Rocks

Rockhounds of the world, Unite! Wolfie dear, you're super!!! I have a chunk of Canterbury Cathedral -that has to qualify as especially choice. Lest you turn me over to Scotland Yard, let me reassure you I took it, with permission. It was in a dump truck which was hauling away stone which had been so badly eaten by acid rain that they were replacing it - most often statues. This piece has nothing carved on it, so I was allowed to "take as much as you want, Ma'am!" But, it is the original stone w ich was there when Thomas Becket was murdered therein!

Oh yeah! I need a Moon Rock. We had a piece of it here, and it looks just like the dense lava core of an A'a flow! It even had tiny craters in it!

Did anyone find a piece of the meteor that exploded ove NZ yesterday?

No! I had not heard about it! Did it actually strike earth or did it burn off in the atmosphere as so many do? Lucie, let us know what you find out. I shall ask AnneH and see what she knows. Thanks for the news!

i hadn't heard about that either. thanks for stopping by, lucie, do come back!

Let's see, two new Firthians know there is more to TheSpring than Drool. Very good. Now, I shall work on prying some more loose - even if I have to send them to my *shudder* Babe topic.

Why shudder? Nice kneecap!

Thanks, Alex...you made my day! Hmm...should I put my rock wish list here now...the one with the coprolite, gastrolith, meteorite and moon rock on it?! Oh, and the complete creature in a chunk of amber.

let me think on that...might be redundant, don't you know!

methinks you already did *grin*

Re the New Zealand Meteorite, I just got this from a Firthian in Perth, Australia: It was on the news last night. A burst of light just above the surface in New Zealand did not say where I expect the Astronomers want to get the pieces pristine. Apparently although it did fall to the surface in small pieces no one was hurt.

*grin* Yes, I did, didn't I...*grin*

re response 11: thank God for that! marcia, do you have any websites for rock collecting info? or perhaps any literature titles devoted to it? i'll do some research myself and see if there are any legitimate sites out there. you know, in junior high (ah, so long ago), our science class touched on geology and i remember whenever the family would go on a drive, i'd look at all the landscape and jutted rocks or places where they cut through to put a road and be a little more knowledgeable about what happened to the earth. it really is cool!

Wolf, I have half of my Netscape Bookmarks used by Geology - from volcanoes (big over here), Earthquakes (part of the same and we have 'um quite regularly), Tsunamis (caused by the EQ's)and all sorts of US Geological Survey sites. What would you like? List the URLs or email them to you?

I just did an AltaVista search for Rocks and Minerals and came up with over 2,000 Web pages. The first few are very good for minerals and what they look like...and there are all levels of intellect, too, from little kids to us big ones. Any questions and I will check it out and report back here!

A good place to start is the Volcano Update from the Island of Hawaii where I am It has updates and links to other volcanoes and other neat stuff http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/ Use this URL for live images refreshed every 30 seconds of Etna, Vesuvius and Stromboli in Italy http://www.iiv.ct.cnr.it:80/files/cam_index_stromboli.html Current Earthquake information world-wide http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/QUAKES/CURRENT/global.html

any good plate techtonics sites?

(sorry about the spare h)

thanks for your research, marcia. i know if i lived in a volcano/earthquake prone area, i'd have all those bookmarks too!

instead, all of yours are to water gauges, right, Wolf?

got that right! flood markers all over the yard too! *grin*

i have a friend who is quite into geology and collects rocks from everywhere. we spent quite the evening looking at her collection under black light!

Plate Techtonics (adult) www.earth-resources.net Plate Techtonics (kids) tuweb.ucis.dal.ca/~jmerry/basinview/plate.htm (JASON project) Plate techtonics for the truly curious - contains the meter sites where they measure contintal drift (some of these David has helped install) www.udayton.edu/~geology/FieldTrip/psites.htm

Stace, I'd love to have a shadow-box cabinet in which to display my fluorescent rocks. I hope all of you who can get hold of a "black light" for viewing this phenomenon know not to look at the light source. It will damage your retina, and your retina is not into self healing. You lose it, you are blind. Please be careful.

Pardon the dead links. These should work: The one for adults http://www.earth-resources.net/p1832.htm the one for kids http://tuweb.ucis.dal.ca/~jmerry/basinview/plate.htm The metering sites http://www.udayton.edu/~geology/FieldTrip/psites.htm

This is for those of you who live in natural-disaster-prone areas (Tornado, flood, hurricane and such), this is the Natural Disasters Website of the University of Colorado (one of the very best!) http://www.Colorado.EDU/hazards/

what? flourescent rocks? i have a black light bulb...hmmm...should i go out in the drive and pick up pebbles? when i lived in kansas, i found a couple pieces of crystal. they were cool!still have them, but don't remember where they are. think they're in the middle of a jar of shells!

Lots of things flouresce. Plug a light bulb socket (any hardware store has them) or cheap lamp into a l o n g outdoor extension cord, turn it on and look around. If you are wearing polyester anything or blend, even you and your shoes will fluoresce.

Sorry about this misspelling it is Fluorescence (like the lights in an office) and certain chemicals (everything is made of chemicals) emit electromagnetic radiation which is visible to the human eye. Lots of things do exhibit this quality, but our visible spectrum is rather narrow in comparison with other animals.

i knew about white clothing really blaring under black lights...hmmm, am gonna have to have a black light alligator pool party in my backyard!

Please tell me you are not looking for shredded remnants of clothing left by sated gators! and promise me you will not join them - BTW, be really careful around water. You could get a really nasty shock!!! And, remember to protect those little one's eyes from the bulb.

so, Wolf, what do you think? Should Marcia host a geology conference?

im new here so just burry me please

welcome to rock collecting, casanova! wer: i believe marcia is an expert on geology and would be perfect for her own geology conference!! marcia: i promise to be extra careful *grin*

Send them over if necessary. If you cannot baffle them sufficiently I can try to snow them under completely! BTW, I wrote a cute intro for the Geo Conference which got lost somewhere between my keyboard and my returning image. Oh well. Off to create topics for discussion...and thanks, I think, for your faith in my abilities and expertise. I am thinking seriously about comandeering my son to help with the Geoecology part - that is his field.

figured you would...

I need this to be linked to Topic 21 in Geo Conference. Going to look for some help in this endeavor - and perhaps we can breathe some life back into both of them. (It would be 21, right?)

For example, when you're in telnet, to link a topic 30 in the austin conference to the news conference, go to the news conference and type li 30 austin

Ok: help link **** LINKFROM **** Syntax: li_nkfrom Description: This will link items in the specified range in the given conference into the current conference. This can only be done by a fair-witness of the current conference. A link can be erased with the kill command. Link commands are logged to the conference log file.

Thanks, Terry. I shall try that as soon as I am more awake. I noted where my other links are indentified in the conf log because I found the ones which were done for me earlier before I had seen that they were an actuality!

I tried in telnet to do as you instructed and the following appeared: Ok: li 29 springark Cannot access conference 29. I got the same response when I tried to link the other one, as well. Do I need to be cfadm to do this? I have not been so named. Suggestions?

