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Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 1h

288 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Afghanite:
- A feldspathoid mineral
- Forms in altered limestone xenoliths or in veins cutting lazurite
- Named after Afghanistan, where it was first discovered in 1968 #minerals

Dark inky blue and pointy shaped afghanite crystal perched on white marble. From Badakhshan, Afghanistan.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

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Reposted by Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻

Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 1d

287 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Borax:
- A borate mineral
- Forms in evaporite deposits
- Turns opaque when it dehydrates
- Has many industrial uses, e.g. cleaning products, pH buffer, gold extraction
- Its name comes from the Arabic word "بورق/bauraq" (white) #minerals

Two white, rectangular borax crystals stacked on top of each other. Their surface has a powdery appearance. From Little Borax Lake, California, USA.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

A group of white tabular borax crystals on white and grey clay. From West Baker Mine, California, USA.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

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Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 13h

New keyring for my backpack courtesy of @grumpygryphon.bsky.social!

Link: www.sockmuffin.com/shop/pride-k...

An acrylic charm of a kobold, a brown skinned bipedal dragon looking creature with big ears, a tail and horns. It has an arm full of trans pride coloured gems (pink, white and blue). There are rainbow coloured spots on its body. The edges of the charm have a golden blue holographic glow.

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Reposted by Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻

Vojta Hybl @vojtahybl.com · 21h

Ahh I wrote & illustrated my first book!

It’s been a secret I’ve kept for over a year, but very excited to finally reveal ROCKS – published by @quartobooksuk.bsky.social in March 2026!

You can pre-order from all the usual places here: geni.us/Rocks

#SciArt #PortfolioDay #illustrator #BookSky

A beige book cover with a grey rock in the middle cut by white streaks. The title says ROCKS, below, the subtitle is A Guide to the Stones Around Us and the Stories They Tell, Vojta Hybl. Illustrations of rocks surround the cover.

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Reposted by Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻

Willow Creative @willowcreativ.com · 1d

"When are you starting a family"
Me: what do you mean my sons are right here

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Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 1d

287 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Borax:
- A borate mineral
- Forms in evaporite deposits
- Turns opaque when it dehydrates
- Has many industrial uses, e.g. cleaning products, pH buffer, gold extraction
- Its name comes from the Arabic word "بورق/bauraq" (white) #minerals

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Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, we have quite a few in the collection. You can view them on our online database: data.nhm.ac.uk

Welcome - Data Portal

data.nhm.ac.uk

Reposted by Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻

Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 2d

286 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Sylvite:
- A potassium chloride mineral
- Forms in evaporite deposits
- The official mineral of Saskatchewan in Canada
- Named after "salt of sylvius" a digestive salt named after François Sylvius de le Boe (1614-1672) a Dutch physician/chemist #minerals #MineralMonday

A cluster of cubo-octahedral sylvite crystals, translucent and colourless. From Stassfurt Potash Deposit, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

A rock containing white and red patches of sylvite intergrown with grey halite. From Solikamsk, Russia.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

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Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 2d

286 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Sylvite:
- A potassium chloride mineral
- Forms in evaporite deposits
- The official mineral of Saskatchewan in Canada
- Named after "salt of sylvius" a digestive salt named after François Sylvius de le Boe (1614-1672) a Dutch physician/chemist #minerals #MineralMonday

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Reposted by Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻

Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 2d

285 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Spodumene:
- Silicate mineral
- Forms in lithium-rich granite pegmatites
- Source of lithium, which is used in ceramics, batteries, medicine...
- Its name comes from the Greek "σποδούμενος/spodumenos" (burnt to ashes) because it forms a grey-white mass when burned #minerals

Pale green-grey opaque spodumene prism in a white pegmatite. From Ravensthorpe, Western Australia.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

A large, pale pink and translucent chunk of kunzite, a variety of spodumene. From Urupuca Mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil. This information is repeated on the display label.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

A transparent, beige spodumene crystal fragment. From Governador, Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

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Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 2d

Specimen with no label #MuseumLife

🏰meg⚔️ @Birthright Audiobook! @impavid.us · 5d

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand

I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.

