mineralogy

Imaggeo On Monday: Emoji from meteorites; impact spherule

Seda Özdemir September 14, 2020

Emoji from meteorites; impact spherule. Credit: Seda Özdemir (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

This is a crossed polarized light photomicrograph of an impact spherule; a small mineralisation made when a meteorite hits the Earth and melts the rock at the point of impact, from Barberton Greenstone Belt, in South Africa. These spherules are the only remnants of Early Earth’s meteorite impact history, from between of 3.2 and 3.5 billion years ago. In this photo you can see the K-feldspar ...[Read More]

Imaggeo On Monday: Condensation drop on sulphur

Hazel Gibson September 7, 2020

Condensation drop on Sulphur. Credit: Ulrich Kueppers (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Mineralogy, as a subject, often has a hard time. Despite it’s place at the core of the traditional geological sciences, and its importance in a huge variety of other subjects, mineralogy sometimes has a reputation of being complicated and inaccessible and, well, some people have even called it boring. This is also related to the way that minerals are often hugely misunderstood by non-geoscie ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: The colourful sinkhole clusters at Ghor Al-Haditha

Rob Watson September 30, 2019

Crazy colours in a cluster of sinkholes at Ghor Al-Haditha. Credit: Rob Watson (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Sinkholes that form on the Dead Sea shore at Ghor Al-Haditha, Jordan, often occur in clusters, with many holes packed into a small area. However the visual appearance of neighbouring sinkholes can vary significantly. Mineral precipitation in the foremost sinkhole in this picture, which has no fresh water supply, gives it a garish pink-orange colouration. The larger hole behind has a groundwater-de ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: River in a charoite schist

Olivia Trani May 14, 2018

River in a Charoite Schist. Credit: Bernardo Cesare (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Polarized light photomicrograph of a thin section of a charoite-bearing schist. Charoite is a rare silicate found only at one location in Yakutia, Russia. For its beautiful and uncommon purple color it is used as a semi-precious stone in jewelry. Under the microscope charoite-bearing rocks give an overall feeling of movement, with charoite forming fibrous mats that swirl and fold as a result of de ...[Read More]