August 2026 – Honigspat

For our Mineral of the Month for August, we have chosen a local Bavarian favourite: Honigspat, meaning honey spar in german. Honigspat is the name given to a golden-yellow variety of the mineral fluorite, also known as fluorspar.

Honigspat is particularly well known from the Wölsendorf mining district. In this area between Schwarzenfeld and Nabburg in the Upper Palatinate, there were hundreds of pits and mines where, initially, silver and lead – and later fluorite – were extracted. The last pit was closed in 1987.

Fluorite is an important industrial raw material. It is used in glass and metal manufacturing. Furthermore, fluorite is the sole source of fluorine and fluorine compounds, which are essential to the chemical industry – for example, the fluoride in toothpaste.

Chemical Formula: CaF₂

Locality: Marienschacht, Wölsendorf, Oberpfalz, Bavaria, Germany