r/Radioactive_Rocks

I wish the locality information of Don’s collection wasn’t lost. Would love to learn where these minerals came from. Gorgeous expression of a uranium lead mineral.

300k CPM Radiacode 110

Dioptasa rara ya que no es radiactiva por si sola. Localidad desconocida

(NOT FOR SALE) A shame I didn’t get more photos of this flat before I sold it. Excellent presentation of a classic uranium mineral. I love how this example showcases the orthorhombic structure.

9k CPM Radiacode 110

Ran a batch of five sterling rings today, four built with Uraninite showing tight pyrite veining and one Gummite, all cut and set by me and all showing real UV response from secondary material tracking along fracture pathways, nothing added or enhanced, just the rock doing its thing; four were commission pieces for folks who’ve been waiting and the last one is a size 10 with an 8 × 10 mm oval cab reading ~566 CPS at contact on the Radiacode, fully backed, sealed, and stable as worn.

Grabbed a literal garbage bin of rocks at a garage sale for ten bucks. No plan, just digging through it, and this chunk caught my eye right away. Looked like petrified wood. Layered, fibrous, blocky fracture. Checked everything with the Radiacode when I got home, and this one was reading a little hot. Nothing crazy, but enough to get interesting.

Hit it with UV and it started throwing green lightning through the fracture zones. That sealed it. Slabbed it open and it cleaned up nice. Base is microcrystalline silica, classic replacement texture, but the veins are loaded. Druzy pockets, darker mineralization, and the fluorescence tracks perfectly along those pathways. Not random at all, it’s literally fluid movement frozen in place.

Sitting around ~50 cps at contact, so slightly spicy but localized. Scope shows botryoidal silica, tiny quartz growth, and some dendritic junk cutting through it. Whole thing is a multi-stage system locked into what used to be wood. I’m probably going to do a run pendants and just chase the lightning 😄

Using lead pigs , one inverted over the other, for a brick house for the great little Radiacodes is nothing new. But if you have tried this, you probably had issues with AOS ( acquisition of signal ) and bt receiving range. With very thick lead walls, transmission range is severely impacted. Most can receive a weak but usable bt signal with their device laid directly against the pigs, or very nearby but if you want to use your device during lengthy spectrograms, this can be a real issue. This is a VERY inexpensive and simple solution , easily done with minimal effort.

First, the lead pigs : selection of lead pig criteria…. You need two lead pigs one inverted on top of the other. The pigs have to be 1.5” ID , or better, and about 3” inside depth each. Half inch ( .4 “ ) wall thickness or better. More thickness is always better. These are common lead pig dimensions found on eBay and Amazon. I chose the lead pig , as above, on Amazon because it is painted with grey epoxy paint to limit your contact with the raw lead. Both painted ones and ( most common ) unpainted pigs are found on eBay as well. With pigs with 3” depth and the Radiacode being 4.88 in length, you have over 1” X 1.5” in extra room for a sample under the Radiacode. Smaller samples are simply inserted next to the end of the radiacode opposite the charging port. I use a rubber band or hair tie to hold my smaller samples and 1” source disks on the “ side sweet spot “ for maximum counts / shorter acquisition times if wanted.

In open air , at my house, my radiacode 103 measures about 480 - 520cps in background count, inside the lead pig as above I get about 35-40 cps background , about 10% of ambient. Excellent for very weak samples and regular samples with some weaker lines of activity.

This is the easy and novel part : Using a large flat blade screwdriver, chisel etc , I make a dent in my lower pig to route a wire through. No bigger no smaller to keep the integrity of the pig shields. Then I use small diameter , maybe 22ga or thereabouts insulated solid copper wire ( found everywhere, Amazon, eBay, local electronics house etc ) and wind a long coil on a round pencil then pull out a turn or so in the middle. Half the coil goes inside the pig in the extra space next to the 103 and I stick the other straight out the side to minimize interaction between the lead and signal from the coil. The coil picks up the bt signal inside the lead pigs and retransmits the signal outside the lead in sufficient strengths to allow a much stronger radiacode signal over much longer distances. 15’ - 20’ or more. This gives you much stronger signals for the bt and allows you to use your device for other things during long term ( hours ) spectrograms. Great anytime you use your pig brick house.

