Erik Rintamaki found glowing rocks on the shore of Lake Superior and named the mineral Yooperlite.
Michigan State, along with the University of Saskatewan, researched the Yooperlites for months. The universities determined that Rintamaki did, indeed, discover a new type of rock. He says other people may have spotted these gems before, but he was the first person to get Yooperlites verified — making him the self-proclaimed "Christopher Columbus of rocks."
Rintamaki said Michigan State gave the rocks a scientific name: syenite clasts containing fluorescent sodalite.
The name he gave them — Yooperlites — comes from the nickname "Yoopers," which refers to people who live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, according to Mineral News, a newsletter for mineral collectors that reported on Rintamaki's discovery.
(via Neatorama)
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