Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Q: What are 'Franklin minerals' ?

Franklin minerals are those minerals found in the Franklin-Sterling Hill mining district, located in the towns of Franklin and Ogdensburg, New Jersey.

	Spectacular fluorescence. Esperite (yellow), willemite (green), and calcite (red) glowing under shortwave ultraviolet light. Franklin, NJ. Width 4 cm. For more pictures, visit the 'photo pages' under the Fluorescent Gallery above.

More different mineral species are found here than anywhere else on earth.

Many are unique to the Franklin-Sterling area, never having been found elsewhere.

A great many glow, some brilliantly, under ultraviolet light, giving Franklin the title "fluorescent mineral capital of the world."

Q: Where is Franklin ?

Franklin and it's sister location Sterling Hill are located in the northwest corner of New Jersey, in Sussex County.

Location of Franklin and Sterling Hill

They are only a few miles apart, and within a 90 minute drive from the New York metropolitan area.

Click here for a local sketch map showing the Franklin and Sterling museums. 

Click here for more information about the Franklin Mineral Museum, and here for the Sterling Hill Mining Museum.

Q: What's so unusual about Franklin minerals ?

Mineral deposits are often studied through comparison and classified by type. These towns contain two unique oxide/silicate ore deposits of zinc-manganese-iron. The two Zn-Mn-Fe ore deposits at Franklin and Sterling Hill form a unique type all their own: there are no other known chemical analogues.

No other similar deposit has ever been found anywhere else on earth. 

More than 340 mineral species have been found at Franklin-Sterling; more than from any other locale -- a world's record.

More than 80 of the minerals found at Franklin and Sterling Hill have been reported to fluoresce under ultraviolet radiation; some brilliantly.

	Spectacular fluorescence. Calcite (red),hardystonite (violet), and willemite (green) glowing under shortwave ultraviolet light. Franklin, NJ. Width 12 cm.

Q: Can they still be collected ?

Yes, field collecting is still possible on the Buckwheat dump in Franklin, and the Mine run dump at Sterling Hill. You can contact the Franklin Mineral Museum and the Sterling Hill Mining Museum, respectively, for access details.

In addition, the Franklin-Ogdensburg Mineralogical Society (FOMS) regularly visits mineral locations normally off limits to collectors. See the FOMS page for more information.

Q: Where can I find out more ?

Explore this website to find out more about these unusual minerals, consult the references noted, then check the links provided for related websites, including Palache on-line.

For more pictures, visit the 'photo pages' under the Fluorescent Gallery listed above.

If you are in the northern New Jersey area, consider visiting Franklin and Sterling Hill. See places & events for more information.