http://www.sciencealert.com/the-tomb-of-one-of-the-most-important-women-in-ancient-egypt-has-just-been-unearthed
Here's an article about Lady Sattjeni, she was the daughter of a prince and the mother of two of the most powerful governors in the Middle Kingdom of Egypt.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/a90f2891-69b0-39ae-83f0-496fe4bcf88b/ss_archaeologists-think.html?nhp=1
Check out this article I found on yahoo news about aristotle's Tomb.
After reading about a roadcut in Rossville, PA discovered in the 1970s online and in a book called 'Rockhounding Pennsylvania and New Jersey' by Robert Beard (ISBN: 9780762780938), some friends and I decided to make the drive and check it out.
The occurence was discovered when the road was widened, and has since been heavily picked through by collectors and passers by.
We set out a few weeks ago, when there was a break in the rain here in central Pennsylvania. The location was easy to find, it's in York County, PA. From I-83, take exit 35 and head west on PA 177 towards Gifford Pinchot State Park. Continue on PA 177 for approximately 9.1 miles to Rossville. Turn north onto PA 74 in Rossville. Continue north for approx. 0.7 miles and look East (to the right) for the roadut.
NOTE: The roadcut is considered by many to be 'unsafe' to enter, please use common sense and caution when exploring this area.
The spot was easy to find. My friend Donnie and I immediately climbed in the hole, and after a bit of moderate chiseling, yielded some decent pieces of malachite-coated matrix. I was a bit disappointed that the spot was so heavily worked, as I had hoped to find some Azurite (I love the stuff!) - but overall, we left satisfied with our adventure for the day. I would recommend a visit to this spot for anyone local enough to make the trip. You may not bring much home with you, but its amazing to see the geology of the area in a cut like this. I enjoyed myself.
The streak (powder color) of a mineral is the color of the powder that is produced when it’s dragged across an un-weathered surface, like unglazed porcelain. Unlike the obvious color of a mineral, which in most minerals can vary considerably, the trail made up if the finely ground powder has a consistent color, making it an important diagnostic tool in rock and mineral identification. If no streak seems to be made, the mineral's streak is considered to be white or colorless. Streak can be particularly important as a diagnostic for opaque and solid colored material, and less useful for stuff like silicate minerals, most of which will have a white streak or sometimes too hard to powder easily. When a specimen is dragged to produce a streak, it is broken into randomly oriented microscopic crystals, so small impurities don’t much affect the absorption of light, which is what can make solid minerals appear different colors on the same specimen. The surface across which the mineral is dragged is called a "streak plate," usually made of unglazed porcelain tile. The unglazed underside of a porcelain bowl or vase or the back of a glazed tile will work. Sometimes a streak is more easily or accurately described by comparing it with the "streak" made by another streak plate. In case of harder minerals, the color of the powder can be determined by filing or crushing with a hammer a small sample, which is then usually rubbed on a streak plate. Most minerals that are harder have an unhelpful white streak. Some minerals leave a streak similar to their natural color, like lazurite. Other minerals leave surprising colors, like fluorite, which always has a white streak, although it appears in purple, blue, yellow, or green crystals. Hematite, which is black, leaves a red streak which accounts for its name, which comes from the Greek word "haima," which means "blood." Galena, which is similar in appearance to hematite, is easily distinguished by its gray streak.
http://www.sciencealert.com/physicists-just-discovered-a-new-form-of-light
What is a website content writer??
In the early 1990s the World Wide Web spread throughout the world. With it came the ability for businesses to represent themselves through a website. Later came search engines like Yahoo, Google, and Bing. Their goal was to categorize information found on the internet and present it to those searching for it. This information is known as web content.
Content writing services came about as a result of the demand made by search engines for credible and well-organized information. Content writers write the company's desired words in a manner that is consistent with and aligns with the company's goals.
