Glow Rocks and Fluorescent Minerals

Greetings,

Every so often I notice some references here to UV leds and minerals, so I thought I'd share a really nice (non-commercial) website that has some amazing photos of glow rocks and the people that dig them (pun intended.)

http://luminousminerals.com/

And I should probably mention the FMS too: http://www.uvminerals.org/

Cheers,

Mark

WOW! The Franklin at night is gorgeous!

I've always wanted to visit the Franklin site in person. I have some nice samples of calcite and willemite from the Franklin mine and they look absolutely stunning under shortwave UV. I can't imagine what it would be like to be surrounded by the stuff, even as "sand" on the ground!

Would the Surefire's and other UV led lights be of the correct wavelength and strength to produce what's seen in the Franklin pic?

BVH said:

Would the Surefire's and other UV led lights be of the correct wavelength and strength to produce what's seen in the Franklin pic?

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Not for those specific minerals shown in the "wall of fluorescence" (calcite and willemite). Longwave UV will produce brilliant fluorescence in some minerals, but not nearly as many as you can fluoresce with shortwave (254nm) UV.

That's why I have a dual-wavelength mineralamp (based on fluorescent tubes)!

Fluorescent mineral collecting is great fun, and you can get into it with a fairly inexpensive handheld shortwave UV lamp.

Looks pretty cool! And it looks like I need to take a little trip. I think the Franklin site is about 45 minutes from my house.

I've got a stainless rock viewing box with UV lamps. if anyone is interested...

Yes, there is something magical about the errie glow of those rocks.

I have a modest collection of some NJ minerals. The old mines around Franklin NJ and vicinity hold the World's record for the diversity of minerals (>400) many fluorescent under short UV light (not usually under LEDs which are long wave UV)

Not much happens in Jan/Feb but fild trips are popular in the Spring. Franklin has a big swap meet in the Fall each year. And most of the areas that are still available to collectors have enormous piles of mine rocks, that they allow collecting for a minimal fee (like $1.50/lb)

Sadly, many of the older sites are closed or developed.

Regards,

Mark

cy said:

I've got a stainless rock viewing box with UV lamps. if anyone is interested...

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Sure, I'd like to hear about it. Is for field use?

Regards,

Mark

I was going to bring up Franklin - there is (was? - been a couple of years since I drove Rt23) who always had a table out in his back yard selling rocks on the honor system -

Ordered myself a combi short/longwave UV light. Now I just have to find some appropriate minerals.

BVH said:

Ordered myself a combi short/longwave UV light. Now I just have to find some appropriate minerals.

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Excellent! I suggest starting with the fluorescent mineral sampler from Edmund Scientific.

BVH said:

Ordered myself a combi short/longwave UV light. Now I just have to find some appropriate minerals.

Click to expand...

A good starting point is the Fluorescent Mineral Society (link in first msg in this thread) and swaping with fellow members. They also list dealers on their website.

Next week in Tuscon AZ is the biggest mineral show and sale in the World. There are many fluorescent dealers there.

In the Spring, I usually go collecting once or twice with various groups... some people cart out 500 pounds or more. I usually just fill my pockets, though.

I grew up there, went to Franklin High School (now closed). Amazingly, there seemed to be very little interest among the gneral population regarding the wide array of minerals found here. Franklin (and nearby Ogdensburg) were known primarily for zinc mining, I think. The High School team used to be called the Franklin Miners, but that name had been discarded long before I attended high school there (graduated in 81). In fact, Franklin used to be called "Franklin Furnace", an homage to it's mining industry. I'm not sure how long ago that name changed! We got a big kick out of the Smithsonian's exhibit of 'Franklinite' and 'Ogdensburgite' when we went to DC on our senior trip.

There is a street off Main Street in Franklin called "High Street". I always wondered why it was called that, as it went up a small hill off Main, then dipped way down, then climbed another small hill before meeting up with Rte 23. I later found out that the 'dip' was not a natural geological or geographical formation ... the road actually began to sink many years before as a result of the mining beneath it, until the present 'up and down' road finally came into being ... or so the story goes. If anyone makes the trip, High St branched off right near the old Franklin Theater (if it's still there!).