On October 22, a briefing session for Hokkaido stone townspeople was held at a brewery in Aibetsu Town, and more than 100 visitors visited. Hokkaido stone, a natural crystal of the organic compound benzoperylene, is a rare mineral that fluoresces beautifully when irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and was registered with the International Mineralogical Union in January this year.
At this briefing session, which was open to the townspeople for the first time, a member of the research group that discovered Hokkaido stone talked about its rarity and characteristics, and visitors actually confirmed the fluorescence of Hokkaido stone while shining ultraviolet light.
Hokkaido stones discovered in Aibetsu Town and Shikaoi Town are currently open to the public at Aibetsu Town Hall. It will be a very valuable exhibition, so please take this opportunity to take a look.
■Exhibition location: Aibetsu Town Hall 1F
■Exhibition Hours: 8:30 a.m. ~ 5:15 p.m. (weekdays only)