A web or website content writer specializes in providing fresh, relevant content for websites and blogs. Because every web site has a specific 'target audience' - each requires a different type and level of content. The content should contain words (key words) that attract and retain users on a website; Your content should be relevant to the topic(s)/theme of the site, and easy for your followers to read.
Content developers may also be search engine optimization specialists, or Internet marketing professionals. High quality, unique content is what search engines are looking for and content development specialists therefore have a very important role to play in the search engine optimization process.
Currently the web content is no longer restricted to text, but has expanded to engulf other audio visual media. This includes video clips, presentations and a host of other interactive forms which can be picked up by the search engines. Content owners are also increasingly relying on content protection networks to check on plagiarism and achieve a greater assurance that their content remains unique and unduplicated on the web.
Content developers are specialized web site developers who have content generation skills such as graphic design, multimedia development, professional writing, and documentation. They can integrate content into new or existing web sites without using information technology skills such as script language programming and database programming.
Content developers or technical content developers can also be technical writers who produce technical documentation that helps people understand and use a product or service. This documentation includes online help, manuals, white papers, design specifications, developer guides, deployment guides, release notes, etc.
Here are some examples of things content writer may work with:
Article writing
Blog writing
Press release writing
Web page content writing
Copywriting
Product description writing
Technical writing
Business writing
What is Quartz??
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the earths crust, after feldspar. Tere are many different varieties of quartz, several of which are semi-precious gemstones.
Major varieties of quartz
Chalcedony - Cryptocrystalline quartz and moganite mixture. The term is generally only used for white or lightly colored material. Otherwise more specific names are used.
Agate - Multi-colored, banded chalcedony, semi-translucent to translucent
Onyx - Agate where the bands are straight, parallel and consistent in size.
Jasper - Opaque cryptocrystalline quartz, typically red to brown
Aventurine - Translucent chalcedony with small inclusions (usually mica) that shimmer.
Tiger's eye - Fibrous gold to red-brown colored quartz, exhibiting chatoyancy.
Rock crystal - Clear, colorless
Amethyst - Purple, transparent
Citrine - Yellow to reddish orange to brown, greenish yellow
Prasiolite - Mint green, transparent
Rose quartz Pink, translucent, may display diasterism
Rutilated quartz - Contains acicular (needle-like) inclusions of rutile
Milky quartz - White, translucent to opaque, may display diasterism
Smoky quartz - Brown to gray, opaque
Carnelian - Reddish orange chalcedony, translucent
Dumortierite quartz - Contains large amounts of dumortierite crystals
Pure quartz, traditionally called rock crystal or clear quartz, is colorless and transparent or translucent, and has often been used for hardstone carvings, such as the Lothair Crystal. Common colored varieties include citrine, rose quartz, amethyst, smoky quartz, milky quartz, and others.
The most important distinction between types of quartz is that of macrocrystalline and the microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline varieties . The cryptocrystalline varieties are either translucent or mostly opaque, while the transparent varieties tend to be macrocrystalline.
Chalcedony is a cryptocrystalline form of silica consisting of fine intergrowths of both quartz, and its monoclinic polymorph moganite. Other opaque gemstone varieties of quartz, or mixed rocks including quartz are agate, carnelian or sard, onyx, heliotrope, and jasper.
Amethyst
Amethyst is a popular form of quartz that ranges from a bright to dark or dull purple color. The world's largest deposits of amethysts can be found in Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Russia, France, Namibia and Morocco. Sometimes amethyst and citrine are found growing in the same crystal. It is then referred to as ametrine. An amethyst is formed when there is iron in the area where it was formed.
Citrine
Citrine is a variety of quartz whose color ranges from a pale yellow to brown due to ferric impurities. Natural citrines are rare; most commercial citrines are heat-treated amethysts or smoky quartzes. However, a heat-treated amethyst will have small lines in the crystal, as opposed to a natural citrine's cloudy or smokey appearance. It is nearly impossible to tell cut citrine from yellow topaz visually, but they differ in hardness. Brazil is the leading producer of citrine, with much of its production coming from the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The name is derived from Latin citrina which means "yellow" and is also the origin of the word "citron". Sometimes citrine and amethyst can be found together in the same crystal, which is then referred to as ametrine. Citrine has been referred to as the "merchant's stone" or "money stone", due to a superstition that it would bring prosperity.
