Database of luminescent minerals 

ABERNATHYITE

Chemical formula: K₂(UO₂)₂(AsO₄)₂ 6H₂O

Family: Phosphates, Arseniates, Vanadates

Status: IMA-GP

Crystal system : Tetragonal

Display mineral: NON

Luminescence:

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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:

'In the summer of 1953, Jess Abernathy, operator of the Fuemrol mine, Emery County, Utah, noticed some yeillow crystals in his ore. Realizing that they might be of mineralogical importance, he gave the several pieces of sandstone which were coated with crystals to E. B. Gross, mineralogist for the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission in Grand Junction; but Gross was unable to find in the literature any mineral with corresponding optical properties, and, not having the facilities in Grand Junction for further work, he gave the specimens to A. D. Weeks and M E Thompson, mineralogists for the U. S. Geological Survey in Washington DC. M.E. Thompson, Blanche Ingram, and E. B. Gross were pleased to name this mineral for the person who found it, Jess Abernathy; without his interest in and appreciation of the mineralogy of his ore, the mineral might have remained undiscovered.'

(from: http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM41/AM41_82.pdf see bibliography)

Activator(s) and spectrum:

Activator(s): (UO₂)²⁺ (ion Uranyle) intrinsèque ,

Peaks in the spectrum (nm):

(UO₂)²⁺ : 506, 527, 551, 577, 605, 636nm

ABERNATHYITE Excitation: led 370nm. Col. G; Barmarin; Spectre: G. Barmarin

Spectrum Galery:

  
  Go to the galery (4 spectra)

Comments on spectrum and activators:

0.1 eV (808cm^-1) between the peaks. Equivalent RGB color: (106, 255, 26)

Best localities for fluorescence (*):

• Riviéral, Lodève, Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon, France;
• Fuemrol No.2 mine (Fuemrole mine), Temple Mountain, San Rafael District (San Rafael Swell), Emery Co., Utah, USA (type locality);
• Riviéral, Le Bosc, Hérault, Occitanie, France;
• Mina el Descuido, Los Baños de Sierra Alhamilla, Pechina, Almería, Andalucía, Spain;

(*)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 ,
• Introduction to radioactive minerals, Robert Lauf, Schiffer Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-0-7643-2912-8 ,

Reference for luminescence on the Internet:

Mineralogical reference on the Internet:

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

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

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