Database of luminescent Minerals

ADAMITE

Chemical Formula: Zn₂(AsO₄)(OH)

Familly: Phosphates, Arseniates, Vanadates

Status: IMA-GP

Crystal System: Orthorhombic

Mineral for Display: Yes

Luminescence:

Daylight Picture

Adamite, Mapimi Mexique.

Photo and Copyright: James Hamblen
Site of the author
Used with permission of the author

Short Waves Pictures (254nm)

Adamite, Mapimi Mexique,
OC (254 nm).
Photo and Copyright: James Hamblen
Site of the author
Used with permission of the author

Galerie de photos:

     To the gallery (9 images in the gallery)

Phosphorescence (in the common meaning of the term) seen by naked eye:

Comments:

Adamite is a classical fluorescent mineral since the discovery in 1946 of large esthetical fluorescent samples in the Ojuela Mine (Mexico).

The rarely seen Chinese adamite in limonitic matrix coming from the Dachang Sn-polymetallic ore field, Nandan County, Hechi Prefecture, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region looks like Ojuela specimens. The clear gemmy crystals fluoresce bright bluish-white in LW UV and the green cuprian Adamite fluoresces bright green LW. The SW response is similar for both, in a subdued green color. The Adamite is very short lived phosphorescent.

Cupro- and manganoan-adamite are also sometime fluorescent but usually not as bright as pure adamite..

Main Activator(s) and spectrum:

Most Common Activator: (UO₂)²⁺ (Uranyl ion) as impurities

Peaks in the spectrum (nm):

UO₂²⁺: (496), 508, 513, 529, (539), (550), 553, (560), (578)

Comments on activators and spectra:

Lifetime: 50μs

Best Locality for luminescence(*):

• Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Municipio Mapimi, Durango County, Mexico (Green SW+LW);
• Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Municipio Mapimi, Durango County, Mexico (dark green var cupro-adamite, intense green SW+LW);
• Ojuela Mine, Mapimi, Municipio Mapimi, Durango County, Mexico (pinkish-purple var manganoan-adamite, green SW+LW);
• El Potosí Mine, Francisco Portillo, West Camp, Santa Eulalia Mining District, Aquiles Serdán Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico;
• Hilarion Mine, Kamariza Mines, Agios Konstantinos [St Constantine], Lavrion District, Attikí Prefecture, Greece (var. cupro-adamite);
• Dachang Sn-polymetallic ore field, Nandan Co, Hechi Prefecture, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China;
• Pinggui District, Hezhou Prefecture, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China (cupro-adamite, green LW, minor fluorescence SW);
• Gold Hill, Gold Hill District, Deep Creek Mts, Tooele Co., Utah, USA;
• Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Otjikoto Region, Namibia (minor fluorescence, Jordi Fabre ex Desmond Sacco collection))

(*)Data are not exhaustive and are limited to the most important localities for fluorescence

Bibliographical 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 ,
• Collecting Fluorescent Minerals, Stuart Schneider, Schiffer Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0-7643-2091-2 ,
• Ultraviolet Light and Fluorescent Minerals, Th. Warren, S. Gleason, R. Bostwick, et E. Verbeek, 1995, ISBN 0-9635098-0-2 ,
• Luminescenza nel regno minerale, Guido Mazzoleni, fotografia Roberto Appiani, Libri Sandit, 2010, ISBN 978-88-95990-63-7 ,

Luminescence Reference on internet:

• http://www.csiro.au/luminescence/results.aspx?t=Mineral&s=Adamite&e=Unspecified
• Ojuela Mine (Mindat.org)
• http://mineralofthemonthclub.org/2008-05%20Adamite2.pdf
• http://www.mindat.org/photo-155785.html
• Modreski, P.J. & Newsome, D. (1984): Green uranium-activated fluorescence of adamite from the Ojuela mine, Mapimí, Mexico.- FM-MSA-TGMS Joint Syposium, Minerals of Mexico, Tuscon, AZ, Feb. 12, S.7.
• http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/adamite.pdf
• Link between adamite radioactivity and it's fluorescence

 

Images:

 

• Lavrion Mines, Greece (var. cupro-adamite): https://www.mindat.org/photo-819068.html
• Ojuela Mine, Mexico (var cupro-adamite): https://www.mindat.org/photo-578272.html 
• Ojuela Mine, Mexico (var. manganoan-adamite): https://www.mindat.org/photo-701830.html
• Utah, USA: https://www.mindat.org/photo-578197.html

 

Videos:

 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQpOa1XbFak

Mineralogical Reference on internet:

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

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

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