View allAll Photos Tagged calcium
Kalkugnar, Östra Torp - Sweden
- A kalkugnar / lime kiln is an oven in which a calcium carbonate (CaCO3) containing raw material (shells or limestone) is burned, causing quick lime (CaO).
Store-brand antacid tablets, with calcium carbonate as the active ingredient. These are good for the occasional bout of heartburn, not for frequent occurences.
Sandstorms erode calcium rock into sculptural forms.
The 300-square-kilometer National park of the White desert is comprised of calcium rock formations that have been shaped by centuries of sandstorms in the Sahara Desert.northeast of Farafra is made up of calcium rock formations that have been shaped by hundreds of years of sandstorms in the Sahara Desert.
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It's unusual how jagged the stalactites and stalagmites in this cave are. Normally, calcium carbonate forms nice columns, while these are of all different forms. I must still search for some reasonable explanation. They are probably just usual rocks, only slightly covered by calcium carbonate.
Glistening in the late afternoon light at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Located in the Mammoth Hot Springs Region of the park. This impressive hydrothermal area has one of the world’s greatest collections of hot springs with terraces made up of travertine deposits. ( I believe this is the Minerva Springs formation)
Travertine terraces are formed from limestone. Thermal water rises through the limestone, carrying high amounts of the dissolved limestone (calcium carbonate). At the surface, carbon dioxide is released and calcium carbonate is deposited, forming travertine, the chalky white mineral forming the rock of travertine terraces. The formations resemble a cave turned inside out. Colorful stripes are formed by thermophiles, or heat-loving organisms.
Travertine formations grow much more rapidly than the more common sinter formations in the park because of the "soft" nature of limestone. Due to the rapid deposition, these features constantly and quickly change.
This is an active hydrothermal area, which means that the terraces and pools are constantly growing and changing. These “living sculptures” can be seen on foot over a series of boardwalks as well as out your car window on Upper Terrace Drive.
For more information, see: www.yellowstonepark.com/mammoth-hots-springs-inside-cave/
I almost skipped this summer's Perseid Meteor Shower, because the peak night coincided with a full moon, which promised to lighten the night sky and make all but the brightest meteors invisible.
But the nights have been refreshingly cool in the middle of the year's worst heat wave, and the Perseids are an extended show with a long, gradual buildup. So off I went, when the waxing moon was still a crescent, and still setting early. Nothing to lose except a little sleep.
And I decided to bring the Rokinon 8mm fisheye. Often I am not fond of the extreme curvature it gives horizons when tilted upward. So on this night, I decided to tilt it almost straight up to eliminate the horizon altogether. This necessitated crawling underneath the tripod to frame my shots, and I quickly learned that staying down was a good idea: my knees thanked me profusely, and view from down there was absolutely the best.
I lay there, exposing frame after frame, 30 seconds each, and thought I was going to get shut out. I finally decided, "One more frame and then I'm getting up." This is the truth. I really thought that. And that's when a long burn passed across the Milky Way, coming toward me. Remember that 8mm makes everything very, very small in the frame; this was a big one.
The green tinge of the trailing end indicates magnesium, while the faintly magenta halo near the front is from calcium. The Perseids are famous for their high magnesium and calcium content.
The great, glowing globe near the bottom right can only be Jupiter; also in the frame is Andromeda, the galaxy that is scheduled to collide with ours in 4-5 billion years. That will be exciting. I zipped up my down vest; it was 7°C (44.6°F) and downright chilly, placing a close second to the meteor for highlight of the night.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2022 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
This image is included in a gallery "Photo Gallery" curated by Ryan Miller.
The Buchan Caves are a group of limestone caves that include the Royal Cave and the Fairy Cave, located south-west of Buchan, in the East Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. They have a total length of between 3 and 4 Km, and six entrances.
The limestone rock at Buchan was laid down during the Devonian period about 300 – 400 million years ago. At the time, the sea covered this area of East Gippsland which was alive with shellfish and coral. Their remains were deposited in layers and over the years compacted to form limestone. The caves were formed by solution of the limestone.
