
Radioactive Mineral ?
Hi everyone,
I recently inherited a large mineral collection and I'm currently in the process of identifying and securing various specimens. I came across this piece labeled as "Gold Ore" from the Gold Reef City mine in Johannesburg, South Africa.
According to the label, it is a "Quartzitic Sandstone Conglomerate."
The issue: Under UV light, the specimen shows intense, widespread neon green/yellow fluorescence (see attached photos). I also noticed that there is glowing "dust" or debris on the wooden board where it was sitting, which makes me concerned about potential contamination or friable secondary uranium minerals (like Autunite or Urancalcite).
Given the location (Johannesburg/Witwatersrand is known for uranium-gold associations), I suspect this is quite "hot."
Based on the fluorescence, is it safe to assume these are secondary uranium minerals?
Link : here