Chemical Formula: (Zn,Fe)S
Familly: Sulfide
Status: IMA-GP
Crystal System: Isometric
Mineral for Display: Yes
Associated names (luminescent varieties, discredited names, synonymes etc.): brunckite, cleiophane, schalenblende, blende,UV Type | Main color | Intensity | Observation Frequency |
---|---|---|---|
Long Waves (365nm): | Orange | Strong | Mid waves (320 nm): | Orange | Strong | Short Waves (254 nm): | Orange | Medium |
Other colors LW: | Pale Yellow , Yellow , Orangy yellow , Greenish Yellow , Yellowish , | ||
Other colors MW: | Pale Yellow , Yellow , Orangy yellow , Greenish Yellow , Yellowish , | ||
Other colors SW: | Pale Yellow , Yellow , Orangy yellow , Greenish Yellow , Yellowish , |
Daylight Picture
SPHALERITE;
Franklin Mine, Franklin Mining District, Sussex Co., New Jersey, USA
Photo and Copyright:
Middleearthminerals.com
Used with permission of the author
Long Waves Picture (365nm)
SPHALERITE;
Franklin Mine, Franklin Mining District, Sussex Co., New Jersey, USA
UVLW, Photo and Copyright:
Middleearthminerals.com
Used with permission of the author
Short Waves Pictures (254nm)
SPHALERITE;
Franklin Mine, Franklin Mining District, Sussex Co., New Jersey, USA
UVSW, Photo and Copyright:
Middleearthminerals.com
Used with permission of the author
UV Type | Color | Intensity | Observation Frequency |
---|---|---|---|
Long Wave (365nm): | Pale Yellow | Mid Waves (320 nm): | Pale Yellow | Short Waves (254 nm): | Pale Yellow |
Triboluminescence: Yes
Thermoluminescence: Yes
synonyme: blende ; brunckite = colloïdal sphalerite ; variety cleiophane: orange SW and LW;
Most Common Activator: Mn2+
Other activators: Cu+ ,
Peaks in the spectrum (nm):
Mn2+ replacing Zn2+ : large band peaking at 595 nm VZn-Cl- : 450-460-470nm Cu+-Ga3+, Cu+-In3+ repl Zn2+ : 640-670-675nm
Ed. Becqurel studied the decay of the phosphorescence of the different component (bands) of the spectrum of ZnS, proposing a number of mathemetical expression to interpret this phenomenon (1860). One of the oldest studies on activator in zinc sulphide was made by H. Grune (1904). He noted that a small amont of manganese in ZnS produced an orange luminescence and triboluminescence in a very similar way as the natural mineral. Jorrissen and Ringe (1904) also studied zinc sulfide fluorescence. The influence of the irradiation by a red light and infrared radiations upon the photoluminescence has been studied by C. Peirce (1906) under a variety of conditions. Nichols found the presence of 48 bands/peaks in the spectrum coinciding in part with thallium, Erbium, Ytterbium. [after De Ment, 1949]
(*)Data are not exhaustive and are limited to the most important localities for fluorescence
Images:
Videos:
http://www.mindat.org/show.php?name=Sphalerite
http://webmineral.com/data/Sphalerite.shtml
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