Enargite

Enargite

I purchased a small bucket of "tumbler rocks" at the Richland Lithic and Lapidary Society annual show last summer.  I finally started to look through them the other day looking for a few to add to my tumbler for the optimal charge.  This rock looked pretty nondescript except on one tip.  I found, as you can see, that it had some material embedded in it.  Surrounding it was a milky translucent material.  The thing with stood out to me about the dark part was that it seemed to me to be some sort of crystal.  It looked like maybe a double cube.  I decided that because of the crystal formation this must be a mineral.  I read that the term for this particular type of crystal is isometric.  Cubes fall into this category.  I had trouble finding it in my guide until I picked up on the property of its metallic luster shown in this shot.  I checked its hardness and found it to be between 2 and 3.  I checked its streak and found that it was grayish black.  I tried prying it lightly with my fingernail and it split off.  

Enargite

The crystal is just slightly over 1/8" long.  As you can see, the face to the left is almost perfect.

Enargite

This view should be mentally rotated 180 end for end.  It should then be rotated along the long axis 90 degrees to position it as you see it in the first shot.  

The chemical composition is Cu3AsS4.  It is a common copper mineral probably from the West.

I am very glad that I examined the mix of rocks because this would have been ruined in the tumbler.

 

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Mushroom Coral

Mushroom Coral

This is one I picked up in the local stream.  I thought it unusual as soon as I saw it.

Mushroom Coral

My eye was drawn to the rhythm of the gills.

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Winter Art

Lilypad Stems

We had two or three days of below freezing weather a few weeks ago.  The ice on the pond went beyond "thin".  These lilypad stems seemed like art to me.  The white spots are air frozen in the ice.

Holiday Star

Again, the ice is getting thicker and a stem protruded through it.  This lovely ice star formed from the frosty air.  I loved it!

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Waterlily

Waterlily

The ice was becoming thicker the other morning.  One of the first things I noticed at the pond was how the water had frozen up around the Lily pads.

Waterlily

There are few of these left.  We won't see them until next spring.  

Waterlily

I saw these three together in a line and thought they might make an interesting composition.

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Thin Ice

Thin Ice

I have a series I call Thin Ice.  I have had occasion to add to it recently.  I find the "random" shapes formed by the freezing water quite interesting.

Thin Ice

This ice formed in a depression.  The water drained from beneath it leaving only the ice.  The first thought that went through my mind was to break it.  That was the child in me.  I then thought that it would make an interesting image.  I was able to position my tripod above so that I could shoot down.  

Thin Ice

 This turned out a little differently than I expected when I shot it.  I shot from the elevated walkway above the front pond.  I was trying to get a straight down shot but the surface of the board walk was icy and I did not feel comfortable mounting my camera on the tripod set on it.  This shot was a concession.  I really liked the way it turned out.

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