Calcite Thermoluminescence
I went for a longish hike with Ian through part of the Santa Monica Mountains today. Ian is always showing me little pieces of mineral specimens that he see by the trail. usually it's calcite. He mentioned that frequently calcite is thermoluminescent ie has stored energy that it released as light when the sample is heated. I decided to try and see if this was the case.
As you can see from the above video it is a fact. It is important to realize that this is not light from heating the calcite to very high temperatures. The calcite is hot but still cool enough to handle. And once is glows enough, the energy is exhausted and the sample will not glow again.
Thermoluminescence can be used to determine the ages of a sample. Radiation slowly "charges" the mineral with energy and heating releases the energy as light. the amount of light gives a measure of the age.
Cheers.
Calcite Thermoluminescence
I went for a longish hike with Ian through part of the Santa Monica Mountains today. Ian is always showing me little pieces of mineral specimens that he see by the trail. usually it's calcite. He mentioned that frequently calcite is thermoluminescent ie has stored energy that it released as light when the sample is heated. I decided to try and see if this was the case.
As you can see from the above video it is a fact. It is important to realize that this is not light from heating the calcite to very high temperatures. The calcite is hot but still cool enough to handle. And once is glows enough, the energy is exhausted and the sample will not glow again.
Thermoluminescence can be used to determine the ages of a sample. Radiation slowly "charges" the mineral with energy and heating releases the energy as light. the amount of light gives a measure of the age.
Cheers.