RHODOCHROSITE FROM ARGENTINA

Fig. 1. Massive rhodochrosite stalactites exposed in the Capillitas Mine, Argentina.  Photo courtesy of J. A. Saadi and The Giant Crystal Project.

 

The carbonates are a common and important group of minerals found in rocks of the earth’s crust.  All carbonates are distinguished by having a  CO₃ ion in their chemical composition.  Many carbonates are quite colorful such as the shades of calcite (calcium carbonate) and the blues of azurite (copper carbonate).  Most mineral collections contain numerous specimens of carbonates but three related minerals are of special interest: iron carbonate (siderite), calcium carbonate (calcite), and manganese carbonate (rhodochrosite).  The reason behind this interest is their solid solution relationship.  For example, in the popular collectable mineral rhodochrosite (MnCO₃), calcium, as well as iron, may substitute/replace the manganese; therefore, the mineral may exhibit many different shades of pink and red and the exact chemical formula varies with the differing amounts of manganese, iron, and calcium.  It is my understanding that “pure” rhodochrosite is rather rare.

The most “famous” rhodochrosite” crystals are the specimens collected from the Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado.  These rose-red colored crystals are prized by collectors the world over and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science has a fantastic display.  However, also of interest to many rockhounds are the “sliced and polished stalactites” from the Capillitas Mine in Argentina. These non-crystal specimens are very recognizable and occur as the principle gangue mineral in this lead-zinc sulfide mine (Fig. 1).  The minerals are the result of hydrothermal activity in the late Tertiary and may be the largest mass of rhodochrosite ever discovered (The Giant Crystal Project, 2011).  I treasure these slices for both their color and their uniqueness (Fig. 2). 
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Fig. 2.  Rhodochrosite (stalactites) from Capillitas Mine in Argentina. Specimens ~4 X 4 cm.

GEOPHILIA: COMMUNING WITH THE ROCKS

THREE GENERATIONS COMMUNE WITH NATURE

One of the great things about collecting and working with rocks, minerals and fossils is that I get out in the open spaces of nature.  For me, most anytime that I get out in the country, a”runners high” is achieved.  Physicians tell me this endorphin rush is related to strenuous exercise, pain, excitement, danger or stress.  In my case, I am convinced that the “rush” is simply related to the excitement of seeing birds and flowers and trees and rocks and whatever else is out there.  All of these external stimuli seem to trigger my pituitary and hypothalamus glands to produce these endorphins, a compound that sort of acts like an opiate to produce a feeling of well-being.

Erich Fromm (1964) used the term biophilia to describe our attraction to all that is alive and vital (animals and plants).  Edward O. Wilson (1984), in his book entitled Biophilia, stated that biophilia describes the connections that humans seek with other life forms, something that is inherent in our internal biology.  In other words, our “humanness” connects us with other living creatures and we have this affinity with nature ingrained in our genes.  Philias (the love of nature) are the opposite of phobias (our fears of nature).  We often use biophobias, think arachnophobia (fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (fear of snakes), or even xenophobia (fear of “foreigners”) to try and scare people, or even eliminate animals and people.  However, biophilias are used to calm and comfort people, think the use of green plants in homes and business or even the use of animals, especially infants, in all sorts of advertisements.  Research findings, especially by Robert Ulrich from Teas A & M University, seem to show that “nature” has a positive and calming effect on hospital patients.  I argue that experiencing, or even seeing “nature”, also has the same calming effect on most everyone.  Biophilias, I believe, can produce the release of endorphins and cause a feeling of well-being. 

In reading Wilson’s book he stated that most children have a bug period, and I never grew out of mine.  This got me to thinking about my childhood and my love of rocks, fossils and minerals and made me think that I had a rock period and never grew out of it.  For me, the endorphins seem to release as I climb among the ledges or simply reach down and pick up that shiny specimen of chalcedony.  I suspect that similar feelings are achieved by faceters and jewelry makers as they inspect their final projects. 

So, these thoughts made me ask “is there a geophilia hypothesis”?  The literature about such is quite scarce but Paul Faulstich in 2004 used the term to define a biologically based tendency to emotionally associate with the landscape and further believes this evolutionary heritage forms the basis for our conservation ethic.  I believe geophilia is much broader than Faulstich’s thought and should include our emotional association with all things geological, not just the landscape.  This would put the term in a context similar to biophilia.  Every morning I “need” to see Pikes Peak so I get that calming effect and that release of body opiates to notify my brain that “all is good” in the world.  I may be ill or in a cranky mood, but the vision of Pikes Peak reminds me that the natural world is still in order and that is a calming effect.

