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

KT was pleased this morning when He looked in the Royal Mail Box and couple of packages were in there!:lol::lol: Along with the normal junk mail!

Anyway, all of these specimens originated in Madagascar!

The first one has several pictures....The Egg! :lol::lol: I measures 2" in length. First picture is in natural light with a white background, 2nd image is backlit on a black background, 3rd image shows it in SWUV, and the 4th image shows it in LWUV. KT likes the fluorescent banding in it!

The other samples are of dinosaur bone, and measures a little over 1" diameter. Does not look like much in natural light but the bone pore structure shows up nicely in SWUV! The second dino bone sphere is about the same size and under SWUV whatever mineral has replaced the bone, some of it shows up as circular whorls on the surface of the sphere...does not show anything unusual in natural light!

KT has no idea what happened to the size of two of these pictures, but they are tiny! HA HA His Majesty tried to change their size to be more viewable but nothing worked! Oh well!

Enjoy the pictures! KT likes His Royal Dino Bone striker sized marbles! :laughing::laughing:

Wow KT you definitely manage to keep finding more unusual specimens :shock:

I think you really might be close to qualifying as a mini-museum :lol:

Definitely unusual (but neat) looking specimens, makes me feel like digging around more on my own property hoping for the remote possibility of finding an unusual mineral specimen :laughing: (I have found some neat looking rocks before, but nothing I don't think would be considered rare :lol:)
 
This arrived around lunch time today!

This hand sized specimen is Marialite, Scapolite Group, on Diopside, South Baptiste Lake Roadcut, Diamond Lake, Highland Grove, Bancroft District, Hastings Co. Ontario, Canada. Most specimens of the Scapolite Group are known for their bright yellow fluorescence and are called Wernerite by many collectors. But this specimen has no hint of yellow in its fluorescence. It is a nice orangey red! This specimen is from a listed Mindat.org location.

First image was taken looking down on the specimen with the Royal Camera's flash, pretty much the same as natural light. The second image was taken using 2 SWUV 4 watt lamps, one looking south from the top of the picture and the other looking north from the bottom of the picture.

When KT first opened the packing the specimen came in, He thought it might have been acid dipped to remove any calcite, but upon examination under the Royal Microscope, His Majesty saw dirt in all the cavities and crevices of the rock, as to be expected with an uncleaned road outcrop sample. So a thorough scrubbing with a soft bristle tooth brush with soap and a warm water rinse removed all that loose material and blue fl. lint dust that settles on everything when stored on a shelf in the house for awhile!

Enjoy the piece!
 

Attachments

  • Marialite, Scapolite Group, on Diopside, Hastings Co. Ontario, Canada, Hand size, Natural light.JPG
    Marialite, Scapolite Group, on Diopside, Hastings Co. Ontario, Canada, Hand size, Natural light.JPG
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  • Marialite, Scapolite Group, on Diopside, Hastings Co. Ontario, Canada, Hand size, 2 4 watt SWUV .JPG
    Marialite, Scapolite Group, on Diopside, Hastings Co. Ontario, Canada, Hand size, 2 4 watt SWUV .JPG
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Welp, here another one!

This specimen I found in a box of rocks in the Royal Barn! :laughing::laughing:

KT is planning on attending a Micro Mineral Symposium in KY later this fall, and is sorting through samples to photograph before putting them in a freebie giveaway box to take to the meeting. To His Majesty's Royal Surprise, He came across this specimen from Halls Gap, KY that was given to him several years back. Until today, KT had never put a UV light on it, but was happy to see the calcite fluoresce a rather strong blue color. One just never knows!

Anyway here are two photographs. Both were shot at 25X but the one showing fluorescence was cropped a bit resulting in a magnification of 30X for that picture. So enjoy!
 

Attachments

  • Calcite on druzy quartz, Halls Gap, KY, 25X, natural light.jpg
    Calcite on druzy quartz, Halls Gap, KY, 25X, natural light.jpg
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  • Calcite on druzy quartz, Halls Gap, KY, 30X, LWUV 365nm.jpg
    Calcite on druzy quartz, Halls Gap, KY, 30X, LWUV 365nm.jpg
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This hand sized specimen is Marialite, Scapolite Group, on Diopside, South Baptiste Lake Roadcut, Diamond Lake, Highland Grove, Bancroft District, Hastings Co. Ontario, Canada. Most specimens of the Scapolite Group are known for their bright yellow fluorescence and are called Wernerite by many collectors. But this specimen has no hint of yellow in its fluorescence. It is a nice orangey red! This specimen is from a listed Mindat.org location.

