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Entry № 035

Autunite

Hydrated Calcium Uranyl Phosphate

The green fire that must be watched from a distance.

Chakra

Solar Plexus · Third Eye

Element

Fire

Zodiac

Leo · Scorpio

Autunite

I. The Metaphysical Reading

How the stone has been held.

Autunite is regarded as a stone of intense but disciplined attention, worked with only in specimen form and at a respectful distance. Practitioners speak of it as a marker of transformative knowledge, the kind that must be handled carefully because it changes whoever comes close to it.

Chakra
Solar Plexus · Third Eye
Element
Fire
Zodiac
Leo · Scorpio
Keynote
The green fire that must be watched from a distance.

II. The Scientific Reading

What the lattice actually does.

Autunite is a secondary uranium mineral that forms as bright yellow-green tabular crystals in the oxidised zone of uranium deposits, named for its type locality at Autun in France. It fluoresces vivid green under ultraviolet light thanks to the uranyl ion, and dehydrates in dry air to a less-hydrated relative called meta-autunite. Because it is radioactive, specimens are stored in sealed containers and displayed rather than handled.

Formula
Ca(UO₂)₂(PO₄)₂·10–12H₂O
System
Orthorhombic (tetragonal pseudosymmetry)
Hardness
2 – 2.5 (Mohs)
Provenance
France (Autun), Portugal, USA (Washington - Daybreak Mine), Australia

References & Sources

Independent mineralogical references used to verify the scientific details above.

Mineral Profile

Fact Sheet

Chemical Formula
Ca(UO₂)₂(PO₄)₂·10–12H₂O
Crystal System
Orthorhombic (tetragonal pseudosymmetry)
Mohs Hardness
2 – 2.5 (Mohs)
Density
3.05 – 3.20 g/cm³
Refractive Index
1.553 – 1.577
Provenance
France (Autun), Portugal, USA (Washington - Daybreak Mine), Australia
Color Origin
Lemon to apple-green tabular crystals, fluoresces bright green under UV

Related Crystals

Stones that share this lattice

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Next in the Atlas

Axinite

The wedge-crystal that turns the light.