I got the syntax backwards, it must be li springark 29

Thanks Terry...(picky computer language...*grin*). It works beautifully and so easily when one knows the right command..! Both are now linked!

Hi Marcia, I was looking for new posts in the geo conference and there popped this topic! Telnet magic, I guess :-)

Yes! I managed to link two topics - one from SpringArk and one from Collecting. Of course, Terry had to tell me what to do, but now I know...watch out world! Btw, I love the little world you promised me for my next birthday on Drool 72 =)

Cool!

Now there will be people posting who never dared to venture into Geo before. It is rather nice in here and we get off topic as much as any other place does. Check us out...there is a lot of really cool stuff in here.

(Marcia)Btw, I love the little world you promised me for my next birthday on Drool 72 =) Oh no, it wasn't a promise. I couldn't wait for your birthday so it was a non birthday present. Or a party favour, if you like :-)

Might I save it and use it in my topics, then? I noted it was from a Portuguese (?) language web graphics site. Thanks!!! It is darling!

what is it? i can't wait to see...

Its a cute little globe...she is giving me the world! (I think it might fit in theat capture ring you have which has interchangeable spheres...-*grin*

(MarciaH) I noted it was from a Portuguese (?) language web graphics site. I think Swedish, not Portuguese... Rather the opposite end of Europe :-) Here's the page's url, they say you can use their graphics and ask that you link to them, so...

cool! thanks!!

Wolfie, your captured world is in Organic gems, but so you can share it, I'll put it here, also.

i like it!

Is that not the ultimate sphere for your Orbis collection>?!

indeed!! *grin* oh, i found an amber colored rock on the beach (at port aransis, texas) and picked it up. maybe i can get it ground and polished up for my ring!

OOOh...Opaque or translucent?

it's kinda translucent and smooth from the water.

Ummm..darkish reddish orange - Carnelian?

Check out http://www.jewelry4less.com/parts/carnelian.shtml

none of those. it's more of a pale orange. it looked darker on the beach.

Hmmmm...how hard is it? Does it scratch window glass? Could it be citrine quartz?

haven't tried that yet. um...it has a dark spot on it, like something stuck inside. perhaps i should scan it?

Is it very light? Might it be amber??? Scan it by all means!

The dark spot is an inclusion of some sort. If it is light in weight and amber it might be a creature or leaf. If it is another inorganic sort, it is what is known as a flaw in diamonds and other precious gems. Interesting!!!

marcia, could it be just a rock? *grin* i'm gonna scan it in a few minutes just to spare you the suspense!

k, here are the scanned images. one side: other side: and i tried to scratch glass and it didn't.....

It could evem be part of a beer bottle...*smile* (There is no such classification as "rock"...gotta know what it might be...I am driven to know such things!) Go Wolfie, Go! Scan, Woman!!!

Looks like a bit of already-sucked-and-discarded Hallowe'en candy! Hmm...I'll bet it does not scratch because it is rounded. Will a kitchen knife scratch it? (Be careful, dear...!)

all these scientific experiments! lemme try....... there was some scratching from the knife. but it didn't cut into the stone and couldn't tell if i was merely removing dirt!

there's stuff inside but it was hard to show you on the scanned image. if i hold it up to light, i see bubbles and stuff.

You mean you did not lick it clean??? What kinda Wolf are you?! *lol* wash the little thing and report back.

Bubbles...hmmm...sounds like stained milk glass or glass slag. Any manufacturing of glassware going on around you anywhere? Last century?

Too bad there is not an easy way to rig a light box for your scanner bed...like the ones on which you review photographic slides...Hmmm...

what do i wash it with? soap and water or a jewelry cleaner? it's probably just a big piece of glass that didn't get beaten down to a sand pepple yet. there's also a dark line through it. but can't tell you for sure about bubbles because it's kinda milky.

ok, i cleaned it with soapy water and the slight knife marks are still there.

Get a tiny flashlight and put the pebble on top and turn it on. What can you see now? It sounds like it is about the hardness of glass (which is also the hardness of knife steel). Wash it when you wash your hands unless you think there is something stuck to it...that is why I keep old toothbrushes. To scrub little things with.

Ok, of the knife made discernable but not deep marks, it is almost certainly glass.

now that the AM thinks i'm crazy...it has orange colored striations through it.

Oooh...interesting. Hmmm.. thinking... This is the first time I have done remote rock identifying - I think it is exciting. (I know - the house male here thinks I am odd beyond belief.) Could they be stains? If they are semi-regular it might be onyx.

I have my Rockhounding Manual in hand and I find that there is incidences of agate (banded is like your stone but probably harder than yours), jasper (dull red-brown) and petrified wood (does not look like that to me.) Hmmm...

i don't know, but it's definitely inside the rock. and i dropped it while trying to examine it and can't find it! (i have a wood laminate floor and it blends in quite well). the AM is trying to fix my keychain flashlight as the other one's light was blinding as it escaped the edges of the rock! will keep looking and try to give you better details. don't know how to zoom with the scanner either!

What county are you in, and what is the next state closest upstream?

got the rock back (it went under the computer desk!). i don't know how you can tell what it is or isn't from that picture i scanned!

ok, i found the rock off the gulf of mexico off of port aransus texas. there were lots of pepples and broken shells as the breakers were quite strong.

Ah....not in Lousiana...looking...since it was ocean-borne, and there are bubbles in it (they are rare in nature because of the way rocks form, I am guessing on just that evidence that it is glass - that and the hardness and translucency. I would guess also that the striations of orange visible might either be due to its original form and intended to be there as ornamental, or it is due to internal fractures which gathered sediment which (such as oxides of iron) which made the discolorations. The secon I think is unlikely. I think you have a pebble of OLD glass - perhaps from early American or Spanish settlements - hand blown (the only kind they had). It is a nice pebble to keep! But it will not polish...etched glass just does not work that way.

hmmmm....interesting indeed! thanks for your research!

How am I telling what this specimen is? Looking at it and your discription allows me to eliminate a lot of things. Your hardness test was precise enough to allow me to ascertain it was about 5 to 5 1/2 on Moh's scale of hardness (check Geo 16 Diagnostics) which is about what window glass is and just a little softer than a steel blade. The bubbles were the most telling detail - as I said previously, because they are seldom found in nature except in rare cases and are really tiny (microscopic). Do I get a passing grade? Its translucency also aided me. You could even have the remant of a broken marble, but I doubt that. I think it is a broken piece of colonial milk glass..either Spanish or American which has been rounded by ages in the harder quartz sand.

My pleasure! Over here we hardly ever find anything but coral (sand is crushed shell and coral if it is white) or lava or peridot sand. I once found a small chunk of granite washed up where we launched our sailboat. I still have it. How did it get here? Probably as ballast stones in saliling ships!

i think it's way cool!!

