Tourmaline - Black Rapids Glacier, Alaska
Contributed by: FMS Admin
Date: May 25th, 2026
Locality: Black Rapids Glacier, Delta River Mining District, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, USA (See on Mindat)
Size: 3 inches
Description:
Alaska, known for abundant wildlife, incredible fishing, stunning scenery, and of course oil, offers very little to the fluorescent world--at least so far. Here is a specimen of tourmaline from the Black Rapids Glacier, near Paxson, Alaska. Pretty in natural, decent in shortwave. Interestingly, the piece offers hints of other potential fluorescents in the area, with several colors being represented, though all unknown at this point.
Originally posted by Fire Viper on Nature's Rainbows in 2017.
Summary of luminescence responses:
Tourmaline (Mindat) (RRUFF)
- Fluorescence under Shortwave (254nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Blue