I Feel the Earth Move
Sand from Papakolea, Hawaii Meronitz, Czechia Nijar, Almeria, Spain Hart's Range Beach, North Territory, Australia


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ColorWright     Oligocene Fossils     The Prep Lab     Professional Gem Tools    
Visit Us At The 2010 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show!
Jan 29th-Feb 14th 2010 - 1201 North Main Avenue, Tucson AZ
Visit Us At The 2009 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show!

US Club List
An Extensive Listing with Contact Info for Over 900 Mineralogical, Lapidary, Fossil and Just About Anything to Do with Rocks Clubs in the United States.

   References for Rockhounds   
Need More Input? Check Out the Shop's Extensive Catalog of Books for Rockhounds!
Bead Work
Buyer's Guides
Casting
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Collecting Guides
Designs & Patterns
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Gemstones
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Hey Rockhounds - Check Out This Outstanding Value:
Photo-Atlas of Minerals DVD The Photo-Atlas of Minerals DVD V2.0
New Low Low Price - Now Only $19.95 !!!
Order The Photo-Atlas of Minerals DVD 
Version 2.0 DVD-ROM for Windows
Sample Photo-Atlas DVD Screens:
Mineral Index
Compound Search
Vanadinite Main Page
Vanadinite Photo Gallery Index
Vanadinite Image
Vanadinite Image
Vanadinite Image
     Vanadinite Image
Vanadinite Atomic Structure
Vanadinite Crystal Form
Instructions
Glossary
Identification Game

Formerly sold at $59.95, the Photo-Atlas of Minerals DVD is simply the most comprehensive mineral reference available. It principle features include:
- Nearly 16,000 high-resolution mineral specimen images
- Mineralogical data for all known mineral species (over 4,100)
- Mineral specimen images from over 3,500 localities
- Users can add their own images
- Comprehensive descriptive mineralogical and crystallographic data
- Audio mineral name pronunciations
- Origins of mineral names
- Mineral name synonyms and varieties
     - Searchable by properties, locality, chemistry, etc.
- User controlled crystal form drawings
- User controlled atomic structure drawings
- Includes both Dana & Strunz mineral classifications
- Glossary of mineral terms
- Users can print the mineral images and data
- Generates random and user defined slide shows
- Includes a mineral identification game
Greetings from Tucson
Our Shows, Museums, Clubs, Rock Shops, and Other Attractors


www.EXTINCTIONS.com
THE WORLD'S LARGEST ONLINE FOSSIL COLLECTION

Visit Our New Store!

ALSO VISIT US AT:         
NatureStore.com
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DinoStore.com
FossilAuction.com
Trilobites.com
Crinoids.com
SharkTeeth.com
FossilFish.com
AmberCompany.com
FossilPlants.com
WholesaleFossils.com

Alone No More
Martian Meteorite ALH84001 Harbinger of Extraterrestrial Life
Check out Bob's Martian Touchdown - A Rockhound's Cosmic Encounter with Three Extraterrestrials

