UV Lights and Fluorescent Minerals - a fun side hobby to metal detecting !

[KingTotsalot]

Two more specimens from my Royal Friend, Eckhard!

The first mineral is Eucryptite from the Harding Pegmatite Mine, Picuris District, Taos, NM. The mineral is massive and the pictures were taken at 10X with The Royal Chinese USB led microscope. The specimen is massive and granular. The first picture shows the mineral in natural light and the second in SW 254nm. The color should be a more pink red than an orange red.

The second mineral is Walstromite, from its type locality, the Esquire Claim #7, Big Creek, near Pine Flat Lake, Fresno, CA. Also, massive showing no crystals. 10X. The first picture is in natural light and the second in unfiltered SW 254nm. The last picture is in filtered 254nm, the filter lending an orange tint, but better defining the actual mineral grain boundaries.

His Majesty hopes you enjoy these unusual specimen pictures!

 

[stetam]

Great photos!

Steve

 

[KingTotsalot]

Great photos!

Steve

Royal Thanks, Steve. That cheapo Chinese USB led microscope is getting a work out!

 

[KingTotsalot]

Well, right in the middle of KT working on photographing these micro-minerals, the big T-storms hit the Castle grounds! Fortunately the power stayed on so He was able to complete this fairly quickly.

The first specimen is from Royal friend, Eckhard. It is Bazirite from the Esquire #8 Claim, Big Creek near Pine Flat Lake, Fresno, CA. 10X. First picture is natural light, second is SW 254nm. The mineral displays as several bright blue white pinpoints on the matrix. Kinda like staring into the starry sky on a moonless clear night! HA HA

The second specimen is Clinochlore on Hessonite from Felaskina, Saas Fee Area, Saas Valley, Volois, Switzerland. Nice coverage of 35X green Clinochlore crystals. Close examination of some of the larger ones show a clear transparent zone on the outer edges of these plates in the first picture. The second image shows that the clear zone fluoresces a pale white in strong LW 365nm. Pretty difficult to take the UV image.

The 3rd specimen consists of grains of Melanophlogite scattered on the matrix. This specimen is from Fortullino, Rosignano Marittimo, Livono, Tuscany, Italy. 10X. The first image is in natural light, and the second shows a grain of this mineral fluorescing a nice yellow in LW 365nm. It also fluoresces a weak yellow in SW 254nm, but His Majesty took no picture in that wavelength.

So this wraps up today's activities! Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

Two final fluorescent specimens, the first is a gift from my Royal friend, Eckhard.

The first specimen is of Fresnoite from the Esquire #7 Claim, Big Creek, near Pine Flat Lake, Fresno, CA. 10X, the yellowish grains in the center of the field of view is the mineral of interest. The first picture is in natural light, and the second is in SW 254nm, with the Fresnoite displaying a yellowish white fluorescence.

The second specimen is Monazite-(Ce) from NaBfeld, Gasteiner Valley, Pongau District, Salzburg, Germany. Also taken at 10X. First picture is in natural light and the second in LW 365nm. The monazite-(Ce) fluoresces a pale or weak white.

Unless KT receives some additional specimens later this week, this is all for awhile! Enjoy the pics!

 

[KingTotsalot]

Surprise! Two new fluorescent specimens arrived from the US Mail today in the Castle's Royal Mailbox !!

The first is a 2.38” diameter sphere of silicified colonial coral from the Phillipines. I know the location is vague, and is likely where it was manufactured, but I can find nothing else more locality specific presently. KT has several spheres polished from fluorescent materials and they are always interesting to examine!

There are 4 images of the sphere presented, because KT wanted to show the appearance of the tubular nature of colonial corals when looking perpendicular to the direction of the polyps growth, and then looking down the growth axis. The first image is in natural light and the second is in LW 365nm. The 3rd picture is in natural light looking down on the top of the polyp structure, and the 4th is in LW 365nm.


The other specimen displays pseudocubic calcite crystals, which almost look like fluorite at first glance. US dime for scale so the specimen is a miniature. The first picture is in natural light and the second is in LW 365nm. It also has a response to SW 254nm, but is much weaker so no image was taken. This specimen in from the Pit J-44 of the Pine Point Mine, Northwest Territory, Canada. Pine Point Mining is a subsidiary of Cominco.

Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

Surprise! Two new fluorescent specimens arrived from the US Mail today in the Castle's Royal Mailbox !!

