Open Adit™ - Mineral Properties / Luminescence

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Luminescence is a property exhibited by minerals that emit visible light, usually as a result of irradiation by invisible light. Luminescence includes both fluorescence, the emmission of light at the same time as the irradiation, and phosphorescence, the continued emmision of light after irradiation has ceased. Luminescence is best shown in a darkened exhibit, using invisible ultraviolet radiation to demonstrate the property.

As ultraviolet radiation strikes the atoms of luminescent minerals, the energy causes the electrons to move from their normal orbits to paths farther out. The return of the displaced electrons to their normal orbits is accompanied by a release of energy in the form of light. Thus, a fluorescent mineral will glow while being irradiated. In a phosphorescent mineral, return of the electrons is slower, so that a lingering emission of light occurs.

Luminescence is often related to a defect in the minerals crystal lattice or to the presence of foreign ions. Thus, a typically fluorescent mineral may also occur in a non-fluorescent form.

Examples of luminescent minerals

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