First image was taken looking down on the specimen with the Royal Camera's flash, pretty much the same as natural light. The second image was taken using 2 SWUV 4 watt lamps, one looking south from the top of the picture and the other looking north from the bottom of the picture.

When KT first opened the packing the specimen came in, He thought it might have been acid dipped to remove any calcite, but upon examination under the Royal Microscope, His Majesty saw dirt in all the cavities and crevices of the rock, as to be expected with an uncleaned road outcrop sample. So a thorough scrubbing with a soft bristle tooth brush with soap and a warm water rinse removed all that loose material and blue fl. lint dust that settles on everything when stored on a shelf in the house for awhile!

Enjoy the piece!

Neat KT, I like how that reddish glow distinctly stands out !

This specimen I found in a box of rocks in the Royal Barn! :laughing::laughing:

KT is planning on attending a Micro Mineral Symposium in KY later this fall, and is sorting through samples to photograph before putting them in a freebie giveaway box to take to the meeting. To His Majesty's Royal Surprise, He came across this specimen from Halls Gap, KY that was given to him several years back. Until today, KT had never put a UV light on it, but was happy to see the calcite fluoresce a rather strong blue color. One just never knows!

Anyway here are two photographs. Both were shot at 25X but the one showing fluorescence was cropped a bit resulting in a magnification of 30X for that picture. So enjoy!

That strong blue is a nice contrast to the previous reddish specimen, looks cool !

Are some colors more common and any colors that are more rare or all colors pretty much equally found ?
 
Neat KT, I like how that reddish glow distinctly stands out ! That strong blue is a nice contrast to the previous reddish specimen, looks cool !

Are some colors more common and any colors that are more rare or all colors pretty much equally found ?

Certain ones are more common, like green, red, reddish orange, orange, and blue….I suppose because the minerals with those colors are more common. Less common are white, yellow, tan, violet, pink, and bluish white. To most casual viewers, they get excited by the more vivid bright colors, like the first ones I listed, so a lot of collectors show them off when displaying their specimens. But KT likes variety, especially unusual colors from minerals that normally fluoresce one color…take calcite for an example. It’s normal color is red to orangish red, but it also may be white, bluish white, blue, or yellow. Common opal is the opposite, and it is always green, due to a trace of Uranium, but it has no fluorescence if it has no trace of Uranium. Scheelite, an ore mineral of tungsten, is always bluish white, and ruby, because it contains Chromium is always red, both in color and in fluorescence!

KT hopes to have some additional specimens to show you by the end of the week! :laughing::laughing:
 
Certain ones are more common, like green, red, reddish orange, orange, and blue….I suppose because the minerals with those colors are more common. Less common are white, yellow, tan, violet, pink, and bluish white. To most casual viewers, they get excited by the more vivid bright colors, like the first ones I listed, so a lot of collectors show them off when displaying their specimens. But KT likes variety, especially unusual colors from minerals that normally fluoresce one color…take calcite for an example. It’s normal color is red to orangish red, but it also may be white, bluish white, blue, or yellow. Common opal is the opposite, and it is always green, due to a trace of Uranium, but it has no fluorescence if it has no trace of Uranium. Scheelite, an ore mineral of tungsten, is always bluish white, and ruby, because it contains Chromium is always red, both in color and in fluorescence!

KT hopes to have some additional specimens to show you by the end of the week! :laughing::laughing:

Thanks for the info KT !

Well, I do like the more vivid bright colors because of the WOW :shock: factor :lol:, but I still think it would be interesting to see other colors also just for comparison.

While I might focus on the WOW factor in how specimens look I still find it interesting to know what minerals tend to glow what colors, so I can enjoy both the educational as well as the fun aspect of the minerals :lol:
 
Thanks for the info KT !

Well, I do like the more vivid bright colors because of the WOW :shock: factor :lol:, but I still think it would be interesting to see other colors also just for comparison.

While I might focus on the WOW factor in how specimens look I still find it interesting to know what minerals tend to glow what colors, so I can enjoy both the educational as well as the fun aspect of the minerals :lol:

Good for you! Now you are becoming more of an "educated" person, having an open mind!:yes::D:D:D
 
Here is an interesting specimen!

