Database of luminescent minerals 

ANORTHITE

Chemical formula: CaAl₂Si₂O₈

Family: Silicates

Status: IMA-GP

Crystal system : Triclinic

Display mineral: NON

Luminescence:

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

No data

Thermoluminescence: OUI

Activator(s) and spectrum:

Activator(s): Fe³⁺, Sm³⁺,  Eu³⁺,  Dy³⁺,  Nd³⁺,  

Peaks in the spectrum (nm):

Fe³⁺ (?) : broad band at 700 or 728 or 752nm (exc. 532nm)

Eu³⁺ : 588, 611nm

No spectrum yet

Comments on spectrum and activators:

Excitation by CW laser with 532 and 780 nm revealed several broad bands and narrow luminescence lines. Narrow lines peaking at 588 and 611 nm evidently belong to Eu³⁺ luminescence as in synthetic anorthite artificially activated by Eu (Yu et al. 2012). The most probable substitution is for one of the Ca²⁺ sites. Other narrow lines in visible and NIR spectral ranges may be connected with Dy³⁺, Sm³⁺and Nd³⁺.

Two broad emission bands evidently present peaking at 700 and 752 and often they present together resulting in emission with intermediate maximum (728nm). Those bands interpretation needs decay time study, but preliminary it may be supposed that they are connected to Fe3+ in tetrahedral coordination in Si and Al positions.

Al and Si atoms both occupy tetrahedral sites with 4 coordinated oxygen atoms, while one type of Ca²⁺ ion occupies an octahedral site with six oxygen atoms and other Ca²⁺ ions occupy three kinds of polyhedral sites with 7 coordinated oxygen atoms with different Ca-O bond distance. (Gaft)

Best localities for fluorescence (*):

• Mustio quarry, Raasepori, Southern Finland Region, Finland ;

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

Bibliographic reference for luminescence:

• Collecting Fluorescent Minerals, Stuart Schneider, Schiffer Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0-7643-2091-2 ,
• Luminescence Spectroscopy of Minerals and Materials, M. Gaft, R. Reisfeld, G. Panczer, Springer Editor, ISBN: 10 3-540-21918-8 ,

Reference for luminescence on the Internet:

Mineralogical reference on the Internet:

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

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

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