revive fluorspar mining in Kerio Valley with UK-based Soy-Fujax Mining Company [51]
• 2024 – ARES Strategic Mining began construction at Lost Sheep fluorspar mine in Utah [69, 70]
• 2025 – U.S. Department of Energy forecasts fluorspar demand will exceed current supply by 1-4% [69, 70]
• 2035 – U.S. Department of Energy projects fluorspar demand will exceed current supply by 40-70% [69, 70]

Final Thoughts

The history of fluorspar reveals a mineral that has quietly underpinned human technological progress for centuries, evolving from a simple metallurgical aid to a strategic resource critical for the 21st century’s energy transition. As global economies pivot toward electric vehicles, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing, fluorspar’s importance has transcended its traditional industrial applications.

The mineral’s journey from Agricola’s “stones which become liquid in fire” to an essential component in lithium-ion batteries exemplifies how geological resources can gain new significance as technology advances. With major economies designating fluorspar as a critical mineral and projections showing demand dramatically outpacing supply by 2035, the future of this remarkable mineral appears to be as dynamic as its fluorescent properties, ensuring that fluorspar will continue to play a vital role in shaping our technological future.

Thanks for reading!

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