*beaming* Me too!

now you got me digging through my older shell collections. i have a few crystal pieces that i got in kansas but can't remember where i put them. also found this beauty that's in the shape of a boot! (it's a rock not a crystal). i'll scan it real quick for you....

here's the boot:

Understand, but it could be made of rock crystal which is a real semiprecious stone. The clearest and purest form of glass on earth formed naturally. (I am enjoying this very much!)

well, you know, it would help if i ftp'd it over first!!

sorry, didn't mean to post it twice!

Yep...then they both show up! Do you think this just happens to look like a foot rather than being off of a leather doll of great age which had procelain hands, head and feet? If it is natural is it translucent at all and is the surface granular or smooth in texture?

give me 15 minutes to eat dinner - I shall return!

i'm gonna fill in the details on that piece and then i have to give over the pc to the AM (he's got some stuff to do too).... ok, the boot is smooth with some jagged spots on it. it is granular looking and has some pitting going on. haven't done the knife or glass test yet but can't scratch it with my nail. it has light and dark grey spots on it. i've had it for over 16 years and can't remember if i found it in a gravel road or what. it appears to be the same on both sides although on one side the "ankle" is smooth and the other is bumpy. what is interesting, besides the symmetry, is the indentation where the achilles is over he back of the foot and before the beginning of the calf. if this was nature made, it's amazing. it never occurred to me that it could be a petrified dolls foot. and now i've got to go. thanks for your help marcia and for spurring on my interest! oh, and i've still got to find a jeweler's glass and a black light. tried a black light bulb but it wasn't the same.

Thanks Wolfie for the interesting posts...like a treasure hunt. More on the doll's foot tomorrow, then?! I'll be here.

:-) Hey, this was real fun reading! You two will get the Indiana-Jones-Treasure-Hunters-Award for this one! Those stones are interesting. I got a box full which my parents collected, there are amethysts between and garnet and other stuff. My sisters lives at the north sea and always finds these precious ambers...I never had the luck to find something worthy at the shores...

me either!

Make that three of us...I found broken stuff in the Atlantic as a child, and out here there is more different stuff because of being in coral reef territory, but there is still no amber or anything close to it washing up around me. Hi Isabel! Happy you enjoyed our little fun evening of detective work. I really had a great time with it! Thanks again, Wolfie...time to get to the little foot again?

yeah! and i found a couple other interesting rocks mixed with my earliest collection of land shells. let's do one rock at a time! so what is your theory on my boot?

Does it seem like it is old eroded porcelain or does it seem hard enough to be stone? If it is stone it could be almost anything, but it could also be part of a figurine. I am still opting for the doll foot.

i have no idea about eroded porcelain.

How hard is it? Try your knife and window again

1. scratches glass 2. knife scratches rock

Huh! hmmm....does it seem to be of some sort of glass, as well?

Can you see light through it? (get out that flashlight again!)

i don't know! the residue from scratching with the knife made me think of sand and the scratch left a white mark.

as to the light, no, it's opaque...

Hmmm...turn over a coffee mug or plate and find where it is not glazed. Does that scratch whichever?

it didn't leave a discernable mark, but did draw on it (like chalk). the unglazed portion of the mug left a white mark on the boot.

..engraved white mark on the boot?...that means it is harder than the boot. Unglazed porcelain is hard - about 7... so it is used as a diagnostic for streak (Do you have some polished hematite which has a dark metallic luster and is often made into beads? Try that on your unglazed porcelain.)Do you have a stee life handy? Try that...it is 6 1/2.

that's what i used, a steel knife....i have a polished black stone ring but am not sure if it's hematite. actually, the white mark is gone now after i rubbed my finger over it.

the scratch from the knife is still there, i can feel the indentation with my nail.

I'm guessing it is just slightly harder than glass but enough to scratch it. Pure forms of silica would react like that but would be clear and without inclusions. Thinking.... Do you recall from whence this little footie came?

Ok softer than 5 1/2 so likely not glass or silica of any form. (Your black stone is probably onyx if it does not have a metallic luster) Try a penny - which scratches which and how much (I am guessing it will scratch the penny which is 2 1/2.)

the black stone is in the form of a ring--it's not onyx....ok, now to find a penny...is my little boot gonna get all ruined from all these experiments?

ok, it scratched the penny, but we expected that, right?

(back to the ring, i think it is hematite....it's black with a silvery lustre and very smooth.)

ok, i tried the hematite and boot scratching thing and neither scratched the other.....

No, find something tiny and unglazed to use on the underside of your stone ring (it will scratch your ring, so use it on the inside.) If you don't wish to do this I will tell you what happens. (I have a pair of them and wear them as guards on a jade or carnelian ring made the same way)

Put that boot somewhere in a safe place until I can think of other things to try. I am having to look through my texts now to see what it might be.

are you talking about using the boot on the inside of the ring? i did and no marks.

ooohh, making marcia do some deep research!! thanks, girl, for your help and patience with me and my rocks!

'night! *hugs*

Break a dish or somethiing really badly chipped. Take the bigest piece you can slip into the inside of your ring and see what color streak it scrapes off...just the tiniest scratch will suffice. If you do not wish to do that I will tell you in the morning what your results would have been and why. Meanwhile hitting the books for boot ID, and downloading lava pix for Travel/Hawaii ... G'night, Wolfie! *hugs*

Don't know quite where to put this little story but it IS a rock we are talking about and not old enough for Paleo... Woman Carries 'Fossil' Fetus for 49 Years TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan doctors operating on a 76-year old woman discovered a ``fossilized'' fetus in her abdomen conceived 49 years ago a phenomenon recorded only three times in history, hospital sources said Wednesday. The Veterans General Hospital said doctors on December 31 found a 20 gram (0.7 ounce) lithopaedion, the rocklike remains of a fetus hardened by calcium buildup, in the abdominal cavity of a woman surnamed Wu. The baby appeared to have died in the 20th week of Wu's pregnancy when the fetus moved from her womb to her abdomen. The hospital said their research yielded only three known lithopaedions, and the earliest case dated back to 1582, when a 28-year old fetus was found in French woman.

(Wolfie is not going to be happy with me as this is linked to her collecting conference, but it IS a rock...)

it is an interesting rock to say the least. how could she not have known?

Some people are dead from the neck up, I think! No sense, no feeling and all those old adages must be true!

Don't think I'll put one of those on my wish list...Yeesh!

euw! well, on the subject of rocks, i received my mom's package with the photo albums and guess what was in there? the mysterious kansas rock pictures. yup, tomorrow i'll scan and post them for you to marvel over. yes, am gonna keep you in suspense! :)

Yes! I remember. Big'uns, if I recall correctly...! Waiting patiently...well...as patiently as I can...*sigh*....Yippee!

ok, here's the link to the mysterious kansas rock formations: http://www.spring.net/~bayou/rocks.gif

For the time being it is http://206.97.234.70//~bayou/rocks.gif except for the fortunate few who can still get in the old way... Oh my! They look like fossilized butter rolls which you peel to eat (I cannot think of their real name...) They are just sitting around like that with all those layers? Never thought they'd look like that in Iowa! Thanks, Wolfie!

iowa? kansas, marcia! *heehee* they're absolutely huge. we climbed on some of them. can't even remember what the site was called. a bunch were perfectly round and others were flatter. they all had that butter roll look though.

