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!

Complex quartz crystal with uranyl

Contributed by: Axel Emmermann
minID:
Date: Jan 24th, 2025
Locality: Chihuahua, Mexico (See on Mindat)

Description:
Quartz with hyalite opal, Chihuahua, Mexico. A geode with fluorescing hyalite opal also has a few tiny quartz crystals. This one is about 3 mm high and is intergrown with hyalite-opal to the point where the crystal becomes deformed, bent and hardly recognizable. Quartz doesn\'t like to absorb uranyl ions in its structure. Hyalite, however, does so eagerly. Hence the green fluorescence in SW-UV.

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

Summary of luminescence responses:

Hyalite

  • Fluorescence under Shortwave (254nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Green