Database of luminescent Minerals

WITHERITE

Chemical Formula: BaCO₃

Familly: Carbonates

Status: IMA-GP

Crystal System: Orthorhombic

Mineral for Display: No

Luminescence:

Daylight Picture

Whitherite, Cave-in-Rock Sub-District, IL-KY Fluorspar District, Hardin Co., Illinois, USA;
Photo and Copyright: Middle Earth Minerals
http://middleearthminerals.com
Used with permission of the author

Short Waves Pictures (254nm)

Whitherite, Cave-in-Rock Sub-District, IL-KY Fluorspar District, Hardin Co., Illinois, USA;
UV SW White. Photo and Copyright: Middle Earth Minerals
http://middleearthminerals.com
Used with permission of the author

Galerie de photos:

     To the gallery (3 images in the gallery)

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

Comments:

Witherite was mentionned in 1903 by Kunz and Baskerville.

Flash of yellow-orange light before white phosphorescence (Manuel Robbins)

Main Activator(s) and spectrum:

Most Common Activator:

Other activators:            Eu²⁺ ,

Peaks in the spectrum (nm):

Eu²⁺ replacing Ba²⁺ : Peak at 390nm  

peak at 480 nm (unknown)

Comments on activators and spectra:

Witherite was studied by steady-state luminescence spectroscopy and trivalent REE, such as Gd, Dy and Eu, have been found (Gorobets and Rogojine 2001).

Excitation by CW laser with 532 and 780 nm revealed several luminescence lines and one broad band.

IR lines under 780 nm excitation may be evidently ascribed to Nd3+.

The band is somewhat similar to orange emission of barite ascribed to Ag+ luminescence center. (Gaft)

Best Locality for luminescence(*):

• Cave in Rock, Hardin County, Illinois, USA;
• Hexham, England;
• Nentsberry Haggs Mine, Nent Valley, Alston Moor District, Cumbria, England, UK;

(*)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 ,
• 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 ,
• Handbook of Fluorescent Gems and Minerals, a practical guide for the gem and mineral collector, Jack de Ment, 1949 ,

Mineralogical Reference on internet:

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

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

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