Erika Anderson

@andersonmineral.bsky.social

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Former Curator of Mineralogy and Petrology. MSc in Volcanology. Views are my own.

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This visual of a great white shark going after a T. rex is so amusing to me. I don’t think it was intentional in this gallery, but the dinosaur looks so hassled running away at this angle. ⚒️🧪🦖

This gem is topaz!! It’s an 8 on the Mohs hardness scale. ⚒️🧪💎

Time for Guess the Gem!! What mineral do you think this is? Hint: this mineral is sometimes used as an abrasive since it is one of the harder minerals. ⚒️🧪💎

Calcite in thin plates sometimes called “schieferspar”. What’s your favourite form of calcite? ⚒️🧪

Showing off the very long neck of Patagotitan mayorum, a titanosaur. ⚒️🧪🦖

The answer is calcite!! It’s a very common mineral and can be cut into beautiful gems, but they are fragile. ⚒️🧪💎

Guess the Gem!! What mineral do you think this is? Hint: this mineral is sometimes used for its optical qualities. ⚒️🧪💎

Beautiful furry malachite!! You might be used to seeing the polished ones but these are great too! ⚒️🧪

Reposting one of my favourite fossils: Helicoprion bessonowi. How cool is this tooth whorl that came from a shark!! ⚒️🧪🦖🦈

Check out this fluorite specimen!! Look at the crystal faces!! It was most likely donated to the museum in the 1880s. ⚒️🧪

You probably haven’t heard of this rare mineral: kornerupine! It occurs in metamorphic rocks. ⚒️🧪💎

Are you excited for another Guess The Gem!! What mineral do you think these gems are? Hint: have you heard of prismatine? It’s close to that. ⚒️🧪💎

What a perfectly round geode with calcite crystals!! From Sierra del Gallego, Mexico. ⚒️🧪

Take a look at Aulacephalodon peavoti, a synapsid and one of the largest herbivores from the Permian. ⚒️🧪🦖

The answer is peridot!! This is a variety of the mineral species forsterite, a member of the olivine group. ⚒️🧪💎

It’s back to Guess The Gem!! What mineral or variety do you think these gems are (with a few crystals thrown in)? Hint: found in my favourite type of rock: volcanic!! ⚒️🧪💎

Thin crystals of wulfenite that are reminding me a bit of cereal for some reason. Am I feeling peckish this morning? ⚒️🧪

Sabre-toothed tiger, Smilodon fatalis, looking cool as always. ⚒️🧪🦖

Stalactites of limonite, an iron ore mineraloid that is a mixture of minerals, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This one probably has a lot of goethite in it. ⚒️🧪

Skin impression of a hadrosaur with a rib bone protruding through it. ⚒️🧪🦖

It’s a tourmaline!! You could also call it a watermelon tourmaline. ⚒️🧪💎

Guess The Gem time!! What mineral group do you think this gem is? Hint: this mineral group is known for crystals of many colours.

Fluorescent willemite from Franklin, USA. You can see a vein cutting across that does not have fluorescent minerals in it. ⚒️🧪

Bone bed containing bones from at least four amphibian predator Eryops, an amphibian predator. I’ll be impressed if you can find them all. There’s also bonus stomach contents! ⚒️🧪🦖

The answer this week is sapphire, a variety of corundum. This is a star sapphire, with small inclusions that cause the light to reflect in a star shape. ⚒️🧪💎

Guess the Gem time!! What mineral or variety do you think this gem is? Hint: it has an asterism. ⚒️🧪💎

Amethyst from Vălişoara, Romania, though its label has the old name Porkura, Hungary. You have to keep up with historical changes with old collections. Looks like beautiful crystalline coral! ⚒️🧪

The large marine reptile predator Rhomaleosaurus cramptoni, a plesiosaur. Would you rather come across this while out at sea or one of our modern ocean predators? ⚒️🧪🦖

The answer is chalcedony, which is microcrystalline quartz with some moganite. The shield shape of the gem is unusual. ⚒️🧪💎

Another Tuesday Guess The Gem for you!! What mineral or variety do you think this gem is? Hint: this variety is microcrystalline. ⚒️🧪💎