Who likes to use mineral lights (UV)?

[GotAU?]

Whenever we go camping in the desert, we take along mineral lights to find florescent minerals. These are calcite (red), and Chalcedony (green). These calcite has manganese in it giving off that red color, and the chalcedony has traces of uranium in it.

Any of you around Lake Michigan go hooperlite hunting? If not, look it up- that’s on our bucket list!

 

[Johnho]

I never used them collecting but I did live near the Franklin, NJ area (Buckwheat mineral dump) and worked underground at the Sterling Hill mine in Ogdensburg. Collected many florescent minerals in both places. Used to carry a full lunch bucket full after ever shift. I had a big lunch box. Nice looking specimens. Folks don't seem to pay a lot of attention to these minerals.

 

[GotAU?]

I never used them collecting but I did live near the Franklin, NJ area (Buckwheat mineral dump) and worked underground at the Sterling Hill mine in Ogdensburg. Collected many florescent minerals in both places. Used to carry a full lunch bucket full after ever shift. I had a big lunch box. Nice looking specimens. Folks don't seem to pay a lot of attention to these minerals.

Hey John, what type of material was the mine after, and what types of fluorescent minerals did you get? I used to work underground as well, mainly for mapping abandoned mines (MSHA trained and all). I don’t go underground anymore, though, the same with flying in helicopters.

 

[Johnho]

The mines were zinc mines. Main minerals were Willemite, Franklinite and Zincite. But there were some 360 minerals, more or less, of other minerals found there. It is considered one of the most unique mineral deposit in the world. I have lost count of how many minerals have only been found in these mines but there are many. My collection has willemite, calcite, esperite, hardystonite, clinohedrite and wollastonite mainly of fluorescing specimens. What's interesting is zincite is considered a very rare mineral and, with small exceptions, only found in these mines. It was one of the main ore minerals and quite impressive being a bright red color. I worked in various underground mines for 20 years in NM, CO, PA and KY. None of those were coal mines, I hated underground coal mines and never went in one but i did once run a coal strip mine. Underground metal mining was the best times I had., and some of the worst with some accidents that we had. Sure do miss them.

 

[Johnho]

Here is a good site for the Sterling Mine to see the fluorescents. https://www.sterlinghillminingmuseum.org/minerals-of-sterling-hill-and-franklin