The Buchan Caves are located approximately 360 Km from Melbourne, along the Princes Highway, north of Lakes Entrance. (Wikipedia)
Tours were conducted by candlelight and magnesium ribbon from 1907 until in the 1920s. During the 1920s and up until 1970, the caves were lit by power generated at the Buchan Caves Reserve. In 2008 both Royal and Fairy Caves were rewired with low heat and low voltage LEDs.
The magnificent Royal Cave is a through-tour with a separate entrance and exit. Connected by intimate passages, the cave features a number of large, heavily decorated chambers, including the Octopus Chamber, the massive Princess Royal Chamber, and the Skeleton Chamber. Noted decorations include the Crystal Portal, Niobe's Bower, Font of the Gods, Indian Rugs and the Temple of Peace (The Buchan Caves by Kent Henderson).
This is a handheld high ISO image taken in the Princess Royal Chamber, Royal Cave. The "Shawls" are beautifully backlit and side-lit to present their natural beauty. No tripods or flashlights are allowed in the cave.
Stalactite and stalagmite forms shawls, pillars and helictites and a permanent flowing stream. This is a wonder created by the soluble calcium carbonate. After passing through lime stone, the acid water becomes soluble calcium carbonate by mixing with the calcium carbonate in the lime stone.
For Macro Mondays theme 'Poisonous'.
My aim for this theme was to make a beautiful flower look evil. Numerous plants, including the calla lily, are poisonous due to the presence of calcium oxalate crystals. Their needle-like shape results in direct trauma to the soft tissues of the mouth and throat leading to pain and swelling. Large amounts are normally needed for serious toxicity as the unpleasant symptoms in the mouth mean it rarely gets ingested, but it can cause gastrointestinal irritation leading to acute vomiting and diarrhoea.
Explored June 12, 2017.
A photomicrograph of naturally occurring crystals derived from the urine of a Dwarf Mongoose. This is not an AI generated image. Microscopic colorless crystals become colorized through the use of a special polarizing technique called Nomarski Illumination. This image is about 250 microns wide. The crystals are composed of various salts excreted through the kidneys: uric acid, calcium, sodium, potassium, and chloride plus other organic waste. In my Tiny Worlds collection"
Telescopio: Tecnosky 110 mm f 7
Filtro: LUNT Calcium-K module BF 600
Barlow Televue Powermate 2.5X
Lunghezza focale: 1925 mm
Camere di ripresa: ZWO ASI 174 mono Cooled
Montatura: iOptron CEM60
Pegasus Focus Cube 2
Data: 28 Ottobre 2021 Ore: 12:23 Tempo Locale
Pose: 320 sommate su 2.000 riprese 163 fotogrammi al secondo
Seeing: 2 Antoniadi Trasparenza del cielo: 8
A small stalagmite, cave formed, specimen of aragonite. This specimen came out of Morocco. Suggesting a polydactyl hand with a thumb.
Aragonite is a mineral form of calcium carbonate (CaCO), a polymorph (same chemistry, different structure) of calcite, known for building shells (mollusks, corals) and forming needle-like crystals in caves (like "cave flowers"), often appearing as rosettes or "sputnik" shapes, used decoratively and as a calcium source for animals and soil. It's softer than calcite and forms under specific conditions, often converting to calcite over time, but provides readily available calcium for marine life and agriculture. Key Characteristics Formula: \(CaCO) (Calcium Carbonate) Structure: Orthorhombic, unlike calcite's trigonal system, leading to different crystal forms. Appearance: Can be colorless, white, yellow, red, brown, or blue; forms acicular (needle-like) or rosette crystals (e.g., "sputniks").Hardness: 3.5–4 on the Mohs scale, making it less durable for jewelry than calcite. Common Forms & Locations Biogenic: Found in shells of mollusks (clams, snails) and skeletons of corals. Speleothems: Forms in caves as stalactites, stalagmites, and delicate formations like "cave flowers". Mines: Found in Spain (named after Aragon), Morocco, China (blue aragonite), New Mexico, and Arizona.
