First identified in Innsbruck, Austria, anhydrite is a relatively common rock-forming mineral. The name of the substance, which is primarily found in arid locales, fittingly stems from the Greek words for “without water.”

Anhydrite does not form directly from geologic processes, but rather occurs as water evaporates from the mineral gypsum. Both minerals are composed of calcium sulfate, but gypsum’s water loss results in a reduced volume of the rock in which it is contained, sometimes leading to the formation of caverns or grottos. Common in evaporites, anhydrite frequently can be found capping salt domes, such as those found in Texas and Louisiana. The mineral crystals often appear white or gray in color, but may also exhibit a blue to violet hue, in which case they are frequently called angelite. The primary use of anhydrite by humans is as a drying agent in the manufacture of certain plasters and cements.

Questions or comments? Send us an email.

© 1998-2022 by Michael W. Davidson and The Florida State University. All Rights Reserved. No images, graphics, scripts, or applets may be reproduced or used in any manner without permission from the copyright holders. Use of this website means you agree to all of the Legal Terms and Conditions set forth by the owners.

This website is maintained by our
Graphics & Web Programming Team
in collaboration with Optical Microscopy at the
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

Last modification: Friday, Nov 13, 2015 at 02:19 PM

Access Count Since November 20, 2003: 14926

For more information on microscope manufacturers,
use the buttons below to navigate to their websites: