As a geologist, it is almost a prereq-uisite to have some sort of a rock collection. I have been a rock collector since I cannot remember when. Some of the most interesting pieces that I’ve collected are fluorescent specimens. I became interested in fluorescent minerals when I went on a weekend geologic field trip with a friend in the military. He was from Ogdensburg, New Jersey, near the famous Sterling Mine, where some of the most brilliantly colored specimens can be found. After stopping by a road cut with just a small ultraviolet (UV) light, I was mesmerized by the bright orange, green, and blue colors I saw. I started collecting small pieces that would fit nicely in a box and pull them out when the mood struck me. Until about 2013, the collection was intended only for my interests. That all changed with the budgetary stalemate on school funding in the state of Illinois.
In 2013, the Illinois state government shorted the budget of the school district that our children attend to the tune of approximately $1,000,000. Budgets were cut, teachers let go, and programs were eliminated. Programs in the sciences and arts seemed to be affected the most. My wife and I, both being scientists, wanted to do something. My wife suggested that we build a display for the school district to use in teaching students about the unique and fascinating properties of mineral fluorescence. So I put my rudimentary carpentry skills to work, and we built a display box with shelves to hold several specimens.
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Rock&Gem Magazine.
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This story is from the March 2020 edition of Rock&Gem Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORGAN HILL POPPY JASPER
In California, there are very few places to collect semi-precious stones. Many locations from the past have been either exhausted of the material or the land has been developed.
THE ACORN
The briolette gemstone has the same design attributes of a regular gemstone, however, the pavilion is elongated and the crown is usually domed. This is perfect for an elegant pendant, earrings or a pendulum.
HOW TO PUT A PROTECTIVE CAP ON A CAB
To protect a specimen cab, often a cap is needed. In my case, I had a slab with the because of the color of the background and the pattern. This background had a more silicified consistency than most sandstones. It had no graininess like most sandstone, so I'm inclined to compare it to a jasper. The pattern was typical of a dendrite.
The Resilient Revival of Anne Brontë & Her Stones
For the first time, the Anne Brontë rock collection underwent complete description and identification, and along with Professor Hazel Hutchison of Leeds University and Dr. Enrique Lozano Diz at ELODIZ (a company specializing in spectroscopy analysis), an analysis of that collaboration, Anne Brontë and Geology: A Study of her Collection of Stones, was published in April 2022 in Volume 47, Issue 2 of the peer-reviewed journal, Brontë Studies & Gazette.\"
Amazing Women with Rock-Solid Careers
Explorers, Geologists, Educators & Jewelry Makers...
The Case of the Bleeding Glacier
It's a gory sight called Blood Falls. Ever since British geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor first noted it in 1911, it has been a mystery.
Asteroid Samples Are Said to Hold Invaluable Secrets
If Only Scientists Can Pop the Lid!
Paleontologists Embrace a New Method for Seeing Fossils within Rock
Fossil bone can be delicate. Attempts to remove it from a hard rock matrix by picking and scratching or etching with acids can be time-consuming and/or may end up obliterating that which you hope to study.
Need a Map of the Ocean Floor?
Call in the Seals!
A Step Closer to Hydrogen, the "Climate-Friendly Fuel"
As I reported last June, the world is racing to find sustainably renewable, nonpolluting sources of energy to replace our carbon-based reserves of coal, oil and gas.
