For education topics/questions http://www.mindat.org/msgboard-62.html Thu, 23 May 2013 01:57:44 +0000 Phorum 5.2.15a http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291750,291985#msg-291985 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291750,291985#msg-291985
OK, very clear to me. Very much obliged. Greetings.

Carlos J.]]> Carlos J. Rodríguez Education Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:17:04 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291750,291969#msg-291969 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291750,291969#msg-291969 I'd want to say, that cinnabar accumulations in your pegmatite apparently has outer source of mercury. In other words, there isn't necessity in presence of Hg in matrix sphalerite or any other mineral in the pegmatite for this cinnabar formation.

Kind regards,
Pavel]]> Pavel Kartashov Education Mon, 22 Apr 2013 23:37:33 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291750,291922#msg-291922 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291750,291922#msg-291922
I'm not a scientific expert in this field, and did not know until now what you mention. I found it very interesting.

Really, thank you for your contribution.

Carlos J.]]> Carlos J. Rodríguez Education Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:07:12 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291750,291810#msg-291810 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291750,291810#msg-291810 2S barrier (e.g. around any sulphide grain, in your case sphalerite). It able to occur in any time under low temperature conditions during any tectonic activization. Apparently you know, that any tectonic movement accompanied by evaporation of mercury. One of methods of early prediction of earthquakes based on monitoring of mercury wapors concentration in drill-holes atmosphere.]]> Pavel Kartashov Education Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:10:00 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291771,291807#msg-291807 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291771,291807#msg-291807 Pavel Kartashov Education Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:49:45 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291771,291798#msg-291798 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291771,291798#msg-291798
The Kostovs book "Crystal Habits of Minerals" Bulgarian Academic Monographs 1 goes into details for individual minerals (seems to have been something studied in the eastern European countries).]]> David Von Bargen Education Sat, 20 Apr 2013 11:40:25 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291771,291771#msg-291771 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291771,291771#msg-291771
I am just thinking about the most common habits of cubic minerals like e.g. galena and fluorite. Is there any reason, why they sometimes crystallize as cubes and in other cases as octahedrons? I have seen e.g. galena specimens with both habits, does this mean different crystallization phases with different physico-chemical conditions? In some occurrences both habits (besides other more complicated ones) of fluorite or galena can be found, so I think this must be different phases of crystallization. Does anyone know about the specific prerequisites (temperature/pressure/concentration...), or is the question simply wrong and it happens accidentally?

Thanks for any answer to satisfy my curiosity,

Volkmar]]> Volkmar Stingl Education Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:05:11 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291750,291750#msg-291750 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,291750,291750#msg-291750 There are minerals that are associated with certain lithological formations, being rare or no presence in other rocks of different genesis, some minerals are exclusive specific rocks, but is it possible the presence of small amounts of cinnabar in rare element pegmatite or granitic pegmatite?

I have not found too many scientific references about it, except for Antonina Mine (Sobrado, León, Spain) as a powdery, associated with low temperature hydrothermal episodes, by alteration of the sphalerite; in a quartz vein rich in Galena and Sphalerite (with Hg). This mine is near Pontevedra (Galicia, Spain), where is the new reservoir to study.

In this case, small amounts of sphalerite still remain in this pegmatite, do not know if it has Hg , (the few samples studied so indicate, only Fe, by SEM/EDS analysis), and is also associated with hydrothermal phenomena. I believe that the presence of cinnabar´s traces would be possible. No?

The (assumptive) cinnabar is associated with pyrite, and very very rare. The sample was collected by myself, was analyzed by SEM/EDS, and the possibility of contamination by other collection pieces is discarded. I'll try to get a color picture, but given its small size, it is complicated. Does the presence of traces of cinnabar may be more common than it appears in the literature? soon, I hope to get a new article about it.

Thanks in advance for your opinion.]]> Carlos J. Rodríguez Education Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:02:06 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,289021#msg-289021 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,289021#msg-289021
"Thus, asbestos is a collective term composed of both mineralogical and economic elements which has been used to refer to a specific set of asbestiform minerals which are, or were in the past, regarded as being commercially significant. The term asbestiform is a mineralogical term used to refer to those minerals which are found in a particular mineral habit. That is, while all asbestos is asbestiform, not all asbestiform minerals are asbestos."

More here.]]> Mineralogical Research Company Education Sat, 23 Mar 2013 17:24:34 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,289018#msg-289018 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,289018#msg-289018
I found it referring to tremolite in Voyages Dans Les Alpes: Précédés D'Un Essai Sur L'Histoire ..., Volym 7 by Saussure (1796).
Also in Karsten (1798) A description of the minerals in the Leskean Museum, referring to actynolite

cheers]]> Johan Kjellman Education Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:56:15 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,289015#msg-289015 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,289015#msg-289015
Chyrsotile asbestos is no more dangerous than oatmeal. Amphibole asbestos exposure can lead to mesothelioma. The main amphibole asbestos problem area in the USA is Libby, Montana, where the source is associated with the miracle insulation material vermiculite. The truck drivers cut holes in their respirators so that they could smoke on the job. Most mesothelioma is associated with cigarette smokers.