Rose quartz
Rose quartz is a type of quartz which exhibits a pale pink to rose red hue. The color is usually considered as due to trace amounts of titanium, iron, or manganese, in the massive material. Some rose quartz contains microscopic rutile needles which produces an asterism in transmitted light. Recent X-ray diffraction studies suggest that the color is due to thin microscopic fibers of possibly dumortierite within the massive quartz.
Additionally, there is a rare type of pink quartz (also frequently called crystalline rose quartz) with color that is thought to be caused by trace amounts of phosphate or aluminium. The color in crystals is apparently photosensitive and subject to fading. The first crystals were found in a pegmatite found near Rumford, Maine, USA and in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Smokey quartz
Smokey quartz is a gray, translucent version of quartz. It ranges in clarity from almost complete transparency to a brownish-gray crystal that is almost opaque. Some can also be black.
Milky quartz
Milk quartz or milky quartz is the most common variety of crystalline quartz. The white color is caused by minute fluid inclusions of gas, liquid, or both, trapped during crystal formation making it of little value for optical and quality gemstone applications.
Artificial Quartz
Some varieties of quartz are not naturally occurring. For example, some clear quartz crystals can be treated using heat or gamma-irradiation to induce color where it would not otherwise have occurred naturally. Susceptibility to such treatments depends on the location from which the quartz was mined.
Prasiolite, an olive colored material, is produced by heat treatment; natural prasiolite has also been observed in Lower Silesia in Poland. Although citrine occurs naturally, the majority is the result of heat-treated amethyst (article about citrine coming).Another popular stone, Carnelian, is widely heat-treated to deepen its color.
Because natural quartz is often twinned, synthetic quartz is produced for use in industrial purposes. Large, flawless, single crystals are synthesized in an autoclave (sort of like a big pressure cooker) via the hydro thermal process; This is the same method used to create synthetic emerals.
Like other crystals, quartz may be coated with metal vapors to give it an attractive sheen. (Aura Quartz)
Hey guys, here's the start of a listing of great books on the topic of rocks, minerals, gemstones, fossils, geology, etc.
The Crystal Bible
by Judy Hall; Ann Marie Gallagher
ISBN: 1582972400
Beautifully illustrated, The Crystal Bible offers a comprehensive guide to crystals, their shapes, colors and applications. With informative descriptions and an easy-to-use format, it is an indispensable practical handbook for crystal lovers and users everywhere--both beginner and expert alike. The book's directory format and beautiful, full-color photos ensure that the crystals are easily identifiable. Descriptions, which accompany each entry, provide information on their appearance, worldwide distribution, attributes, actions and healing properties. Both major and lesser-known stones currently available are covered, including those only recently discovered. A comprehensive index cross-referencing crystals to applications, aliments and conditions makes this book a vital reference for all crystal users.
$21.99
The Crystal Bible, Volume 2
by Judy Hall
ISBN: 9781582977010
This updated edition of "The Crystal Bible" features information on 200 additional healing stones, and describes how crystals can be used to heal as well as their other valuable properties.
$21.99
The Crystal Bible, Volume 3
by Judy Hall
ISBN: 9781599636993
Overview N/A
$21.99
Nature Guide : Rocks and Minerals
by Ronald Louis Bonewitz
ISBN: 9780756690427
Published by Smithsonian, "Discover and explore the diverse world of rocks and minerals with more than 700 examples, Nature Guide Rocks and Minerals is the ideal companion for enthusiasts everywhere."