Powerful new twin NASA Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have successfully landed and deployed on different regions of the Red Planet. With far greater mobility than the 1997 Pathfinder rover, these robotic explorers may trek as much as 40 meters across the surface in a day. Each rover carries a sophisticated set of instruments search for evidence about whether past environments at selected sites were wet enough to be hospitable to life. Rocks and soils will be analyzed with a set of five geology instruments on each rover, and a special tool called the rock abrasion tool, or "RAT", will be used to expose fresh rock surfaces for study.
The Mars Exploration Rovers Mission
Mars Rover Fact Sheet
Mars Rovers Take Baby Steps
The Athena Mars Rovers Science Payload
The Geological History of Mars
The Surface of Mars
The Search for Extinct Life
The Search for Extant Life
Mars Landing Site Catalog
Mars High Resolution Global Mosaic
Mars Image Navigator
The Interior of Mars
Panorama of the 'Payson' outcrop on the western edge of Erebus Crater imaged by the Opportunity rover 02-26-2006
Opportunity Rover Mission Updates:
January 14, 2010:  Leaving Marquette Behind
January 06, 2010:  Brushing out the RAT Cuttings
December 30, 2009:  Examining 'Marquette Island's' Interior
December 23, 2009:  Grinding at Target 'Peck Bay'
December 16, 2009:  Preparing to Grind
December 10, 2009:  Another Side of 'Marquette'
November 28, 2009:  Investigating 'Marquette' and 'Islington Bay'
November 24, 2009:  'Marquette' Study Continues
November 17, 2009:  'Marquette' Study Begins
November 11, 2009:  Approaching 'Marquette Island'
November 05, 2009:  Five Drives
October 29, 2009:  Southbound Progress
October 21, 2009:  A Meteorite Called 'Mackinac'
October 15, 2009:  Finished with 'Shelter Island'
October 7, 2009:  Opportunity Knocks with Another Meteorite Find
Spirit Rover Mission Updates:
January 14, 2010:  Little Forward Progress
January 06, 2010:  Toe-In Maneuver Before Drive
December 30, 2009:  Minimal Progress in Recent Extraction Drives
December 23, 2009:  Intermittent Functionality in Right-Front Wheel
December 16, 2009:  Surprise from Right-Front Wheel
December 10, 2009:  Trouble with Right-Rear Wheel
November 28, 2009:  Diagnostic Wheel Tests Continue
November 24, 2009:  Extrication Attempt Continues
November 17, 2009:  Extrication Attempt Begins
November 11, 2009:  Flash Memory in Use Again
November 05, 2009:  Dealing with Flash Access
October 29, 2009:  Amnesia-like Symptoms Return
October 21, 2009:  Antenna Back to Normal Use
October 15, 2009:  In X-Band Fault Mode
October 7, 2009:  Busy with Antenna Brake Testing and Underbelly Imaging
Stack of sedimentary structures exposed at Payson Ledge on the western edge of Erebus Crater imaged by the Opportunity rover 03-03-26 Bolders of vesicular basalt along the edge of a lava flow at Lorre Ridge imaged by the Spirit rover 01-23-06 Coarse-grained layers of possible explosive origin from the edge of the Home Plate plateau inside Gusev Crater imaged by the Spirit rover 02-10-06 Volcanic rock fragments littering the slope of Low Ridge imaged by the Spirit rover 04-13-06

Rocks in the News
5-Day Silver Price History    5-Day Gold Price History
Detailed Silver Price Historical Chart    Detailed Gold Price Historical Chart
Why Hasn't Earth Warmed as Much as Expected?: Earth has warmed much less than expected during the industrial era based on current best estimates of Earth's climate sensitivity.
Scientists Scramble To Analyze Haiti Quake: Since the ground shook Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, scientists have been harnessing every possible tool to quickly assemble a detailed picture of a region in which scientific research had already been difficult to conduct.
Haiti Quake Could Have Been Even Worse: Based on seismic history, temblor could have been five times more powerful.
Evolution's Bad Girl: Like a biker chick strutting into a debutante ball, 4.4-million-year-old Ardi brazenly flaunts her nonconformity among more-demure members of the human evolutionary family, known as hominids.
Warmer Climate Could Stifle Carbon Uptake By Trees: Contrary to conventional belief, as the climate warms and growing seasons lengthen, subalpine forests are likely to soak up less carbon dioxide.
How Earth Survived Its Birth: New simulations show that variations in gas disk temperature can lead to regions of outward and inward migration that safely trap planets on orbits around their sun.
Five New Exoplanets Run The Gamut From Styrofoam To Ice: The fifth exoplanet reported appears to be an ice giant like Neptune. Although it wouldn't be home to little green men, finding planets this size this early bodes well for detecting Earth-like extrasolar planets within 3 years.
Southern Winds Help Stash Earth's Carbon Dioxide: The process by which the Southern Ocean absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide and then shuttles it into the deep sea could be vulnerable to climate change.
Coral Reefs Are Evolutionary Cradles: Coral reefs aren't just beautiful and rich in species. They also have long served as an evolutionary wellspring for countless types of marine life, even groups such as clams and snails that researchers thought had originated in shallow coastal waters.
Another Reason to Save Coral?: An analysis of the fossil record shows that coral reefs are most often responsible for the diversity of sea life.
Tetrapod Tracks Reset Timing Of Four-legged Evolution: About 18 million years earlier than they were thought to exist, tetrapods - the earliest known vertebrates with four limbs instead of fins - walked in what is today Poland.
Footprints Could Push Back Tetrapod Origins: Newly discovered trackways are much older than previous evidence for sea-to-land transition.
Ancient Four-Legged Beasts Leave Their Mark: Footprints and tracks preserved in the mud of an abandoned quarry in southeastern Poland date back 395 million years, upending accepted thinking about when and where land animals first emerged.
How Much Ice Needed To Create Martian Land Formations?: Laboratory experiments simulating the frozen Martian sand demonstrate some land formations on Mars suggesting the presence of water ice could have been created by viscous creep of ice below the surface in Martian permafrost.
Tides In Earth's Crust Trigger Quakes: Study of one portion of the San Andreas fault finds that just a little added stress makes a quake more likely.
Super-Earths Found Orbiting Nearby Stars: The race to find Earth-like planets around stars similar to our Sun progressed further with the announcement of up to six 'super-Earths' found orbiting sun-like neighbour stars.
Mystery Mountain Range Explained: The worn remnants of the range formed in Australia 550 million years ago, now known as the Petermann Ranges, have long puzzled geologists.
Eyes Wide Shut: Earth's Vital Signs Soon to Go Unmeasured as Satellites Fail: NASA's aging fleet of Earth Observing System orbiters is on borrowed time due to a lack of planning and underfunding.
More Rocks in the News
Letters to the Editor
Say NO to Akaka Governed Public Land: A bitter legislative battle is raging over collecting fossils on public lands.