The first is a 2.38” diameter sphere of silicified colonial coral from the Phillipines. I know the location is vague, and is likely where it was manufactured, but I can find nothing else more locality specific presently. KT has several spheres polished from fluorescent materials and they are always interesting to examine!

There are 4 images of the sphere presented, because KT wanted to show the appearance of the tubular nature of colonial corals when looking perpendicular to the direction of the polyps growth, and then looking down the growth axis. The first image is in natural light and the second is in LW 365nm. The 3rd picture is in natural light looking down on the top of the polyp structure, and the 4th is in LW 365nm.


The other specimen displays pseudocubic calcite crystals, which almost look like fluorite at first glance. US dime for scale so the specimen is a miniature. The first picture is in natural light and the second is in LW 365nm. It also has a response to SW 254nm, but is much weaker so no image was taken. This specimen in from the Pit J-44 of the Pine Point Mine, Northwest Territory, Canada. Pine Point Mining is a subsidiary of Cominco.

Enjoy the pictures!

Sorry to say the pictures are all out of order from when KT posted them! One needs to work backwards through the spheres to see the order in which KT describes them!

 

[KingTotsalot]

Yesterday, to KT's Royal Pleasure, 4 more fluorescent mineral specimens arrived to be examined, photographed and added to His Majesty's growing Royal Collection!

The first pair of pictures are of Kamotoite-(Y), from the kamoto East Open Pit, Kamoto, Kolwezi Mining District, Luabala, DR Congo. This is the first of 2 Uranium-bearing minerals in this group. The pictures were taken at 10X magnification and the mineralization appears as a yellow film on the matrix rock. First image is in natural light and the second was taken with LW 365nm and shows the green fluorescence. This mineral is also fluorescent in SW 254nm but had weaker response so no picture was taken.

The second pair of images is of Natrozippeite from the Jackpile Mine, Leguna subdistrict, Cibola Co., New Mexico. The mineral appears as tiny yellow spheres scattered about on the matrix. Also, taken at 10X. The first picture is in natural light and the second shows the bright yellow green response in LW 365nm. Also, fluorescent the same color but weaker in SW 254nm.

The third mineral photo pair is of Dresserite from the Francon Quarry, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, again taken at 10X. The mineral is a white crust and small spheres on the matrix. The first picture is in natural light and the second in LW 365nm.

The final specimen is Dresserite encrusting Weloganite. The Weloganite is not fluorescent but has an interesting tapering stairstep habit. The first image shows the grayish Weloganite with whitish crusts of Dresserite in natural light, taken at 10X. The second picture shows the blue-white fluorescence of the Dresserite in unfiltered LW 365nm.

Enjoy the pictures. KT is partial to the Uranium-bearing minerals because of their hidden beauty in UV light!

 

[KingTotsalot]

Sorry to say the pictures are all out of order from when KT posted them! One needs to work backwards through the spheres to see the order in which KT describes them!

Hmm, musta got fixed! Thanks whoever! LOL

 

[KingTotsalot]

Three new additional minerals to the Royal Collection!

The first pair of pictures are of Meta-Autunite, a U-bearing mineral from the Czech Republic. 10X. First picture is in natural light and second is in LW 365nm. This mineral also fluoresces the same color in SW but is a bit weaker in response.

The second pair of pictures are of Hawleite, a cadmium sulfide on calcite. 10X. The first image is in natural light...Hawleite is pale yellow and the calcite is gray. The second picture was taken in LW 365nm light. The Hawleite is brighter yellow orange and the calcite responded with a reddish orange color.

Finally the last mineral is caliche, a desert type soil composed of calcium carbonate...thin scattered spots of it on Polylithionite, a brittle mica. The specimen is from Mont St. Hilaire, Montreal, Canada. 10X. The first picture is in natural light and the caliche shows as some dark colored films and spots. The second picture is in LW 365nm light and the spots of caliche show up as red spots on a black background.

More fun to come!

 

[KingTotsalot]

3 very interesting fluorescent specimens arrived recently at the Castle.

The first is to KT the most interesting of all. It is fluorescent quartz from the La Sassa Carbonate Vein, La Sassa, Montecatinni Val di Cecina, Pisa Province, Italy. The cause of fluorescence in this quartz has been studied by several researchers in the past 50 years, and in 2021 was the subject of a significant paper by G. Ricci, et. al., in Minerals 2021, v.11, issue 12, 1345. The title is – Unusual Luminescence of quartz from La Sassa, Tuscany: Insights on the Crystal and Defect Nanostructure of Quartz. If you are interested in reading that article it is posted online at: https://doi.org/10.3390/min111121345. Their conclusion is that this quartz is fluorescent, not due to inclusions or activator trace elements, but instead to sub microscopic defects within the mineral as it formed in quartz-calcite-dolomite veins. It is unlike any quartz for its fluorescence known world wide!