Calcareous sinter is a freshwater calcium carbonate deposit, also known as calc-sinter. Deposits are characterised by low porosity and well-developed lamination, often forming crusts or sedimentary rock layers. Calcareous sinter should not be confused with siliceous sinter, which the term sinter more frequently refers to. It has been suggested that the term "sinter" should be restricted to siliceous spring deposits and be dropped for calcareous deposits entirely.
Calcareous sinter is characterised by laminations of prismatic crystals growing perpendicular to the substrate; laminations are separated by thin layers of microcrystalline carbonate. Calcareous sinter is porous due to the calcareous crystals enclosing many small cavities.Macrophytes are, consequently porosity is very low. Exclusion of species is due either to high temperature (travertine), high pH/ionic strength (tufa) or absence of light (speleothems).
A graduation tower (occasionally referred to as a thorn house) is a structure used in the production of salt which removes water from a saline solution by evaporation, increasing its concentration of mineral salts. The tower consists of a wooden wall-like frame stuffed with bundles of brushwood (typically blackthorn) which have to be changed about every 5 to 10 years as they become encrusted with mineral deposits over time. The salt water runs down the tower and partly evaporates; at the same time some minerals from the solution are left behind on the brushwood twigs.
Graduation towers can be found in a number of spa towns, primarily in Germany but also Poland and Austria. The mineral-rich water droplets in the air are regarded as having beneficial health effects similar to that of breathing in sea air.
Calcareous sinter is a freshwater calcium carbonate deposit, also known as calc-sinter. Deposits are characterised by low porosity and well-developed lamination. Calcareous sinter should not be confused with siliceous sinter, which the term sinter more frequently refers to. It has been suggested that the term "sinter" should be restricted to siliceous spring deposits and be dropped for calcareous deposits entirely.
A large complex of graduation towers is located in Ciechocinek, Poland. This entirely wooden construction was erected in the 19th century by Stanisław Staszic. The complex consists of three graduation towers with a total length of over 2 km. Many tourists visit it for health reasons.
Calcium oxalate crystals in garlic peel
Inspired by oldTor (thank you very much for your advice!) I searched for gems in garlic peel. Well, not so sucessful, but found a few sapphirs... :-)
Mitutoyo 50xHR, NA 0.75, tube lens: 165mm (Thorlabs)
Illumination: polarized and oblique
Telescopio: Tecnosky 110 mm f 7
Lunghezza focale: 770 mm
CMOS Capture: ZWO ASI 174 mono Cool
Mount: iOptron CEM60
Filter: LUNT Calcium-K module B 600
Data: 25 Aprile 2022 Ore: 10:53 Local Time
Pose: 228 sommate su 1.200 riprese a 149 fotogrammi al secondo
Seeing 3 Antoniadi, transparency of the sky 9
Labradorite ((Ca, Na)(Al, Si)4O8) is a calcium-enriched feldspar mineral first identified in Labrador, Canada, which can display an iridescent effect (schiller).
Labradorite is an intermediate to calcic member of the plagioclase series. It has an anorthite percentage (%An) of between 50 and 70. The specific gravity ranges from 2.68 to 2.72. The streak is white, like most silicates. The refractive index ranges from 1.559 to 1.573 and twinning is common. As with all plagioclase members, the crystal system is triclinic, and three directions of cleavage are present, two of which are nearly at right angles and are more obvious, being of good to perfect quality (while the third direction is poor). It occurs as clear, white to gray, blocky to lath shaped grains in common mafic igneous rocks such as basalt and gabbro, as well as in anorthosites.
The geological type area for labradorite is Paul's Island near the town of Nain in Labrador, Canada. It has also been reported in Poland, Norway, Finland and various other locations worldwide, with notable distribution in Madagascar, China, Australia, Slovakia and the United States.