$14.95
Simon & Schuster's Guide to Rocks and Minerals
by Annibale Mottana; Rodolfo Crespi; Giuseppe Liborio
ISBN: 0671244175
"Practical, concise, and easy to use, Simon & Schuster's Guide to Rocks and Minerals contains everything that the rock and mineral enthusiast needs to know. This field guide is divided into two large sections - one devoted to minerals and one to rocks, each prefaced by a comprehensive introduction that discusses formation, chemistry, and more. All 377 entries, beautifully illustrated with color photographs and helpful visual symbols, provide descriptions and practical information about appearance, classification, rarity, crystal formation, mode of occurence, gravity of mineral, rock chemistry, modal classification fields, formational environments, grain sizes of rocks, and much more. Whether you are a serious collector or an information-seeking amateur, this incomparably beautiful, authoritative guide will prove an invaluable reference"
NOTES: This book is VERY complete, is goes in depth on all topics related to rocks and minerals. It's a bit overkill for the beginner, but an AWESOME resource for an moderate to advanced rockhound. Good stuff!!
$20.00
Smithsonian Rock and Gem
by Ronald Louis Bonewitz; Margaret Carruthers; Richard Efthim
ISBN: 0756633427
Starting with the Big Bang creation of the universe, Bonewitz (a geologist specializing in crystal chemistry with secondary training in archaeology per his New Age spiritually-oriented Web site) introduces types of rocks, minerals, gemstones, and fossils to novice collectors. The well-illustrated guide, published in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution, includes a glossary but no further reading or resources.
Chakra Basics - What is a Chakra??
Here's some very basic information about Chakras.
a 'Chakra' is thought to be an energy point or node in the subtle body (a series of psycho-spiritual constituents of living beings, according to various esoteric, occult, and mystical teachings. According to such beliefs each subtle body corresponds to a subtle plane of existence, in a hierarchy or great chain of being that culminates in the physical form.).
Chakras are believed to be part of the subtle body, not the physical body, and as such, are the meeting points of the subtle (non-physical) energy channels called nadi.
'Nadi' are believed to be channels in the subtle body through which 'prana' (non physical life force) or vital energy moves.
Various scriptural texts present different numbers of chakras. It's believed that there are many chakras in the subtle human body, according to the tantric texts, but seven chakras are considered to be the most important ones.
I will go into more detail on chakra in another blog article ;)
What exactly is a Mineral??
Hey rockhounds! At the request of a few members, I've quickly composed a brief description of what minerals are. I hope it helps!
Minerals are typically defined as solid crystalline substances that are formed by natural (and usually inorganic) processes. A mineral is characterized by homogenous phsyical properties, which means any two parts of the material will have the same properties. These properties can vary with direction inside the crystal structure - for example a mineral might grow faster on one side than the other, or be harder on one side than the reverse - but this characteristic will be the same for any piece of that mineral.
Every mineral has a distinct chemical composition which can very within certain limits, but is always clearly defined.
Minerals also have distinct crystal structures. What's that mean? The atoms that make up the mineral are arranged in a regular and repeating three dimensional network or pattern. No matter where a sample is taken from the crystal, the atomic arrangement will always be the same.
Some minerals share the same atomic arrangement of atoms, with different types of atoms comprising the structure. This is known as 'isotypism'.
Not all minerals are formed from inorganic processes, for example, some types of limestone - rocks that are essentially formed from calcite - come from animal and vegetable marine organism accumulation. This calcite is usually considered a mineral because its usually identical with calcite formed by inorganic process and deformation and recrystalization usually occur in the formation of limestone. Deformation and recrystalization are both considered inorganic processes.
Identifying Minerals
Minerals have certain mineral properties that are determined by their crystal structure and chemical composition. These properties can assist in identifying many minerals. Below is a brief overview of some key topics/terms relating to mineral identification.
COLOR:
Some minerals have a characteristic color; Malachite has a distinct green, Azurite a blue, Sulfur is yellow, etc.. Some minerals occur in a variety of colors, for example, fluorite comes in almost every color. These kind of minerals are better identified by properties other than just color.
