From owner-rockhounds-digest@drizzle.com Sun Aug 15 10:17:40 1999 Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 17:28:07 -0700 From: rockhounds-digest Reply-To: rockhounds@drizzle.com To: rockhounds-digest@drizzle.com Subject: rockhounds-digest V1 #71 rockhounds-digest Thursday, August 12 1999 Volume 01 : Number 071 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 20:29:48 EDT From: EMe3026537@aol.com Subject: YELLOW STONE. can anyone tell me the name of any bright yellow cabochon material and maybe where to buy some? thanks! ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 21:39:15 -0400 From: Kreigh Tomaszewski Subject: Re: YELLOW STONE. Tigereye (golden, with chatoyance), heliodor (golden beryl), chrysoberyl, vesuvianite, scapolite, titanite, apatite, citrine, yellow fluorite, topaz, some garnets, datolite, adamite, legrandite, and some barites, wulfenite, and axinite. You ought to be able to find most of them at various dealers sites on the web. You could start with the dealers listed on my rockhounds page, linked off my home page referenced below. Have fun making yellow cabs (which will probably be cheaper than taking a yellow cab - sorry, couldn't resist). Kreigh Tomaszewski Mailto:Kreigh@Tomaszewski.net Please visit our family web pages at http://Tomaszewski.net EMe3026537@aol.com wrote: > > can anyone tell me the name of any bright yellow cabochon material and maybe > where to buy some? thanks! > ################################################################# > # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # > # to with the following keys: # > # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # > # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# > ################################################################# ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 22:51:11 -0400 From: Kreigh Tomaszewski Subject: Re: geodes/agate/quartz? Alan, I'm no expert, but I've come across some information in my collecting that might be relevant and want to toss my $0.02 into this discussion... Alan Silverstein wrote: > > > ...quartz crystals do not have to form "out of a melt"... > > crystals found in igneous rocks, say in the pegmatites of the Colorado > Rockies, were formed by hydrothermal deposition, not by cooling from > magma? I'm pretty sure that the quartz found in pegmatites and granite is from melt and not later hydrothermal deposit. > > What I'm asking is, can faceted quartz crystals form from magma at all, > or are they necessarily hydrothermal? Perhaps both, do they form in a > "wet hollow" in the magma as it cools and the water concentrates? Magma contains many different components, each with their own melting point. When the magma cools below the melting point of some substance, such as quartz, it solidifies out of solution. If the cooling is slow large crystals have a chance to form. If it cools quickly you get smaller crystals and a larger variety of minerals. Pressure has some influence too. > > > Second, most geodes are not really metamorphic... > > Based on discussion here in R&F many months ago, I thought the geode or > vein contents themselves were considered metamorphic, whatever the host > rock. > > > ...these minerals do not really fit into our traditional threefold > > division of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. They are > > simply "hydrothermal mineral deposits"... > > I thought the previous discussion concluded that there was no consensus > for a fourth rock category, and the hydrothermal deposits were simply to > be considered a type of metamorphic... No? This is an interesting question and I am not sure if concensus has been reached. I have understood hydrothermal to be igneous (as in smoker vents at the mid-atlantic ridge), metamorphic (veins, geodes), and sedimentary (deposited from water by definition) so it is a modifier for any of the three categories generally accepted. > > I realize that this is more a semantics game than a physical reality, > but I'd like to know the correct common model. I agree - can anyone else help? > > > ...it