This specimen arrived today and consists of fluorapatite from the Copper Mine Shaft, Edison Mine, Sparta Twp., Sussex Co., New Jersey. Horizontal Field of View = 4". His Majesty trimmed away about 1/3rd of the matrix rock on this specimen since it had no fluorapatite present. Made it fit better in the Royal Fluorescent and Micro Mineral Cabinet! :laughing::laughing::laughing:

This mine was operated by The Thomas Edison to supply metal for his experimental light bulbs! The first picture shows the specimen in natural light, 2nd picture in LWUV 365nm, and the 3rd picture in SW 254nm. The color in LW is a somewhat varigated peachy tan and in SW is more of a golden yellow than depicted in the picture....to the naked eye, of course.

Some fluorapatites do fluoresce and mostly in pastel colors, not vivid red or yellow. I have one that is from Jeffrey Quarry, North Little Rock, AR that fluoresces a pink.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures.
 

Attachments

  • Fluorapatite, Copper Mine Shaft, Edison Mine, Sparta Twp., Sussex, N.J. FOV = 4 in., natural lig.jpg
    Fluorapatite, Copper Mine Shaft, Edison Mine, Sparta Twp., Sussex, N.J. FOV = 4 in., natural lig.jpg
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  • Fluorapatite, Copper Mine Shaft, Edison Mine, Sparta Twp., Sussex, N.J. FOV = 4 in., LWUV 365nm.JPG
    Fluorapatite, Copper Mine Shaft, Edison Mine, Sparta Twp., Sussex, N.J. FOV = 4 in., LWUV 365nm.JPG
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  • Fluorapatite, Copper Mine Shaft, Edison Mine, Sparta Twp., Sussex, N.J. FOV = 4 in., SWUV 254nm.jpg
    Fluorapatite, Copper Mine Shaft, Edison Mine, Sparta Twp., Sussex, N.J. FOV = 4 in., SWUV 254nm.jpg
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This specimen is small but a dandy for its fluorescence!

This specimen arrived at the Castle in today's mail. KT was excited to put the fluorescent lights to it!

It is only a small miniature, but my, does it have personality! It was in Dick Hauck's personal collection and I got a green Franklin Mineral Museum label with it. Dick Hauck was one of the founders of the Sterling Hill Mineral Museum and is well known for his efforts with fluorescent minerals around the world. The label says Sphalerite, but it also has significant Willemite too. It fluoresces in both LW 356nm and SW 254nm, so....there are 6 pictures of this specimen, because the back of the piece has a different fluorescent pattern than the front. The location is given as Sterling Hill mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ. Sphalerite from this locality fluoresces both reddish and bluish, mostly in LWUV. Willemite fluoresces weakly green in LWUV, but strongly green in SWUV.

The first 3 pictures are of the front: Natural light, LWUV 365nm, and finally SWUV 254nm.

The second 3 pictures are of the reverse: Natural light, LWUV 365nm, and lastly SWUV 254nm.

Since KT has 2 4-watt lamps for the SW, His Majesty placed one at the bottom and one at the top of each SW image, to get a more even response. The LW UVBeast was so strong that to prevent it from washing out the photographic image for the camera, it was held ~6 feet from the specimen, in both LW images.

Enjoy these pictures!
 

Attachments

  • Sphalerite & Willemite, Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ FOV = 2.5 in., SWUV 254nm.JPG
    Sphalerite & Willemite, Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ FOV = 2.5 in., SWUV 254nm.JPG
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  • Sphalerite & Willemite, Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ FOV = 2.5 in., LWUV 365nm.JPG
    Sphalerite & Willemite, Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ FOV = 2.5 in., LWUV 365nm.JPG
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  • Sphalerite & Willemite, Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ FOV = 2.5 in., natural li.JPG
    Sphalerite & Willemite, Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ FOV = 2.5 in., natural li.JPG
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  • Sphalerite & Willemite, rev., Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ FOV = 2.5 in., natu.JPG
    Sphalerite & Willemite, rev., Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ FOV = 2.5 in., natu.JPG
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  • Sphalerite & Willemite, rev., Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ FOV = 2.5 in., LWUV.JPG
    Sphalerite & Willemite, rev., Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ FOV = 2.5 in., LWUV.JPG
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  • Sphalerite & Willemite, rev., Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ FOV = 2.5 in., SWUV.JPG
    Sphalerite & Willemite, rev., Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ FOV = 2.5 in., SWUV.JPG
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This specimen arrived today and consists of fluorapatite from the Copper Mine Shaft, Edison Mine, Sparta Twp., Sussex Co., New Jersey. Horizontal Field of View = 4". His Majesty trimmed away about 1/3rd of the matrix rock on this specimen since it had no fluorapatite present. Made it fit better in the Royal Fluorescent and Micro Mineral Cabinet! :laughing::laughing::laughing:

This mine was operated by The Thomas Edison to supply metal for his experimental light bulbs! The first picture shows the specimen in natural light, 2nd picture in LWUV 365nm, and the 3rd picture in SW 254nm. The color in LW is a somewhat varigated peachy tan and in SW is more of a golden yellow than depicted in the picture....to the naked eye, of course.

Some fluorapatites do fluoresce and mostly in pastel colors, not vivid red or yellow. I have one that is from Jeffrey Quarry, North Little Rock, AR that fluoresces a pink.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures.

Hey, pastels has a nice glow, doesn't have to be vivid to be nice !

This specimen arrived at the Castle in today's mail. KT was excited to put the fluorescent lights to it!

It is only a small miniature, but my, does it have personality! It was in Dick Hauck's personal collection and I got a green Franklin Mineral Museum label with it. Dick Hauck was one of the founders of the Sterling Hill Mineral Museum and is well known for his efforts with fluorescent minerals around the world. The label says Sphalerite, but it also has significant Willemite too. It fluoresces in both LW 356nm and SW 254nm, so....there are 6 pictures of this specimen, because the back of the piece has a different fluorescent pattern than the front. The location is given as Sterling Hill mine, Ogdensburg, Sussex Co., NJ. Sphalerite from this locality fluoresces both reddish and bluish, mostly in LWUV. Willemite fluoresces weakly green in LWUV, but strongly green in SWUV.

The first 3 pictures are of the front: Natural light, LWUV 365nm, and finally SWUV 254nm.

The second 3 pictures are of the reverse: Natural light, LWUV 365nm, and lastly SWUV 254nm.

Since KT has 2 4-watt lamps for the SW, His Majesty placed one at the bottom and one at the top of each SW image, to get a more even response. The LW UVBeast was so strong that to prevent it from washing out the photographic image for the camera, it was held ~6 feet from the specimen, in both LW images.

Enjoy these pictures!

Neat, that top pic under UV kinda has a metallic foil-like appearance !

The green and blue one is nice, I like the green/blue combo !

How would specimens that glow differently under LW vs SW look if you tried shining both LW and SW on them at the same time ?
 
Here's another egg!

This one is 2" long and the rock contains a fluorescent mineral called Holtite. One of the rarer fluorescent minerals KT has in the collection as it is only found in two localities presently, one in Australia where it was originally discovered and the other in Russia. This example is from Russia and the location is a long one: Holtite, Vasin-Myl'K Massif, Voroni Tundry, Kola Peninsula, Murmanskaja Oblast, Russia. Quite a mouthful!! :laughing::laughing:

Anyway, the holtite fluoresces blue white in both LWUV 365nm and SWUV 254nm. The first picture is in natural light and KT positioned the egg to display the best fluorescence before taking both pictures. And the second picture was taken with the LWUV 365nm lamp.

Considering this scarce material was collected in Russian, taken to a cutting center where it was turned into an egg shape and polished, then sold to a dealer here in the USA, and finally shipped to me, getting it for under $30 is quite a bargain in KT's Royal Opinion!

Enjoy the pictures!
 

Attachments

  • Holtite Murmanskaja Oblast, Russia, FOV = 2.5 in., natural light.JPG
    Holtite Murmanskaja Oblast, Russia, FOV = 2.5 in., natural light.JPG
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  • Holtite Murmanskaja Oblast, Russia, FOV = 2.5 in., LWUV 365nm.JPG
    Holtite Murmanskaja Oblast, Russia, FOV = 2.5 in., LWUV 365nm.JPG
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This one is 2" long and the rock contains a fluorescent mineral called Holtite. One of the rarer fluorescent minerals KT has in the collection as it is only found in two localities presently, one in Australia where it was originally discovered and the other in Russia. This example is from Russia and the location is a long one: Holtite, Vasin-Myl'K Massif, Voroni Tundry, Kola Peninsula, Murmanskaja Oblast, Russia. Quite a mouthful!! :laughing::laughing:

Anyway, the holtite fluoresces blue white in both LWUV 365nm and SWUV 254nm. The first picture is in natural light and KT positioned the egg to display the best fluorescence before taking both pictures. And the second picture was taken with the LWUV 365nm lamp.

