South Dakota fluorescent minerals and fossils.

      The first row is fossil sponge from the Bad Lands of South Dakota.  The age is from the Oligocene or about 28 to 37,5 million years old.  The photos in the left hand column show the specimens in natural light to be a white to tan to grey color.  In the center photographs, for the first row, the color is the result of reflection of the long wave ultraviolet light off the otherwise white or light colored surface and not fluorescence.  The short wave light photo to the far right brings out the full color of the specimen.  Since the sponge was replaced by chalcedony we had hoped it would fluoresce green and it does. 

     The next two rows are chalcedony from South Dakota.  The images to the left are shades white to tan, brown and grey in normal light.  The images in the middle show a blue to purple reflection from the long wave light with just a little green fluorescence in the top image.  The third photo is taken with a short wave light which gives a nice bright green.  The purple is a reflection from the light and not fluorescence.  In the bottom photo you will notice a  pink fluorescence in the center of the specimen.  This is calcite.

     The next three rows are Baculites from South Dakota.  The species are most likely Baculites cuneatus or compressus and are from the Upper Campanian Stage of the Upper Cretaceous, (they are approximately 72-73 million years old).  The specimens in the left hand column are shown in natural lighting.  The first two rows show the external surface with suture lines showing.  The third row shows the internal crystal lined chambers exposed and septum walls.  The replacement material is calcite (white, yellow, and orange) and chalcedony (green).  The purple is a reflection of the lights off the otherwise non fluorescent, light colored, surface of the fossil.  The second column shows the specimens under long wave ultraviolet light.  The South Dakota specimens seem to fluoresce best under long wave.  They fluoresce somewhat less strongly under short wave ultraviolet lights as you will notice in column three.  The septum wall break areas do seem to be a little brighter under short wave, but this may be due to the darker non fluorescing background.

     The next two rows are ammonites.  The first appears to be a specimen of Menuites portlocki complexus.  They occurred in the Middle Companion Stage of the Upper Cretaceous (about 77-78 million years ago).  The first, left most image is under normal light,  The middle image was taken under long wave ultraviolet light and is the stronger fluorescing image of the two.  The right most image was taken under short wave ultraviolet light.  The next row of images are of a Rhaeboceras from the Upper Campanian Stage of the Upper Cretaceous (about 71-72 million years old).  As with the ammonite above it the middle image, under long wave ultraviolet light, is the stronger fluorescing of the two.  The internal structure is nice to be able to view.  Especially when it fluoresces.

     The next specimen is a Placenticeras meeki.  They occur in the Upper Campanian of the Upper Cretaceous (about 74-72 million years ago).  As with other South Dakota fossils the calcite in the specimen fluoresces yellow and the chalcedony fluoresces green.  The stronger fluorescing image is under long wave UV light. 

       The next row at right is a Placenticeras intercalare from the Upper Campanian of the Upper Cretaceous (about 74-72 MYA) of South Dakota.

     The next row has a nice sized Hoploscaphite (top) and a Jeletzkytes (in the shadow to the right).  They ranged from the Middle Campanian Stage to the Lower Maastrichtian Stage of the Upper Cretaceous (80-69 million years ago).  Neither specimen fluoresces.  There is an orange calcite glow (lower middle) of the long wave photo.  The interesting thing about this specimen is the blue-white fluorescence under both the long and short wave ultraviolet lights  I am uncertain of the mineral.

     The long ribbed fossil with two rows of bumps is a section of Didymoceras which lived during the Middle Campanian Stage of the Upper Cretaceous (about 77-78 million years ago).  The fluorescent minerals here appear to be calcite and chalcedony with the brighter fluorescence occurring under long wave.

     The last row off fossils is a bivalve.  The calcite glows a light yellow-white under both long and short wave.  The stronger fluorescence is under long wave.  There is also some orange fluorescing calcite at the bottom middle of the specimen in the photo.