that it may have more to do with the rate that the solutions > > cool and deposit minerals -- agate or chalcedony is probably deposited > > rather quickly (perhaps originally as a silica gel or as opal), and > > quartz crystals probably grow more slowly. > > That makes sense. Does it explain why crystals are more often seen in > the center of geodes, "inside" the agate, rather than vice versa? It > sounds like the depositional event might start quickly and then taper > off. However, if it's temperature-related then I'm still puzzled; that > would require initially low temperatures (for the agate) followed by > increased temperatures (for the crystals). Don't forget the effects of pressure. You also have do deal with the concentration of the mineral in solution - both absolute concentration, and relative concentration with other minerals. Quartz might be soluable in some other mineral in the solution too, which could prevent or enhance its crystilization depending on the mineral and conditions. > > You indicate that what matters is the rate at which the solutions cool. > So, a fast cooling results in agate and a slow cooling results in > crystals? Any speculation on why crystals-inside-agate are more common > than the opposite? > > It's fun to try to explain this to friends in the field, and it would be > nice to have my facts right. :-) > > Thanks, > Alan Silverstein I hope my comments helped your understanding. And if anyone more knowledgable than I can correct or enhance this explanation (and I know from experience you are lurking out there ;-), please speak up. I certainly would like to understand this issue better too. Kreigh Tomaszewski Mailto:Kreigh@Tomaszewski.net Please visit our family web pages at http://Tomaszewski.net ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 00:38:06 EDT From: Rocknlight@aol.com Subject: Re: YELLOW STONE. Hello I assume you mean true Yellow color, like true blue, not Holley blue / Lavender... etc etc. What first comes to mind are yellow diamonds. They are usually much less expensive that white. You could make some small cabs, with some lower grade / heavily included - yellow diamonds. Or if money is no object, go for the high grade yellows $$$$$$$$$ Also there are some forms of yellow Prehnite, less $$ than diamonds Others are Apatite and Fluorite, easier to find and less $$ still.. This last one I will mention may be your best bet, as it can be made into large cabs, it is a yellow green marble named Verde Antique, it is from near Victorville California. Some Verde Antique slabs can be of good bright yellow color. Ask the List. Good Luck RnL ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 00:55:06 -0500 From: "kevin k conroy" Subject: Re: YELLOW STONE. Hi! If anyone out there has a bunch of well crystallized terminated legrandite big enough that you're considering using it for cutting material, I would be VERY happy to trade you 10 times the weight in cleavage galena! All the best, Kevin www.kcminerals.com - -----Original Message----- From: Kreigh Tomaszewski To: rockhounds@drizzle.com Date: Wednesday, August 11, 1999 8:41 PM Subject: Re: YELLOW STONE. >Tigereye (golden, with chatoyance), heliodor (golden beryl), >chrysoberyl, vesuvianite, scapolite, titanite, apatite, citrine, yellow >fluorite, topaz, some garnets, datolite, adamite, legrandite, and some >barites, wulfenite, and axinite. You ought to be able to find most of >them at various dealers sites on the web. You could start with the >dealers listed on my rockhounds page, linked off my home page referenced >below. Have fun making yellow cabs (which will probably be cheaper than >taking a yellow cab - sorry, couldn't resist). > >Kreigh Tomaszewski > >Mailto:Kreigh@Tomaszewski.net >Please visit our family web pages at http://Tomaszewski.net > >EMe3026537@aol.com wrote: >> >> can anyone tell me the name of any bright yellow cabochon material and maybe >> where to buy some? thanks! >> ################################################################# >> # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # >> # to with the