Labradorite occurs in mafic igneous rocks and is the feldspar variety most common in basalt and gabbro. The uncommon anorthosite bodies are composed almost entirely of labradorite. It also is found in metamorphic amphibolites and as a detrital component of some sediments. Common mineral associates in igneous rocks include olivine, pyroxenes, amphiboles and magnetite.
Labradorite can display an iridescent optical effect (or schiller) known as labradorescence. The term labradorescence was coined by Ove Balthasar Bøggild, who defined it (labradorization) as follows:
Labradorization is the peculiar reflection of the light from submicroscopical planes orientated in one direction (rarely in two directions); these planes have never such a position that they can be expressed by simple indices, and they are not directly visible under the microscope.
Lisbon Mine, Little Mountain Mining District, Bighorn County, WY. Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3).
Telescopio: Officina Stellare APO 105 mm f 6.2
Filtro: LUNT Calcium-K module BF 600
Lunghezza focale: 651 mm
Camere di ripresa: ZWO ASI 174 mono Cooled
Montatura: iOptron CEM60
Data: 17 Marzo 2021 Ore: 10:44 Termpo Locale
Pose: 244 sommate su 2.030 riprese a 164 fotogrammi al secondo
Seeing: III Antoniadi Trasparenza del cielo: 8
Tufa Towers at Mono Lake.
Taken at sunset, Lee Vining, California, USA.
June 2013.
These unusual looking towers, called tufa, occur naturally and are made of limestone. They are formed by the interaction of freshwater springs containing calcium and carbonate-rich lake water. Mono lake is a large body of water and it has no outlet. For thousands of years, streams have carried salts and minerals into the lake and evaporation has removed water from it. Consequently the lake has high salt concentrations and is very alkaline.
Please do not download or use any of my photographs without first getting my approval. Copyright Rebecca Ang 2013. All Rights Reserved.
In its oddball Dutch/Transrail livery,56047 passes Water End,Nr,Newnham on 04/May/1995 with the late running Quidhampton to Willesden loaded Calcium Carbonate tanks.
The terraces at Canary Springs are perched on the edge of a hill. These terraces, composed of calcium carbonate (travertine), are part of Mammoth Hot Spring in Yellowstone National Park. Terraces that have active water flow are covered by orange, yellows and cream colored thermophilic organisms like cynobacteria and bacteria. The water for the hot springs comes from precipitation in the surrounding mountains that runs down into the subsurface. The water is heated at depth. As the water rises it dissolves limestone in the subsurface beneath Mammoth and the surrounding mountains. The hot carbonate rich water comes to the surface and forms the travertine terraces. Geologists estimate that at any given time about 10% of the water in Mammoth Hot Springs is on the surface. The other 90% remains underground.
Telescopio: Tecnosky HR 80/480 mm
Filtro: Lunt Calcium-K module BF 600
Lunghezza focale: 480 mm
Camere di ripresa: ZWO ASI 174 mono Cooled
Montatura: iOptron CEM60
Data: 25 Novembre 2020 Ore: 14:01 Tempo Locale
Pose: 160 sommate su 3024 riprese a 210 fotogrammi al secondo
Seeing: 3 Antoniadi Trasparenza: 8
Has was often the case,loadings on the Quidhampton to Willesden flow could be poor at times,such has on 31/May/1995 with 56037"Richard Trevithick" passing Deane with just 2 loaded Calcium Carbonate tanks.
The Anastasia Formation extends for 2 miles north along the shoreline with cliffs up to 15 feet high at the House of Refuge. Looking south from the end of the boardwalk, Bathtub Reef is visible.
Immediately ahead is an outcrop with small burrows, aminated crusts, solution pipes, a notch and an abrasion platform, and a mass of collapsed rock. Moving north along the beach moving toward the House of Refuge, there are several outcrops with conspicuous notches.
At the House of Refuge are prominent planar bedding, many fossils (including Busycon), small and large burrows, thick laminated calcium carbonate crusts, lithified infillings, solution pipes, notched cliffs, promontories and small coves, and many large masses of collapsed bedrock.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
segs.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SEGS-Guidebook-73.pdf
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
47234 passes through Basingstoke on 20/March/1993 with 6M73 Quidhampton to Willesden Brent loaded Calcium Carbonate tanks.
