Fluorescent Minerals - University Park, PA
N 40° 47.658 W 077° 51.950
18T E 258216 N 4519875
This display is a part of the Earth & Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery, located in room 6 Deike Building. Push the button to see the amazing colors that hide in the rocks.
Waymark Code: WM16TQ6
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 10/04/2022
Views: 3
The coordinates are for the door along Burrowes Road. Once inside, turn right to enter Deike and find the museum along the right side of the hall.
Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00am - 4:00pm
Tuesday, Thursday 10:30am - 4:30pm
some football weekend hours, check the website:
(
visit link)
From signage:
Fluorescent Minerals
Fun Facts
Franklin, New Jersey and franklinite were named in honor of Benjamin Franklin.
Franklin, New Jersey is known as the "Fluorescent Mineral Capital of the World."
Franklinite is not fluorescent but 56 other minerals from the Franklin ore area are.
Fluorite gave its name to fluorescence, but fluorites are not always fluorescents.
Norberg, Vastmanland, Sweden, is the type locality for Norbergite and the site of the annual electronic music festival, Norbergfestival.
Witherite was names for William Withering (1741-1799) the discoverer of digitalis.
Fluorescence is not the same as radioactivity. Some radioactive minerals fluoresce, some do not.
When exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light waves, some minerals will fluoresce or "glow." The UV lamps in this cabinet produce different light wavelengths - shortwave & longwave.
.Some minerals fluoresce the same color under both wavelengths.
.Some minerals fluoresce different colors under different wavelengths.
.Some minerals fluoresce only under one wavelength.
.Most minerals do not fluoresce at all.
Fluorescence in minerals is caused by impurities called activators. Different activators can make specimens of the same mineral fluoresce in different colors ar at different brightnesses.