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Post by 150FromFundy on Mar 9, 2014 6:56:58 GMT -5
Have you ever found an interesting specimen from a well-documented site, and you still can’t figure it out? I found one of these at the former Dunbrack Mine in Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia. Geologically, the area is old and complex. The meta-sedimentary host rock dates to the Cambrian/Ordovician extinction event about 488 MYA. The area was altered by a dyke (big lava crack) around the Devonian/Carboniferous boundary about 360 MYA. The localized melting along the dyke formed a range of secondary (altered) lead and copper minerals. Minerals reported include anglesite, aurichalcite, cerrusite, chalcocite, chrysocolla, covellite, copper, cuprite, fluorapatite, galena, gypsum, langite, linarite, malachite, pyromorphite, quartz, chalcedony, silver, Sphalerite and wulfenite. I know a found a few of these, I’m just not sure which ones. Unfortunately, most of these exist as microcrystals and need a little magnification to appreciate them. These photos were all taken from a single specimen about 1”x2” using a digital microscope. The typical field of view in each photo is from 1mm to 2mm. This specimen is a little like “Horton Hears a Who”. There is a whole world just beyond the reach of our everyday eyesight. But if we take the time to really focus, we can get a glimpse of what lies beyond. With all that philosophical “Who-Haw” out of the way, I can get back to trying to put an ID on this one. Darryl.
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garock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,168
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Post by garock on Mar 9, 2014 7:40:23 GMT -5
Mr Darryl ! I love my stero microscope for looking at micros. It is indeed a different world especially looking at micro-crystals. I just wish I could afford a camera mount to connect to my computer to take photos. Thanks for Sharing !
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,179
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Post by jamesp on Mar 9, 2014 10:38:33 GMT -5
Mr Darryl ! I love my stero microscope for looking at micros. It is indeed a different world especially looking at micro-crystals. I just wish I could afford a camera mount to connect to my computer to take photos. Thanks for Sharing ! Fine photos Darryl. The small world is another world. Frankie, check out how cheap these eyepiece cameras are. www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=microscope+camera+usb+eyepiece
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Post by gingerkid on Mar 9, 2014 11:35:05 GMT -5
Gorgeous micro pics, Darryl! Love the name that you gave the specimen. Is that malachite in the last photo?
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Post by 150FromFundy on Mar 9, 2014 18:00:31 GMT -5
The area reports both malachite and pseudomalachite. It's interesting that even at a micro scale (about 2 mm) the characteristic green concentric bands are visible.
It was hard to focus this one. If the surface of the rock is anything but flat, the depth of field presents a problem for focussing.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Mar 9, 2014 18:05:10 GMT -5
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Post by gingerkid on Mar 10, 2014 7:17:09 GMT -5
Thanks, Darryl, for your reply! Had to read your thread about the Celestron digital microscope. It takes very nice shots! I would like to have one after admiring your photos. Celestron makes quality telescopes, too. Can you turn the light source off in the microscope to take photographs?
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miander
spending too much on rocks
Searching for the shop of my dreams...
Member since November 2013
Posts: 407
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Post by miander on Mar 10, 2014 8:04:30 GMT -5
Daryl, thank you for the geological info, it is almost amazing as looking at your minerals!' I only know where I get my rocks from and always like to imagine where each one came from and how it was formed. I think it is really great that you have so much information to include with the spectacular images, thank you.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Mar 10, 2014 15:22:24 GMT -5
gingerkid:
The downside of the Celestron that I have is the light comes on as soon as you plug it into the USB port on your computer. This is great for most things, but makes it impossible to photograph shiny objects like your favorite cabochons due to reflection and glare.
My Celestron is a few years old now, so they may have overcome this with a simple on/off switch for the LED's. The maximum resolution at the time was 1280x1024, which may also be better now.
Darryl.
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