Fluorescent Mineral Database

A new secret project! Trying to create a nice Fluorescent Mineral Database (FMDB), which would be searchable by mineral, locality, and luminescence properties. Also making it easy for people to contribute with their own specimens!

Almost a 6 color piece: hardystonite, clinohedrite, esperite, willemite, calcite.

Contributed by: Axel Emmermann
minID:
Date: Jan 23rd, 2025
Locality: Franklin Mine, Franklin, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA (See on Mindat)

Description:
Green willemite, violet-blue hardystonite and orange clinohedrite. Some very minor calcite and a spec of esperite are on the back side. There is also some pink visible but upon closer inspection it appears to be the orange clinohedrite, which is shining through a thin layer of hardystonite to produce a weird pinkish violet. Photographing these colors is a challenge since they differ quite a bit in brightness. I solved this by making a stack of 60 HDR photos. The Canon 5D MkIII is able to shoot HDR \"on the fly\" so this was not as titanic a job as you might believe. Still, not for the weak...

Fluorescence under shortwave UV light.
Fluorescence under shortwave UV light.
Normal light.
Normal light.

Summary of luminescence responses:

Hardystonite

  • Fluorescence under Shortwave (254nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Violet
Clinohedrite
  • Fluorescence under Shortwave (254nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Orange
Esperite
  • Fluorescence under Shortwave (254nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Yellow
Willemite
  • Fluorescence under Shortwave (254nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Green
Calcite
  • Fluorescence under Shortwave (254nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Red

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