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

[KingTotsalot]

2 specimens arrived today in the Royal Mailbox, one all the way from Madagascar!

The first pair of pictures is of a Corundum crystal, var. Ruby, from Sasafotsy Qy. (AKA Amboarohy), Ihosy, Ihorombe, Madagascar. The first image is in natural light and the second is in LW 365nm. Nice single T/N crystal. This site is well known since its start up in 1989 for nice crystal specimens of corundum, ruby and sapphire.

The second mineral, 3 pictures, is of pale purple Meionite, Scapolite Group, from the Bolton Ls. Quarry, Bolton, Worchester Co., Massachusetts, USA. The miniature specimen is an aggregate of Meionite crystals that is present in several contact zones between the local limestone and igneous dikes. The first picture is in natural light, the second in LW 365nm, and the third is in SW 254nm. The meionite fluoresces both pink and bluish. Note the white veining between the grains. KT does not know what the mineral is that is fluorescing white.

Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

This specimen arrived today in the Royal Mailbox! The sample is from the Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., New Jersey.
It consists of Willemite, Calcite and non-fluorescent Franklinite and the texture of the Calcite is interesting. First picture is in natural light and the second is in SW254nm, using 3 SW lamps. In some portions of the fluorescent picture, KT sees what He interprets to be the invasion of both the Willemite and the non-fluorescent Franklinite by the Calcite, placing the Calcite as the last mineral deposited in the sequence. This is the first specimen that His Majesty has noted this relationship in the Royal Collection from this location, out of quite a few KT has examined.

You will need to enlarge the image a bit (perhaps X2) to see this.

Enjoy the two photos!

 

[KingTotsalot]

An interesting sample arrived in the Royal Mailbox today....from a classic collecting locality in Arizona. In natural light the wulfenite crystals are bright orange and the fluorite is light bluish purple to colorless. This specimen is from the Red Cloud Mine, Silver Mining District, La Paz Co., Arizona. Few people realize that some of the wulfenite fluoresces in LW 365 an orange color, like in the second picture. The specimen is actually a small miniature, measuring about 1.5" across, but the picture only shows about 1/2 the specimen because that is where the better fluorescing wulfenite is seen!

Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

This specimen arrived today in the Royal mail box! It is a miniature specimen of limestone with open cavities lined with strontianite and minor micro-calcite crystals from the Susquehanna Qy. (AKA J. Fulkroads Qy.), East Salem, Juniata County, Pennsylvania. The matrix is limestone and the commercial product of this quarry is crushed limestone, likely for aggregate.

The first picture is in natural light. The second is in LW 365nm and you can see a few yellow tinted spots which is the small crystals of calcite fluorescing a pale yellow. The strontianite is bright white in LW. The third picture is in SW 254nm and the calcite is still the same pale yellow, but the strontianite’s response is bluish white.

In both LW and SW UV, when turned off, the strontianite responds with a short lived pastel green phosphorescence (no picture).

Enjoy the pictures!

 

[stetam]

Nice pics of a local mineral.

Steve

 

[KingTotsalot]

Nice pics of a local mineral.

Steve

Royal Thanks for your comment, stetam!

 

[achaios]

I don't have a prospecting type lamp like I used to, which did shortwave and longwave UV. I do have a cheap, SW/LW portable lamp, but I get better results from my UV flashlights. I think the longwave one is 365nm, while my shortwave one is 255nm. They do pretty good on my specimens. I think I have a couple of minerals that only fluoresce under LW (Sodalite, Ruby). Most do better with SW. Both of the flashlights advise against looking at the beam.

I always like looking at my piece of Willemite/Calcite/Franklinite. Carnotite is pretty to look at, but won't fluoresce.

--Tom

 

[KingTotsalot]

I don't have a prospecting type lamp like I used to, which did shortwave and longwave UV. I do have a cheap, SW/LW portable lamp, but I get better results from my UV flashlights. I think the longwave one is 365nm, while my shortwave one is 255nm. They do pretty good on my specimens. I think I have a couple of minerals that only fluoresce under LW (Sodalite, Ruby). Most do better with SW. Both of the flashlights advise against looking at the beam. I always like looking at my piece of Willemite/Calcite/Franklinite. Carnotite is pretty to look at, but won't fluoresce. --Tom

Tom, KT appreciates your input on this topic! A couple of comments….. the inexpensive flashlight style 365nm rechargeable LW flashlights are now much better than any of the tube style LW lamps that were around for years. And I understand why you commented that more minerals are fluorescent in SW 254nm than LW. But KT has found that some minerals are LW 365 nm only, you list a couple …Ruby and sodalite, but there are others that fluoresce in both wavelengths and even different colors….like the calcite from Franklin, NJ, that is orange under SW and red under LW And the calcite from Terlingua, TX and nearby Mexico that is pink in LW and blue in SW. Tho fluorescent in both LW and SW from the same site, the willemite often associated with the NJ calcite is to me a brighter green in LW, just because the calcite is not as bright. Common opal is green in LW, but a brighter green in SW.

