At the November meeting of the Wayne County Gem and Mineral Club there was general bemoaning that the field season seemed over. That was until two members suggested that we visit the Lake Ontario shoreline on Sunday for one last outing. And so we did. In fact ten of us spent several hours walking the rocky coastline at a couple of our favorite haunts. It was our 22nd club field trip of the year, and probably our last.
Monthly Archives: November 2016
Classifying Geologists (and Rock Hounds)
Everyone likes to classify things: by shape, by color, by cost, by size. You name something to sort by, and someone is busy classifying with it. So, it should be no surprise that geologists get classified. And perhaps the first way they get labeled is as either a soft rock geologist or a hard rock geologist. No, it has nothing to do with the character of their head (although some might disagree) and it has nothing to do with their taste in music. Rather it relates to the type of rocks they study.
December Birthstone: Zircon, Tanzanite, and Turquoise
December is a month when many things are overdone. Stores are open 26 hours per day, sales offer discounts on discounts (or so they claim), foods have more calories and portions are larger, etc. With all these other excesses, I suppose it should then be no surprise that December would outdo all other months by having three official birthstones. Zircon, turquoise, and tanzanite are all recognized birthstones for the final month of the year. I guess we had better get started.
Continue reading December Birthstone: Zircon, Tanzanite, and Turquoise
Geology of Curling Stones
A long time ago, long before Canada was a nation, back in the early 16th century, a few energetic Scotsmen decided to slide stones on a frozen river at a fixed target as a form of competition. The sport of curling was born. After all one cannot golf in the winter! Who knew that the game would become such a favorite halfway around the world some 400 years later.