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Story: Radioactive minerals

Radioactive minerals

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Radioactive minerals

Radioactive minerals glow (or fluoresce) under ultraviolet light. This collection, made by the late Ken Pepperell, is on display at Coaltown, Westport, and includes samples from New Zealand and overseas. The green mineral is willemite, and the red mineral is franklinite.

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Coaltown Museum

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How to cite this page

Rebecca Priestley, Radioactive minerals – Uranium prospecting, 1956 onwards, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4788/radioactive-minerals (accessed 15 June 2026).

Story by Rebecca Priestley, published 2 March 2009.