Hokkaidoite, scientific name for "hokkaidoite," discovered in the towns of Shikaoi and Aibetsu in Hokkaido, is an organic mineral made up of compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and other elements found in living organisms. The unfamiliar mineral was discovered in a rock found in Aibetsu Town, and was later found to be contained in opal, a type of gemstone found in Kaoi Town. It has the characteristic of emitting yellow to yellowish green fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet light.

New #mineral

glows brightly when exposed to ultraviolet light
Found in Hokkaido and registered with an international organization
The name...
/ #Hokkaidoite
＼
The remains of organisms in the strata
are assumed to have been formed by geothermal heat from volcanoes https://t.co/n9HelRp6lU#ほっかいどうせき #

hokkaidoite pic.twitter.com/WD0f06mCFh-

NHK Hokkaido (@nhk_hokkaido) May 26, 2023

The "Hokkaidoite" was approved and registered as a new mineral by the International Union of Mineralogical Sciences in January 2023 by a research team from Sagami Chemical Research Institute, Tokai University, and Osaka University. The research team presented "Novel polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon minerals and their biogenic mechanisms" and "Characterization and diversity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon minerals from Hokkaido, Japan" at the Japanese Geoscience Union's 2023 Taikai Meeting on May 26, 2011.