     The fossil mammal teeth below are from the White River formation in the South Dakota Badlands.  Most of the teeth from this area will fluoresce due to the replacement minerals calcite and chalcedony.  The areas or parts which have been replaced by calcite will fluoresce a yellow to yellow-orange and in some cases an orange to red-orange.  The areas which have been replaced by chalcedony will fluoresce green.  Some specimens will have a bright green fluorescence at the base of the specimen.  This is an oil based clay which is holding up the specimen.  Any area which is blue to purple in color is the fluorescent lights reflecting off the light colored parts of the specimens and is not fluorescence.

     The first row of teeth is Oreodont teeth (Merycoidodon culbertsoni).  The fluorescent photo is a nice rainbow of color.  Usually you only get the yellows and oranges and the lights reflection off the specimen.  In this case you get a little green in there as well.

     The second row is horse teeth (Mesohippus bairdi).  This is one of the longest sections of teeth we have.  It is one tooth short of a complete side of the mandible.

     The third row is a pair of camel maxillary molars (Poebrotherium wilsoni).  The  detail in these is very nice.

     The fourth row is deer (Leptomeryx evansi) mandibular teeth.

       The  fifth row is a dog tooth (Hyaenodon cruentus).

       The sixth row of teeth at right is a "Giant Pig" tooth.  The species is Archaeotherium ingens.  The tooth is not in very good shape and has not been replaced with calcite as well as some of the other teeth presented here.  But, because they are rarely found (as is also the case with dog teeth) we chose to at least have something of the species represented here.  Predators, at the top of the food chain, are rarely found.  They are the ones that go around creating all the other specimens which we find.

       The seventh row of teeth at right is squirrel teeth (Ischyromys typus).

       The eighth row of teeth at right is "Running Rhino" teeth.  The genus and species names are Hyracodon nebrascensis.  As you can see they fluoresce a nice bright yellow.  The purple you see is the lights reflecting off the light colored bone.

       The ninth row of teeth at right is left mandibular rabbit teeth.  The genus and species names are:  "Palaeolagus haydeni."  The teeth fluoresce a nice yellow-orange.  The bone is a light purple, which is caused by the reflection of the lights off the light colored bone.  The green seam down the middle of the specimen is the epoxy used to repair the specimen.

       The shell specimen at right is a nautiloid  specimen from South Dakota.  The yellow fluorescing mineral is calcite.  Any green would be due to chalcedony and the purple is due to the fluorescent lights reflecting off the light colored minerals in the specimen.  The round tubular structure showing  at the center of the left hand photo is the siphuncle, which connects the chambers and allows the animal to raise  or lower itself in the water like a submarine.

       The gastropod or snail at right is from the Pierre Seaway of South Dakota.  The species has not been determined at this point.  The darkened areas of the whorl in the normal light photo are the areas in the fluorescent photo which fluoresce yellow, indicating that area of the shell has been replaced by calcite.  The purple areas of the specimen are non-fluorescing  minerals and are the reflection of the lights off the light colored minerals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




Regular lighting

 

Regular lighting

 

Regular lighting

 

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

 

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

Regular lighting

 

 

Long wave ultraviolet light

 

Long wave ultraviolet light

 

Long wave ultraviolet light

 

Long wave ultraviolet light

Long wave ultraviolet light

Long wave ultraviolet light

Long wave ultraviolet light

Long wave ultraviolet light

Long wave ultraviolet light

Long and short wave UV lighting.

Long wave ultraviolet light

Long wave ultraviolet light

Long wave ultraviolet light

Both long and short wave UV lights

Both long and short wave UV lights

Both long and short wave UV lights

Both long and short wave UV lights

Both long and short wave UV lights

Both long and short wave UV lights

Both long and short wave UV lights

Both long and short wave UV lights

 

Both long and short wave UV lights

Short wave ultraviolet light

Short wave ultraviolet light

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short wave ultraviolet light

 

Short wave ultraviolet light

   

Short wave ultraviolet light

 

Short wave ultraviolet light

Short wave ultraviolet light

Short wave ultraviolet light

Short wave ultraviolet light

Short wave ultraviolet light

Short wave ultraviolet light

Long and short wave UV lighting.

Short wave ultraviolet light

Short wave ultraviolet light

Short wave ultraviolet light