Yearly Archives: 2010

December 2010 – Fool’s Gold

Pyrite-skinned nodule embedded in the Bituminous Shale at Rosedale Wyke, North Yorkshire.

For this month’s article we are going to take a look at a commonly occurring mineral having a long history of association with humankind. Fool’s Gold is a common name used to describe a number of different minerals including weathered biotite mica, though most frequently the name [...]

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November 2010 – Amber

Ant trapped in amber. Picture by Mila Zinkova.

Amber is not strictly a rock, although it is referred to generally as resinite and may contain the preserved remains of insects and other invertebrates. It is formed through the fossilisation of resin from ancient trees.
Ant trapped in amber. Picture by Mila Zinkova.
The Ancient Greeks named amber electrum, from to its ability to attract [...]

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October 2010 – Jarocite

First described in 1853 by August Breithaupt, Jarocite (also Jarosite) is a complex mineral with the chemical formula KFe3+3(OH)6(SO4)2.

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March 2010 – Redcar Submerged Forest

Tree stumps in growth position

In January and February of 2010, beach deposits at Redcar – in an area roughly extending between the Information Center and Park Hotel – were stripped away by tidal scour revealing some infrequently exposed beds beneath the usual sand and pebbles.

At the base of the steps opposite the Information Center, and extending seaward for over [...]

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February 2010 – Evaporites

Evaporites are non-clastic, or chemical sediments, created through the precipitation of dissolved salts from water. They most frequently occur at the site of a former large water body such as a lake or landlocked sea, on coastal plains (sabkha zones), or where rivers feed very arid desert areas. As the water involved slowly evaporates the [...]

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January 2010 – Siderite

Iron carbonate (FeCO3), or siderite from the Greek sideros meaning iron, is a major source of ore for steel-making being usually low in sulphur and phosphorous, and high in manganese and/or magnesium.

This mineral is able to assume almost any colour but commonly brown, yellowish-brown, or grey specimens can be found. It occurs in Britain’s [...]

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