I am now obtaining a good income from analyzing the "new" asbestos like fear monger, erionte / offretite from the Killdeer Formation in western North Dakota and eastern Montana. It's just plain ridiculous, and that's what I tell my clients, but I am scum and will take the money.

In Turkey the locals carve building blocks out of erionite bearing lakebed deposits. That area is the only one I know of which is associated with respiratory deaths due to erionite.

The protocol for erionite analysis is SEM imaging and EDS. My concentration method is so good that I can find erionite in most any sample sent to me.

The North Dakota Department of Ecology has a criteria that the observance of a single erionite crystal in a sample will close down a poor guy's gravel pit. Nevermind, that my findings are in the parts per trillion. I warn the gravel pit owner to send his sample to a less capable lab, but my lab is on the top of the in North Dakota list so they call me first.

Bart]]> Bart Cannon Education Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:28:58 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,289009#msg-289009 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,289009#msg-289009 Alfredo Petrov Education Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:03:14 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,289007#msg-289007 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,289007#msg-289007 Reiner Mielke Education Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:36:44 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,289001#msg-289001 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,289001#msg-289001 This is not what I would call asbestiform or even filiform. I'm not even sure I would call this fiberous. Looking on the Mindat page for halotrichite however, I do see that asbestiform is listed as one of the morphologies this comes in.]]> Paul Brandes Education Sat, 23 Mar 2013 14:47:09 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,288994#msg-288994 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,288994#msg-288994 fibrous being a more general term that can include hard compact material too, with inseparable fibers. Asbestiform also carries the implication that the fibers are separable and flexible, but anyway, quite inappropriate for halotrichite. Asbestiform would perhaps be a synonym of filiform? But that doesn't quite equate 100% either, as people use filiform for pyrite whiskers, for example, and you'd never use asbestiform with those.]]> Alfredo Petrov Education Sat, 23 Mar 2013 13:57:15 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,288993#msg-288993 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,288993#msg-288993 Erik Vercammen Education Sat, 23 Mar 2013 13:56:57 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,288987#msg-288987 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288987,288987#msg-288987 www.mindat.org] this is described as asbestiform? which makes me wonder what exactly does this term mean and why and when was it invented? I mean what is there in the term asbestiform that is not described by the term fibrous?]]> Reiner Mielke Education Sat, 23 Mar 2013 13:40:50 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288806,288813#msg-288813 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288806,288813#msg-288813
I was looking for a PM feature however i clearly missed this! Thanks very much!

Jake]]> Jake Stephen Education Thu, 21 Mar 2013 21:41:46 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288806,288809#msg-288809 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288806,288809#msg-288809
You might try contacting Chris through a PM (private message) -[www.mindat.org]

Maggie

PS- I took a quick look through Chris' gallery and many of his photos have been released to the public domain and can be used freely.]]> Maggie Wilson Education Thu, 21 Mar 2013 21:27:23 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288806,288806#msg-288806 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,288806,288806#msg-288806 Tried to make contact with the owner of Mindat however there was no avail. So i thought i would post a topic and see what sort of responses i get.
I am currently a 3rd Environmental Science student at the University of Plymouth and i am currently writing my dissertation on the Devon Great Consols which are a collection of mines within Devon/Cornwall. I would really love to use some of the images taken by one Chris Popham of the site however with no way of contacting him that i know of i can not find a way to ask his permission to use them within my final year dissertation. Obviously any photo used will be referenced in harvard style giving his name and the source of the image, wondering if anyone could shed any light on the situation as to what i am allowed to use!

Cheers,
Jake Stephen]]> Jake Stephen Education Thu, 21 Mar 2013 21:13:01 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,284730,287978#msg-287978 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,284730,287978#msg-287978
The head photo of Nickeline in mindat [www.mindat.org], to which you probably refer, actually shows an excellent and unusually well-formed crystal of the species. The form of the crystal is a hexagonal pyramid, but it is pictured side-on and the hexagonal aspect (6-fold axis) is not clearly visible. If you looked at the crystal head-on (i.e. down the top), it would appear clearly hexagonal.

As Reiner said, Nickeline crystals are exceedingly rare and the mineral most commonly occurs as compact masses and veins, often intermixed with other related minerals (arsenides) with no visible crystal from. When occurring, its crystals are usually poorly developed, but the typical form is the hemimorphic hexagonal pyramid pictured in the head photo, as well as in the photo Reiner pointed out (where the xls are pictured down the c-axis with their 6-fold symmetry being quite apparent).

Lefteris.]]> Lefteris Rantos Education Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:19:09 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,284730,287962#msg-287962 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,284730,287962#msg-287962 www.mindat.org], however nickeline crystals are usually very poorly developed and distorted so it is sometimes difficult to see.]]> Reiner Mielke Education Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:41:56 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,279179,285263#msg-285263 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,279179,285263#msg-285263
I've spent some time at the Seaquist Ranch hunting for topaz and have a fairly good knowledge of the geology of the region. I'm planning to come down for the Texas Topaz Day in May and then stay a few more days at the ranch, and would be more than happy to meet up with you. Feel free to call me at (806) 392-5000.