CR-Scientific - New and Used Laboratory Equipment - Earth Science Supplies - Mineral Specimens
Chambers Fit For A Queen - A Quest For English Ammonites
Rock&Gem Feature Article
More Rock&Gem Online Features:
A Day in the Life of a Gemologist
Into the Caves - "California's Underground" at the Oakland, California Museum
Bingham Canyon Copper - Finding Chalcopyrite at "The Richest Hole on Earth"
Rockhound in Greece - A Great Destination for Geology... and Humanity
Honoring Mr. Jones - Our Senior Editor Gets What He Deserves
Faceting Fascinates - With an Experienced Guide, You, Too, Can Bring Gemstones to Life!
Tonopah and Goldfield - They Were the Hub of Nevada's Gold Rush
Agates from the Land of Pumas and Craters
Mexico's Mystery Stone
A Lesson in Channel Work
New England Pegmatites: They Have Been Mined Since America's Earliest Days
Turquoise: Blue Sky...Blue Stone
Faceting by Hand: Jack Lahr's Lap-Lap Relies on Primitive Power

Rock&Gem Magazine Article Search
Search Back Issues for Articles with Topics of Interest
Rock&Gem Writer's Guidelines

Rock&Gem Magazine Show Calendar
An Extensive List of Upcoming Gem and Mineral Shows
Submit Your Own Club's Show for Publication in Rock&Gem Magazine

Rock&Gem Craftsman of the Month Contest
Got a Pet Project Your're Proud of and Want to Show Off?
Win and Rock&Gem Magazine will Feature Your Work and Throw in a Dremel Tool to Boot
Entry Details - Browse the Current and Prior Contest Winners

Subscribe to Rock&Gem Magazine
Enjoy and Learn from Rock&Gem Magazine for less than $1.00 per Issue!
Need to Change Your Address for a Rock&Gem Magazine Subscription?

Browse Our Online Gallery of Wilensky Quality Minerals - Order Our Video Catalog!

Software for Rockhounds
Mineral Database and Identification Software: Photo Atlas of Minerals - Lithos - MinSearch - MDI Mineral Database - Geolib - Topaz - Minrls - Digital Rockhound's Companion
Freeware Screen Savers for Rockhounds: Tucson Show V2001 - Grand Hikes - Minerals V1.0
Freeware Faceters Companion CD!: Featuring Over 250 Faceting Patterns
GemCad: Gemstone Design Software
Ososoft Mineral Label: Freeware Specimen Labeling Software for Rock Collectors!
RockWare Freeware: Erupt - GeoTrig - Mineral Mastery - Seismic - Magnetic
Freeware Mars Map: High Resolution Orbiter Camera Global Mosaic

Rock Identification Key
A Beginner's Guide and Key to Help You Identify and Put a Name on That Rock!
Learn to ID and Distinguish Basalt, Diabase, Diorite, Gabbro, Granite, Obsidian, Pumice, Rhyolite, Scoria, Gneiss, Marble, Quartzite, Schist, Serpentinite, Slate, Breccia, Conglomerate, Limestone, Sandstone, Shale...