following keys: # >> # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # >> # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# >> ################################################################# >################################################################# ># To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # ># to with the following keys: # ># subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # ># rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# >################################################################# ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 02:42:57 EDT From: NeophyteSG@aol.com Subject: Re: Etching Stone In a message dated 8/11/99 5:07:18 PM Pacific Daylight Time, FOSSILNUT@aol.com writes: > If you can make a mask out of a rubber sheet and glue it to the stone, > someone with an air abrasive unit, using silicon carbide or alumina may be > able to produce the desired pattern. Where would I look for someone to attempt this? Yellow pages under "Sandblasting" and ask if they can do silicon carbide or alumina? Appreciate the help! Warm Regards, Shawn ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 02:43:04 EDT From: NeophyteSG@aol.com Subject: (no subject) I'm taking a one week vacation down to the Grants Pass area of Southern Oregon on August 22-29. I realize the area is probably more known for its gold prospecting sites but I'd really appreciate anyone who can give me suggestions on rock or fossil collecting sites in that area. I'd prefer locations within a fifty mile radius of Grants Pass but will take all suggestions. Warm Regards, Shawn ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 07:40:55 EDT From: RGANGUE@aol.com Subject: Re: YELLOW STONE. Hi All, I'm interested in the legrandite xls too. I'll trade 20 times the wieght in galena that other guy is way too cheap only offering ten pounds times the wieght. Cheers, Stan Perry rgangue@aol.com ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 08:47:34 -0400 From: dewindt-robson@juno.com Subject: Re: YELLOW STONE. There are lots of yellow minerals, but not many suitable for cabbing. Barite and calcite are too soft, fluorite is too brittle, legrandite and mimetite seldom occur in large enough pieces (which should be sent to me for safe-keeping if anybody finds any), and heliodor and chrysoberyl are awfully expensive. Depending on the size of the cabs you want to make, and whether or not you need them to be transparent, I suspect the most affordable option will be some type of jasper. I have seen some nice stones showing a combination of yellow and brick-red streaks, and with luck you ought to be able to cut an all-yellow cab from that. If it needs to be more transparent, your most affordable option would be citrine or agate, unless you have the money to go with topaz, which would probably be ideal. All of these options would be hard enough for good jewelry and easily handled. Of course, if the purpose does not require natural purity, you could dye a white stone or put a clear one over a yellow backing. That would let you choose the exact color you want, and it would be cheap even for a large cab. HTH. Ed DeWindt-Robson ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 15:42:35 +0200 From: PELCKMANS.H@JS.MIL.BE Subject: FW: Springfield Show - meeting This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. - ------_=_NextPart_001_01BEE4C7.33EF6C4A Content-Type: text/plain Hi all, Could he who proposed a list member meeting at the Springfield Show please get in contact with Marty Zinn (his email address is included below) and let the list know the results ? Thanks, Herwig Herwig Pelckmans Worldwide Mineral Collector Belgium (Europe) e-mail (work) pelckmans.h@js.mil.be > -----Original Message----- > From: MZ0955@aol.com [SMTP:MZ0955@aol.com] > > any chance that the group would like to have a "regional" meeting at the > Springfield MA show? Marty Zinn - ------_=_NextPart_001_01BEE4C7.33EF6C4A Content-Type: text/html Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable FW: Springfield Show - meeting

