The Gem and Mineral Society of the Virginia Peninsula (GMSVP)

09/11/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Bik96DctM/?mibextid=D5vuiz

09/10/2026

Brilliant specimen of lustrous yellow Mimetite on matrix!
From San Pedro Corralitos, Mun. de Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico.
Measures 10.8 cm by 12 cm by 8.4 cm in total size.

09/10/2026

Fine specimen featuring a large, gemmy Golden Topaz with Muscovite on Albite matrix!
The Topaz itself measures nearly 4 cm tall by 4.8 cm wide by 4 cm deep.
From Nyet-Bruk, Braldu Valley, Skardu District, Northern Areas of Pakistan.
Measures 5.5 cm by 11 cm by 7 cm in total size.

09/10/2026

Large Diamond set in Kimberlite matrix!
The Diamond crystal is estimated at nearly 4 carats and rated as VS2 with a color clarity of J.
From the Mir Pipe, Mirny, Saha Republic, Eastern-Siberian Region, Russia. Measures 4.8 cm by 2.7 cm by 3.7 cm in total size.

09/10/2026

Nature scored a slam dunk with this unmatched diamond.

During a routine examination, a GIA gemologist spotted an incredible scene inside this 0.84-carat, D color, SI1 clarity round brilliant diamond.

The diamond received an SI1 clarity grade because of its prominent inclusions. While large inclusions near the center of a diamond are usually less desirable, these tiny natural features came together in an extraordinary way: a cloud inclusion forms the outline of a basketball player, while a nearby crystal resembles a basketball, creating the illusion of a player dribbling down the court.

Most diamonds have inclusions—large or small. These inclusions just happen to have game.

Read more about this interesting inclusion in a recent issue of G&G: https://bit.ly/46skglq

09/10/2026

https://phys.org/news/2026-09-million-year-trackway-captures-adult.html

Scientists from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Liverpool John Moores University in England have discovered the first adult T. rex trackway, providing insights into how this emblematic predator moved. The findings are published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

09/10/2026

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/tyrannosaurus-rex-footprints-dakota-badlands

A curious rock in the North Dakota badlands turned out to be a first-of-its-kind find.

09/10/2026

https://www.iflscience.com/a-baby-dinosaur-that-never-made-it-out-of-the-egg-has-helped-palaeontologists-piece-together-how-troodon-grew-from-embryo-to-adult-84603

“Analysis of these bones provided an unprecedented opportunity for understanding the biology of a historically enigmatic group of animals.”

09/10/2026

𝐒𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐔𝐋𝐓 😍💓⚒️

𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐚, 𝐔𝐒𝐀 🇺🇸

𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: ⬇️
The photograph showing the fault (right) and the Carrizo Plain (left). The San Andreas Fault is a continental right-lateral strike-slip transform fault that extends roughly 750 mi (1,210 km) through the U.S. state of California. It forms part of the tectonic boundary between the Pacific plate and the North American plate. Traditionally, for scientific purposes, the fault has been classified into three main segments (northern, central, and southern), each with different characteristics and a different degree of earthquake risk. The average slip rate along the entire fault ranges from 0.79 to 1.38 inches (20 to 35 mm) per year.

📷:© John Wiley

09/10/2026

𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐔𝐦𝐍𝐚𝐑 𝐉𝐨𝐈𝐧𝐓𝐢𝐍𝐆: 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐲 😍⚒️💝

𝐆𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭’s 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 🇮🇪

𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: ⬇️
The Giant's causeway in Northern Ireland is a playground of ~40,000 individual columns (largest is 12m) created by thermal loading some 50 to 60 million years ago.

Deformation that accompanies the cooling of certain basalt flows yields spectacular examples of thermal loading. The cooling causes uniform shrinkage and contraction expressed in columnar jointing of hexagonal character.

Thermal loading is one interpretation of the formation of columnar basalt at Giant's causeway.

Isn't this geomorphology/geological landform SCINTILLATING?

Scintillating Beauty Arpit Sahu

📷:© Anne Burgess / Aird Snout / CC BY-SA 2.0