Absolutely amazing! Funny thing I can never remember the midwest because whenever I flew over it the states were not painted different colors like on my map and I could not tell where I was. They could have at least painted the edges a different color...*sigh*

the midwest looks like a patchwork quilt to me....(check out my post in linens)

I did...and noted that I am to "talk" to Terry which I shall do straight away. *hugs*

Talk to me, talk to me.

Wolfie and I would like an Arts and Crafts Conference, unless you think it is too much and would be more properly a Topic in another conference. This would be handmade things from crocheting and knitting to doll-making, teddy bear making and tapestry to name a few. Pottery, woodworking and glassblowing also come to mind. Or should this be under the Art Conference? Not all of it is art however...sewing of clothes and design of same...lots of cross-overs to be linked if it is a separate conference. Let s know. Thanks! When you have, time, of course! *hugs*

...or just plain CRAFTS would probably be better...

yeah, cuz then it wouldn't be confused with the arts and if we run across topics that would serve a purpose (and it's ok with ree ree) we could link them up. i've got a bunch of ideas for a crafts topic! (and terry, i want to send something to help with the bills but it will have to wait until payday. always tell myself that i'm gonna do that and i forget, so maybe this way, i'll be more apt to remember *grin*) speaking of rocks, i saw a show today on emerald mining. how tempting it must be for those miners to want to walk off with something. guards were all over the place (i think they were in mexico or someplace else where they speak spanish)--no offense but i can't remember where they were. they were 300 feet below the surface and air had to be blown in. i'd be so scared!

oh, thanks terry *smoooooooch* (and to you, marcia for taking the ball and running with it)

Museum Sues Indians Over Meteorite Ownership NEW YORK (Reuters) - The American Museum of Natural History sued an American Indian group Monday to block its claim to the 15.5-ton Willamette Meteorite, one of the museum's oldest treasures and a centerpiece of its newly opened planetarium. The suit seeks a court ruling that the museum is the rightful owner of the largest meteorite ever found in the United States. It also seeks a ruling that it does not have to repatriate the extraterrestrial object to an Oregon Indian group that alleges that the gigantic meteorite is a holy tribal object that brought messages from the spirit world long before the arrival of white men. The museum's lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court a little over a week after the much touted opening of its sleek $210 million Rose Center for Earth and Space on Manhattan's upper West Side. The metallic iron meteorite, which is believed to have fallen to earth 10,000 years ago from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, holds a place of honor on the main floor in the planetarium's astrophysics hall. It has been viewed by countless scientists, teachers and schoolchildren for nearly a century. The lawsuit alleged that the meteorite's ownership history dates back to at least 1855 when various Indian tribes voluntarily ceded the meteorite, which was once located in the upper Willamette Valley in Oregon, to the United States in exchange for reservation land and other considerations. In 1905, the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon ruled that the meteorite belonged to the Oregon Iron and Steel Company as owner of the land on which the object was found. The company sold the meteorite to the American Museum of Natural History the next year for $20,600. Almost immediately after its purchase, the museum began to study the object and it has been on almost continuous display since 1906. According to the lawsuit, the current ownership dispute began during the fall of 1999 when representatives of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon visited the museum. The federally recognized group consists of a number of tribes from the Upper Willamette Valley, including the Clackamas which ceded the meteorite in 1855, the suit said. At the end of their visit, the representatives submitted a written claim for repatriation to the museum stating that the meteorite is a sacred object. It filed its claim under the federal law known at the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, known as NAGPRA. The law was written for the preservation and repatriation of Native American cultural and religious artifacts. To obtain repatriation of a sacred object, a tribe must show that it is a sacred object, that the tribe owned or controlled it and that the museum does not have a right of possession, the suit said. The museum alleged that the Oregon Indian group did not meet these requirements.

Gee, perhaps I was not talking loud enough in the post before last...?!

are we people sue happy or what? who can own a meteorite? sheesh!

I'd sure like to have one, but I must not! They belong to everyone as far as I am concerned! Greed once again rears its ugly head...!

Of course, all of the famous legendary swords were forged out of meteroitic iron. Iron from the gods made them invincible - and we still remember the names today - as in Excalibur...

well, it's one thing if you happened across a piece, kinda like the berlin wall, but to sue for ownership? this world has become quite greedy. i'd love to just see one in person (already landed and no damage done safely inside a scientific museum) *knock on wood*

*lol* Me too!!! Exhibit A....

(Sometime, when I am not cooking supper, remind me to tell you why you knock on wood!)

it's from an old myth, right? anyway, i don't like tempting fate, God, or whatever....

you guys are just eating supper? and you're still posting?

Nope - I took off about 15 minutes to eat and another 10 to clean up the dishes and kitchen...and I am back at it. As I write itis 5:36pm and we watched the local evening news while consuming my homemade pisghetti.

I think I only just missed you! It's 4 am here and I'm working already.

You so not sleep much. It is almost 5am and I have kept you from doing anything constructive =) It is just going on 7pm yesterday here!

(shh I went back to bed for a while afterwards ;-) but I'm back working again now - it's 7.50 am and I've got a meeting at 9.30 which I'm not ready for! My sleep patterns are all over the place just now. I napped yesterday afternoon which I don't usually do)

(Shhh...so are ours. R wanders in the night and ends up in the back bedroom if he does not start there...I just get up and read.)

(I'm really gonna have a problem when I move my desk back in - won't be able to get up at night and work!)

That is currently my problem. He built my computer station into the corner of the bedroom...and when he is in here trying to sleep for the night, I cannot be on the computer. Maybe I should leave him in the back bedroom....=)

ok, so tell me the story about the knocking on wood (i think i've heard it but right now, can't remember a thing)

What is the story of knocking on wood? It's one of those things you hear and don't really pay attention to, one of those old bromides.

Well, it all has to do with the world tree and the Celts who gave it to the Norse. The roots reached to the gods of the underworld and the branches reached into the heavens. By knocking on the tree, you are praying for the gods of both to heed your comments and help you!

Ygsdrill or something like that...(gotta look that up, too...)

Funny thing about old bromides and nursery rhymes and folk tales. Somewhere, way back..there was real meaning behind the words...

My downstairs bathroom is now sporting a pile of rocks ....from the cornish beaches. A mixture ...my favourite is granite with white quartz lines that look as if they've been dribbled across it. Looked for geodes but didn't find any except in the shops. I really just picked paintable items for their looks ...

Where do you keep these rocks? In a box? On a shelf?

On the shelf behind the loo ..in an artistic looking pile ..they'll stay there til I'm ready to paint them .. collected some nice driftwood too.