Hi all,

Could he who = proposed a list member meeting at the Springfield Show please get in = contact with Marty Zinn (his email address is included below) and let = the list know the results ?

Thanks,    Herwig

     Herwig = Pelckmans
Worldwide Mineral Collector
     = Belgium  (Europe)
e-mail (work) = pelckmans.h@js.mil.be

-----Original Message-----
From:   MZ0955@aol.com [SMTP:MZ0955@aol.com]

any chance that the group would like = to have a "regional" meeting at the
Springfield MA show? Marty = Zinn

- ------_=_NextPart_001_01BEE4C7.33EF6C4A-- ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 09:44:08 -0400 From: Gail Scowcroft Subject: Re: dolerite in British Isles Thanks to everyone who sent me info on dolerite from the British Isles. (I love this list!) Now what would be great would be to find a specimen. If anyone has or knows where I might be able to buy a specimen of spotted dolerite from South Wales, I would greatly appreciate it. Gail *************************************************************************** Gail Scowcroft Associate Director Office of Marine Programs University of Rhode Island Narragansett, RI 02882 401-874-6724 FAX 401-874-6486 ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 99 08:57:54 -0400 From: bodhi Subject: Re: YELLOW STONE. I don't think anyone has mentioned yellow opal. It comes in a nice bright yellow and is not too expensive. It should be available in the NW US. ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 09:48:26 -0400 From: Hilton Freed Subject: trip question ... Dear Fellow Rockhounds, I am planning my next great collecting trip. I am thinking of flying to Denver and going to Mt. Antero in Colorado then driving to Topaz Mountain in the Thomas Range, Utah. Any suggestions for side trips between Mt. Antero and Topaz Mtn. ? Sincerely, Hilton Freed Information Specialist 919-677-8000 x6044 SASHDF@wnt.sas.com And be sure to browse our homepage at: http://www.sas.com ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 10:18:30 EDT From: SJRPRIME@aol.com Subject: Re: Sandblasting Stone In a message dated 8/12/99 2:56:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time, NeophyteSG@aol.com writes: << If you can make a mask out of a rubber sheet and glue it to the stone, > someone with an air abrasive unit, using silicon carbide or alumina may be > able to produce the desired pattern. Where would I look for someone to attempt this? Yellow pages under "Sandblasting" and ask if they can do silicon carbide or alumina? Appreciate the help! >> Greetings, I'd suggest a monument company(as in gravestones). This type of work is exactly what they do and they should have the rubber masking sheet and all the necessary skills to do the job right for you. Steve R ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 11:03:31 -0400 From: Jack Nelson Subject: Non-Tasmanian Crocoite For what it's worth. My Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, (1979) states: In California crocoite has been found with wulfenite at the lead mines at Darwin, Inyo County, and at the El Dorado Mine, Indio, Riverside County. A few specimens were also found with wulfenite and vanadinite at the Mammoth Mine at Tiger, Pinal Co. Arizona" Three or four years ago I had a conversation with George Stevens of George Stevens Minerals of Tucson, Arizona, and he told me that the Mammoth Mine crocoite specimens were later identified as vanadinite from specimens collected in the late 1800's and held by the Smithsonian Institution. Jack Nelson ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 20:52:12 -0700 From: "Scott Blair" Subject: Re: trip to Grants Pass Shawn: Specifically, the areas that I know of along the Rogue River that are good for agate hunting are the stream gravels along the last mile of both Little Butte Creek, and Bear Creek, just before they empty into the Rogue. These creeks are in the Medford area, and access is a bit touchy but you can get to some of the gravels from the bridge over Little Butte Creek on Agate Road. Likewise I accessed Bear Creek from the bridge on Kirtland Road. From there it's just scrambling, stumbling and wading downstream. The Grants Pass club's field trip chairperson is Wally Coleman, and his telephone Number is (541) 471-3337. He might be able to help you with sites in GP. I live in Ashland which is 40 miles south of Grants pass, so it might be worth your while to connect with me on collecting sites. There are some other interesting areas down here, and I can certainly help put you onto something: - -Oligocene leaf fossils in light tan volcanic tuff - - Cretaceous marine fossils near Siskiyou Summit, - - Agate flat dendritic agate (very nice, and more productive than stream gravels) - several other sites to hunt for varieties of agate and petrified wood. - -some nice fossil sites out on the coast. (although they're better in winter) My phone is (541) 482-0545 and my email address is sblair@internetcds.com Feel free to contact me if I can be of any help. - - Scott Blair ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 21:57:33 +0200 From: "Dillen" Subject: RE: Etching Stone I couldn't agree more. Please refrain from using HF or any solution or agent that contains HF unless you are a chemist thoroughly trained to used it with the extensive and necessary safety precautions. You need special gloves and clothe protection, special vessels, fume hood and a way to get rid of any spilled HF, even if it's only a few drops. The slightest contact of whatever part of your body causes irreversible very heavy burn injuries. Especially eyes are extremely vulnerable. Vapours of HF tend to concentrate under your fingernails, and I have known personally someone who lost nearly all of his fingernails that way. So if using HF be