Autunite

specimen number:
1052455

location:
Schwarzenberg, Saxony, Germany

description:
Yellow green platy crystals of autunite to 0.3 cm in size across the top of this granite matrix. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video and dates to the very early 20th century. Brilliantly fluorescent.

Schwarzenberg in Saxony, Germany, is part of the Erzgebirge, a region with a long and complex mining history dating back to the medieval period and known for its rich polymetallic deposits. The geology is characterized by hydrothermal veins hosted in metamorphic and granitic rocks, where mineralizing fluids introduced a wide range of metals including silver, cobalt, nickel, and uranium. Mining activity in the area expanded significantly in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly with the development of uranium deposits. Among the secondary minerals formed in the oxidized zones of these deposits is autunite, a bright yellow to green uranium phosphate mineral that typically occurs as tabular crystals or coatings on rock surfaces. Autunite from the Schwarzenberg area formed through the alteration of primary uranium minerals under near surface conditions.

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