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UV Lamp Safety
Ultraviolet wavelengths of light are present in sunlight. They are the wavelengths that can cause sunburn. UV lamps produce the same wavelengths of light along with shortwave UV wavelengths that are blocked by the ozone layer of Earth’s atmosphere. Small UV lamps with just a few watts of power are safe for short periods of…
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Lamps for Viewing Fluorescent Minerals
The lamps used to locate and study fluorescent minerals are very different from the ultraviolet lamps (called “black lights”) sold in novelty stores. The novelty store lamps are not suitable for mineral studies for two reasons: 1) they emit longwave ultraviolet light (most fluorescent minerals respond to shortwave ultraviolet); and, 2) they emit a significant…
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Fluorescent Geodes?
You might be surprised to learn that some people have found geodes with fluorescent minerals inside. Some of the Dugway geodes, found near the community of Dugway, Utah, are lined with chalcedony that produces a lime-green fluorescence caused by trace amounts of uranium. Dugway geodes are amazing for another reason. They formed several million years ago in…
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Fluorite: The Original “Fluorescent Mineral”
One of the first people to observe fluorescence in minerals was George Gabriel Stokes in 1852. He noted the ability of fluorite to produce a blue glow when illuminated with invisible light “beyond the violet end of the spectrum.” He called this phenomenon “fluorescence” after the mineral fluorite. The name has gained wide acceptance in mineralogy, gemology,…
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How Many Minerals Fluoresce in UV Light?
Most minerals do not have a noticeable fluorescence. Only about 15% of minerals have a fluorescence that is visible to people, and some specimens of those minerals will not fluoresce. Fluorescence usually occurs when specific impurities known as “activators” are present within the mineral. These activators are typically cations of metals such as: tungsten, molybdenum, lead,…
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Fluorescence in More Detail
Fluorescence in minerals occurs when a specimen is illuminated with specific wavelengths of light. Ultraviolet (UV) light, x-rays, and cathode rays are the typical types of light that trigger fluorescence. These types of light have the ability to excite susceptible electrons within the atomic structure of the mineral. These excited electrons temporarily jump up to…
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Fluorescent Minerals
What is a Fluorescent Mineral? All minerals have the ability to reflect light. That is what makes them visible to the human eye. Some minerals have an interesting physical property known as “fluorescence.” These minerals have the ability to temporarily absorb a small amount of light and an instant later release a small amount of light of…
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Garnets as Gemstones
Garnet has been used as a gemstone for over 5000 years. It has been found in the jewelry of many Egyptian burials and was the most popular gemstone of Ancient Rome. It is a beautiful gem that is usually sold without treatment of any kind. It is also durable and common enough that it can be used in jewelry…
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Garnet as a Geological Indicator Mineral
Although most of the garnets found at Earth’s surface have formed within the crust, some garnets are brought up from the mantle during deep-source volcanic eruptions. These eruptions entrain pieces of mantle rock known as “xenoliths” and deliver them to the surface in a structure known as a “pipe.” These xenoliths are the source of…
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Uses of Garnet
Garnet has been used as a gemstone for thousands of years. In the past 150 years, it has seen many additional uses as an industrial mineral. The chart below shows recent industrial uses of garnet in the United States. Garnet is also used as an indicator mineral during mineral exploration and geologic assessments. Garnet as an Industrial Mineral Garnet…