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A mineral is a naturally-occurring, solid, inorganic, crystalline substance having a fairly definite chemical composition and having fairly definite physical properties. At its simplest, a mineral is a naturally-occurring solid chemical. Currently, there are over 6100 named and described minerals - about 200 of them are common and about 20 of them are very common. Mineral classification is based on anion chemistry. Major categories of minerals are: elements, sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates.
Elements are fundamental substances of matter - matter that is composed of the same types of atoms. At present, 118 elements are known (four of them are still unnamed). Of these, 98 occur naturally on Earth (hydrogen to californium). Most of these occur in rocks & minerals, although some occur in very small, trace amounts. Only some elements occur in their native elemental state as minerals.
To find a native element in nature, it must be relatively non-reactive and there must be some concentration process. Metallic, semimetallic (metalloid), and nonmetallic elements are known in their native state.
The element carbon occurs principally in its native state as graphite (C) and diamond (C). Graphite is the common & far less valuable polymorph of carbon. A scarce polymorph of carbon is diamond. The physical properties of diamond and graphite couldn’t be more different, considering they have the same chemistry. Diamond has a nonmetallic, adamantine luster, typically occurs in cubic or octahedral (double-pyramid) crystals, or subspherical to irregularly-shaped masses, and is extremely hard (H≡10). Diamonds can be almost any color, but are typically clearish, grayish, or yellowish. Many diamonds are noticeably fluorescent under black light (ultraviolet light), but the color and intensity of fluorescence varies. Some diamonds are phosphorescent - under certain conditions, they glow for a short interval on their own.
Very rarely, diamond is a rock-forming mineral (see diamondite - www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/14618393527).
The rough diamonds seen here are from a Cretaceous-aged lamproite body at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. At the site, diamondiferous lamproitic rocks of the Prairie Creek Lamproite are exposed (actually, it’s just a field of rocky dirt). Diamonds are found regularly by tourists. The Prairie Creek Lamproite is an ultramafic pipe that intruded Proterozoic-aged (Grenvillian) basement rocks. Prairie Creek rocks are Cretaceous in age and date to about 106 million years old.
A strange myth has emerged over the years that says Arkansas diamonds are harder than diamonds from elsewhere. This is not true. Diamonds have a hardness of 10 on the Mohs Scale, whether they're from Arkansas or not.
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From park signage:
THE “CRATER” PIPE
The “Crater” diamond deposits are the result of a series of volcanic eruptions that carried a diamond-bearing magma called peridotite to the surface. This molten rock slowly cooled, forming a solid, vertical shaft or pipe.
Later, secondary eruptions occurred that shattered much of the peridotite. The fragmented mixture left by the eruptions formed a volcanic breccia that comprises the majority of the searching area. The intrusive peridotite, and a tuff and fine-grained breccia, also formed by the eruptions, cover the remainder of the mine surface.
STRATIGRAPHIC PROFILE
The volcanic eruptions forming the “Crater’s” pipe had to force their way upward through the layers of rock and sediment formed during Paleozoic and Mesozoic times.
Diamonds are located throughout the pipe - from the surface to an undetermined depth (possibly several thousand meters). The mine is simply the exposed surface area of the pipe.
TOPOGRAPHY
Surface features at the “Crater” today reflect the depositional, erosional, and weathering processes which have occurred since the pipe’s formation. Erosional forces, such as wind and water, have erased the original surface features of the pipe and surrounding rock formations.
Most of the exposed volcanic rocks tend to weather rapidly forming soils of various colors. It is in these soils that we find diamonds today.
In 1948, Glen L. Martin leased property to build a diamond processing plant. Martin’s plant operation lasted only eight months after recovering less than 250 carats of diamonds. The original location of the Martin Plant has been preserved. Its location lies just south of the Visitor Center.
DAZZLING DIAMONDS FROM THE CRATER
Over 85,000 Crater diamonds have been found. Each year an average of 600 are found.
1924 - The Uncle Sam, 40.23 carats
1956 - The Star of Arkansas, 15.33 carats
1956 - The Eisenhower, 6.11 carats
1960 - The Gary Moore, 6.43 carats
Over 24,000 diamonds have been found since Crater of Diamonds State Park was established in 1972.
1975 - The Amarillo Starlight, 163.7 carats
1978 - The Lamle Diamond, 8.61 carats
1981 - The Star of Shreveport, 8.82 carats
1986 - The Conell Diamond, 7.95 carats
1990 - The Strawn-Wagner, 3.03 carats
1997 - The Cooper Diamonds, 6.72 & 6.0 carats
1998 - The Dickinson/Stevens, 7.28 carats
An end to a mystery
Since 1906, when John Huddleston discovered the first diamonds in this field, people have wondered what was beneath this green soil surface. Just how deep and how large is this diamond deposit?
From 1990 to 1997, Arkansas State Parks and several international commercial mining companies conducted tests to determine the underground size and shape of the diamond deposit, and to evaluate the grade of diamonds from the mine.
Phase I testing determined that this is the world’s 8th largest diamond deposit, in size and shape. It extends over 660 feet into the earth. In phase II, 210 diamonds totaling 45.7 carats were recovered. This verified that a significant number of diamonds occur within this large deposit. However, the grade was less than commercially profitable at the time and interest in further testing diminished.
