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!

Hanksite, Searles Lake, Trona, California

Contributed by: Chris Clemens
minID: 1X0-3CF
Date: Apr 24th, 2026
Locality: Searles Lake, San Bernardino County, California, USA (See on Mindat)
Size: 38 x 24 x 40 mm

Description:
This is a pair of intergrown, barrel-shaped hanksite crystals, from Searles Lake, Trona, San Bernardino County, California. The hanksite fluoresces a ghostly blue/white under both longwave and shortwave UV light but shows the brightest response under longwave UV. It is also phosphorescent. Hanksite is an interesting water-soluble mineral that contains both a sulfate and carbonate group, and forms in evaporite deposits in dry lake beds.

Originally posted by Chris Clemens on Nature's Rainbows in 2016.

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

Summary of luminescence responses:

Hanksite (Mindat) (RRUFF)

  • Fluorescence under Longwave (365nm LED) UV light: Blue
  • Fluorescence under Shortwave (254nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Blue

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