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This colorful and bright specimen comes from remote Taseq Slope in the Ilimaussaq Complex of Greenland, where you will find the highly sought-after “Fantasy Rock.” Found only in this specific area, these rocks are known for their intense array of colors and glow under UV light.
This piece features rich tugtupite that fluoresces a deep cherry red under shortwave UV and a salmon-orange under longwave. Chkalovite shows up in green and magenta tones, sometimes forming eye-like patterns surrounded by tugtupite. You’ll also find blue analcime, orange sodalite, and streaks of black arfvedsonite running throughout the matrix.
Under midwave UV, the tugtupite displays two different colors - the typical lilac purple and also a light salmon-orange.
Both tugtupite and sodalite glow brightly under longwave UV. The specimen also displays some tenebrescence, adding another layer of visual interest depending on light exposure.
Fantasy Rock typically contains a mix of tugtupite, sodalite, chkalovite, and analcime—this specimen has them all. It's a great example of the kind of mineral combination that makes this location so unique and collectible.
What is tenebrescence? This is the process when the sodalite on this piece changes color after exposure to UV (shortwave or longwave), darkening to a purple as shown in the GIF - a unique hue compared to other Greenland sodalites. Under longwave the bright orange fluorescence is unmistakable.
A major component of rock collecting (for us) is simply getting out in nature. A buddy dragged us out to a very remote area here in middle Tennessee to hunt for fluorescent green agate. Since we consider ourselves pure "Glow Hounds" we weren't anticipating any glow rocks, just the beauty of the area, but we brought our UV lights anyway.
