(just joking 
)
Interesting contrast of textures between the first two KT !!!!
Definitely not your average looking rocks !
The one with the eerie green glow due to "traces of Uranium" - are you sure you don't need a Geiger counter ?
Enjoyed the pics KT, thanks for posting those !
Hmmm, you want some fries to go with that???
Nope, no geiger counter needed! It would set a g-counter off, but KT has this stored where it is no problem. The average person thinks...radiation! OMG! But you get radiation every day....by way of sunlight. That is radiation too. There is no natural radioactive mineral regulated in the USA, simply because the levels are so low in ores...they may make a counter go crazy, but don't do much to anyone...unless you ingest them!
They only become dangerous to handle once they go through the refining process. Unfortunately we do not have a "glow in the dark" emoji in the forum!
not sure if I'd want to try it though 
If you do a search online they show glow in the dark food
Here's a homemade "glow in the dark" emoji for you KT !
KT holding a really brilliant fluorescent rock
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) (I imagine fluorescent rock museums have some special photography equipment)
thanks to you !!!!
Super thanks to KT for recently sending me these two fluorescent rock specimens !!!!
Now let me say that it's difficult to take pics under UV light that show how it looks in person, the camera's sensitivity tends to wash out how it looks in person, the contrast of the fluorescent glow is noticeably better in person.
Anyhow, here are the pics, first in normal light, then one trying to have the UV light positioned to reduce the wash out but that also reduces the amount of direct UV that makes the glow of the fluorescence brighter, then one with a more direct UV that has more of the wash out effect that diminishes the contrast of the fluorescence. (KT can tell you that UV photography can sometimes be a challenge
Sodalite Syenite, two specimens, both from Saline County, AR.
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Thanks again KT, my small (but very neat !) collection is now less small
KT is happy to know you like them! Yes, UV photography can be quite challenging, that is one reason KT has to fiddle around with His Royal Photos in the Royal Computers equivalent to Photoshop to tweak the images for better color rendition (more like the Royal Eye sees the specimen under UV light). It is also difficult to get a proper focus with UV if your camera is an autofocus type...something about the wavelength shift affects the autofocus to where it is slightly out of focus.
Presently KT is patiently waiting for a specimen from Afghanistan to arrive from the Pakistani seller on eBay. Sometimes this takes up to two weeks longer than they say in the listing! But I expect it to be worth waiting on! When it arrives, it will be promptly photographed and posted in this thread!
GKL, KT has started corresponding with a fellow, some 84 years old, in Sweden. He has been collecting minerals, especially fluorescent specimens, for many many years and has traveled all over Germany, Finland, Sweden, and even parts of Africa many times. I purchased a specimen from him off eBay, which is now on route, and we began corresponding. An email I received from him today noted that he would send me a box of fl. specimens from his travels, but it may take a couple of weeks for him to get them in the mail to me due to health problems, but now KT is excited to see what will come in the mail from him, other than the one specimen I bought! Life can be exciting when you let it!!
Wow, that's neat KT !!!!
I imagine you might feel like a kid waiting for Christmas morning to see what you are getting !
(hope his health problems get better)
His health problems are due to taking a fall on the ice, and he fractured a couple of vertebra, so he living on a morphine based pill to be able to walk around, etc.! But he assures me he is slowly on the mend!
And yes, KT is certainly excited!
_______
Super neat KT !!!!
That is a unique looking specimen that should stand out in your collection.
The view under 365nm light is a neat color combination different from many specimens you normally see, not that other specimens aren't neat looking also, but this one seems somewhat unique in it's color combination than what you often see.
Also neat is the distinct difference in how it looks under 254nm light !
Yep, I am familiar with the Sterling Hill Mine from their online web site, I think that likely all fluorescent rockhounds wish they had a "Sterling Hill Mine"-like area close to where they live !
KT understands that! When Prince John was 3 years old, the Royal Family went on trip to the east. One of the places we visited was the Sterling Hill Mine, traded some zinc specimens for a couple of neat fluorescent specimens for the Arkansas State Collection, and took a tour of the Mine. Seeing the rainbow room was quite an experience! KT was too young a kinglet to visit during the heyday years of dump searching that used to be allowed. Now the dumps are too picked over to yield anything worthwhile, after having 1000s of people crawling over them with UV lamps!
I have a good friend in Kentucky who is saving a box of Sterling Hill specimens for me. He told me they are just a bunch of gray and white rocks to him! Of course he is teasing olde KT, as he knows what he has. We have discussed trading for them whenever he makes it back down here to the Castle.
(just kidding )
Sounds like you had fun at the museum !
Maybe if you get enough specimens you can paint a room black and glue specimens all over the walls and ceiling
Hey, sounds like you have another surprise batch of minerals to look forward to !
I wasn't sure if I misunderstood if you meant they no longer allow collecting, if so, it looks like they allow it again now, I just checked their web site and saw this:
https://www.sterlinghillminingmuseum.org/mineral-collecting
from the above link:
"Our mine run dump area is perfect for avid mineral collectors. There are two main sections to our mine run dump, the International pile and the Local pile. The International pile contains diverse minerals from all over the world that people can dig through. The Local pile contains hundred of tons of high-grade zinc ore that was derived from the Sterling Hill Mine itself. Much of the ore in the local pile is full of highly fluorescent minerals. There is a shed on the mine run dump which has a shortwave ultraviolet light in which collectors can check their rocks and see if they do fluoresce.
MINERAL COLLECTING FEES:
$5.00 PER PERSON FOR ADMISSION
$2.00 PER LB OF ROCK
5 POUND MINIMUM
MINE RUN DUMP RULES:
1. MUST BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE.
2. MUST HAVE APPROPRIATE ATTIRE (CLOSED TOED SHOES, ETC).
Mine Run Dump Hours:
Open Saturday and Sunday 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Weather permitting as this area is completely exposed to the elements.
I also remembered the other fluorescent museum (Franklin) and they allow collecting too -
https://franklinmineralmuseum.com/visit/
from the above link:
"Rock Collecting only
Adults $12.00
Children (3-16) $10.00
Senior Citizens (65+) & Veterans $11.00
Includes collecting bag and two pounds of specimens per paid admission. Additional poundage fee: $2 per pound.
All persons going into rock collecting areas must pay admission. Collecting area closes 30-minutes prior to museum closing."
In the good olde days, collecting was free and there was no charge per pound, AND no weight limit! So even though one may still collect there, it is NOT the same! And at $2/pound, the cost can mount up quickly if one is not careful. Without a location, the value of any specimen, fluorescent or not, is greatly decreased, so it might be great for rockhounds but no serious collector would bother with collecting from a pile from diverse localities, no specific sites given. IMHO.
Understood, okay for casual collectors to get interesting looking fluorescent rocks, but not for the serious collector who needs a source location to maximize each specimen's value.
I did a search to see if there were any fairly recent reviews of both locations and found these, the first link included a comment saying the Sterling Hill location was closed due to Covid but to call to verify and included a phone number.
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/14169
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46702-d584517-Reviews-Sterling_Hill_Mining_Museum-Ogdensburg_New_Jersey.html
https://www.hobokengirl.com/the-sterling-hill-mining-museum-new-jersey/
https://thedigestonline.com/nj/sterling-hill-mining-museum/
https://www.fomsnj.org/FAQs.aspx
Also saw this link:
Spring Swap & Sell at the Franklin Mineral Museum April 23, 2022
https://www.mindat.org/mesg-585554.html
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