I have a bunch of Great Lakes granite "beach pebbles" which look very like the Cornish variety in a wicker basket on my guest room bureau to keep the breezes from removing the bureau scarf. I gave some of mine the "wet look"

do you do that with varnish? i remember us talking about a similar project for shells (which i've not even tried yet)...

yuo take the cheapest colorless clear nail polish you can find. Pour half or 1/3 into another glass container and cap. To the polish bottle add acetone or polish remover to the top and shake well. Coat stones/shells. The more polish per thinner, the shinier the glaze. You can also use spray clear urethane if you find some on sale. Any clear stuff will suffice but hth polish deal is more controllable as to the luster of the finish.

'twould be nice if I learnt how to type, too...*sigh* Sorry!

thanks marcia!!

It's cheap and works well. That's my kind of useful household hints!

mine too!!

Marble Greece is located between the Ionia Sea and the Aegean Sea, and is slightly smaller then Alabama. It is comprised of very mountainous areas and lots of islands. The structure underlying Greece is "Marble". The climate is mild and makes it a vacation paradise. The historical landmarks make it necessary to visit from an architectural standpoint and for general education. Greece rates highly on literacy at 95% and is one of the highly advanced nations in the world, besides being one of the oldest to explore marble. The first marbleworks were started probably in the Cycladic islands in the centuries of 3000 B.C. Hellas is a celebration in word and picture of a beautiful, rugged land, its diverse peoples of antiquity, and their unique civilization which gave birth to the finest elements in our own. The story of the ancient Greeks is known to most persons today in the form of a few highlights: the Acropolis of Athens, the philosophers and sculpture and playwrights of classical Greece, the precious heritage of the Olympic games. Marble contributes considerably to the mineral wealth of Greece. Greece provides rare varieties of marbles which can scarcely be found elsewhere and which have greatly contributed to the history of civilization. Hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of white Pentelic marble or the white marble of Zasteni Magnissia, or the bright-white of Paros, known as "Lykhnitis" which were quarried and used by the ancient Greeks and Romans, to create the masterpieces of sculpture Pheidias, Hermes of Praxitelis and many others. The exploitation of the Greek marble deposits goes back to the sixth century B.C. They were among the first civilizations who noticed the unique properties and uses of marble. The Greek marble coming from the islands of Naxos and Paros in the Cicladi were commercialized also in the Asia Minor, North Africa and at Rome. In the Delphi area, the site of the sanctuary of Pythian Apollo at the foot of Mount Parnassus is extremely impressive. Much of this area was built with marble dating 4th to 6th century B.C. Parian marble was used about 6th century B.C. as Ionic columns in the portico of Athenians, a temple. Sculpturing Schools flourished in this period and works of art became second nature. The Greeks transformed marble into objects of art never considered before and probably since. From other Greek islands came the white marble which was sculptured for the famous Winged Victory (305 B.C.) discovered at the Samothrace now conserved at the Museum of Louvre in Paris. From the ancient quarries of white marble in the mountains of Penteli, Pentelico marble was used for the Parthenon, constructed in 447-432 B.C., the Erechtheus and the Propylaea on the Acropolis of Athens. In the Kavala area, the white veined marble, which is still quarried today, are in the remains of the ancient town of Philippi in Macedonia, founded by Philippus II, father of Great Alexander. Larisa, known as ancient green was used for the columns of the ancient temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. These columns were later used for the construction of the columns in the church of St. Sophia in Constantinople, erected in 350 A.D. and which now is a mosque. The Romans favored the Cipollino marble quarried in Karystos. http://jbmatthews.home.mindspring.com/Articles/GREEK%20SPEECH.html