I have several names for this mostly dry falls that lies along the cliffs in the drainage just before Melody Falls on the walk up Cottonwood Canyon. "Dry Falls" doesn't quite fit because the rock surface is usually moist or wet even though a stream of water is not flowing. There can be water on this falls in the spring during snowmelt or after the rare summer cloudburst so maybe it should be called "Periodic Falls". I found small amounts of tufa, a porous limestone (calcium carbonate) that precipitates out of ambient temperature water, at the base of the falls. I usually call this feature "Tufa Falls". Since the waterfall is close to Melody falls but without a stream of falling water, "Unsung Melody Falls" has also been suggested. I have found no official name for this feature so these names are just my own.
Example of a pre-formed asbestos pipe insulation section. This particular material is similar to asbestos "magnesia" (magnesium carbonate-based) insulation, but differs in basic composition in that it contains "calcareous-siliceous" ingredients (calcium carbonate / calcium silicate) and is claimed to be very efficient for insulation of heat temps up to 1200-degrees F.
Drusilla is working on a science experiment and she is measuring out 20 grams of calcium carbonate, an antacid. Calcium is number 20 on the periodic table with an atomic number of 20 (20 protons and 20 electrons in a neutral atom).
Blythe a Day - Twenty - 4/20/24
Daunting Drusilla Blythe
Dress, sweater, glasses - Etsy
Green cabinet made by me from a box
Balance, beaker, flask, bunson burner, plant, periodic table - Barbie
Calculator, molecular model, body torso - Target
Book - eraser from Dollar Tree
Microscope cabinet - a photo I took of my microscope cabinet and printed
Chemical bottle, petri dish, flame - digitally added
Telescopio: Tecnosky 110 mm f 7
Camera di ripresa:ZWO ASI 174 mono Cooled
Daystar Quark Calcium H-Line · Optolong IR-CUT 50,8 mm
Lunghezza focale: 1925 mm
Montatura:iOptron CEM60
Data: 02 Gennaio 2022 Ore : 11:08 Local Time
Pose: 160 su 2.000 riprese a 165 fotogrammi al secondo
Seeing: 2 Antoniadi Trasparenza del cielo: 6
Detail of fiberglass fibers and bundles protruding from an edge of calcium-silicate pipe insulation material. Often with a higher heat-rating and a very similar appearance to asbestos magnesia insulation, this highly fibrous, vintage non-asbestos material was designed to compete with and eventually replace asbestos magnesia insulations.
The fiberglass material demonstrated above depicts a visually peculiar display of rather interestingly-shaped, straight, translucent fibers and bundles protruding throughout the insulation matrix; exhibiting characteristics somewhat unique, though not entirely exclusive for this material, such as: relatively uniform fiber width and straightness, cut bundle terminations, fiber elasticity, certain microscopic optical properties, etc.
Clifftop travertine pools formed by calcium carbonate deposits from evaporating mountain spring water.
Close-up detail of "Transite HT" sample, by BNZ Materials, Inc. BNZ acquired rights to use "Transite" as a registered tradename for a line of non-asbestos products that instead contain wollastonite (calcium metasilicate mineral), calcium silicate, crystalline silica (quartz), and natural organic fibers.
Fibrous detail of the fiber-cement board can be plainly discerned along a fractured edge of this sample material. With properties similar to original Transite asbestos-cement material, BNZ's "Transite HT" fibrous cement board is essentially absent the asbestos component and contains a reformulated composition with other fibrous ingredient substituted for asbestos.
This is a magical and fascinating place.
Winter conditions had some of the roads closed and one needs longer than a week to fully appreciate the wonders of the place'.
We did not have enough time to do the park justice.
Travertine terraces are formed from limestone. Thermal water rises through the limestone, carrying high amounts of the dissolved limestone (calcium carbonate). At the surface, carbon dioxide is released and calcium carbonate is deposited, forming travertine, the chalky white mineral forming the rock of travertine terraces. The formations resemble a cave turned inside out. Colorful stripes are formed by thermophiles, or heat-loving organisms.
