Database of luminescent minerals 

LEUCOPHANITE

Chemical formula: (Ca,RRE)CaNa₂Be₂Si₄O₁₂(F,O)₂

Family: Silicates

Status: IMA-GP

Crystal system : Orthorhombic

Display mineral: NON

Luminescence:

Daylight picture

LEUCOPHANITE, Saga, Tvedalen, Norway;

Col. G.Barmarin; Photo: G. Barmarin

Longwave (365nm) picture

LEUCOPHANITE, Saga, Tvedalen, Norway;
UVLW
Col. G.Barmarin; Photo: G. Barmarin

Shortwave (254nm) picture

LEUCOPHANITE, Saga, Tvedalen, Norway;
UVSW
Col. G.Barmarin; Photo: G. Barmarin

Pictures Galery:

  
  Go to the galery (7 pictures)

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

Triboluminescence: OUI

Thermoluminescence: OUI

Comments:

To compare with meliphanite.

Activator(s) and spectrum:

Activator(s): Ce³⁺, Eu²⁺,  Sm³⁺,  Dy³⁺,  Tb³⁺,  Mn²⁺ ,  Nd³⁺,  

Peaks in the spectrum (nm):

 Ce³⁺ repl. Ca²⁺ : 375, 411, 450nm 
 Eu²⁺ : 466-470nm 
 Tb³⁺ : 546nm
 Sm³⁺: 607nm 
 Dy³⁺: 475, 488, 576nm
 Nd³⁺: 885, 1060nm 
 Mn²⁺: 610nm

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

Spectrum Galery:

  
  Go to the galery (2 spectra)

Comments on spectrum and activators:

Activators: a combinaison of RE elements - for exemple Ce³⁺ substituting to Ca (blue luminescence) and Mn (red luminescence) giving the magenta color (an orange flash typical of Mn(?) is seen on some samples).
Activators: Ce ³⁺, Eu ²⁺, Sm ³⁺, Dy ³⁺, Tb ³⁺, Nd ³⁺, Mn²⁺ substituting to Ca²⁺ (Gorobets in Gaft);

Cathodoluminescence: intense light-blue.

The application of multiple forms of excitation (Friis et al. 2011) revealed that the UV-Blue emission in leucophanite and meliphanite consists of more than one emission center and is therefore more complex than previously thought. The most likely centers are defects related to the structure, e.g. in connection with the tetrahedral sites, and a Ce3+ centre. The difference in Na/Ca ratio between the two minerals make it possible for REE to substitute into two sites in meliphanite contrary, to just one in leucophanite. (Gaft)

Best localities for fluorescence (*):

• Poudrette quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, La Vallée-du-Richelieu RCM, Montérégie, Québec, Canada (strong fluo SW);
• Bjorndalen Quarry, Sagasen Quarry and Saga I Quarry, Morge, Strandasen, Porsgrunn, east side of Langesundfjord, Larvik Plutonic Complex, Norway (strong fluo MW);
• Saga 1 Quarry, Sagåsen, Mørje, Porsgrunn, Telemark, Norway (strong fluo MW);
• Ilimaussaq complex, Nakalaq, Narsaq, Kitaa (West Greenland) Province, Greenland;
• Leucophanite occurrence, Kangerluarsuk Fjord, Ilímaussaq complex, Narsaq, Kujalleq, Greenland;
• Rasvumchorr Mt, Khibiny Massif, Kola Peninsula, Murmanskaja Oblast, Northern Region, Russia

(*)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 ,
• Mt St Hilaire Website: http://www.saint-hilaire.ca ,
• 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=Leucophanite

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

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