More Marble Areas of Greece that produce are Drama/Kavala area well known for its white and white-gray marbles; Ioannina for its beige; the Argolis area for beige, brown, and red; the Attica area for white Pentelikon and ash-blue marble; Crete for its greys; Naxos for the whites; and Volos for the pinks; Attikai for Pentelikon & Agia Marina; Evia Island for Cippolino and Red Eretria; Larissa for Verde Antico; Argolida for Breccia and Red-brown; Arcadia for Black; Chios Island for Brown; and Kriti Island for Onyx;As you can see the utility of many parts of Greece are used for mining and quarrying marble. The six main marble regions of Greece are Drama-Kavala-Thassos which can be considered the Carrara of Greece. Near Kozani and Veroia are well known whites and colored marbles. Ioannina, for beige marble and similar to the Trani area of Italy. The black marble of Farsala, the grey of Larisa, the white of Volos, the rose of Pteleos Volos are among some extracted from the Larisa-Volos regions. Attica and the Pentele mountains for white. (It should be noted that in the Athens area in 1976, a fall in production of marble occurred due to the closing of some quarries for environmental reasons.) The Argolis region is the newest and one of the most dynamic areas for extraction of beige, brown, and red marbles. Many other areas have opened up such as Thrace, Crete, Lesbos etc. An abundance of marbles and limestones such as Cipollino of Evia, the black rudist-bearing limestone of Vitina, the breccia of Mycines, the multi-colored breccia fantasia of Syros, compete against the colored marbles of other countries. Probably the three most widely known marbles today in use are Tinos Green, Pentelicon white, and Thassos White. They are very versatile. Even though the Greeks have an ancient history and use of marble the modern processing started in 1960. From that moment, the number of quarries and marble cutting and process factories started to increase and to be modernized with new and more modern equipment. This was due to the tremendous increase in world building demands and the growth of the rich oil bearing nations who wished to expand their palaces and domiciles. In 1983 Greece started a 5 year development plan that would triple primary quarry production of marble and increase marble exports by a factor of 10 by 1988. This program was established for the expolitation of the marble bearing places, aiming at a higher primary production and exportation. This was to include an intense exploitation program of 12 specific marble-bearing areas. A 128 million dollar investment, half for the production and half for the processing and sales. At that time their primary exports were to the Middle Eastern markets. The main Greek marble to be exported for years has been Pentelikon, which was used to build the Parthenon and Tinos, a very Green serpentine marble. Today they are also known for their white from the island of Thassos, as well as pinks, greys, blacks, reds etc. Greece has so many colors to select from that it would satisfy most any architect or buyer. In most cases their marbles are more true marbles then those of other countries claiming the softer limestones as marbles. Thus the material lends itself for flooring applications. Development of the stone industry over the last 20 years has created a "new stone age". At production well over a million and a half tons of marble, Greece has increased well over 10 times its production in the last 20 years. Still, marble only accounts for 0.3 per cent of teh total GNP and 0.9 per cent of the Greek exports. This is due to the efforts made by the Associations, Government support, Investors and marble factories, and of course the advancement in marble production technology. Stone has progressed from cubical, to thin panels. We have progressed from 3/4" to 3/8" tiles, now to panels of 3-4mm thick with various backings which can be used in elevators, furniture, raised floors and other applications. One only has to consider that out of all the countries which quarry and use stones only 9 exceed the average annual production of one million tons, a smaller quantity than the production in the Carrara area alone. The total quantity produced by these nine countries, Italy, Spain, Greece, India, Brazil, USA, Portugal, France, and China, adds up to around 20 out of the certain 28 million tons quarried throughout the world in 1990: equal to 70% of the total production. The use of stone for claddings has and is currently undergoing a great evolution too. From slabs directly applied to the structure first with mortar and then with mechanical fixings to the creation of prefabricated panels. In a very short time techniques have gone a long way and precast panels have transformed from "strong back" to curtain wall (a finishing module made of metalic structure, stone, glass, insulating materials and interior finishings, ready to be installed. Material is being cut thinner and thus the demand for tile and the affordability it gives, allows even the most conservative individuals to afford it. In 1990, the quarries of Greece produced over 1,800,000 tonns of marble. The capability of Greece is to produce well over 2.5 million tons. The primary geological product of Greece is marble. There are of 4000 companies in the stone sector, over 50,000 employees. There are today well over 300 firms in the quarrying business. The main professional institute or association is the Federation of Association of Marbles of Greece, the Panhellenic Marble Association in Athens, and the "Hellenic Marble" magazine. Other organizations which professionalize this ancient trade are the Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration in Athens; H.O.M.M.E.H. known as Hellenic Organization of Small and Medium Sized Industries and Handicrafts; The Federation of Greek Marble; H.E.P.O., which is the Hellenic Export Promotion Organization. This organization assist Greek exporters to operate successfully in foreign markets through promotion and advertising campaigns, market research and the arrangement of Greek participation in International fairs and other events. They also offer free services to commercial buyers visiting Greece. If you have the opportunity you should visit Greece in April, when normally the Hellexpo in Thessalonki is held. There you will see many producers, fabricators, and artisans of marble. You will have the opportunity to tour facilities and have a taste of history in the landscapes of this beautiful country. As you know, the Greeks are primarily a trading nation and very involved in shipping due to this. The family is plays an important role in the culture of Greece and its trade. The second largest consumer of Greek marble is the USA. Greece is the 3rd largest supplier of marble to the United States. Since 1988 the USA market has consumed 11% of their production. Greek production has grown in this period about 86%. The USA maintains a vital role in the consumption of Greek stone. While the United States is a major producer of dimension stone, Italy is the largest producer among the market economic countries. It is interesting to note however, that in 1991, Italy imported from Greece well over 18.5 million dollars, thus ranking it 8th in importance of imports for Italy. The imports to the USA grew from 1987 monthly figures of 800,000 monthly to 1990 figures of 2 million per month. Due the economic conditions in the latter half of 1990, the 1991 figures have reduced to about 1,300,000 per month on the average. It is interesting to note that Greece had the biggest decline in imports of stone to the USA by a drop of 35% in 1991 versus 1990. Greece today represents about 6 to 7% of the yearly imports of marble to the USA, which in the last decade has given them a substantial increase yearly. Greece is number one in the world production per inhabitant at 396 pounds per person. This really shows the dedication to production that the society and companies attribute to the importance of stone. The next nearest is Italy which is 25% less. Recently, the exportations of hellenic marbles have been considerably increased, but still do not reach the real capabilities of Greece. It is worthy to note that Greece has over 300 marbles but probably only 50 are exploited. The pallet of colors available should satisfy most any designer or architect. The Greek stones are both competitive in price and quality with the marbles of other countries. Quality is most important to the Greeks and supported by the Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration and the Department of Industry Research and Technology which will assist and test each marble that is commercially produced and make sure they meet international standards for quality. Most companies now have equipped themselves with the most modern production facilities and have technologically advanced themselves in quarry extraction, production, quality control with the current world standards, sales and marketing. The factories can produce objects of art, blocks, slabs, tiles, commercial jobs, sinks, decorative items, columns, and many architectural items. No one can deny that Greece has so much marble and potential new marbles and quarries, that it will maintain itself as a key player for years to come in marble production. As long as Greece maintains there role in keeping up with modern technology, which for two millenium they have, then we should consider Greece as one of the most important suppliers in the world market of marble. Greece, presently, is the 4th1 largest producer of marble in the world. By the recent World Stone Industry report by the Italians, it is noted that world consumption of marble will grow at an annual rate of 6.5% per year to a level of about 51 million tons by the year 2000 (a total of 40% growth in this decade. Present production is 30 million tons.) Also, the the forecast for raw production of marble will increase to a level of 60 million tons by the year 2000, again a 40% rise. Obviously, these figures could increase considerably if marbles and stones continue to grow in popularity with architects and designers as they have done in the past. Assuming Greece will maintain its present position of production growth and sales, this will mean a substantial boost to their economy and market. Stone flooring will be one of the main increases. In the past three years flooring demand has increased by about 33%. Architects have and will be selecting granite over marble due to its durability and sales efforts by the producers for commercial use. However, marble can still play a most important role in this growth if properly promoted and controlled. Marble is still predominant in the residential market. By world figures, flooring is consumed at about a 34% rate versus exterior cladding at 20%, its nearest competitor. Since the United States has the second largest Housing Construction market in the world (even though it declined 25% in the last two years), the market potential for Greece and the United States in marble is outstanding. One can clearly conclude, that Greece has made history in the past and will make it in the future. from... http://jbmatthews.home.mindspring.com/Articles/GREEK%20SPEECH.html

Pink marble??????? Volos has pink marble??? I don't think I have ever seen pink marble... or green marble... It must be very beautiful. You don't want to know what they did to make lime for cement with ancient glories now reduced to holding bricks together.

and I have marble bathroom tiles which I clean with rubbing alcohol. They are not from a quarry though... "cultured" marble. Man made stuff. All marble should become Nike of Samothrace and not bathroom floors. *sigh* I better never get near Greece. I will stuff my pockets until my clothes fall from the weight.

Marcia, have you ever been in Paris and seen Berenike of Samothrace? It's so extraordinary. She is so beautiful standing at the top a of grand staircase. Although, she is hard marble the feathers on her wings and the drapery of her garment give the illusion of looking so soft. The sculptor was a genius. Berenike really looks as though she's just just pausing to turn before she takes flight.

Nope, but I have seen the Elgin Marbles (Parthenon marbles) in the British Museum and a positivly stunning marble statue from Greece's Golden Age in the Metropolitan. It stands at the head of the stairs... and you can see light through her diaphanous clothing. I can see it in my mind as though I had seen it yesterday! Have you seen Nike? My dad did and he was overwhelmed by her beauty.

I've seen pictures of her standing illuminatd at the top of a very dark flight of stair. It must be staggering to see. Some day...

The Hermes of Praxiteles. The statue is dated to 343 BC and is made from Parian marble. It is the only original work of Praxiteles, that has survived and it was found at Olympia, intact on his base, several meters under the ground. Its height is 2.10 m. It was dedicated to the sacred Altis from the Eleians and Arcadians to commemorate their peace treaty. Later it was moved to the temple of Hera, where it was found in 1877 AD. The sculpture, "the diamond of Olympia", represents Hermes, the messenger of the Gods, holding the small Dionysos, who tries to take something from his hand. http://www.sikyon.com/Olympia/Art/olymp_eg09.html Talking about Greek marbles and ancient Greek art, I will help you with this statue that is very beautiful and very detailed. I have seen this before enough years and I remain astonished. John

Remarkable! Just like the veiling on the status in the Metropolitan in New York City. It is beyond human genius to see light through the fine details.... and the sheen on the stone is absolutely perfect. I will hunt up a picture of it. Thank you for your post and image. Like noses on alabaster sarcophagi, the parts that are the most delicate never seem to survive intact. I assume all Greek men look like their Gods (with all parts intact!)??!

