Scheelite
“Tungsten ore that glows blue”
Scheelite is a calcium tungstate mineral and one of the two primary ores of tungsten alongside wolframite. It often forms beautiful transparent to translucent crystals in shades of white, yellow, and orange, but its most dramatic feature is its vivid bluish-white fluorescence under shortwave UV light.
calcium tungstate (CaWO₄)
Mittersill (Austria), King Island (Australia), Sangdong (South Korea), Jiangxi (China), Bishop (California, USA)
4.5-5
Prospectors hunt for scheelite deposits at night using UV lamps — the mineral's bright blue glow makes it visible from a distance in the dark, turning geology into a nocturnal treasure hunt.
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How do prospectors use scheelite's fluorescence as a practical exploration tool?
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