Database of luminescent minerals 

HALITE

Chemical formula: NaCl

Family: Halides

Status: IMA-GP

Crystal system : Isometric

Display mineral: OUI

Luminescence:

Daylight picture

HALITE

Photo and Copyright: Bill Barr
Used with permission of the author;

Midwave (330nm) picture

HALITE under UVMW

Photo and Copyright: Bill Barr
Used with permission of the author;

Shortwave (254nm) picture

HALITE under UVSW

Photo and Copyright: Bill Barr
Used with permission of the author;

Pictures Galery:

  
  Go to the galery (11 pictures)

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

No data

Comments:

Specimens of halite from Inowroclaw, Poland, have appeared on the market with a fluorescence in a beautiful bright yellow-orange under SW. This respose is very unusual since halite usually fluoresces orange-red, including fine crystal specimens from Inowroclaw.

Activator(s) and spectrum:

Activator(s): Mn²⁺ ,

Peaks in the spectrum (nm):

Mn²⁺ repl. Na⁺ with Pb as co-activator : 590nm (band)

Mn²⁺ interstition : 630 nm (band)

Col. G. Barmarin; Spectre: G. Barmarin

Spectrum Galery:

  
  Go to the galery (2 spectra)

Comments on spectrum and activators:

Activator for red: Mn²⁺ with Pb²⁺ as co-activator.

Color : more orange or more red depending of Mn concentration.

Best localities for fluorescence (*):

• Zuni Dry Lake, New Mexico, USA (fluo white);
• Great Salt Lake, Box Elder Co., Utah, USA (white fluo);
• Camp Verde Salt Deposit, Arizona (fluo yellow);
• Salton Sea, California, USA (fluo orange-red);
• Solno mine, InowrocÅ‚aw, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland (fluo orange-red SW and yellow-orange SW);
• Salar de Antofalla, Antofalla, Antofagasta de la Sierra department, Catamarca, Argentina (orange-red SW);
• Wieliczka Mine, Wieliczka, MaÅ‚opolskie, Poland (pink orange SW or white SW);
• Salton Sea, Imperial Co., California, USA (orange-red SW);
• Lubin, Lubin District, Legnica, Lower Silesia, Poland (pink-orange SW);
• PCS mine, Rocanville, Saskatchewan, Canada (blue-white LW);
• Dead Sea, Jordan (dull pink SW);
• Sigmundshall mine, Bokeloh, Wunstorf, Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany (orange red SW);

(*)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 ,
• Luminescent Spectra of Minerals, Boris S. Gorobets and Alexandre A. Rogojine, Moscow, 2002 ,

Reference for luminescence on the Internet:

Mineralogical reference on the Internet:

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

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

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