In general, a moderately priced LW 365nm flashlight ($74) causes much brighter response than any normal SW 254nm lamp, that is why when KT takes pictures of SW responding minerals, He typically uses 3 SW lamps surrounding the specimen, to get the brightest response from it. Those lamps include two different tube types and a SW flashlight using a Cree lamp and a new filter.

 

[KingTotsalot]

Arrived today from Germany! It was quite a wait, but worth it, me thinketh.

This specimen contains light colored sphalerite in a calcite marble matrix. The calcite contains enough Mn+2 to give it a decent fluorescence. This example is from the Hasselhojden Limestone Quarry, now abandoned, Grythyttan, Hallefors, Orobro County, Sweden. Mindat.org has some pictures of the old tower type limestone kiln, along with a picture of the mine dumps.

The rock just has the general appearance of any whitish crystalline marble (Picture 1). Picture 2 shows the calcite displaying a nice pinkish red fluorescence in SW light. Note that the sphalerite is not fluorescent in SW 254nm. Picture 3 shows the sphalerite with a nice golden yellow fluorescence in LW 365nm and little response from the calcite. Finally, picture 4 shows the same specimen in combined SW and LW. This is the first picture KT has taken a photography using both lamps and His Majesty is royally pleased with the result!


Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

KT had been waiting patiently for this specimen, with its included label from the Sterling Hill Museum for a few days. It is likely from an older collection that was purchased from a local collector. Over the years, there have been 100s of tons of fluorescent minerals taken from the various dumps, and now, slowly this older material has begun to reach modern collectors through both local sales and eBay. Since I do not have the time to visit there and collect any specimens (being some 1200 miles from the Castle, according to Google), purchasing from eBay dealers is a good way for KT to expand His Royal collection!

This specimen consists of fluorite grains dispersed throughout a coarse-grained calcite matrix from Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ. In Picture 1, taken in natural light, it is almost impossible to see the fluorite grains. But in Picture 2, they display as bluish violet scattered grains in the orange-responding calcite host in SW 254nm light. It is an unusual color combination from this mine, blue and orange, but when seen it is either hardystonite with calcite or fluorite with calcite. Since I have not seen hardystonite with this dispersed grain habit (usually it is either a coating or encrusting habit) and the specimen was labeled as fluorite, I accept that.

The fluorescent image was taken using my 3 SW 254nm lamps, one located to the left of the image, one at the bottom of the image, and the flashlight being at a 45 degree angle from horizontal on the right of the image. This allowed KT to get the best quality of response in the photograph.

Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

This specimen arrived today in the Royal Mailbox before KT took off on the Royal Steed for lunch! It was labelled Zircon Skardu, Pakistan. Upon arriving back from lunch, KT looked up on Mindat.org and discovered a discussion thread on the topic of Sardu localities. Very interesting, Skardu is a political division that once included a large area, which in the 1990s was, by the Pakistani Government, divided into several Districts, leaving the name Skardu for the city of Skardu, which is on a valley floor and the new area contains no mineral localities. So His Majesty began a search for Pakistan Zircon, and found pictures of 5 specimens in the Haramosh Mountains of the Roundu District (formerly part of the Skardu District). Two of those pictures match both the normal appearance of this zircon crystal, and match the matrix, which is a gneiss. In the Haramosh Mountains there were only 3 localities listed, so that is as far as I could take the locality info. But I am happy with that….and it is certainly better than a now out-of-date location.

The first picture is in natural light, and the second is in SW 254nm. The second picture shows the crispness of the crystal form, aside from its nice fluorescence, while the first image shows the crystals color and translucency. The second image was taken using 3 UV SW lamps, one to the left at 45 degrees and about 4 inches from the specimen, the second lamp was from the south at about 25 degrees and 3 inches distance, and the 3rd lamp was my SW flashlight from the south at ~60 degrees and 8 inches from the crystal.

Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

Three specimens to show off, one having arrived in the Royal Mailbox yesterday, and the other two purchased at the Tahlequah, Oklahoma show by KT today!

The first is the mailbox arrival, and some may fuss because it is a polished heart, however, it was very inexpensive and has a decent polish which aids it to show off its fluorescence! It is Scolecite from Nashik Qy., Nashik District, Maharashtra, India. The first image is in natural light, the second is in LW 365nm, and the third is in SW 254nm. His Majesty likes the way the fluorescence displays the texture of the specimen, not so readily seen in natural light.

