Saturday, October 30, 2010

Cactus with Leaves


Learn more about this plant at the Backyard Nature web site.  It is known as the False Cactus, Candelabra Cactus and Dragon Bones.



Thursday, October 28, 2010

Monday, October 18, 2010

A picture of a piece of fluorite found during a mineral dig at The Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum.  The piece in everyday light is rather plain but expose it to ultraviolet (UV) light (395 nm).  UV light makes part of the mineral glow a whitish-yellow.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Fluorescent Painting

Two pictures of the same oil painting obtained in Paris, France in 2009.  The image on the left was illuminated with iridescence light while the one one right was lit with longwave ultraviolet (395 nm) light.  White arrows show three sections of the painting that fluorescent bright orange.

It would be good to know what material in the paint exhibits this illumination property.

Learn more about fluorite and fluorescence at the Delaware Mineralogical Society web site.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Galena on Calcite

Galena with calcite mined at Ozark Lead mine in St. Joseph Lead District, Missouri.  On display at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Tyrolite

Tyrolite mineral found at Brixlegg, Tyrol, Austria.  Displayed at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Pyromorphite

Mineral Pyromorphite found at Bunker Hill mine in Kellogg, Idaho.  Displayed at mineral hall of Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Saturday, October 09, 2010

Datolite

Picture of Datolite mineral with copper from Lake Superior district, Michigan.  While doing research on fossils and rocks to find in upper peninsula of Michigan I came across "Rockhounding Trip Through Michigan's Upper Peninsula August 2008 Report by Jim Adams".  His report talks about finding Datolite for the first time in Michigan.

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Monday, October 04, 2010

Mesolite

Mesolite with fluorapophyllite found in Poona, Maharashtra, India.  Part of the Mary Horner Stuart collection on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Mineral Hall.

Sunday, October 03, 2010

More Halite

 Halite crystal with calcite found in Eisleben, Thuringen, Germany.

Halite crystals found in Death Valley, California.  Images take August 2010 at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.  Halite is composed of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) or table salt.

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Quartz var. amethyst

Amethyst which is a variety of quartz that is purple.  Found at Serra do Mar. Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Displayed at Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.  This specimen was once part of 32000 kg geode!

Friday, October 01, 2010

Halite

Halite crystals displayed at Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.  Halite is also known as Sodium Chloride (NaCl) or table salt.  The mineral is from Stassfurt, Sachsen, Germany.  Picture taken August 2010.