Fluorescent Minerals
Fluorescent minerals absorb UV light and re-emit it as visible colour. It’s both beautiful and useful for identification. Below: the classic fluorescent species and what colour they tend to glow.
Classic fluorescent minerals: fluorite (blue/purple), calcite (red, orange), aragonite, selenite, willemite (green), scheelite (blue-white). Fluorescence varies with locality and activator elements — the same species can glow differently or not at all.