Colors in minerals is caused by the absorption of refraction of light of particular wavelengths. This can happen several different ways:
The presence of 'trace' elements - "foreign" atoms that are not part of the basic chemical makeup of the mineral in crystal structure. As few as just three atoms per one million can absorb enough of the visible spectrums of light to give color to some minerals.
Color can also be the result of the absense of an atom or ionic radical from a place that it would normally be in a crystal. The structure of the mineral itself, without any defect or foreign element , may also cause color.
Opal is composed of very small spheres of silica that diffract light.
LUSTER:
"Luster" is the appearance of a mineral's surface in reflected light. There are two broad 'types' of luster, metallic and non metallic. Metallic luster is like an untarnished metal surface, like copper or gold. These minerals are usually opaque (no light shines through). Minerals with a non metallic luster are often transparent or translucent. Vitreous describes the luster of a piece of broken glass. A diamond's luster is called adamantine. Resinous, pearly, greasy, silky and dull are also 'lusters'.. We'll talk more about each luster later.
STREAK:
Ok, so imagine this. You have an unidentified mineral and an unglazed porceilain surface (like the bottom of a mug or plate, even). You take your mineral and draw it across an unglazed porceilain surface. A powder is created from the force of the friction of the two materials. The color of this powder is considered your 'streak'. A minerals streak is consistent, therefore it is a better diagnostic indicator than just color is, as color can vary. Streak can help to distinguish between two easily confused minerals. For example, iron oxide hematite has a red streak, while magnetite , another iron oxide, gives a black streak.
The streak of a mineral is consistent from specimen to specimen, as long as an unweathered surface is used/tested. It is the same as the color of the powdered mineral.
CLEAVAGE:
The ability of a mineral to break along flat (planar) surfaces is called cleavage. This happens in the crystal structure itself, where the forces that bond atoms together are the weakest. Cleavage surfaces are usually smooth and reflect light evenly. Cleavage is described by its direction relative to the orientation of the crystal, and by how easily it's produced. If cleavage easily produces smooth, lustrous surfaces, it is called 'perfect cleavage'. Distinct, imperfect, and difficult are less 'easy' kinds of cleavage. Minerals can have different quality cleavages in different directions, some have no cleavage at all.
FRACTURE:
Some minerals break in directions other than those of the cleavage planes. These breaks - or fractures - can help identify different minerals. For example, fractures with jagged edges are often found in metals, while conchoidal (shell-like) are common in quartz. Other terms used to described fracture are even (rough, but more or less flat), uneven (rough and irregular), and splintery (with partially seperated fibers).
TENACITY:
Gold, silver and copper are maleable and can be flattened without crumbling. Sectile minerals can be cut smoothly with a knife; flexible minerals bend easily and stay bent when pressure is removed. Ductile minerals can be drawn into a wire, brittle minerals are prone to breaking, and elastic minerals return to their original form after they are bent.
HARDNESS:
The relative ease or difficulty of a mineral to be scratched. A harder mineral can scratch a softer one, but not vice versa. Minerals are assigned a number between 1 and 10 on Moh's Scale. Hardness differs from strength or 'toughness' - very hard minerals can be very brittle. Most hydrous minerals - those that contain water molecules - are soft, as are phosphates, carbonates, sulfates, halides and most sulfides. Anhydrous oxides - those without water molecules - and silicates, are rather hard.
REFRACTIVE INDEX:
As light passes througha transparent or translucent mineral, it changes velocity and direction. The extent of this change is measured by the refractive index: the ratio of light's velocity in the air to its velocity in the crystal. A high index causes dispersion of light into its component colors. Refractive indices can be found using specialized liquids or inexpensive equipment.
FLUORESCENCE:
Some minerals exhibit fluorescence - they emit visible light of various colors when subjected to ultraviolet radiation. Fluorescence is an imperfect indicator of a minerals identity because not all specimens of a mineral show fluorescence , even if they look identical and come from the same location.