Travertine formations grow much more rapidly than the more common sinter formations in the park because of the "soft" nature of limestone. Due to the rapid deposition, these features constantly and quickly change.
Taken from www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/terraces.htm
The other-worldly appearance of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone, Wyoming.
Mammoth Hot Springs
is situated on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park. It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the geo-thermal spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate. Although these springs lie outside the caldera boundary, their energy has been attributed to the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas.
Telescopio: Tecnosky 110 mm f 7
Lunghezza focale: 770 mm
Filter: LUNT Calcium-K module B 600
CMOS Capture: ZWO ASI 174 mono Cool
Mount: iOptron CEM60
Data: 18 Aprile 2022 Or: 11:48 Local Time
Pose: 230 sommate su 1.000 riprese a 147 fotogrammi al secondo
Seeing 3 Antoniadi, transparency of the sky 8, wind
As soon as you enter Yellowstone National Park through the Roosevelt Arch, you start climbing. A little bit into the park, you come across Mammoth Hot Springs, a large area of terraces from which mineral laden spring water flows. The calcium carbonate settles out and forms an intensely white and terribly stark backdrop against which various algae and other critters live in mats of green and red.
In the Cordillera de Sal (Salt Mountains), west of the Atacama Desert in Chile. And that white stuff on the ground, it's salt and calcium percolating out of the rocks, which is how the mountain range got its name.
June 2019.
Mono Lake is a 70 square mile, alkaline, inland sea with a salinity level ~2X that of the oceans. The lake’s alkaline pH of 10, high concentrations of carbonate and bicarbonate and the calcium provided by the underground springs yield the ideal conditions to form the mysterious structures known as tufas.
Telescopio: Officina Stellare APO 105 mm f 6.2
Filtro: LUNT Calcium-K module BF 600
Lunghezza focale: 651 mm
Camere di ripresa: ZWO ASI 174 mono Cooled
Montatura: iOptron CEM60
Data: 17 Marzo 2021 Ore: 10:44 Termpo Locale
Pose: 244 sommate su 2.030 riprese a 164 fotogrammi al secondo
Seeing: III Antoniadi Trasparenza del cielo: 8
One of my favorite places is Bear Lake which sits on the Idaho-Utah border. I enjoy looking at the blue, clear Caribbean-like water. Bear Lake contains abundant suspended microscopic particles of white-colored calcium carbonate (lime) that reflect the water’s natural blue color back to the surface, giving the lake its intense turquoise-blue color. This color is why Bear Lake is known as the “Caribbean of the Rockies.” These particles of calcium carbonate are mostly derived from limestones and dolomites found in the Bear River Range.
Bear Lake straddles the Utah-Idaho border, and slightly more than half of the 110-square-mile lake lies in Utah. At a maximum historic surface elevation of 5,923 feet, the lake is 20 miles long and more than 7 miles wide with a shoreline length of roughly 48 miles and a maximum depth of 208 feet. It is situated in the southern half of the nearly 50 mile long and 5 to 10 mile wide Bear Lake Valley. The Valley is bounded by the Preuss Range and Bear Lake Plateau on the east and by the Bear River Range on the west. While the valley’s west flank has an incline to the Bear River Range that is relatively gentle, the valley’s east side rises abruptly to the Bear Lake Plateau and Preuss Range. The floor of Bear Lake mirrors surrounding topography, with the steepest and deepest part of the lake bed located off the lake’s eastern edge. The east side of the lake and the valley is bounded by East Bear Lake fault which is responsible for the topography.