aware of what you're doing ! Best regards, Rik Dillen Doornstraat 15 B-9170 Sint-Gillis-Waas Belgium Tel. + 32 3 770 6007 E-mail dillen@online.be Homepage : http://user.online.be/dillen/index.html >>> Belgian minerals (ardennite, vantasselite, ferristrunzite and more) >>> An own find on a Korean stamp >>> Exchange list Mineral collector's page http://www.xs4all.nl/~mineral/index.html >>> The Dana errata page >>> The virtual quarry >>> Antwerp mineral show >>> and much more ! >-----Original Message----- >From: owner-rockhounds@drizzle.com >[mailto:owner-rockhounds@drizzle.com]On Behalf Of Walter Bowser >Sent: dinsdag 10 augustus 1999 4:31 >To: rockhounds@drizzle.com >Subject: Re: Etching Stone > > >I would imagine tha HF would be an agent which could be used. You would >have to have a very good control method for the masking agent. Wax or >plastic material could be used as a masking. One could use a masking >agent then scribe the lines needed. I WOULD NOT DO IT, HOWEVER AS I DO >NOT KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT IT. I have done that with limestone and HCl. >That is a method similar to etching for offset on stone. > >WARNING > >USE ALL CAUTIONS AND DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE MATERIALS WITH >WHICH YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR AND GET PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. > >WALT ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 16:15:41 -0400 From: "Ray Rodebaugh" Subject: RE: Etching Stone How many times must we go through these redundant series of postings regarding the dangers of HF? Things like this should be in the FAQ (is there still one?) and people asking about them should privately be referred there. ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 16:45:00 EDT From: NeophyteSG@aol.com Subject: Re: Sandblasting Stone In a message dated 8/12/99 7:47:16 AM Pacific Daylight Time, SJRPRIME@aol.com writes: > I'd suggest a monument company(as in gravestones). This type of work is > exactly what they do and they should have the rubber masking sheet and all > the necessary skills to do the job right for you. > > Steve R Blessed be the list, for in it thou shalt find wisdom! Thanks! :) Warm Regards, Shawn ################################################################# # To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Rockhoundz List, send mail # # to with the following keys: # # subscribe rockhounds (or) unsubscribe rockhounds # # rockhounds@drizzle.com | http://callisto.golder.com/rockhoundz# ################################################################# ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 23:09:57 +0200 From: "Dillen" Subject: Sun eclipse (off topic) This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_000C_01BEE517.CBB68EA0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Hi all, Because you are all nature lovers, I think that it is appropriate to tell you something about the total sun eclipse of yesterday, that could be viewed in northern France, southern Belgium, Luxemburg, south Germany, and further in Austria, Hungary, Roumenia, Turkey, Irak, Iran, Pakistan and Northern India. I apologize to those who are quite strict on "mineralogical topic subjects". Yesterday we drove about 250 km south (Northern France) to see the total sun eclipse. This was one of the most spectacular events in my lifetime ! There were many clouds in France, but thanks to my brother-in-law who knows a lot about cloud movements at different heights, at 15' before the totality moment we drove just in time to a nearby hilltop where he had predicted an opening in the clouds would be present. And indeed, we arrived on a small "sunny" (the eclipse was already 99 % at that moment) spot. The difference between 99 % and 100 % is unbelievable. It's like someone turns out the light using a dimmer. This happens in about 2-3 seconds. The first effect is that all the birds stop singing abruptly, nature is absolutely quite, breathless. Starting from 5-10 minutes before totality the temperature drops to a level about 5 to 10°C lower. The light is very strange : it's nearly as dark as during the night, but the difference is that around you the horizon is a reddish-orange haze, just as if the whole world around you is burning. The faces of people in your neighbourhood become faint-pale colored. We could observe the corona of the sun and protuberanses only during the first seconds of the totality, because the clouds hampered further viewing. But the light of the whole scenery (we could actually see the horizon everywere around us) was hallucinant. Eventually the same guy turned the light back on after 2 minutes of absolute magnificent spectacle... and in a few seconds all the birds began to sing again ! I understand now people who actually travel to any country when a total sun eclipse occurs. BTW the next total eclipse that can be seen in our country is somewhere in the year 2142... I don't think that I will see that one ! In the afternoon after the eclipse northern France and the whole of Belgium was turned into one massive traffic jam. We needed about 7 hours to return home (250 km). No, we did not collect minerals on our way home... Best regards, Rik Dillen Doornstraat 15 B-9170 Sint-Gillis-Waas Belgium Tel. + 32 3 770 6007 E-mail dillen@online.be Homepage : http://user.online.be/dillen/index.html >>> Belgian minerals (ardennite, vantasselite, ferristrunzite and more) >>> An own find on a Korean stamp >>> Exchange list Mineral collector's page http://www.xs4all.nl/~mineral/index.html >>> The Dana errata page >>> The virtual quarry >>> Antwerp mineral show >>> and much more ! - ------=_NextPart_000_000C_01BEE517.CBB68EA0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hi = all,
 
Because you are = all nature=20 lovers, I think that it is appropriate to tell you something about the = total sun=20 eclipse of yesterday, that could be viewed in northern France, southern = Belgium,=20 Luxemburg, south Germany, and further in Austria, Hungary, Roumenia, = Turkey,=20 Irak, Iran, Pakistan and Northern India.
 
I apologize to = those who=20 are quite strict on "mineralogical topic subjects".
 
Yesterday we = drove about=20 250 km south (Northern France) to see the total sun = eclipse.
This was one of = the most=20 spectacular events in my lifetime !
There were many = clouds in=20 France, but thanks to my brother-in-law who knows a lot about cloud = movements at=20 different heights, at 15' before the totality moment we drove just in = time to a=20 nearby hilltop where he had predicted an opening in the clouds = would be=20 present. And indeed, we arrived on a small=20 "sunny" (the eclipse was already 99 % at that moment)=20 spot.
The difference = between 99 %=20 and 100 % is unbelievable. It's like someone turns out the light using a = dimmer.=20 This happens in about 2-3 seconds. The first effect is that all the = birds stop=20 singing abruptly, nature is absolutely quite,=20 breathless. Starting from 5-10 minutes before totality the = temperature=20 drops to a level about 5 to 10=B0C lower. The light is very strange : = it's nearly=20 as dark as during the night, but the difference is that around you the = horizon=20 is a reddish-orange haze, just as if the whole world around you is = burning. The=20 faces of people in your neighbourhood become faint-pale colored. We = could=20 observe the corona of the sun and protuberanses only during the first = seconds of=20 the totality, because the clouds hampered further viewing. But the light = of the=20 whole scenery (we could actually see the horizon everywere around us) = was=20 hallucinant.
Eventually the = same guy=20 turned the light back on after 2 minutes of absolute magnificent = spectacle...=20 and in a few seconds all the birds began to sing again = !
 
I understand = now people who=20 actually travel to any country when a total sun eclipse occurs. BTW = the=20 next total eclipse that can be seen in our country is somewhere in the = year=20 2142... I don't think that I will see that one !
In the = afternoon after the=20 eclipse northern France and the whole of Belgium was turned into one = massive=20 traffic jam. We needed about 7 hours to return home (250 km). No, we did not collect minerals on our way=20 home...
 
Best=20 regards,
 
Rik Dillen
Doornstraat = 15
B-9170 =20 Sint-Gillis-Waas
Belgium
 
Tel.   + 32 3 770=20 6007
E-mail   =20 dillen@online.be
=
 
Homepage = : http://user.online.be/di= llen/index.html
>>> Belgian = minerals=20 (ardennite, vantasselite, ferristrunzite and more)
>>> An own = find on a=20 Korean stamp
>>> = Exchange=20 list
 
Mineral collector's=20 page
http://www.xs4all.nl= /~mineral/index.html
>>> The = Dana errata=20 page
>>> The = virtual=20 quarry
>>> Antwerp = mineral=20 show
>>> and = much more=20 !
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