Category: Micro minerals

Greg Parkhurst, Micro mineral club reporter You ever have a nice handheld specimen that breaks? Or cracks? Or, heaven forbid, gets dropped? This misfortune befell a Wavellite recently, and Pat was around to help pick up the pieces. Instead of a lost cause, this event became a cause to celebrate due to having not one…

Greg Parkhurst, Micro mineral club reporter July. Independence Day. Patriotism. Red, white and blue. Consider, please, what these colors meant to you growing up and what they mean to you today. Our friend AI comments that red has strong symbolism with the blood spilled during the American Revolution, as well as valor and bravery. The…

Pat Mason, acting Micro mineral club reporter We held a fascinating meeting in June, despite absences due to vacations, injuries, and confusion over a date change for the meeting. Part of our success was due to a great theme, “unique micro minerals with unusual habits.” Maricopa Community College gives a great definition of habit’ online:…

Greg Parkhurst, Micro mineral club reporter Singular micro crystals was the theme of our most recent micro mineral meeting, and we had an exceptional array of specimens to enjoy. As you can guess, the microscopes came in very handy since many specimens, although spectacular, were minuscule! Before we get to that, however… We have a…

Greg Parkhurst, Micro mineral club reporter Let’s cut to it. Garnet was the topic of our latest micro mineral meeting, and we had quite a few friends show up, new and old. I’ve noticed garnet, an old word for pomegranate, show up in my woodworking shop. You see, if you smash it up really small…

Greg Parkhurst, Micro Mineral Club Reporter Back when I grew up in the SE US, we had just one hummingbird species, the ruby-throated hummingbird. Here in ABQ, we get 3 commonly. Head to the Mexican boarder for NM/AZ, and the number skyrockets to 15! Birders flock there looking for US hummingbird rarities, training their optics…

Greg Parkhurst, Micro Mineral Club Reporter Geoffrey Chaucer once sat down to write a story called, “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale.” Chauntecleer, a rooster in said story, had a dream about a fox. Now Chaucer gave a vivid description of this fox, with “His color was betwixe yellow and red.” Um, orange? Chaucer would have asked…