The second specimen is a Quartz geode from Bou Craa, Laayone Province, Laayone-Sakria, El Hamra, Morocco. The quartz lining is clear and sparkly in the first picture, the second picture shows the geodes rind glowing a nice cream white in LW 365nm, and the third picture shows the rind with a less intense fluorescence, but nonetheless, responding to SW 254nm light with a pale cream white. KT was surprised to see that this piece showed any SW fluorescence!

Finally, the third specimen is a thick cut, polished slab of Petrified Wood from Arizona, USA. Not particularly colorful with tan and cream colors in natural light (1st picture), in the second picture it has a nice yellow to golden granular display in LW 365nm, and in the third picture, it has a paler response, but still strong enough to photograph in SW 254nm. This one was another surprise with the SW response.

As you might guess, KT only took one of the Royal LW 365nm lamps with Him as at a show it is too much of a hassle to be switching back and forth, from one lamp to the other and back.

So this was a good week and trip, having added 3 more specimens to the Royal Fluorescent Collection!

Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

Well, here is another piece of petrified wood, this one opalized from New Mexico, USA. The fluorescence is minimal in LW 365nm, but really nice in SW 254nm in the second picture! The backside of this specimen shows nice wood grain but is somewhat covered with manganese oxide staining so has little fluorescence, so KT did not worry about photographing it! Note the conchoidal (shell like fracture) surfaces so typical of opal, chert, and other varieties of quartz. The green fluorescence is usually due to traces of uranium.

Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

Finally.....a decent specimen to post!

This is from a relatively new find of Aragonite from Imam Rabat, Nawzad District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. In natural light, it has a nice uniform yellow color with no obvious banding. There are many pieces for sale on eBay, but KT wanted something that had a bit of personality to add to the Royal Collection and when He saw this piece His Majesty was ready to buy it. Most specimens just consist of a few bonded slivers of yellow Aragonite, but this piece is two intersecting sprays, so it is a bit different. Nice size to as it readily covers KT's Royal palm. Some people might say it is a small cabinet specimen.

Anyway, it is fluorescent in both LW and SW UV. In LW 365nm, it is creamy white with a strong greenish phosphorescence. In SW 254nm, it has a greenish white tint, and is weakly phosphorescent in pale green.

On eBay the location is only given as Afghanistan, but His Majesty did a bit of online researching and discovered some German dealers, that had some typical yellow specimens with the more detailed location info.

Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

Today was a busy day for His Majesty. KT was to give two talks on fluorescence at our local club’s annual show in Cabot, AR, what it is, what causes it, and discuss a bit about its commercial uses, then have some fun giving a light show with a few of the Royal specimens! The first talk was at 12 noon and the second at 2:00 pm. There was a good crowd at the first show, but no kids were present. After eating lunch, His Majesty browsed some of the dealers tables and came across an interesting fluorite from Ohio, so He purchased it…..then back in the talks room to give the second presentation. To my Royal surprise, KT had not only several adults but 4 kids appear! Which was perfect because KT had 4 inexpensive LW 365 flashlight units to give away and specimens of both the central Arkansas sodalite syenite, and some fluorescent white and phosphorescent calcite geodes from Ohio.

KT likes to talk to kids because He gets a lot of oooos and ahhhhhs when they first see nice fluorescent minerals with a quality long and short wave light. His Majesty now has a good flashlight style one in both LW 365nm and SW 254nm. And the kids obliged nicely with frequent outbursts! HA HA

Anyway, afterwards His Majesty packed up my gear and rocks, got it all in the Royal Coach and headed back to the Castle!

The pictures below are of a large miniature limestone matrix with small brown fluorite crystals scattered about. The first is in natural light, the second in LW 365nm, and the third in SW 254nm. The specimen is from Stoneco Whiterock Quarry, Clay Center, Allen Twnsp., Ottawa Co., Ohio. The fluorites from this site are well known for their LW yellowish cream and SW whitish cream fluorence. Sometimes they are highly phosphorescent also, but not these crystals….no phosphorescence.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures and the specimen is already cataloged and labelled, just now waiting for the black paint on the paper box to dry so it can be safely filed away in the Royal Collection!

Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

Today is the lull before KT's Royal storm this week! His Majesty, with a friend's assistance, is hosting the 2023 Central US Micromount Symposium that starts tomorrow with a couple of days of field trips and then 2 days of the actual Symposium, ending late Saturday afternoon.

