Return to Geology Index PageFluorescence Mineral Property
Fluorescence minerals appear in normal like to like any other mineral or rock you might see while out walking. However, when these minerals are placed under an ultraviolet light source they begin to glow!
What causes this effect to occur? The "UV" light cause the electrons in the lower shell to jump to the next shell level. The nucleus of the atom does not like this because it causes an instability in the proton to electron relationship and it pulls the electron back into a lower stable orbit. The electron jumps the lower shell into a higher shell and a back and forth motion between shell levels is created. This excited movement causes the release of energy and the mineral starts to glow.
Here are some examples of this effect:
