Luminescence decays of metastable Nd3+:F-4(3/2) level were measured and studied in wide of 10-300 K temperature range and compared with the radiative lifetimes derived from standard Judd-Ofelt theory. Nearly resonant cross-relaxation was found to non-radiatively depopulate the metastable level already in 10 K, whereas above 50 K increased reabsorption of radiation and thermalization of higher Stark component of the F-4(3/2) level occur, which resulted in the Boltzmann population of this metastable Nd3+ level and anomalous increase of luminescence decays with temperature increment. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.