Considering this scarce material was collected in Russian, taken to a cutting center where it was turned into an egg shape and polished, then sold to a dealer here in the USA, and finally shipped to me, getting it for under $30 is quite a bargain in KT's Royal Opinion!

Enjoy the pictures!

Wow, that is really neat KT !!!! :thumbsup:

Definitely not your average looking specimen, neat how the different sections glow and the somewhat fractured look.

Could you imagine trying to fit that long address on a postcard ? :laughing:
 
here one from near the Castle!

There is a quarry near the community of Bryant, Arkansas that is due south from the Castle about 10 miles. KT has hunted minerals in it several times, but tonight while going through some giveaway material, His Majesty decided to check it with the LWUV lamp. To his Royal Surprise, one piece had one small grain that fluoresces a nice bright orange...Sodalite! This thing was very difficult to photograph. KT had to draw a crude arrow on the rock with black ink to find the spot under his USB led microscope. And it was hard to get in good focus but after fiddling around with it he managed to take some decent pictures.

The first picture is in natural light and at 15X. KT does not expect anyone to be able to spot the grain but it is dead in the center of the field of view! Second picture was in LWUV 365 with no filter. The grain begans to show itself in that image as an irregular orangy spot in the field of blue. The last picture shows the grain as all the blue has been removed by a yellow blue blocker filter....just the single orange grain in a field of black! HA HA

This may look like something not worth fooling with, but it is going into the Royal Collection, because it is the only fluorescent specimen KT has from that specific quarry!

Enjoy the pictures!
 

Attachments

  • Sodalite grain in syenite, GMQ3, Saline Co., AR 15X, natural light.jpg
    Sodalite grain in syenite, GMQ3, Saline Co., AR 15X, natural light.jpg
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  • Sodalite grain in syenite, GMQ3, Saline Co., AR 15X, LWUV 365nm, no filter.jpg
    Sodalite grain in syenite, GMQ3, Saline Co., AR 15X, LWUV 365nm, no filter.jpg
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  • Sodalite grain in syenite, GMQ3, Saline Co., AR 15X, LWUV 365nm, blue blocker yellow filter.jpg
    Sodalite grain in syenite, GMQ3, Saline Co., AR 15X, LWUV 365nm, blue blocker yellow filter.jpg
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There is a quarry near the community of Bryant, Arkansas that is due south from the Castle about 10 miles. KT has hunted minerals in it several times, but tonight while going through some giveaway material, His Majesty decided to check it with the LWUV lamp. To his Royal Surprise, one piece had one small grain that fluoresces a nice bright orange...Sodalite! This thing was very difficult to photograph. KT had to draw a crude arrow on the rock with black ink to find the spot under his USB led microscope. And it was hard to get in good focus but after fiddling around with it he managed to take some decent pictures.

The first picture is in natural light and at 15X. KT does not expect anyone to be able to spot the grain but it is dead in the center of the field of view! Second picture was in LWUV 365 with no filter. The grain begans to show itself in that image as an irregular orangy spot in the field of blue. The last picture shows the grain as all the blue has been removed by a yellow blue blocker filter....just the single orange grain in a field of black! HA HA

This may look like something not worth fooling with, but it is going into the Royal Collection, because it is the only fluorescent specimen KT has from that specific quarry!

Enjoy the pictures!

Hey KT, I can appreciate wanting it in your collection simply because it from not far away. Besides that orange spot stands out good !

With having yet to find any fluorescent specimens in my local area if I found something that even had a fluorescent spot 1/2 that size it would be in my collection ! :lol:
 
Hey KT, I can appreciate wanting it in your collection simply because it from not far away. Besides that orange spot stands out good !

With having yet to find any fluorescent specimens in my local area if I found something that even had a fluorescent spot 1/2 that size it would be in my collection ! :lol:

One thing KT has learned down through the years, check everything for fluorescence! So don’t give up, you just might come across something! :D
 
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