There is no reference to my most special statue...*sigh* I'll post this one instead. Nike of Samothrace, 240-190 BC (Paris, Louvre)

The above image of Winged Victory (Nike of Samothrace) http://harpy.uccs.edu/greek/sculpturefemale.html

The Hermes sculpture John posted is pretty cute from the back, too. I wonder who got to polish him?! (Yes, I know! But you guys look...!)

How many have been to the summit of the Acropolis in Athens? Tell me how magnificent it is. It is on my "to die for" list. How sad that automobile emissions are so corrosive to marble... We destroy the very best of our heritage (not to mention what the Turks did storing ammunition in the Parthenon!)

Marcia, sorry to have take so long in repling to your query. Yes, I have seen Nike (Winged Victory). She really is more beautiful than one can imagine. I had an art history professor who insisted that she be referred to as "Berenike", as she was the "bringer of victory". "Nike" simply means victory. I think that (Bere)nike is an aspect of the goddess Aphrodite. Speaking of Aphrodite, also in the Lourve is another revered Greek beauty, Venus de Milo. She's even older than Nike, but she looks really great for an old broad. I've been to the summit fo the Acropolis in Athens. You have to see it, Marcia. Even it's current state, the Parthenon, is magnificent. I definite must see. John, thank you for posting the Praxiteles Hermes. It is exquisite. It's tragic that only one work by Praxiteles remains. The world is poorer for the absence of the majority of his work.

*sigh* Greece has much to entice me and I have NO marble in my rock collection. I'm working on finding a way to get there and what to do with myself when I do. Cheryl, you have seen much beauty. I have scoured the net looking for the statue I remember from my youth at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. I suspect it was 1) on loan from another museum or colletion and 2) not Greek but rather a later Roman copy of a lost Greek statue. I'd be envious of your bountiful optical memories if I did not cherish you quite so much~ Thanks for sharing your memories! John! Surely you have gone past the Acropolis as often as I have the Statue of Liberty or the Kilauea Volcano and scarcely look anymore. Take my eyes and heart next time you are in Athens...

Hi all, Thank you Cheryl and Marcia & Wolfie. Now I have something interesting: Meteora is located near the village of Kalabaka north of the valley of the River Pinios in Thessaly - Greece. The landscape is dominated by a series of pinnacles of sedimentary rock deposited during the middle Cenozoic. The Meteora sequence is made up of Oligocene and Miocene conglomerates and marls which were gently folded in early Miocene time. Later faulting created a series of horst and graben structures. The faulting, and subsequent erosion of the softer marls, have created the spectacular scenery of the region. The site of Meteora is only 145 km. far from Volos that is, an hour and half by bus and it is the most significant sightseeing for the passengers of the cruisers that reach the port of Volos. Meteora is from the biggest and most important group of monasteries in Greece after those in Mount Athos. We can locate the first traces of their history from 11th century, when the first hermits settled there. You can find more here: http://www.port-volos.gr/index.cfm Regards John

This is a photo of a rock in Meteora. You can see a monastery on the top. John

Thank you, John! Not only do you have the most splended marble, you probably also have fossils. Is there anything which captures my imagination that Greece does not have? I think not (other than gently erupting volcanoes.) Horst and graben structues a easy to find in Hawaii. I guess they are in any place which experiences frequent earthquakes. Greece has certainly had some monumental earth-moving events! The monks on Mt Athos are active in Amateur Radio and have a world wide appeal to those collecting QSL cards. Unfortunately I have only heard the US end of the DX pileup which occurs each time they fire up the rig. Thank you for posting the picture of where they dwell. Beautiful. Like all of Greece, I think!

thanks for the site, John, those pictures are great, and i love the monastary on top of the rock!

In the case of the monastery, I guess you plan ahead when you do your shopping for food. None of that running out for Chinese food or having pizza delivered if hunger strikes at odd hours. Mail delivery must be difficult, too. It is actually an excellent place for uninterrupted contemplation.

This is the monastery Grigoriou in Athos. You can find enough photos of the monasteries of Athos here (select ����� on the left and click on each small photo in the right): http://www.ert.gr/skyview/ John

I am sorry for the Greek language in this site. John

I love seeing the Greek language in this site. I am the one who is sorry for not knowing how to read it. Thank you for posting this most marvelous picture and where to find more. Thank you also for letting us know which link to follow. *Sigh* I wish my Greek (non-existent) was as excellent as your English, John. As to the monasteries on promonontories, it is easy to imagine how they were created. Those on islands which have houses right up to the edges of the cliff are the ones which amaze me. Do the cliffs erode much in Greece? I suspect they are slowly eroded. We dare not do this sort of building in Hawaii or California. I get acrophobia just thinking about white-washing the buildings, not to mention washing windows or fixing the roof. No wonder I am not a monk on Athos!

For an entire page of little images on which to click: http://www.ert.gr/skyview/mones.html

Incidently, I asked Ginny, who travelled to Greece several years ago, if the entire country was so bounteously endowed with antiquities. She assured me it was. I fear I would contract a serious case of exopthalmia in such circumstances. I would not dare to close my eyes lest I miss something. Tbank you again, John. You live in Paradise, not I.

great aerial view of the monastary--now that i think about it, it would be a great place for a prison (though i'm glad the monks live there and not inmates)

Yes! Lovely Monastery in a most magnificent setting - like an inlay of enamel in a large sapphire. I am bewitched. Devil's Island was not nearly as lovely a place. The French used it as a prison. Molokai, in the Hawaiian Archipelago got all the lepers. Islands are very potent isolation mentally and in actuality.

I should soon photograph my newly found rocks and tell you about them. I have a group of limestone fossils and a group of geodes. It is really far too easy to find them here in Kentucky!

It also helps to have a great guide, and that is exactly what I had!

can't wait to see those pics!!

I have discovered that there ARE no rocks in the part of Illinois I was in. There is dirt. Not fertile stuff. Just dirt with lots of corn fields and soybeans fields and hog growing places. But the only rock I saw was road gravel on the main farm lanes which appeared to have been imported for just that purpose from some plece else. What I did find was highly convoluted granite that was admixed with cherts in some instances and schists in others. And these were the larger ones. Most were quite tiny and showed signs of both glaciation and being water-tumbled into rounded shapes. Alas.

