Rocksday

Autunite

A radioactive uranium phosphate forming lemon-yellow square plates that glow green under UV.

Autunite specimen
Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify autunite

  • Yellow-green square flakes in stacks.
  • Glows bright green under UV light.
  • Radioactive.

Often confused with

Where it's found

  • Autun, France
  • Daybreak mine, Washington
  • Portugal

Uses

Uranium ore and collector specimens.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling. Radioactive.

Did you know?

It's named after Autun in France, where it was first described.

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