The first picture is of 2 quartz specimens, US dime for scale, in natural light. The second picture is the same in LW 365nm. The specimens are even stronger yellow than displayed in the image...one piece being the lemon yellow of Wernerite, of the Scapolite Group. The pieces are also yellow in SW 254nm but no picture was taken.

The next pair of images are of Aragonite from the Ulea deposit, Barranco del Mulo, Murcia, Spain. KT could have taken perhaps a more dramatic image with the USB led microscope, but you would have no idea of the overall size of the specimen, which is a miniature. A crust of acicular Aragonite coats most of the surface of one side. US dime for scale in both images. First image is in natural light and shows the brownish tan color of the mineral. The second image is in LW 365nm and is strongly yellow, even tho the camera light meter was somewhat overpowered by the brightness of the specimen. The piece also has a strong phosphorescence with a pale greenish tint. No response to LW 365nm.

The final specimen is a somewhat unassuming fine-grained Calcite from the Langban Mine, Filipstad, Varmland Province, Sweden. The Langban Mine is, like the Sterling Hill Mine, world famous for the variety of its fluorescent minerals! US dime for scale. The first picture is in natural light and the second in SW 254nm. The SW response is strongly red, more a true pink red than the calcite from Sterling Hill, which has a tendency to be orange red to red orange. The response to LW 365nm is less intense and a darker red, so no picture was taken.

KT has enjoyed both looking at and researching these 3 mineral specimens (4 if you consider 2 of the quartz pieces as separate) and they will soon be tucked away in the Royal Fluorescent Mineral Collection!

 

[hoser]

Very fascinating for sure. I like it.

 

[stetam]

Good photos's KT!

Steve

 

[KingTotsalot]

Good photos's KT!

Steve

Thanks, Steve, it does take a bit of effort, but is also part of KT’s cataloging efforts of the Royal Collection!

 

[KingTotsalot]

Very fascinating for sure. I like it.

Royal Thanks, hoser! It is nice to know some of the Forum members are enjoying this thread!

 

[hoser]

KT I have always liked rocks and minerals, just not a collector of them. I might make the trip to the upper peninsula this summer for a short trip. It's on the Lake Superior shoreline where you can find Agates, Isle Royal Greenstones, and those glowing rocks.

 

[KingTotsalot]

KT I have always liked rocks and minerals, just not a collector of them. I might make the trip to the upper peninsula this summer for a short trip. It's on the Lake Superior shoreline where you can find Agates, Isle Royal Greenstones, and those glowing rocks.

If you do make that trip, buy yourself a cheap 365nm LW UV flashlight and hunt for those yooperlites (sodalite syenite pebbles and cobbles)! That would be FUN! You should be able to find a decent 365nm flashlight with purple filter for under $10 on Temu!

 

[KingTotsalot]

Here are a couple of zircon crystals from Poudrette Quarry, Mont St. Hilaire, Montreal, Quebec, Canada that came by US Mail yesterday to the Castle. These single crystals are mounted in US perky boxes and are on the margin of what KT can photograph with either the Royal USB led microscope (minimum magnification 10X) and KT's digital camera due to focal distance. The Royal Photographer tried both ways and the microscope pictures are better, in both focus and detail.


Both sets of images are looking down the C axis of these tetragonal crystals. The prism faces of these crystals are essentially non-existent, so they are pseudo-octahedral. Imagine yourself hovering over the tip top of an Egyptian pyramid and looking straight down......this will give you your view point in the photographs!


In the first pair of images the first picture is natural light and the second shows the orange response in LW 365nm. In the second pair of images, the first picture was taken in natural light, and the second shows the zircon’s yellow orange response to 365nm. The small color difference in oranges and in intensity is typical for most zircon in LW 365nm, tho other colors than orange are sometimes reported.

Enjoy! These specimens are already added to the Royal Collection! LOL

 

[hoser]

If you do make that trip, buy yourself a cheap 365nm LW UV flashlight and hunt for those yooperlites

Do you have any of these, or would you want one or two or three or four or............

 

[KingTotsalot]

Do you have any of these, or would you want one or two or three or four or............

You can send me a couple or so if you manage to find any! Would be appreciated as KT will never again travel that far north from the Castle! His Majesty will then send you a couple from His Kingdom!