Database of luminescent Minerals

ANORTHITE

Chemical Formula: CaAl₂Si₂O₈

Familly: Silicates

Status: IMA-GP

Crystal System: Triclinic

Mineral for Display: No

Luminescence:

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

Thermoluminescence: Yes

Main Activator(s) and spectrum:

Most Common Activator: Fe³⁺

Other activators:            Sm³⁺ , Eu³⁺ , Dy³⁺ , Nd³⁺ ,

Peaks in the spectrum (nm):

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

Eu³⁺ : 588, 611nm

Comments on activators and spectra:

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 Locality for luminescence(*):

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

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

Bibliographical 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 ,

Luminescence Reference on internet:

Image(s):
 
• Anorthite, Finland (SW red)

Mineralogical Reference on internet:

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

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

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