Fluorite with Petroleum Inclusions
A wonderful example of Cave-in-Rock fluorescence. Regular Eu2+ purple fluorescing fluorite with another generation of petroleum included fluorite. Interestingly the petroleum has given the fluorite a very dark purple color, almost to the point of looking black. It is only under direct light that you can see the shades of purple on this face, including the petroleum included one.
Locale: Cave-in-Rock, Illinois, USA
Weight: 4lb 2oz | 1871g
Dimensions: 6.0 x 4.0 x 3.5 in | 153 x 102 x 88 mm
However, on the underside of this specimen we see clear and gemmy massive fluorite. This side doesn't has almost no fluorescent inclusions and thus has a much lighter color compared to the front face. Also on this face are a lot of well formed and lustrous garnets.
Sulfohalite
Wonderful cluster of sulfohalites from Searles Lake.
Locale: Searles Lake, CA
Weight: .2oz | 6g
Dimensions: .86 x .72 x .79 in | 22 x 18 x 20 mm
Thénardite
A cluster of thénardite crystals with multiple well terminated crystals in all directions throughout the specimen. The largest of which being on top and measuring .5in or 12mm tall. Collected October 2017
Locale: Searles Lake, CA
Weight: .1oz | 4g
Dimensions: .64 x .70 x 1.0 in| 16 x 18 x 26 mm
Sulfohalite, Hanksite
One of the rarer minerals of Searles Lake; this specimen forms a wonderful contrast with a well formed, well terminated sulfohalite with barrel hanksites underneath. Collected October 2017.
Locale: Searles Lake, CA
Weight: .1oz | 4g
Dimensions: .65 x .62 x .91 in | 17 x 16 x 23 mm
Hanksite on Matrix
My favorite piece from 2017's Searles Lake trip. A classic example of a Searles Lake barrel hanksite on trona with a lot of smaller hanksites surrounding. Surprisingly hard to find pieces on matrix while we were there. Loose crystals aplenty but I love the overall aesthetic of this piece.
Locale: Searles Lake, CA
Weight: 2lb 3.3oz | 1002g
Dimensions (hanksite only): 2.0 x 3.7 x 1.8 in | 52 x 94 x 46 mm
Dimensions (total): 5.7 x 4.3 x 4.2 in | 144 x 109 x 107 mm
Calcite, Aragonite, Hyalite, Caliche
One of the few pieces of Helvetia that I took home from last year's collecting trip. I absolutely love the multiple generations of calcite that this mine produces. The combination of minerals form a wonderful fluorescent combination.
Calcite - red, orange, white
Aragonite - botryoidal white coated with caliche
Hyalite - Green
Locale: Helvetia, AZ
Weight: 1lb 4.7oz | 586g
Dimensions: 5.1 x 2.1 x 3.0 in | 129 x 52 x 77 mm
Calcite, Chert, Travertine
Collected on the Gem-O-Rama trip (field report being written!) after the day 1 events had concluded. This is a wonderful example of sedimentary fluorescence with several generations of massive calcite (fl white & cream) on the top and travertine (fl light & darker brown) on the bottom with a thin layer of chert in between. The piece I ultimately ended up keeping was the one on the right of this set. What originally drew me was that color combination of the fluorescent orange caliche on the bottom of the calcite and travertine combination.
Locale: Grimes & Sexton Quarry, Trona, CA
Weight: 2lb 9.5oz | 1174g
Dimensions: 4 x 3.8 x 3.6 in| 101 x 97 x 92 mm
365nm LW
Daylight
However, I knew it wouldn't last as this was destined to be split in half to reveal a fresh face. So, with rotary hammer in hand I started the trimming process and luckily made a perfect split! Surprising considering it already had a massive crack in the opposite direction. Works for me! The piece that'll join my collection is the one on the right as it has the face that originally attracted me as well as a wonderfully bright fresh face while the other will be given away.
365nm LW
Daylight
It also exhibits brief intense phosphorescence as shown in the video below. Surprisingly the whole face phosphoresces!
Corundum var. Ruby
A very rich piece of Cascade Canyon ruby. I collected this the second time I went there. I normally wouldn't photograph a specimen before I felt it was prepared. However, the fluorescent photos are representative enough and show just how much ruby is in this piece. Still on my list of to-dos for this specimen are to media blast it so that the rubies are fully exposed and hence their full fluorescent response can be seen. It's very low on my to-do list though. Specimen has been repaired.
Locale: Cascade Canyon, San Gabriel Mts, San Bernardino Co., California
Dimensions: 5.7 x 2.7 x 3.5 in | 145 x 70 x 90 mm
Weight: 1lb 1.7oz | 503g
Chalcedony Covering Quartz Geode
Update: 10/23/17 It has been pointed out that this could possibly be chalcedony instead of the original hyalite that was guessed. I've updated the title to reflect that until I've properly tested it.
Update: 10/26/17 Was not able to scratch it with a 7 mohs hardness pick. That would make it chalcedony. Article updated.
This was an interesting specimen that I got while looking for fluorescent quartz. The seller showed me a poor quality UV photo and claimed that the quartz was responding to the UV light. Unfortunately this is one of those times where I took the risk and it failed. While it was fluorescent, it wasn't the quartz itself that was fluorescing. Instead, there is a secondary formation of chalcedony. I can'tfault it as a daylight specimen though. It has many wonderful quartz crystals that are well formed. As a photographer it provides a very interesting contrast that many would not have experienced while collecting geodes. The background is fluorescent providing a light colored background amongst the darker non-fluorescing quartz.
Locale: Nuevo Corral, Ruby District, Arizona
Weight: 15.9oz | 451g
Dimensions: 3.6 x 2.2 x 3.5 in | 91 x 55 x 90 mm
Scheelite and Hyalite
Collected by myself in December 2016. This is a wonderfully bright specimen of fluorescent white scheelite and green hyalite. This was somewhat of an exploratory find as I went outside the bounds of where collectors normally find their 3-5 color mineral specimens. Along the road to the mine there are various discard piles of waste rock from the mining process. Interestingly this material is dumped for the more pure scheelite that can be discerned by a fluorescent blue coloring. As there becomes more molybdenum in the scheelite it turns this whitish color eventually becoming yellow by replacing the tungsten and turning into powellite.
Locale: Princess Pat Mine, Adelanto, CA
Weight: 198g
Dimensions: 96 x 46 x 65 mm
Diopside, Dolomite, and Calcite
Diopside (fl blue), dolomite (fl yellow), and calcite (fl red) from the Red Raven Mine. This is one of my best pieces from there and was personally collected by myself in December 2016. This was quite an exhilarating trip starting off with some collection of willemite from the Princess Pat Mine with Dave Stuck, myself, and another new SoCal FMS member. Unfortunately FMS President Dave Stuck had gotten a flat tire during his time at the Princess Pat and had to get his car back the next day! As a result he did not join me at the Red Raven for the hour and a half I spent swinging at a boulder in order to get a piece to break off. Then it was a matter of getting as many fresh faces as possible to get this magnificent piece. Absolutely worth the effort and would do again! All of these minerals are best guesses by local FMS club members and have not been properly identified. Fluorescence activated with 253.7nm SW. Little to no response under LW.
Locale: Red Raven Mine, Adelanto, CA
Weight: 269g
Dimensions: 95 x 56 x 52 mm
