Database of luminescent minerals 

CORUNDUM   (French name: CORINDON )

Chemical formula: Al₂O₃

Family: Oxides and hydroxides

Status: IMA-GP

Crystal system : Rhomboedric

Display mineral: OUI

Associated names (luminescent varieties, discredited names, synonyms, etc.): rubis,  saphir, 

Luminescence:

Longwave (365nm) picture

Rubis, UV LW,
Sivec Marble Quarry, Sivec Mountain, Prilep, Macedonia
Photo & Col. © G. Barmarin

Shortwave (254nm) picture

Rubis, UV SW,
Mysore District, Karnataka, India
Photo & Col. © G. Barmarin

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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:

Ruby variety(red): almost always luminescent(Cr³⁺)
sapphire variety (blue): sometimes weak red or pink luminescence
Other colored sapphires: frequently luminescent with variable intensity.

Activator(s) and spectrum:

Activator(s): Cr³⁺,

Peaks in the spectrum (nm):

Cr³⁺ replacing Al : Lines at 692.8, 694.3nm  (R₁ and R₂ lines)

Cr³⁺ :  658.2 , 668.2 ,  674.1 , 680 (small lines)  

N-lines (Cr³⁺ pairs) : 705.8 , 712nm (small lines)

Fe³⁺ : broad band peaking at 896nm (Sapphire)

No spectrum yet

Comments on spectrum and activators:

Crookes (1887) and Becquerel (1861) considered pure alumina as fluorescent; but De Boisbaudran (1887) stated that chromium as impurity was the cause of the fluorescence.

Bois and Elias (1908) studied the effect of low temperature and magnetic field on several chromium salt and ruby in particular.

Steady-state luminescent properties of natural corundum Al₂O₃ were carefully investigated.

Activator: Cr³⁺ replacing Al giving strong well known 2E->4A2 lines with long decay time

Besides that, much weaker narrow lines present, which are connected with Cr-pairs and more complicated complexes (so called N-lines) (Tarashchan 1978).

Cathodoluminescence: red or light-blue (undetermined origin);

The weaker peaks from the long wavelength side of the principal lines are also known and ascribed to so call N-lines, namely Cr³⁺ pairs.

Best localities for fluorescence (*):

• Mysore District, Karnataka, India;
• Limecrest Quarry at Sparta, New jersey, USA;
• Limestone quarries around Franklin, Franklin Marble, Franklin, Franklin Mining District, Sussex Co., New Jersey, USA;
• Sterling Mine, Sterling Hill, Ogdensburg, Franklin Mining District, Sussex Co., New Jersey, USA;
• Kleggåsen Ruby Quarry, Froland, Aust-Agder, Norway;
• Fiskenæsset (Fiskenaesset; Qeqertarsuatsiaat), Nuuk (Godthåb), Sermersooq, Greenland;
• Jegdalek (Jagdalek; Jagdalak; Jagdalik) Ruby Mine, Surobi District, Kabol (Kabul) Province, Afghanistan;
• Zazafotsy Quarry, Zazafotsy Commune, Ihosy District, Horombe Region, Fianarantsoa Province, Madagascar;
• Ampanihy District, Southwestern Region, Tuléar Province, Madagascar;
• Ali Abad, Hunza Valley, Gilgit District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan;
• Hassanabad Nala (Hasanabad), Hunza Valley (near Ali Abad), Gilgit District, Gilgit-Baltistan (Northern Areas), Pakistan;
• Luc Yen, Yenbai Province, Vietnam;
• Ketito, Arusha Region, Tanzania;
• Longido, Mt Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania (in green chrome-zoisite (anyolite));
• Mundarara Mine, Arusha Region, Tanzania (in green chrome-zoisite (anyolite));
• Khit Ostrov, Northern Karelia, Karelia Republic, Northern Region, Russia;
• Ganesh Himal deposit, Somdang, Rasuwa District, Bagmati Zone, Nepal;
• Mogok Township, Pyin-Oo-Lwin District, Mandalay Division, Burma;

(*)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 ,
• Fluorescence: Gems and Minerals Under Ultraviolet Light, Manuel Robbins, 1994, Geoscience Press, ISBN 0-945005-13-X ,
• The World of Fluorescent Minerals, Stuart Schneider, Schiffer Publishing, 2006, ISBN 0-7643-2544-2 ,
• 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 ,
• Ultraviolet Light and Fluorescent Minerals, Th. Warren, S. Gleason, R. Bostwick, et E. Verbeek, 1995, ISBN 0-9635098-0-2 ,
• Handbook of mineralogy, John W. Anthony, Richard A. Bideaux, Kenneth W. Bladh, and Monte C. Nichols, and published by Mineral Da ,
• 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=Corundum

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

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