#snakeskin olivine

[jovianaquarium]

ok so my lovely mutual @icarrymany dared me to post proof of my rock/min collection so this is his fault >:)

im not gonna go into depth on all of the samples bc 1. i dont remember the details on all of them lol and 2. it would take. forever

so instead ill talk a little abt one or two of them per section :3

first up: tumbled minerals!

i have a bunch more of these but after becoming a geology student they kind of piss me off bc raw minerals often look way cooler and tumbling removes the crystal habit (and also makes them harder for me to identify hgjhfd)

first image, from left clockwise: (possibly) blue lace agate, chrysocolla. labradorite, snowflake obsidian, moss agate, brown agate, and two samples of tigers eye

2nd image: up close picture of one of the tigers eye crystals, showing its lighter banding

3rd image: up close picture of the labradorite from a different angle, showing its pale green luster

my absolute favorite mineral ever is labradorite also!! i think its luster is gorgeous and ive heard it represents transformation and change, and i first got this sample back when i had just come out as trans :)

i dont really have a lot to say abt these unfortunately lol

anyway. next is fossils!!

1st image, clockwise from bottom left: trilobite cast fossil, tumbled stromatolite, dinosaur bone (? got this one at a mineral stall and the dude said it was a dino bone, didnt think to ask details lol), plant fossil, coral fossil, assorted fossil molds (mold as in taking the shape of something, not spores) in wackestone, mosasaurus tooth, crocodile (?) tooth, 2 ammonites, a turtle scute, a crinoid stem, and a (broken) orthoceras

2nd image: up close pic of the assorted fossil molds, which include horn corals (circular with ridges toward center, hole in middle), crinoid stems (cylindrical with ridges perpendicular to long sides), and shells

3rd image: up close pic of larger ammonite, with iridescent luster due to aragonite (a polymorph of calcite) replacing the calcite of the shell

4th image: up close pic of dubious tooth. i found this on a field trip about a year ago while looking for shark teeth. this is not a shark tooth. idk what it is. i think it might be from a crocodile but i havent been able to fully identify it lol

now.... raw minerals!!!!!

1st image, clockwise from left: moss agate, talc, serpentinite (this one is a metamorphic rock but i accidentally put it with the minerals and dont want to retake the pics. other geologists you may come kill me), two calcite samples, and a tiny topaz @ramones2 gave me

2nd pic: close up on the topaz crystal, which is light orange (if u leave these in the sun they get bleached and lose their color </3)

3rd pic: close up on one of the calcites. its crystals are a bit more squared and close-knit than the next calcite, and appear more white in color. there are also some small purple fluorite crystals mixed in. i traded with a classmate for this one lol

4th pic: close up on the other calcite. this ones crystals are more rounded and transparent.

5th pic: close up on the serpentinite. serpentinite is metamorphosed from peridotite, which makes up the earth's mantle (if youve ever heard that the mantle is actually green, that is true!! the green comes from olivine mostly, but also some pyroxenes). when peridotite is lifted up to the surface and comes into contact with water, olivine gets very unhappy and serpentinizes, or hydrothermally metamorphoses (water + some heat + olivine = cool as fuck snakeskin rock)

6th pic: another close up on the serpentinite, this time wet. you can see the serpent-like pattern a bit better.

finally: rocks :3

1st image, clockwise from bottom left: amphibolite, sedimentary rock with calcite vein (i dont remember what this one is lmao), malachite-bornite ore, iron-stained sandstone(?) with chalcedony/agate, phyllite, sandstone trace fossil of a burrow, and meteoric rock possibly with iron

2nd pic: close up on the ore, showing the malachite vein. it's almost powdery, with a gradient of light blue on the edges to teal in the center

3rd pic: another close up on the ore, showing the bornite vein. it's iridescent like an oil slick, with the main color being purple. this one is often called peacock ore for its colors :)

4th pic: . im gonna be honest i have no fucking clue bro. i think the mineral in it is agate/chalcedony (the lighter gray/white areas) and the red parts are an iron-stained sedimentary rock, but i forget if its siltstone or sandstone or smth else. idk. it looks cool.

bonus: extra pic of my rocks for further proof of collection

hope u enjoyed o7

[gem-fusion-help]

Hypothetically speaking a fusion between Serpentine and Black star sapphire?

Serpentine + Black Star Sapphire:

Tree Frog Variscite

Snakeskin Olivine

Cat's Eye Peridot

Chrome Diopside

[reddpenn]

Oh and what about serpentinite?

I’ve got a really gorgeous orb of that!  (Because of course I do, green rocks are objectively the best.)

Those shiny metallic spots are pyrite inclusions!  This piece has pyrite all through it, which makes this orb super heavy!  His lil’ white spot is cute too.

Uuuh, fun facts about serpentine...

- We call it serpentine because the patterns on it look like snakeskin!  It’s actually a whole family of minerals.

- It’s a metamorphic rock, meaning it used to be a completely different rock that underwent a transformation!  This stuff is what olivine (peridot) turns into when water and pressure alters its chemical structure.  When a metamorphic rock is changed like that, we call that hydrous alteration.

- Serpentine contains a mineral called chrysotile, which you might know better as asbestos!  Most of the asbestos mined in the United States and Canada comes from serpentine!  Cutting and polishing serpentine is dangerous because its dust can contain asbestos, but I’m not intending on cutting it open, so this piece is harmless to me.

[biosphereplace]

ROCKS REVEALED (1)

From basalt to limestone the numerous apparently unrelated rock types found in the Stinchar Valley tell the story of the formation of Scotland but have often puzzled geologists who seek to understand ground beneath our feet.

The rocks are evidence of a time about 500 million years ago when an ancient ocean was being destroyed. While most of the sea floor was forced under a continental plate in the Stinchar Valley a fragment of the sea floor, including volcanic islands, was pushed up to the surface. In the process material from deep below the earths surface now appear on the surface and offers a globally rare opportunity to view rocks that make up an oceanic crust.

Snakeskin

The material from deep below the ocean floor were once composed almost completely of green olivine but were altered by super-heated seawater into green serpentinite, a pretty soft rock with a soapy feel. Often referred to as serpentine it has a mottled appearance and the name is derived from the similarity to the texture and look of snakeskin. Except for a few outcrops on the seashore the soft serpentinite on the surface has been worn away and buried beneath a covering of soil. 

Easy to cut and polish it has been used to make ornaments and the distinctive green pebbles can sometimes be found on the beach.

Serpentitite is an ultramafic rock - shown as a brownish colour on the simplified geology map – is an alkaline rock and grassland on shallow soils often support a very high diversity of flowering plants.