Mineral Identification Key
An Online Guide and Key to Aid in the Identification of Field Collected Mineral Specimens
Covering Several Hundred of the Most Commonly Occurring and Collected Species

Closeout Specials   Accessories   Arbors   Books   Carving Wheels & Points   Combo Lapidary Machines   Coolants   Dopping Accessories   Expanding Drums & Machines   Galaxy & Nova Wheels   Magnification   Polishes   10" Saws   Slab Saws   Saw Blades   Sphere Machines and Bead Mills   Vibratory Flat Laps  

Crystallography and Mineral Crystal Systems
An Illustrated, Nine-Part Primer on Crystallography and Mineral Crystal Systems

Mineral Nomenclature: Naming New Minerals
So You've Discovered a New Mineral and Want to Name It "Spottite" After Your Dog...

Changes In Mineralogical Nomenclature: Varieties
Why Rock Scientists Won't Understand the Question When You Ask "What mineral is amethyst a variety of"?

Grand Hikes
A Virtual Tour and Rockhound's Hiking Guide for the Grand Canyon
Stromatolite Fossils in the Hakatai Shale - A Day Hike from Phantom Ranch
Comanche Point Vicinity - An Overnight Hike to Spectacular Grand Canyon Supergroup Views
Genesis V2.0 - God's Grand Work Week - A Grand Canyon Geology Primer
The 1869 Expedition - An Account of the First Grand Canyon Float Trip
Grand Hikes Screen Saver V1.0 - A Complimentary Grand Canyon Screen Saver
Bob's Grand Canyon Backcountry Equipment Checklist - Don't Leave Home Without It!

Alcyone
A Faceted Gemstone Design for CZ Inspired by the Pleiadians - Designed by Bob Keller

Perfect Transfer
Interested in Faceting? Check Out this Feature for Faceters!
Currently Featured Cut: Soda Bar 19 - An Exhibition Opposed Bar Designed for Glass
Gateway to Gemstone Designs on the Internet - Download Over 300 Faceting Diagrams with Cutting Instructions!
Browse and Download the Freeware Faceters Companion CD
Currently Featured Article: A Graphical Presentation of Brightness in the Standard Round Brilliant
Index of Online Faceting Articles - Faceting How-to and Tips from Many Facetors and Gemstone Designers!
Online Tangent Ratio and Gem Weight Calculators
Content and Information for Faceters

Snapshots from the Tucson 2007 Gem and Mineral Show

Tucson Gem and Mineral Show Reports
Browse the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show with Bob!

How to Wirewrap
A Step-by-Step Pendant Design for Faceted Stones that Does Away With Claws

Sworn to Fun
A Club President's Perspective on the Decline of Rockhounding

Featured Articles by John Betts
Advice for Beginners
Anthony's Nose, New York
A Field Guide to Mineral Collectors  
Mineral Prices: Why so High?
Dealing with Dealers
Mineral Cleaning
Largest Mineral Crystals on Record
Display Lighting of Minerals

The Great Fresnoite Discovery of 1998
Scott's Big Score in California's San Benito Mountains

Rockhounding Graves Mountain
Collecting Rutile and Other Minerals at this Famous Georgia Locality

Collecting at the Bunker Hill Mine
Ron and Rose-Marie's Most Excellent Bunker Hill Mine Adventure

Gypsum Rosettes
Collecting at the Red River Floodway in Winnipeg, Canada

Micromounter's Mecca
A Visit to the Micromounter's Swap Room at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
Check Out Tim Jokela's The Top Ten Reasons to Get Into Micromounting

Anatomy of a Three-Headed Sphere Machine
Interested in Rolling Your Own?

Cabochon Making 101
Cabbing with Tucson's Old Pueblo Lapidary Club

Welcome to Gems By Mail!

Feldspar
An Introduction to the Feldspar Minerals by Anita D. Westlake

Purple Passion Prospect
Wulfenite Collecting near Wickenburg, Arizona

Rock and Fossil Stamps of the United States
A Preview Page of the Shop's Topical Stamp Catalog for Rockhounds

Mineralogical Meanderings
The Hardness of Minerals and Rocks
Streaking Minerals - Streak Testing
Collecting Micrometeorites
Identifying True Amber
Some Surefire Signs You're a Rockhound
Collecting Rock Stamps
Gem and Mineral Phonecards
The Mysterious Power of Gemstones and Crystals

Bob's Rock Shop 1st WWW Specimen Image Contest Results!
Do You Take Pictures of Rocks? If So, You'll Appreciate These - Check Out the Winning Entries!
Winners competed for custom specimen mounting, mineral specimens, rockhound magazine and newsletter subscriptions, specimen labeling and mineral database software and more... These and other outstanding entries will also be featured in a new version of the Shop's ever popular freeware specimen image screen saver!