The pictures show the whole pig brick house with the antenna sticking out the side, views of the coil and open pig views, plus a spectrogram of , typically weak / ambient radiation or less Lutetium Lu- 176 . ( available on eBay very inexpensively ) . If you’ve made spectrograms of Lutetium you know how ambient noise can it touchy.

If you participated in Brandon’s birthday giveaway, this may look like familiar material. Uraninite veins throughout this slab and picked a nice chunk to show all of you fine people. Historic locality. (Reupload to correct locality information)

78k CPM on Radiacode 110

Sandstone matrix minerals always excite with nice sugary sprays. UV glow and micro view makes me think maybe meta-autunite.

14k CPM on Radiacode 110

small sprays of boltwoodite on calcite from the new method mine in san bernardino county, california! ex. jerry baird (mindat image)

Hey everyone,

Just had to share my newest acquisition—a beautiful specimen of Antozonite (often called Stinkspar or fetid fluorite) that I was lucky enough to source locally here in Germany. The piece measures about **6.5cm x 5cm x 1.5cm**, and its deep violet-black color is absolutely captivating. But of course, for folks in this sub, the real excitement is what's inside.

I put it under my gamma spectrometer, and as you can see from the spectrum, it's a lively one. It shows a very clear Ra-226 signature, which I'll dig into below.

So, what makes Antozonite so special?

For those unfamiliar, this isn't just your average purple fluorite. This stuff is the *only* known place on Earth where you can find naturally occurring, **elemental fluorine (F₂)** gas.

The "Stink" Factor: When crushed or broken (DONT DO THAT, LOL!), it releases that trapped F₂. The fluorine then reacts with water vapor in the air to produce ozone (O₃) and hydrogen fluoride (HF), which gives it a pungent, unmistakable stench that has been noted since the 19th century. The smell has famously been described as anything from "garlic-like" to, at high dilution, "like a perfume".

The Violet-Black Color: That intense, nearly black coloration is a direct result of its radioactive past. The mineral contains tiny inclusions of uranium, which over eons have bombarded the fluorite (CaF₂) with alpha and beta radiation. This radiation creates "color centers"—defects in the crystal lattice, specifically clusters of calcium atoms (colloidal calcium), which absorb light and give the mineral its deep purple to black hue.

The Formation of F₂: This is the coolest part. The high-energy beta particles from the decaying uranium split the calcium fluoride (CaF₂) into calcium and fluorine atoms. These individual fluorine atoms then pair up to form diatomic fluorine gas (F₂), which becomes trapped as tiny inclusions within the crystal structure. It wasn't until 2012 that scientists using solid-state NMR spectroscopy finally proved that the gas inside was, in fact, elemental fluorine, settling a nearly 200-year-old debate.

The Gamma Spectrum (Ra-226)

I mostly see the Ra226 decay chain, maybe some shoulders in the Xray could be from U238 (Th234)? Also one peak marked as U235?? Don't know if that is correct. And again that Barium Xray at 32keV-ish.

I think it is a cool specimen of mineralogy, and nuclear physics all wrapped up in one smelly, radioactive package.

While this specimen is mostly safe to handle and store, I would avoid crushing it and sniffing that stuff. Apply hygiene and common sense :-)...

Recently bought some Curite with Metatorbernite from Shinkolobwe. There might be some Kasolite on there aswell but I haven't analyzed it so far.

Picture No. 2 shows Soddyite from Swambo Hill.

Some really quick and dirty pictures after unboxing. Next month I'll have time to make videos about them for YouTube :)

Tesoro de durango

Euxenite-(y) Crystals in Matrix

Petaca Mining District, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

188 grams, 60x28x19mm

Swipe for glow pics. Still working on incorporating UV into my stacks in a way that doesn’t overexpose.

1800 CPM on Radiacode 110

A specimen I acquired from the marketplace find. The malachite and chrysocolla definitely make me think this it’s Katanga material, but would like ideas from our more experienced members.

220k CPM on Radiacode 110

torbernita en cuarzo blanco de vimianzo, la coruña,

Finally found where I'd stashed this one! Still on the fence about having /u/AutuniteEveryNight slice it, versus leave it be. Ruggles slabs are so delicious.

margaritasita de la mina 1 roja, margaritasita mina 2 muy amarilla. tamaños, 1.2cm, la otra 2.3cm x 0.69