But since this specimen arrived all the way from Pakistan today, KT decided to get it photographed and posted! When it arrived, there was no label, but it had been advertised as being from Pakistan. So a bit of looking at pictures of Pakistani zircons on Mindat.org yielded a number of matches for both the color, size and matrix, all from Astore Valley, Astore District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. So that is my best Royal call for a locality!

The first picture is slightly out of focus (my apologies) and is in natural light. The second picture was taken using a strong Cree led flashlight from the top to show the internal color of the zircon crystal a bit better, and the third picture was taken in SW 254nm and shows a nice golden yellow color, also typical for this locality. You can see the overall shape of the crystal better in SW UV.

Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

The first of many fluorescent pictures for KT to post over the next couple of weeks!

Steve Bonney, one of KT's Kentucky micro-mounting friends knows His Majesty is into fluorescent minerals, so while on a visit to the MM Symposium, he brought KT a box of goodies! These are the first two minerals for KT to document and put in the Royal Fluorescent Collection from those several pieces.

The first is a specimen of chalcedony, a microcrystalline variety of quartz. The label reads unknown location..Western USA. There are literally 100s of sites for this fairly common variety of quartz in the western USA, so KT will not venture a guess on a locality. The first image is in natural light and the upper part of the specimen was just above the field of focus of the Royal cell phone camera (sorry about that)...it focused nicely on the mm scale tho! HA HA Anyway, chalcedony has a bubbly appearance with waxy luster. But my, in SW 254nm, the second image, the specimen displays a nice typical trace of Uranium green!

The second specimen is a sample of Sphalerite, Cerussite and Hydrozincite from the Columbia Mine, Marion, Crittenden County, Kentucky. The first image is in natural light, the second is in LW 365nm with the Sphalerite displaying orange and the Cerussite displaying yellow coloration. The third picture is in SW 254nm, where the Hydrozincite shows off a nice bluish white.

Like His Majesty stated, the first of many to go out in the next couple of weeks! Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

This specimen was a gift to KT from Jim Stoops, one of the attendees of His Majesty's recently hosted micromount symposium! It is especially appreciated because access to this quarry for collecting was prevented about 3 years back, so any specimens from this location nowadays are of Royal Interest!

The piece consists of a translucent tabular crystal of Fluorapophyllite on white Orthoclase from the 3MQ, Pulaski County, Arkansas. The first picture is in natural light with scale for size, the second picture is in LW 365nm light and the mineral responds with a pale greenish blue color. The third picture is in SW 254nm light and the Fluorapophyllite is a deep blue, and the Orthoclase gives a strong pinkish red response!

Enjoy the pictures!

 

[KingTotsalot]

During the Micro Minerals Symposium, KT came across several shoe boxes on the freebie tables of GMQ#1 coarse grained syenite with lots of cavities. His Majesty checked these with the Royal LW 365nm lamp and found a couple of interesting fluorescent specimens. This is one of them. In a 15 mm across cavity is a partial infilling of very late calcite. Not easily noticed in natural light in picture 1. But in LW 365nm light it responds with a pinkish bluish coloration and the rest of the rock is non-responsive. Picture 3 shows the response to SW 254nm light, the calcite is a tannish white, the orthoclase is red, and there are numerous green flecks scattered about, mostly around the margin of the cavity. KT suspects that the green represents either Uranium salts, Thorium salts, or tiny spots of late Hyaline opal-(AN). Anyway, it is nice to see such a variety of colors in this vuggy syenite! His Majesty did not notice the green spots until He examined the photos.

This material was brought to the meeting by Jim Stoops and was collected in October of 2012 from his notation on the box lid! Needless to say, KT checked all the boxes closely and only found one other interesting specimen (to Him that is!).

Enjoy the pictures.

 

[KingTotsalot]

This is the second sample from Jim Stoops Granite Mountain Quarry #1 boxes that KT found on the freebie tables at the CUSMS gathering. It is a flat hand specimen. KT would call it a coarse grained syenite and it was collected, according to Jim’s label, in October, 2012.

In the first picture, we see the sample’s appearance in natural like when looking at it perpendicularly. The second picture shows an oblique view in natural light, showing a large cleavage area reflecting light. The cleavage reflection is from a single oriented water clear calcite breakage, the calcite being so clear it cannot be seen in the first image. The third picture is in SW 254nm light, showing the cream to pinkish response of the calcite and the red response of the matrix orthoclase. To me it was a surprising color combination, having mostly collected sodalite (orange in LW UV), and fluorite (typical blue in LW UV) from this location in the past. This is why, though not collecting minerals anymore, I still grab a few hand samples wherever I visit!

His Majesty loves it when new looking material turns up from classic collecting locations here in Arkansas! Enjoy the pictures!