Mysterious Luminescent Rock Discovered On Shores of Michigan
Gem and mineral expert Erik Rintamaki made a life-changing discovery in June last year.
During a nighttime excursion along the shore of Lake Superior, he found rocks that glowed like lava- with the aid of a UV light. He sent the “Yooperlites” to Michigan Tech University, as well as the University of Saskatchewan, where the rocks were confirmed to be a type of Syenite that contained Sodalite.
Sodalite, usually found in Canada, is what is responsible for the glowing nature of the rocks. Sodalite is usually blue but the rocks Rintamaki discovered have been mostly composed of granite or basalt. Geologists have noted that while these stones have technically been discovered already, this is the first time anyone has had them officially tested and confirmed.
Rintamaki has turned his find into a solid business. The 43-year-old Brimley resident sells the stones he finds for over thirty dollars a pound in addition to giving tours of the areas where the stones can be found. His social media pages are filled with tour photos and his groups finds.