Autunite Specimen

This is the uranium mineral "autunite” from Pingjiang Yueyang Hunan China.

The piece is approximately 11 x 11 x 4 mm and is about 0.9 grams. The piece comes in the Perky Box.

Autunite is a hydrated calcium uranyl phosphate. Its uranium content of 48% makes it radioactive and it fluoresces a bright green under long wave ultraviolet light.

Autunite is legal to own in the US. It is also safe to own with some reasonable care:

1) This piece has radiation dose rate of 10 mrem/hr on contact with the Perky box open, and 1 mrem/hr with the Perky Box closed. The dose rate falls off to about 0.08 mrem/hr at about 6 inches from the piece. So the radiation dose is low as long as you don’t keep handling it and don’t store it in your pocket.😉

2) The piece is sealed and stabilized with a light coat of lacquer to prevent it from becoming brittle and flaky when it loses water over time.

3) It is permanently mounted in the perky box with the lid glued-shut to keep small pieces from getting spread around the house.

4) Keep it away from kids, just as you would any mineral with heavy or hazardous metals.

Most international destinations prohibit import of radioactive material, so this will be shipped to US destinations only, in full compliance with US Postal Service regulations.

The fluorescent photos were taken with a 365 nm long wave Convoy S2 light.