Where I am in Cedar Creek, TX there are no rocks. When the crew my swimming pool they bet me a case of beer they would find rocks. They always find rocks, they said. They didn't find rocks. Maybe a cannonball now and then, but no rocks. Now, down by the creek there are rocks, but they get washed in from somewhere else. There are a few rocks up on the hillside from the Great Flood of '81. The Memorial Day Flood scattered some rocks on the hillside.

Terry, is it too late to connect this topic with Geo Rocks?

No, this can be done.

Thanks, Terry! I have some overlapping but that is ok. Now I can share my new and growing rock collection with Wolfie's conference! I'll be posting images soon. Alas, I leave here tomorrow for the trip home, but will return here ASAP.

marcia, be safe!! *HUGS*

Keep us posted!

Absolutely I will keep you posted. Geo has the finest most supportive people on earth and I would never keep from them what is happening in my life. Back to California for now. I shall return!

If you want to know the weight of a rock, or anything else for that matter. And here's the site to measure anything else in the world: http://www.allmeasures.com/Formulae/

Thank you Terry! That is an awesome page. We were trying to estimate the weight of a millstone (granite) and this website makes it all so easy.

It's fascinating. Here's their list of "all materials":" http://www.allmeasures.com/Formulae/static/materials/

Needless to say, that website is in our prominent bookmarks. Recently I've moved most of my entire rock collection from Hilo to Louisville where it is now sitting (along with my library) in 18 packing boxes recently delivered by UPS. I have no idea when I will see them, but I do enjoy knowing they are still with me.

How are you going to display them?

We've been thinking of that. Don wants labels and full lighted display which would delight me. If I were granted a wish, I'd choose a rotating drum with many sides on which the specimens would be mounted - in other words, a barrel whose slats stay horizontal face up at all times. Does that make sense?

do you mean like the rotating things jewelry is displayed in department stores? HI MARCIA!!!!!!! *HUGS* can't use MSN on this laptop but wanted to say howdy!

Yes exactly, like a rotating jewelry display, Wolfie HI! to you, too. Let me know when and what form you're using and I'll be delighted to talk with you. Welcome back.

actually, i'm using the laptop downstairs and am too lazy to go upstairs and use the pc....plus the computer room is an abyss of clutter!!!! am soooo glad to see you posting here again---have really missed you!

I really have missed being here. Normal to me is getting in here and learning something new despite myself. I have a bunch of new rocks including some very old chert from a spring in Florida and some VERY VERY old lava from Kentucky of which I shall speak more in the near future. Go outside and pick up a rock then tell us what it looks like. Rocks are mostly free. Collecting them is fantastic. There is a collection in Hilo which is world ranked. The collector just traded samples of raw fresh Hawaiian lava with anyone who had rocks to trade. He has some of amazing beauty and value. Of course, he had an unending free source of the lava specimens. I wish I had thought of that!

can't wait to see them posted (haven't been able to post anything or work on my websites and have been trying to hook up with terry to fix it.....am just not thinking about it enough to get moving faster *sigh*) we have lots of rocks in our backyard, just start digging and there it is, a lot of limestone looking stuff. most of it is from when they cleared this subdivision for building, when they were done, they just bulldozed the rocks back in the dirt and covered them with grass!

I think what you are finding is fine grained sandstone. You can test easily whether it is limestone or sandstone by putting some in a bit of white vinegar ( stronger acids work better but you are not as likely to have them on hand). If bubbles form and the rock "fizzes" then it is limestone.

oh goodie, i'll try that this weekend. some of it breaks fairly easy with a shovel and others won't budge!

Limestone and sandstone in KY breaks in long flat slabs so we have walls and fireplaces of surpassing beauty and strength just from laying the slabs one on another.

The barrel idea is very cool. Is it realistic? Can you solve the mechanics of this? I'll fih it, woofie.

Oh yes it is realistic. I've seen them. Actually I had two upright carousels with multilevel shelving in Hilo. It was only for small very special items. I would like to display them all, so I need a large display even if it is on magazine-like leaves of plywood affixed to the wall.

Post a pic if you can find one, ok?

I'll look for a photo. I can think of two actually in action currently but any wallpaper and most rug stores have "magazine" style displays. I'll go find one for you. Better still, I'll go find the alternatives and bring them back here for review !

Interesting about surving Pinatubo in a bat cave. The lone survivor (or was it two) from Mt Pelee on Martinique was in an underground jail cell. NO ONE else in St Pierre survived the eruption. That was a city with a population in excess of 30,000. I prefer my volcanoes a little more gentle.

amazing, isn't it? last night, they had surviving the tsunami.

Did you see last night's Nova on PBS? It dealt with the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa and the resulting devastation of Sumatra but the largest tsunami in recorded history. That eruption was the loundest sound ever heard in historic times on earth. The whole mountain collapsed into its own empty magma chamber and is now subterranean. Amazing.

no, i missed that. was watching something about the vatican on NGC.

I missed it too. But Nova does copious reruns.

so does NGC--they had the super volcano last night!

I have been "up tp here" on the Vatican but as a great history buff, I ca't help watching even the re-runs for some of this stuff. It is like color tv with a feed directly from the Renaissance!

Kia Ora Response #239: Interesting about surving Pinatubo in a bat cave. The lone survivor (or was it two) from Mt Pelee on Martinique was in an underground jail cell. NO ONE else in St Pierre survived the eruption. That was a city with a population in excess of 30,000. I prefer my volcanoes a little more gentle." About 100 survived. For some reason no one thought to talk to 100 people who panicked the night before the eruption when there were violent explosions all night long coupled with thunderstorms, and left town. They were huddled on a hill about 5km beyond the range of the pyroclastic flow. But in the town itself Pierre Augustus was the only survivor. Absolute devasation - did the French Governor keep his job? That moron (pardon my French)was the one who kept saying that there would not be a problem, all was cool, hold your horses and all the rest of it. No one thought to talk to a phone operator in another town on the island of Martinique who was on the phone to someone in the town of St Pierre when the volcano erupted. The operator said there was the most colossal roar on the phoneline and then everything went dead. Not one of the connections she tried could raise a response. St Pierre was dead. I guess there is a lesson in that. Any active lava dome within five kilometres of your house is NOT to be trusted. Rob

I can recall looking at the seismographs in the British Museum of Science in Kensington. We spoke to an employee there who was beside a map of the world's active volcanoes and I pointed out where I lived. He was sghast and said "You live where it explodes?!" Then I asked him where he was from . He replied "Martinique" Now, that is where it really explodes. I assured him Hawaiian volcnoes were much kinder to tourist and geologists. He looked skeptical.

Hi all I will rephrase that - no one should be living within 5km of a lava dome. Too unstable, too short a warning time if it falls apart. You would probably be living on its debris fan where all of the deposits end up after each collapse. Rob

Ah yes, a lava dome. The closest I have been to an actual one of them is in my rock collection. My son did hike up to the dome in Mount Saint Helens volcano and brought me back a small chunk. That is as close as I wish to be to that one, but plans are afoot to take me to the mountain so I can add it to my collection of visited active volcanoes. I agree with Rob though I'd make that a few more km than he suggests.