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Geologic provenance: Prairie Creek Lamproite (Prairie Creek Pipe), mid-Albian Stage, late Early Cretaceous, ~106 Ma
Locality: Crater of Diamonds State Park, just south of the town of Murfreesboro, Pike County, southwestern Arkansas, USA (34° 01’ 55” to 34° 02’ 05” North latitude, 93° 40’ 18” to 93° 40’ 25” West longitude)
Prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis), photographed near the Sidney east-bound rest area off Interstate Highway 80, west of Sidney, Nebraska on July 28, 2019.
Taken from our deck at sunset. We are getting more spectacular sunsets these days because of the fires in Glacier National Park. We are also getting lots of smoke!
Wigwam Burner & Sawmill at Prairie City, Oregon
Out here in the middle of nowhere this sawmill managed to avoid Oregon's ban on wigwam burners in 1983. .
More about these icons of the Pacific Nortwest here... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beehive_burner
Neg# BUGE 168. Mamiya RB67, 180mm, Y2 filter. PXP film. 1983
This was one of the largest prairie fires I have ever seen. It must be out of the ordinary for the burn crew as well because they stopped to take a picture too. This picture shows the scale of flames.
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission.
© Moelyn Photos. All rights reserved
Sunset light on the prairie at Blackwell Forest Preserve. This area is part of a large glacial kame. The grasses and wildflowers were amazing.
I must admit, I wanted to visit the ghost town of Dummer mainly because of its name. Once a thriving prairie village, it was apparently named for William Dummer Powell, a chief justice from Ontario. Dummer now has smattering of abandoned houses, some old rusty vehicles and a population of zero.
Dummer, Saskatchewan
I went back to the Government Grain Terminal today in hopes of of catching the Gryfalcon or Prairie Falcon in action. The Prairie Falcon showed up and unlike yesterday when it had a full crop, it was in a serious hunting mode. I saw it hit two Pigeons. These are my favorite shots from today.
Member of the Flickr Bird Brigade
Activists for birds and wildlife
Do you remember ? In 1974 the Ingalls family arrived on TV in the famous show : The Little House on the Prairie !
I wanted to build the house of the family, at Plum Creek, Minnesota, as we can see it in the show.
I created new torso decorations for the minfigs, except Charles, and a new hair piece for Caroline (quite bad).
There are many others pictures on my Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/88565614@N02/
This creation is also a Lego Ideas project ! Please support here : ideas.lego.com/projects/108635
Hope you like it !
Thanks to Athanor-Paris for is help in the picture taking.
Scenes from the April Prairie Rebellion show that took place in the Plaza in OKC.
The next event takes place at the same location at 8pm Sept 14th outside of Bad Grannies
Prairie crocuses grow in northern latitudes more or less all around the world. It is widespread in North America, appearing from Canada south to New Mexico. In Canada, it occurs in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and from B.C. east to Manitoba. Its prairie population has declined greatly since pioneer days because it grows in native prairie sod, most of which has been ploughed or cultivated.
On average, prairie crocuses start flowering in central Alberta about the third week of April. At this time, the mountain bluebirds are back searching for nest holes in trees or boxes, big flocks of snow geese are winging north, and aspen poplar is also blooming (catkins on male trees are shedding pollen into the air).
Prairie crocuses seem to be generally limited to unbroken prairie. It forms a partnership with fungi in the soil, exchanging nutrients. These fungi are important for its success in dry prairie soils. Occasional fires seem to greatly improve growing conditions for prairie crocuses, by boosting the supply of nutrients and sunlight when dry grass cover is removed. Two years after a fire, prairie crocuses bloom in much greater abundance (see Range Management, below).
The New Muon Lab, now part of the Fermilab Accelerator Science and Technology facility, Batavia, Illinois, September 2015
When I saw a rainbow begin to form, I grabbed this shot before I rushed off to a spot that would be perfect for the full bow...unfortunately the full bow never did form. Still, it is always a lovely sight to see such wonderful colors in the sky.
For Monochrome Bokeh Thursday! If interested, here is the color version: www.flickr.com/photos/kansasexplorer/15032126613/. In Lawrence, KS.
Faville Prairie
Wisconsin State Natural Area #3
University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum
~permission required to visit~
Jefferson County
The prairie falcons were in good form in northeastern Colorado today. This was the second of three that I saw near Jumbo (Julesburg) Reservoir. I watched this falcon from my car for 25 mintues before she took off...and for all that I almost missed it when she finally did!
Diadophis punctatus arnyi, Grant County Wisconsin, 23 May 2022.
Conditions were very dry and many ringnecks had moved from the dry bluff prairies into the adjacent woods and were found under bark, or in this case between the bark and the wood.
July 14, 2012: Canola field near Franklin, Manitoba, Canada
Canola refers to a cultivar of either Rapeseed or field mustard. Its seeds are used to produce edible oil suitable for consumption by humans and livestock. The oil is also suitable for use as biodiesel.
Originally, Canola was bred naturally from rapeseed at the University of Manitoba, Canada by Keith Downey and Baldur R. Stefansson in the early 1970s, but it has a very different nutritional profile in addition to much less erucic acid. The name "canola" was derived from "Canadian oil, low acid" in 1978.