Database of luminescent minerals 

CYANITE

Chemical formula: Al₂SiO₅

Family: Silicates

Status: IMA-GP

Crystal system : Triclinic

Display mineral: NON

Associated names (luminescent varieties, discredited names, synonyms, etc.): disthene,  kyanite, 

Luminescence:

Daylight picture

Cyanite (Disthene), Russia.
Col. G. Barmarin; Spectre: G. Barmarin

Longwave (365nm) picture

Pictures Galery:

  
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Phosphorescence (in the common sense of the term) observable with the naked eye:

No phosphorescence visible to the naked eye under any type of UV

Comments:

Kyanite, sillimanite and andalusite are three polymorphs of Al2SiO5.

Activator(s) and spectrum:

Activator(s): Cr³⁺, TiO₆,  

Peaks in the spectrum (nm):

Cr3+ replacing Al (site A giving Doublet R-lines) : Lines at 688 or 689 and at 706nm  

Cr3+ (site B weak crystal field) : broad band peaking at 750nm

Cr3+ (site C weak crystal field) : broad band peaking at 780-790nm (Gaft)

TiO₆ : very large band at 500-570nm  (Gorobets)

Spectrum: Michael Gaft, Petah Tikva, Israel. Plot: Institute of Mineralogy, University of Vienna, Austria, with permission of the authors.

Spectrum Galery:

  
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Comments on spectrum and activators:

Kyanite has four inequivalent Al³⁺ sites, which may be substituted by Cr³⁺.

Red luminescence reported to Cr3+ replacing aluminium (Tarashchan in Gaft) but three different site for Cr³⁺ identified.

The study of Cr³⁺ luminescence in kyanite has long history. 

Best localities for fluorescence (*):

• Pfitsch, Tyrol, Austria (colorless cyanite luminescent in red);
• Transvaal, South Africa (red fluorescing);
• Keyvi, Kola peninsula (orange under LW);
• Borisovskie Sopki, Plast, Plastovsky District, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Ural, Russia;
• Kukhi Lal Pamir mountains Tadjikisatsn (yellow-green fluorescence LW);
• Willis Mountains, Dillwyn, Virginia, USA (Gray cyanite fl. bright creamy white SW);
• Khit Ostrov, Northern Karelia, Karelia Republic, Northern Region, Russia ;
• PJ Keating Quarry, Lunenburg, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, USA (deep orange LW);
• Zimbabwe;

(*)The data are not exhaustive and are limited to a few remarkable localities for fluorescence

Bibliographic reference for luminescence:

• The Henkel Glossary of Fluorescent Minerals, Dr. Gerhard Henkel, Published by the FMS, 1989 ,
• Luminescence Spectroscopy of Minerals and Materials, M. Gaft, R. Reisfeld, G. Panczer, Springer Editor, ISBN: 10 3-540-21918-8 ,
• Luminescent Spectra of Minerals, Boris S. Gorobets and Alexandre A. Rogojine, Moscow, 2002 ,
• Handbook of Fluorescent Gems and Minerals, a practical guide for the gem and mineral collector, Jack de Ment, 1949 ,

Reference for luminescence on the Internet:

Mineralogical reference on the Internet:

  http://www.mindat.org/show.php?name=Cyanite

  http://webmineral.com/data/Cyanite.shtml

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