Thanks.

Bruce

Lubbock]]> Bruce Cammack Education Wed, 13 Feb 2013 20:10:09 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,284730,284730#msg-284730 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,284730,284730#msg-284730 [www.mindat.org].

Thank you.]]> Joann Ogórek Education Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:10:03 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,264111,284727#msg-284727 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,264111,284727#msg-284727 Joann Ogorek Education Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:58:49 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,281969,282645#msg-282645 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,281969,282645#msg-282645
Check this site (http://geoportal.lneg.pt/index.php?option=com_content&id=53&lg=pt#page=1)
Probably will satisfy many search terms.

Greetings.

Antonio Cruz]]> Antonio Cruz Education Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:12:25 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,281969,282640#msg-282640 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,281969,282640#msg-282640
I don't know of any pure Portuguese-English geological dictionary but what comes pretty close and what I am using from time to time is: "World Mining Glossary of Mining, Processing, and Geological Terms: English, Svenska, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol" from 1975. You can still get copies on the internet. This glossary is not as complete as the English-French or English-German geological dictionaries but it is still quite useful, though mostly mining related.

At the university (> 20 y ago), I used a bible-sized multilingual mining, etc. glossary which also included Russian and perhaps Portuguese and Italian (?). It must have had over a 1000 pages and probably dates back to the 1970s or 1960s.

Good luck hunting,
Cheers, Wolfgang]]> Wolfgang Hampel Education Sat, 19 Jan 2013 08:16:08 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,281969,282634#msg-282634 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,281969,282634#msg-282634 ?]]> Caulerpa Education Sat, 19 Jan 2013 04:28:15 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,281969,281969#msg-281969 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,281969,281969#msg-281969
Does anyone know if there is a Portuguese-English Geological dictionary? Spanish-English would be the next best thing.

Thank you!]]> Caulerpa Education Sat, 12 Jan 2013 23:21:09 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,272032,281968#msg-281968 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,62,272032,281968#msg-281968
I just graduated about a year and a half ago and got a job in a mine as a brown fields exploration geologist. I took up to Calculus II and then had the choice of either taking Calculus III or Differential Equations. I also had to take a year of physics and basic chemistry. Don't be intimidated by these classes becauase it's all worth it in the end. Find out what kind of geologist you want to be and then take all of the relevant course work your school offers.

Try to get into any geology clubs your department may have and attend as many field trips as possible. You will also want to join a few organizations and make sure to keep your membership up every year. Joining organizations gives you an oppertunity to learn more about geology outside of school and gives you a chance to talk to professionals about what it's like in that field as well as helps you network during your Junior/Senior year when you're looking for a job.

Make sure that you get an internship during your Junior and Senior summers. There are MANY things that you will learn during an internship that the university will not teach you. For example, you can talk about alteration chemistry all you want in a classroom but seeing it in a mine will really help you understand what you're learning better. You will most likely be doing grunt work for some or most of the internship but it's when they let you do something like log core or pit wall mapping when you're really going to learn something. Also, some companies like to hire their interns after they graduate. So, showing good work ethic while you perform tasks you don't really enjoy will show the company that you are probably going to be a good employee. Oh, and make sure that you complete mineralogy and structural geology by the end of your second year. I usually don't consider interns without it because how will they know what they're looking at if they don't know anything about minerals?

If you like minerals I would suggest you enter economic geology. Mineral collecting is my main hobby and the reason I became interested in geology. You will not necessarily be identifying strange and intersting mineralgy part of the time or even most of the time - but it's those moments when you find something amazing or unknown that make your job worth it. Another thing to note is that if you get hired by a company that lets you collect you CANNOT sell the minerals. This will not only open you up to a world of legal and/or employment issues but you will probably make it so that no one else can collect anymore.

If money is a concern for you I would recommend economic geology for that reason as well. Most of my friends took environmental jobs and make about $20k less than me and their work generally doesn't require them to use much of what they learned. Some of my other friends have gotten jobs with engineering firms and log core for rock quality data.

You don't necessarily need a master's degree to get a job in economic geology. I don't have one (sorry for bragging in this next part) but I'm much better at mineral identification than most master's students I've met just because I'm very passionate about it and so I try to lear more in my free time.

As Doug Rambo said above, try to get any technical coursework you can. ArcGIS and AutoCAD are both good programs to know. Also, other people have mentioned that you don't need to be a geologist to do mineral collecting. There are a lot of people I know that do it as a hobby and they are DARN good at mineral identification.

One last thing is when you are applying for internships and jobs make sure you have a GOOD RESUME! Even if you are going to a conference have a few extra copies with you. The reason I got a job right out of the university and most of the other graduates in my class didn't is because I had my professors proof read my resume and networked my butt off.

Well, good luck. Sorry for rambling.]]> Caulerpa Education Sat, 12 Jan 2013 23:18:55 +0000