If you enjoy rock tumbling a new book by Steve Hart titled “Modern Rock Tumbling” gives a great introduction to the hobby. It has good sections on vibratory tumblers and ceramic media that have not been well-covered in previous books about the subject.
There are lots of mineral shows over the next two months in all parts of the country. The-Vug.com has a comprehensive list of shows. There’s probably at least one near you.
A few years ago a building boom stretched the capacity of United States drywall makers and some contractors bought drywall manufactured in China. Now many of those homes are having corrosion problems as gases are released from the drywall – and some homeowners insurance companies are not renewing coverage.
Scott Kleine of Great Basin Minerals shares a few photos from his 2005 trip to numerous mineral collecting sites in Alabama and Arkansas. You might not believe the diversity of rocks and minerals that can be found at the locations he visited on this trip… rutile, cacoxenite, rockbridgeite, wavellite, beraunite, dufrenite, strengite, syenite, natrolite, apophyllite, pegmatite, joaquinite, narsarsukite, stilbite, chabazite, orthoclase, analcime, aegirine, rhodochrosite, carbonatite, brookite, cacoxenite, rockbridgeite and more.
Scott Kleine of Great Basin Minerals shares a few photos from his trip to collect topaz crystals at Topaz Mountain in Teller County, Colorado. One of his finds was the 90 carat gem topaz crystal shown at right.
USGS reports: “The government-run “Cash for Clunkers” did much more than just stimulate the economy and raise awareness of carbon emissions. It also caused demand for a little known and little used mineral compound called sodium silicate. The program required that buyers of clunkers immediately kill the engine of the car — a task most efficiently done by running the engine with sodium silicate. When a vehicle runs for a few minutes with this compound in place of engine oil, the engine seizes, and it cannot be reused.”
Benitoite is the state gemstone of California and a nice tiny crystal can be worth a lot of money. Scott Kleine of Great Basin Minerals shares some of his photos from a Benitoite fee mining trip.
Another mineral collecting field trip shared by Scott Kleine of Great Basin Minerals. This trip goes to collect amethyst and quartz scepter crystals at Petersen Mountain along the California – Nevada border.
The website of Great Basin Minerals has an interesting photo field trip to the Rainbow Ridge Opal mine in Virgin Valley, Nevada. This is a pay-to-prospect mine where they found a lot of nice opal.
There are lots of new articles and videos at The-Vug.com, along with a comprehensive list of fall mineral shows and links to mineral dealers who have updated their websites.
SpiriferMinerals.com has an interesting gallery of photos from a recent trip to India. These photos illustrate mineral collecting at quarries being done by local people and visitors. The photos are of crystal cavities, specimens and local mineral specimen collectors, specimen preparation plus a few tourist shots.
A new video highlighting the recent Springfield Mineral Show in Springfield, Massachusetts is available on The-Vug.com website. Richard Jackson of Collector’s Edge shares his photos of scenes of dealer set-up, booths, specimen exhibits, people and more. If you have not attended this show you might be surprised at how big it is.
An article at GSA Journals (pdf) reports that United States universities do not have a vigorous program for economic geology. Many economic geology professors are no longer active in the field and fewer than 40 graduate-level economic geologists are graduating each year. That is the status for a nation that has a very high demand for metals and a declining resource base.
White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, is famous for its many gypsum sand dunes. Earth Observatory has a satellite image of the dunes and comments on their geologic history and accumulation.
A 2,000-year-old bronze sculpture, found underwater off the coast of Croatia, is helping scientists learn more about biomineralization. This article has in-depth information on the chemical processes that have affected it over the years.
Earth Magazine’s July, 2009 issue has a theme of “Moving Afghanistan Forward: Science Finds the Keys to the Future”. A preview story is on their website.
The shapes and colors that you see in an aerial fireworks display do not happen by chance. They are deliberately produced by clever people who apply principles of art, chemistry, physics and math.
Diamonds are composed of carbon and many people wonder if diamonds can be burned. Here is a video from The Open University. It shows a diamond being heated with a torch then dropped into liquid oxygen where it burns to produce carbon dioxide gas.
The only producing diamond mine in the United States is the Crater of Diamonds Mine near Murfreesboro, Arkansas. It is also the only diamond mine in the world where you can be the miner.
What would happen if large, nearly flawless diamonds could be grown at a rate of a millimeter per hour? That day might arrive soon. Diamonds then would have much wider use in industry – but what might happen to the gemstone market?
Professor Richard Weston of Earth Images shares a gallery of close-up photos of agate. These are some of the most colorful and detailed mineral images that you will ever see.
The-Vug.com’s quarterly mineral magazine is now online for free viewing. This issue looks at mineral collecting in Chester County, Pennsylvania and St. Lawrence County, New York.
While you are there you can see three previous editions of the magazine and check out their videos, articles, and events calendar.
Chinese companies are investing in or buying significant holdings in mineral resources. They are taking advantage of current low prices to lock in future mineral supplies.
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Hobart King
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