Diopside and Phlogopite from Afghanistan
Contributed by: Simone Conti
minID: 9V5-E4F
Date: Dec 03rd, 2024
Locality: Kokcha Valley, Badakhshan, Afghanistan (See on Mindat)
Size: 8 x 7 x 14 x cm
Weight: 1 kg
Description:
Large matrix piece of blockly green dioside crystals embedded in white calcite with a coating of brown phlogopite flakes. Interesting reactions under UV light. The diopside fluoresces gray, mostly under short and long wave UV. The phlogopite fluoresces bright yellow under shortwave, and becomes more and more dim and the color shift to orange moving to mid and long wave UV. Finally, the calcite responds its typical red, brightest under midwave. As a little surprise, there is a little chip of fluorapatite, revealed by its violet fluorescence under midwave UV. While the short and mid wave photos are quite striking on their own, the photo under both short and mid wave UV at the same time is even better. Adding longwave for a “full wave” photo makes the diopside a bit brighter, but also washes the calcite color; I prefer the mid and short wave photo. The longwave photo alone was quite boring.
Summary of luminescence responses:
Diopside
- Fluorescence under Longwave (365nm LED) UV light: Blue
- Fluorescence under Shortwave (254nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Blue
- Fluorescence under Shortwave (254nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Yellow
- Fluorescence under Longwave (365nm LED) UV light: Orange
- Fluorescence under Midwave (305nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Red
- Fluorescence under Midwave (305nm LED) UV light: Violet