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Rock Talk
- Join Us on the Rock Net Discussion Group and Message Forum for Rockhounds!
Rock Trader Classifieds
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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.
Hey Rockhounds - Check Out This Outstanding Value:
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:
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
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- 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
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Greetings from Tucson
- Our Shows, Museums, Clubs, Rock Shops, and Other Attractors
Alone No More
- Martian Meteorite ALH84001 Harbinger of Extraterrestrial Life
- Check out Bob's Martian Touchdown - A Rockhound's Cosmic Encounter with Three Extraterrestrials
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| Opportunity Rover Mission Updates: |
| March 03, 2010: |
Driving Around Material Ejected From Young Crater |
| February 25, 2010: |
Investigating Material Ejected From Young Crater |
| February 17, 2010: |
Sampling 'Chocolate Hills' |
| February 10, 2010: |
Opportunity Studies 'Chocolate Hills' Rock |
| February 03, 2010: |
Opportunity Arrives at 'Concepción' Crater |
| January 26, 2010: |
Approaching 'Concepción' Crater Rim |
| January 20, 2010: |
Driving to 'Concepción' Crater |
| 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 |
| Spirit Rover Mission Updates: |
| March 02, 2010: |
Winter Preparations Nearly Complete |
| February 25, 2010: |
Spirit in Energy Saving Mode |
| February 17, 2010: |
Spirit Hunkers Down for Winter |
| February 10, 2010: |
Spirit Parks for the Winter |
| February 03, 2010: |
Improving Northerly Tilt |
| January 26, 2010: |
Spirit Prepares for Winter |
| January 20, 2010: |
Little Progress in Backward Driving |
| 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 |
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Rocks in the News
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- Rock Solid Link: Asteroid Doomed the Dinosaurs: A blue-ribbon panel of scientists has banded together to support the link between the Chicxulub asteroid impact crater in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula with the mass extinction of dinosaurs and the majority of life on our planet 65 million years ago.
- Methane Leaks Off Siberian Coast Speeding Climate Change: The gas is bubbling up from the East Siberian Arctic Shelf because warming ocean water is thawing permafrost, allowing methane trapped underneath to escape. The amount of methane emitted by that one patch of seabed roughly equals the amount scientists previously believed was released by all of the world's oceans.
- Lava Likely Made River-Like Channel On Mars: Flowing lava can carve or build paths very much like the riverbeds and canyons etched by water, and this probably explains at least one of the meandering channels on the surface of Mars.
- Chilean Quake Knocked Earth For A Loop: The sudden, large-scale movement of tectonic plates that triggered the February 27 magnitude 8.8 quake in Chile shifted immense masses of rock a few meters closer to Earth’s core, tilting the planet’s axis a few centimeters and imperceptibly shortening the day.
- Hydrothermal Vents Sometimes Colonized From Afar: Field studies at a hydrothermal vent system where all life was snuffed out by a massive undersea volcanic eruption reveal that these habitats can be repopulated in a matter of months by larvae from distant vents.
- New Dinosaur Discovered Head First: A team of paleontologists has discovered a new dinosaur species they're calling Abydosaurus, which belongs to the group of gigantic, long-necked, long-tailed, four-legged, plant-eating dinosaurs such as Brachiosaurus.
- Plumes, Hotspots On Saturn's Moon Enceladus: Newly released images from the Cassini spacecraft's swoop over Saturn's icy moon Enceladus reveal a forest of new jets spraying icy particles, water vapor and organic compounds from prominent fractures crossing the south polar region.
- Saturn Moon Could Be Hospitable To Life: New close-ups of Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus taken by the Cassini spacecraft provide fresh evidence that the moon’s interior may be liquid water and hospitable to life.
- Earliest Animals Flexed Their Muscles: A group of British and Canadian palaeontologists have found 565 million-year-old fossils that show the earliest evidence of animal locomotion.
- Sea Caves Reveal Rapid Rise In Ancient Ocean Levels: The record suggests that sea level can rise or fall as fast as two meters a century - nearly 12 times as fast as sea level rise in the past 100 years and indicating the potential for a meter of sea-level rise within one human lifetime.
- Murchison Meteorite's Chemical Bonanza: Australia's Murchison meteorite is known to harbor complex organic compounds, but a new analysis finds that it may also contain millions of chemicals and shed light on the timeline of the kinds of chemistry that went on in a much earlier universe.
- Afghan Geological Reserves Worth A Trillion Dollars: China's state-owned metals giant Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) has signed a three-billion-dollar contract to develop the Aynak copper mine - one of the world’s largest - over the next 30 years.
- Hubble Images Pluto: NASA has released the most detailed set of images ever taken of the distant dwarf planet Pluto. The images taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope show an icy and dark molasses-colored, mottled world that is undergoing seasonal changes in its surface color and brightness.
- What Caused Earth To Hold Its Last Breath?: For some time, scientists have known that a large cache of light elements like helium and argon still reside inside the planet. This has perplexed scientists because such elements tend to escape into the atmosphere during volcanism.
- 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.
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.
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?
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
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
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
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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
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
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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
Bob's Rock Shop Furnishes Performance Based Advertising
for Participating Commercial Sponsors.
Thanks for your Patronage. Please Come Again Soon.
The Shop's Link List
- The Shop's Pick and Links to Thousands of Other Websites of Interest to Rockhounds
Bob Keller
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