In the opposite spectrum, perhaps a geophobia would include a fear of a beautiful treed landscape with a trout stream running down the middle of the property.  Someone with that fear would likely envision the bustle of a housing sub development!  I don’t know!  I have not run across any specific listed geophobias, except perhaps spelunkaphobia (fear of caves) and acrophobia (fear of heights).

So, what does all this mean for readers?  Perhaps nothing except that this beautiful fall weather allowed me to do some thinking about the big picture of life.  But then again, perhaps it means that rockhounds have some sort of an evolutionary propensity, something built into our genes, that allows us to communicate with, and hear the call of, rocks, minerals and fossils.  I learned long ago that the rocks could really talk; one just had to listen and to understand!

Perhaps we need this relationship and affiliation with living organisms (biophilia) and the land (geophilia) to not only enhance our commitment of living sustainably with the earth, but also to live in a life full of moments of well-being.  I prefer this latter explanation!

The contemplation on this question during the day has lead to a very relaxed state of mind as I dream of flowers, quartz points, mountain peaks, and snakes in the grass.  Life is good.  Enjoy it to the fullest.

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.  John Muir,

This article was originally printed in the Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies.  However, the current and fantastic 2011 autumn weather, coupled with a recent camping trip to the Sawatch Mountains, has made me dream about communing with the rocks. 

NATURE SPEAKS: FALL ASPENS AT TWIN LAKES

REFERENCES CITED

Faulstich, Paul, 2004, Natural Considerations: The Human Ecology of Place-making: http://hdl.handle.net/1885/42130

Fromm, Erich, 1964, The Heart of Man. New York: Harper and Row.

Wilson, Edward O. 1984. Biophilia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.              

KEEP YOU EYES ON THE GROUND: CHIPPING SITES

Rocks of the Laramie Formation crop out in Ute Valley Open Space and Popes Valley.

It is “back in saddle” II.  After two months of fighting with my internet provider (no signal to load photos) and several months of camping, often with a unproductive laptop, I am back with my trusty desktop!  My camping trip involved five weeks in Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas.  I was able to observe some fantastic geology and pick up some neat specimens.  Much of my time was spent on “blue highways” (back roads), a feat that is always exciting for me.  I hope to detail the trip in an article(s) for the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies Newsletter (www.rmfms.org) and the CSMS Pick & Pack (www.csms.us).

I leave fairly close to Ute Valley Open Space, a park-like open space of several hundred acres in northwest Colorado Springs.  The bluffs and valley walls present numerous well-exposed outcrops of the Upper Cretaceous Laramie Formation (Fig. 1) including abandoned coal mines, rock quarries, upturned hogbacks, and an area perfect for hiking, bird watching, and plant identification.  Rocks of the Laramie Formation, so well exposed in the open space, represent the final regression of the vast Western Interior Seaway that flooded what is now Colorado during much of the Cretaceous Period (~144 to ~65 million years ago).  As the rocks weather, unconsolidated sand is produced along with tightly cemented ironstone concretions that often blanket the surface.  In addition, pebble and cobbles of the nearby Pikes Peak “granite” (Precambrian in age, ~1.05 Ga), along with component pieces of quartz and feldspar, are scattered over the surface.  The granite, quartz, and feldspar were deposited by streams coming down from the nearby mountains post-deposition of the Laramie (probably Pleistocene). 

 Ironstone and sandstone concretions often blanket the unconsolidated sand in Ute Valley Open Space.

 Most days I take my daily hike through the rocks and trees and always see “something” new and exciting.  Geologists have a habit of walking with their eyes on the ground looking for interesting objects; I am no exception.  Recently, I spotted an accumulation of small rocks/minerals that seemed rather “out of place” among the ironstone and sandstone cobbles blanketing the surface.  Upon closer observation, I noticed several fragments of brightly colored red jasper, beautiful dark amber chalcedony, and various other pieces of microcrystalline quartz.  These fragments are not “local”, at least I do not recognize their provenance.  I have seen similar minerals out in the Colorado Plateau but it would be a stretch to assign these fragments to that area.

 Fragments of microcrystalline quartz may represent a Native American chipping site.Small knife for scale.

 I am not an archaeologist but it is my guess these fragments represent a chipping site for a group of Native Americans, perhaps Utes, but that is a personal assumption.  It is interesting to note the fragments were in a small deflation basin where wind has blown the unconsolidated sand “away”.  That is most likely the reason why an earlier discovery was not made.  I took a few pictures and then gently covered up the site with sand as regulations prohibit the collection of such items on land managed by the City of Colorado Springs.

So, keep your eyes on the ground (the road if you are a Doors fan, as in Roadhouse Blues) and observe something new everyday!