Rocks, Fossils, and Minerals Oh my

Multiple News in one night...OMG
Not only will images of upcoming minerals be added but education will now be even more incorporated into posts.
I'm excited, who else is too?

New things are coming soon...

This mineral is called Heulandite. As with Chabazite it is part of the Tectosilicates and the Zeolite group. The most common is Heulandite-Ca or hydrous calcium and aluminium silicate, sodium and phosphate are also evident; other components like Sr (Strontium) or Ba (Barium). Discovered by a German mineralogist it was thought to be considered as stilbite until proven otherwise in a reclassification. Grown around basaltic rocks and gneiss around hydrothermal vents. Good specimens are found in Iceland and India, with brick red found in Scotland and Italy. Beaumontite a variety is found in and around Baltimore, Maryland.

This next mineral is called Chabazite. It is a tectosilicate mineral in the zeolite group; textosilicate meaning there are building blocks in the mineral. Found in India, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Northern Ireland, Czechia, Italy, Germany, USA (Oregon, New Jersey, Arizona) and Canada (Nova Scotia around the Bay of Fundy) This mineral likes to grow on basalt like rocks. The chemical formula is
(Ca,K2,Na2)2[Al2Si4O12]2·12H2O

The next mineral is a tribute to my grandmother’s passing it is Amethyst on Matrix. Amethyst is the gemstone of February and the official gem of Ontario. It’s name translates as not intoxicated because of the myth of amethystos a Greek princess who was Dionysus wanted, in the end Hera turned her into a chalice and when Dionysus found it he drank from it turning purple. Amethyst is a variety of quartz and is made out of silica or silicon dioxide and iron as (SiO2Fe). The more iron it contains the deeper the purple; occasionally iron dioxide will coat the mineral which turns it red. Found in Brazil, Uruguay, Canada (Nova Scotia and Ontario). Amethyst was once a cardinal mineral where it was the 5 most expensive mineral but since it’s discovery in Brazil the price dropped considerably.

Matrix: is a rock type substance of the three main orders to which a mineral can attach to, in this case it could be metamorphic, due to I believe there is gold/gold ore in it. (It is also because it is shiny like gold and looks like it contains gold)

This week’s mineral is Stibnite
Often times also called antimonite, this mineral is made up of antimony and sulphur. Stibnite comes from the Greek word stibi, stibium which mean antimony in Latin. Stibnite has been used from about 3000 BCE for eye makeup also know as Kohl. It is also used for pyrotechnics. Stibnite occurs around hydrothermal vents with other sulphide minerals (Realgar, Cinnabar, Pyrite, Galena and Arsenopyrite). Stibnite can also be rutilated and phantomized by calcite and quartz. Small deposits are common, while larger ones are rare; Canada, Mexico, Peru, Japan, China and the USA (Arkansas, Idaho, Nevada, California, and Alaska) and other nations. Main deposits are from China (where this one came from).

Another birthday surprise is Dioptase
Dioptase is a copper cyclosilicate mineral. Often times translucent from blue-green. Used back in the Neolithic time pre-pottery. Some sculptures with Dioptase dates back to 7200 BC. Dioptase is Greek meaning through visible. Found rarely in desert like conditions often in alkaline. Often times created from acidic fluids rich in sulphuric acid. Found in Kazakhstan, Namibia, Arizona, and Brazil. Often found quartz, native copper and malachite. Often times used as cleaner and pigment when grounded. The most expensive and famous Dioptase is found in Tsumeb, Namibia.