This is a matrix-free cluster of blocky white celestine crystals, partially altered to strontianite, and honey-colored calcite scalenohedrons, collected from the Stoneco Lime City quarry in Lime City, Wood County, Ohio. This specimen shows a similar bright blue/white fluorescent response under all UV wavelengths, and also exhibits strong phosphorescence after UV. It measures 61 x 39 x 34 mm and weighs 74 grams.
Situated in deposits of the Lockport and Greenfield dolomites, the Lime City quarry was a producer of building stone and a prolific source of specimens during the 1960s and 1970s. The specimen-producing areas of the quarry are now covered with tailings and the quarry is mostly flooded with water. Although the quarry has been closed to collecting for decades, fine specimens can still be found at mineral shows in the Midwestern US.
Fluorescent response under short wave UV (254nm). Many specimens from the Lime City quarry show this typical bright blue/white fluorescence.
Same view under visible light. This side of the specimen is dominated by large, blocky crystals of celestine, with some scalenohedral calcite crystals in the upper left quadrant.
Reverse side of same specimen showing fluorescence under short wave UV (254nm).
Reverse side seen under visible light. This view of the specimen is dominated by honey colored scalenohedral calcite crystals on the right two-thirds of the piece, with celestine covering the left third.
Gallery images showing the fluorescent and phosphorescent responses of both sides of the specimen under various UV wavelengths. Order is as follows (left to right): Visible Light, Short Wave UV, Short Wave Phosphorescence, Long Wave UV, and Long Wave Phosphorescence. Click on thumbnails for a larger view.