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Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 2d

Haha, it is fun hearing how other people pronounce mineral names!

Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 2d

Congratulations! 💕

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Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 2d

285 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Spodumene:
- Silicate mineral
- Forms in lithium-rich granite pegmatites
- Source of lithium, which is used in ceramics, batteries, medicine...
- Its name comes from the Greek "σποδούμενος/spodumenos" (burnt to ashes) because it forms a grey-white mass when burned #minerals

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Reposted by Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻

Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 3d

284 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Analcime:
- A silicate mineral
- Also known as analcite
- Forms in basalt
- Its name comes from the Greek word "ανάλκιμος/analkimos" (weak), because it develops a weak electrostatic charge when heated (pyroelectric) or rubbed (piezoelectric) #minerals

Large white crystals of analcime. From Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, UK.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

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Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 3d

284 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Analcime:
- A silicate mineral
- Also known as analcite
- Forms in basalt
- Its name comes from the Greek word "ανάλκιμος/analkimos" (weak), because it develops a weak electrostatic charge when heated (pyroelectric) or rubbed (piezoelectric) #minerals

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Reposted by Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻

Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 5d

283 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Aluminite:
- A hydrous sulphate mineral
- Only 1-2 on the Mohs hardness scale (softer than fingernails)
- Forms via the reaction of sulphate solutions in clay or lignite
- Named for its aluminium content #minerals

A white nodular mass of aluminite, resembling an extremely lumpy piece of cauliflower. Has a label on it that says 284. From Newhaven, East Sussex, England, UK.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

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Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 5d

283 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Aluminite:
- A hydrous sulphate mineral
- Only 1-2 on the Mohs hardness scale (softer than fingernails)
- Forms via the reaction of sulphate solutions in clay or lignite
- Named for its aluminium content #minerals

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Reposted by Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻

Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 6d

282 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Tinaksite:
- A silicate mineral
- Forms in hydrothermally altered rocks
- Often associated with charoite
- Its name is based on its composition: titanium (Ti), sodium (Na), potassium (K), silicon (Si) #minerals

Diverging group of orange-brown prismatic tinaksite crystals (like a bundle of spaghetti) in white to pale lilac charoite with somne black sprays of aegirine. From Murunskii Massif, Irkutsk oblast, Russia.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

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Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 5d

Powerwolf!

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Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 6d

282 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Tinaksite:
- A silicate mineral
- Forms in hydrothermally altered rocks
- Often associated with charoite
- Its name is based on its composition: titanium (Ti), sodium (Na), potassium (K), silicon (Si) #minerals

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Reposted by Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻

Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 6d

281 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Pollucite:
- A zeolite mineral
- An ore of caesium
- Forms in lithium rich granite pegmatites
- It's named after Pollux, a Greek mythological figure who was the brother of Castor (who gives his name to castorite/petalite, a commonly associated mineral) #minerals

A white, slightly translucent chunk of pollucite with a rough powdery looking texture. From Bernic Lake, Manitoba, Canada.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

A rough, flattened spherical crystal of pollucite, beige and translucent. From San Piero in Campo, Elba, Italy.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

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Reposted by Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻

Callan Bentley @callanbentley.bsky.social · 6d

A log, petrified with malachite + azurite. University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), 2012. ⚒️

A big log sitting on concrete with a rock wall behind it and a scale pencil on top of it. The log is blue and green!

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Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻 @nadwgab.bsky.social · 6d

281 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Pollucite:
- A zeolite mineral
- An ore of caesium
- Forms in lithium rich granite pegmatites
- It's named after Pollux, a Greek mythological figure who was the brother of Castor (who gives his name to castorite/petalite, a commonly associated mineral) #minerals

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Reposted by Nadine, Haunter of Rocks 👻

Rudy wants revolution. @rude1.blacksky.team · 7d

I hear and see your concerns. Over the weekend, a couple users hosted on Blacksky's PDS were banned from the Bluesky app and thus the Bluesky API servers. This was a weakness of our system I've been aware of and hoped we had more time to address before any kind of public incident. 1/11

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