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SC525 - Sphalerite


Locality: Huanzala Mine, Huallanca, Huallanca District, Bolognesi Province, Áncash, Peru (MINDAT)
Size: 6 x 4.5 x 2.5 cm - Miniature (3-6 cm)
Weight: 80.3 g
minID: FDD-VF0

Well-formed black sphalerite crystals. Fluorescent bright orange under longwave UV light. I suppose the fluorescence is limited to a superficial layer due to the complete absence of fluorescence in a few broken crystals. The sphalerite is also triboluminescent: orange light is emitted when the sphalerite is scratched. At the base of the sphalerite there is a white-fluorescent mineral, likely calcite, with a few quartz crystals. On the back there is a mix of sphalerite, pyrite, calcite, and a few very small crystals fluorescing blue under shortwave UV light, possibly scheelite.

Photo in normal light.
Left: Fluorescence under 365nm UVA (longwave) LED. Right: normal light.
Last update: 30 May 2022