All posts tagged: Geology

7 glittery minerals up for auction

7 glittery minerals up for auction

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletterđź’ˇ Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Over 200 colorful minerals will hit the auction block on March 20 as part of Heritage’s The Collection of William and Ruth Loomis Fine Minerals Signature® Auction. What started as a shared hobby evolved into a lifelong passion that soon will be offered to mineral collectors everywhere. Soon after marrying in 1987, the pair opened Loomis Minerals in Flagstaff, Arizona, which became the hub for their finds.  “William and Ruth Loomis dedicated much of their adult lives to building this enticing collection, and their vast knowledge shines through in the lots that will cross the block in this auction,” Nic Valenzuela, Heritage’s Director of Fine Minerals, said in a statement. “This presents an opportunity to bid on some exceptional minerals from some of the most important mines around the world.” Check out some of the items up for bid below. (Click to expand images to full screen.) Native gold from the Harvard Mine in the Jamestown District in Tuolumne …

Our love of crystals goes back at least 6 million years

Our love of crystals goes back at least 6 million years

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletterđź’ˇ Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Primates of all stripes really love their crystals. Archeologists have found the shiny rocks at dig sites dating back as long as 780,000 years ago. Although, we are still not sure if our ancestors used them as tools, weapons, or jewelry.  To learn more, a team of scientists in Spain turned to one of our closest primate ancestors—chimpanzees. Their experiments revealed that chimps raised alongside humans can tell the difference between crystals and other stones. The findings are detailed in a study published today in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, and could reveal more about our own fascination with these shiny symmetrical stones.  “We were pleasantly surprised by how strong and seemingly natural the chimpanzees’ attraction to crystals was,” Juan Manuel GarcĂ­a-Ruiz, a study co-author and crystallographer at Donostia International Physics Center, said in a statement. “This suggests that sensitivity to such objects may have deep evolutionary roots.” Crystal vs. rock Our species derived from chimpanzees between six and …

Yellowstone’s supervolcano is creating a 19-mile bulge

Yellowstone’s supervolcano is creating a 19-mile bulge

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletterđź’ˇ Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. In Yellowstone National Park, a bulge the size of 279 football fields has risen by an inch since last July. With no signs of slowing down, the bump that’s roughly 19 miles across may cause some worry that the iconic locale’s hibernating supervolcano is readying for an apocalyptic reawakening. Although impressed by the situation, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory’s scientist-in-charge doesn’t sound particularly worried. “I think it’s pretty stunning even if it’s not particularly unusual,” Mike Poland recently explained to Cowboy State Daily. This particular example of uplift or deformation is occurring at the northern rim of Yellowstone Caldera in northwest Wyoming. However, it’s far from the first time researchers documented the geological occurrence. The most recent instance spanned around 16 years before wrapping up in 2020. In 1996, yet another deformation took place over four years. These events aren’t visible to the average park visitor, but they can be dramatic when viewed by highly sensitive seismological equipment and other …