Rocks

[DayOfShadows]

Well, i just got some rocks from the Smithsonian Of Natural History so ive decieded that i will be collecting rocks / minerals now, my list is as follows:
Adamite
Bismuth
Blue, Green, Optical Calcite
Garnet
Chalcopyrite
Kyanite
Aragonite
Malachite
And a HUGE piece of quartz
Now i KNOW dave is going to post here but what about the rest of you, any good rock collections?

 

[HumanSymphony]

Well, i just got some rocks from the Smithsonian Of Natural History so ive decieded that i will be collecting rocks / minerals now, my list is as follows:
Adamite
Bismuth
Blue, Green, Optical Calcite
Garnet
Chalcopyrite
Kyanite
Aragonite
Malachite
And a HUGE piece of quartz
Now i KNOW [highlight]dave[/highlight] is going to post here but what about the rest of you, any good rock collections?

was just gonna say that but you stole my thunder : lol

 

[rocketparrotlet]

When I see cool things, I get them. I have a crapload of rocks, but I wouldn't "officially" consider myself a collector. I've got quite a few, though. I'll wait for Dave to post, then just highlight the ones in his collection that I have, too (I'm lazy).

-Mark

 

[daguin]

When I see cool things, I get them.  I have a crapload of rocks, but I wouldn't "officially" consider myself a collector.  I've got quite a few, though.  I'll wait for Dave to post, then just highlight the ones in his collection that I have, too (I'm lazy).

-Mark

If you've got a "crapload", you're a collector. You may not be an "organized" or "systematic" collector, but a collector you are.

I have (quite literally) a ton of rocks, minerals, and crystals and I'm NOT THAT organized. It is mostly just a bigger "crapload" than your "crapload."

Peace,
dave

 

[potatorage]

I have a pile of rocks in my backyard. I throw the cool rocks I find in the pile. Am I a collector?

 

[daguin]

]I have a pile of rocks in my backyard. I throw the cool rocks I find in the pile. Am I a collector?

YEP!

It's a disease I tells ya!

Stop now while you can still carry all of your rocks in one truckload!

Peace,
dave

 

[Curiously_Coherent]

I will confess that I am a rock collector... and it's all daguin's fault.   He started telling us how his rocks would glow under BR light and the next thing I know I'm building my own SW UV lamp and hitting eBay with a vengeance.  I've got quite a few specimens now, all nicely fluorescent. Here's some pix of a few I've taken photos of:

Cheers, CC

 

[daguin]

Beautiful!

Peace,
dave

 

[DayOfShadows]

Well the adamite glows, but the optical calcite is cool, as the beam goes threw it it leaves a faint red trail that last for only a second.

 

[Curiously_Coherent]

Yeah, Calcite is kewl.  You might be seeing a phenomenon known as Tenebrescence.  It's when a mineral changes colour after exposure to UV light, then slowly changes back.  Here's a 3pic of a Tenebrescent specimen I have. The leftmost pic is normal light, the middle is under SW UV light and the rightmost is after UV exposure, showing the tenebrescent effect.  I'm not sure if Calcite exhibits such behaviour, but there are many, many types of Calcite depending on their chemical makeup, so who knows?

Cheers, CC

 

[laserwanabe]

I rather just buy a glow stick then spend money on rocks =)

 

[ElektroFreak]

While it's not a naturally occurring rock, Trinitite is pretty cool in general, and can be reactive under UV rays. If you can find any, that is.. The only source i know of right now is United Nuclear, but you can occasionally find some on ebay.. Some of the samples I've see glow either green or both red and green..

 

[Kenom]

I didn't know that desert roses were UV reactant.  What wavelength were you using on that.  I've got one of those.

Oh and what are the two most top rocks? I really like those colors under UV.

 

[ElektroFreak]

^I'm not sure exactly what a desert rose is, but if you mean Trinitite then I no longer have any samples, unfortunately. Only two of my samples were UV reactive at 405nm (I used an unfocused blu-ray laser), so I believe it depends more on the content of the soil at a given location prior to the explosion rather than the isotope content in the glass formed during the Trinity fireball. In other words, whether or not the sample is UV reactive seems to depend on the location that the sample was found at the Trinity site. No two are identical... you could get lucky, but maybe not. If you do have one that glows, it's easily as cool as calcite with inclusions of other minerals.

I've seen Trinitite listed as being non-reactive and I've seen it listed as reactive, so it would appear that it varies..

If your comment wasn't directed to me, I apologize..

EDIT: Didn't scroll the picture to the right.. my bad. :-[ That does look very cool though...

 

[Curiously_Coherent]

I didn't know that desert roses were UV reactant.  What wavelength were you using on that.  I've got one of those.
Oh and what are the two most top rocks?  I really like those colors under UV.

Hiya Kenom,

If you're referring to the lowest right of the 6-up picture, (the one that looks like a rose) that's a ball of Selenite crystals from Red River, near Winnipeg in Manitoba. It fluoresces brightly under SW UV light, and then phosphoresces for a minute or so after exposure. The crystals are an amber colour in normal light. It's quite beautiful actually.

The top left photo is of a very rare 5-colour specimen that contains Sphalerite, Manganoxite, Clinohedrite, Willemite and Hardystonite. It cost a good chunk but it's my most impressive piece by far. The top right is a classic combination of Willemite and Calcite from the Sterling Hill Mine, N.J.

It's amazing to see the looks on people's faces when I show them a table full of plain rocks, then give them UV goggles, kill the normal lights and turn on the SW UV. They're usually gobsmacked that all that beauty is just beyond our senses' abilities. Once they're suitably impressed, then I show 'em the lasers... LOL

Cheers, CC