cat

rock, cloud & creature enthusiast :3 (aspiring geoscientist)

[dankmemeuniversity]

[certifiedgirlthing]

There are many benefits to being friends with geologists

[geoledgy]

Reblog this post to pelt rocks at the user you reblogged this from

[taddymason]

Crystals

Art Commission for UQ Geoscience Society

[comfycat3]

Some random stuff about the ametrine!

The reference photo is a slice of a crystal column from the Anahí Mine in Bolivia.

It is a combination of amethyst and citrine that forms completely naturally. So both of these crystals result from iron (Fe) impurities and irradiation in the quartz structure. Amethyst results from Fe 3+, while citrine results from Fe 3+ ions, more water and possibly more heat.

Side note: you can make citrine from amethyst by putting it in an oven. A lot of the citrine on the market with a darker orange/yellow colour is actually heat treated amethyst. Natural citrine has a lighter colour than what we often see on the market.

The differences in the crystal colour result from water and iron being favourably trapped in certain zones of the quartz structure during growth.

It was the most amazing experience to work with you, taddy!!!! The amount of talent and hard work that went into these drawings is mind blowing. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

More info about ametrine can be found here: https://www.gia.edu/doc/the-anahi-ametrine-mine-bolivia.pdf

[taddymason]

Crystals

Art Commission for UQ Geoscience Society

[mimosa-sexypeople-contests-2026]

Tumblr Sexy Rock Contest Round 1

Watermelon tourmaline

Basalt

Voting ended onAug 2, 2025

[seismologically-silly]

okay this is so unfair. watermelon tourmaline is gorgeous i'm not going to dispute that, but everybody's sleeping on basalt. it's LAVA. it came from a VOLCANO. that is the SEXIEST thing a rock can do. have you seen a field of basalt covering the landscape? have you held a sample of it in your hands? it's such a good rock. And this is a good picture of basalt, but I think for people unfamiliar with it you're doing it a disservice.

This is columnar basalt. Look me in the eyes and tell me this isn't the best thing ever.

Iceland designed a whole church based on columnar basalt look at it

You like Marvel movies? Columnar basalt.

AND THEN THERE'S PAHOEHOE

ARE YOU KIDDING ME

In conclusion, basalt.

[seismologically-silly]

[comfycat3]

I LOVE BASALT !!!!!!! ilyt tourmaline but you're not even a rock. what is a mineral doing in a rock competition........

[comfycat3]

gorgeous sights beyond the capabilities of my camera

[comfycat3]

moss and fungi :3

[comfycat3]

being very brave today (sending emails and making phone calls)

[metamorphosedsapphic]

mohs hardness 10 being diamonds is a generational L for the silicate minerals. They are the most capable mineral group by far and they got ran by a carbon bond. David and goliath story. Historic defeat. Quartz was a prodigy and it got her where? Exactly. Third place. I mean it's not bad. But it's not first.

[dezerex]

not even bronze ! 😔

[metamorphosedsapphic]

I can't lie. I can't count. I got here by accident and sheer will

[comfycat3]

technically you're still correct! if we're talking about silicate minerals in general, topaz counts. third place baby!!!!!!

[randomalistic]

Big chomping mouthful of fucking soils

[beepboop-cornstarch]

geologists checking if its silt or clay.

[camblorite]

Carbonatites from Jacupiranga complex, São Paulo, Brasil.

[casperwyomingxer]

CARBONATITE

[avaloneah-deactivated20260107]

list of evil things i'm doing to rocks for my research:

hitting them with hammers

kidnapping them (taking home samples)

cutting them into pieces with a saw

crushing them into a gravel

crushing the gravel to a fine powder

shooting x-rays at said fine powder (xrd)

shooting electrons at them (sem)

[cleavagearbiter]

don't talk to me im observing strata

[oldimgurpics]

[comfycat3]

it's always fucking feldspar

[hykedike]

geology is cursing out the rock you just slid off of and badly bruised your ass on by its exact name

[comfycat3]

cursing the rock unit that is way too steep to climb

[kosmogrl]

[comfycat3]

i fell in love with something else, but i still think about it sometimes

[camblorite]

Cumulate rock

Cumulate rocks are plutonic rocks in which cumulus minerals have been concentrated during the cooling of the magma chamber.

This sample of cumulate rock is composed by interstitial plagioclase (white), called intercumulus, and pyroxene (dark-coloured in the hand sample and brownish in thin section), called cumulus. In thin section, we can also see biotite and opaque minerals.