Bear Lake is regarded to be one of the oldest lakes in North America; however, its exact age is unknown. The longest sediment core extracted from the lake bottom indicates that the lake is at least 250,000 years old, but it is likely twice that old, and could be several million years in age. Most lakes, by their nature, are short-lived through geologic time because they tend to fill with sediment, becoming wetlands and eventually dry land. But if a basin deepens at a rate faster than sediments accumulate, the lake persists; such is the case with Bear Lake. With every ground-displacing earthquake on the eastern Bear Lake fault, the Bear Lake Valley drops. Consequently, dropping of Bear Lake Valley outpaces the accumulation of sediment on the lake bed. If the lake formed when the valley began to drop about 10 million years ago, then Bear Lake’s story is indeed very old.
In addition to a dropping basin, a lake needs a steady source of water to survive, especially in a semiarid environment such as the modern Bear Lake Valley. The Bear River is the largest stream flowing into Bear Lake Valley, but it has not always been connected to the lake. Without input from the river, the lake is sustained primarily by spring-fed streams and ground water entering the lake directly. Ground water provides a more consistent flow of water than local rain and snow-fed streams, enabling Bear Lake to persist through major climatic and hydrologic changes through long periods of time.
References:
Utah Geological Survey; Why is Bear Lake So Blue and Other Commonly Asked Questions; ugspub.nr.utah.gov/publications/public_information/pi-96.pdf
Scolecite (055)
2.1x1.5 inch
Nasik quarry, Nasik, Pashan, Pune (Poonah), Maharashtra, India.
Scolecite is a delicate, needle-like zeolite mineral (hydrated calcium aluminum silicate) known for its calming energy, forming in basalt cavities and often found with other zeolites like Apophyllite.
I have been to underground caverns where calcium and other mineral deposits form stalactites and stalagmites. Do you know the difference between the two? Stalactites hang “tight” from the ceiling and Stalagmites “might” reach the ceiling. Now lets get back to the image.
The first thing that came to mind when I arrived at Mono Lake is that someone had opened up some caverns. The most unusual feature of Mono Lake are its dramatic and alien looking tufa towers emerging from the surface.These rock towers form when underwater springs rich in calcium mix with the waters of the lake, which are rich in carbonates. The resulting reaction forms limestone.
I had not quite researched what these were before I went. Once there, the signs showing the water levels at various times in the past sounded very similar to the Aral Sea. The inland sea that was basically destroyed by some poor choices made by the Soviets who diverted the rivers that fed it to grow cotton in the desert. Aral sea is now all but gone and the area is a toxic wasteland. It is a depressing sight.
Pretty as Mono lake looked, its fate could have been not very different. Once again the cause was human greed. It was a matter of going after short term solutions and gains while ignoring the potential damage to the environment and future generations. At one point of time these tufas were underwater and they were basically killed off when the lake levels fell because the water was diverted to Los Angeles.
About the image:
It is a single exposure. The last one of the evening before heading to another location to shoot the night sky.
Telescopio: Tecnosky HR 80/480 mm
Filtro: Lunt Calcium-K module BF 600
Barlow Televue Powermate 2.5X
Lunghezza focale: 1200 mm ZWO T2 Tilter
Camere di acquisizione: ZWO ASI 174 mono Cooled
Montatura: iOptron CEM60
Data: 25 Novembre 2020 Ore: 14:19 Tempo Locale
Pose: 170 sommate su 2.031 riprese a 210 fotogrammi al secondo
Seeing: 3 Antoniadi Trasparenza: 8
Located in the California Desert, these pinnacles rise from the bed of the Searles Dry Lake basin. Some of the tufa spires reach 140 feet and were formed underwater 10,000 to 100,000 years ago. Newer pinnacles appear in the bottom right third of the photo; they look like they formed in the last 20 or 30 years.
Trona Pinnacles, California 2013
Telescopio: Tecnosky 110 mm f 7
Filter: LUNT Calcium-K module B 600
Lunghezza focale: 770 mm
Camera CMOS: ZWO ASI 174 mono Cool
Mount: iOptron CEM60
Data: 02 Aprile 2022 Or: 12:32 Local Time
Pose: 630 sommate su 1.500 riprese a 130 fotogrammi al secondo
Seeing 2 Antoniadi, transparency of the sky 4, many clouds