Product Reviews
The Photo-Atlas of Minerals CD
OsoSoft MineralLabel 5.0 - Now Freeware!
Belomo 10x Loupe: An Inexpensive Russian Triplet
GemOro Stereo Microscope
Meiji Techno Binocular and Trinocular Stereo Microscopes
Raynox Video MicroExplorer
$8 BIRI Russian Radiation Detector

Book and CD Reports
Dana's New Mineralogy, Eighth Edition
Encyclopedia of Mineral Names, Special Publication 1 of The Canadian Mineralogist

Gallery of Mineral Specimen Images
George Campbell
Ken Colosky
Martin Friedlander
Bob Keller
David Michaels
D.E. Russell
Tim Schmanski
Stuart Wilensky
Wayne State University
Ron Zeilstra

Cut Rocks
Rock Knives by Stephen Hill
Sections from Brian Isfeld
Sections
Slabs and Cabs

I am pleased to offer some of my finest mineral specimens. Some of them were released, many years ago, from major museums and significant private collections.
Visit My Web Site Gallerys ~ See My Specimen Auctions on eBay


Bob's Rock Shop Furnishes Performance Based Advertising for Participating Commercial Sponsors.

Thanks for your Patronage. Please Come Again Soon.

Index to Advertisers
AA Mineral Specimens
Alpine Minerals
Arizona Mineral Company
Berg's Rock Shop
CabbingMachines.com
CuttingRocks.com
DesignerStones.com
John Betts Fine Minerals
Lawrence H. Conklin, Mineralogist
CR-Scientific
Element 51 Microminerals
Extinctions Fossils
FacetingMachines.com
FacetingRough.com
Gemart Services
Gems by Mail
Gold N Rocks
GreatCabochons.com
GreatRough.com
GreatSlabs.com
Mineral Exploration Services
Mineral of the Month Club
MineralsWeb African Minerals
The Mineralogical Record Magazine
PrettyRock
RocksandGems.info
Rocks and Minerals Magazine
RockWare Earth Science Software
Simkev Micromounts
Shannon & Son's Minerals
Silver Supplies
The Sunnywood Collection
TumblingMachines.com
TurquoiseBeads.com
TurquoiseRough.com
Tysons' Fine Minerals
UC Minerals
Dan Weinrich Fine Minerals
Wilensky Mineral Video
Wright's Rock Shop

The Shop's Link List
The Shop's Pick and Links to Thousands of Other Websites of Interest to Rockhounds

Select from Our Fine Materials for Your Special Lapidary Projects
Assortments      Agates   Alunite   Amethyst Sage   Angelite   Apache Sage   Aventurine   Bloodstone   Blue Lagoon   Cacoxenite   Calcite   Chrysocolla   Chrysoprase   Clam Chowder Stone   Coprolite   Cortez Gold   Corundum   Crinoid Marble   Dalmatian Stone   Dinosaur Bone   Dolomite   Dumortierite   Eudialite   Flower Feldspar   Fossil Coral   Fossil Stone   Goldstone   Hypersthene   Indian Paint Rock   Jade   Jaspers   Lapis Lazuli   Lepidolite   Magnesite   Malachite   Mookaite   Obsidians   Onyx   Opalite   Petrified Wood   Phosphosiderite   Picasso Marble   Pink Lace   Prehnite   Print Stone   Quartz   Rhodonite   Rhyolites   Ruby in Fuchsite   Selected Materials   Seraphinite   Serpentine   Sodalite   Thulite   Tiger Eye   Tiger Iron   Todolite   Travertine   Turquoise   Unakite  

Email Lists and Discussion Groups for Rockhounds
Rockhounds List
Lapidary List
Sphere Makers and Collectors
USFG Faceters List
Paleolist
Lost Wax Casting Group
Grand Canyon Hikers
Rough for Sale
Minerals for Sale
Fossils for Sale
Meteorites for Sale
Gemstones for Sale

Bob Keller