iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Bournonite has my vote today! It is a mineral species I have fallen in love with over the years! #MinCup26

CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

For this #MineralMonday I am getting an early start on the Mineral Cup! First match up is Azurite vs. Smithsonite and my vote will be for Azurite! The specimen I chose is a sample I collected a few years back! #MinCup26 #TeamAzurite

Photograph of a mineral specimen. The mineral is a deep blue Azurite crystal from Utah. Self Collected.

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

What’s that? For #MinCup26, our 10th year of minerals battling it out for your affections, we drew from ANY year to pick our returning minerals? That’s a lot of joy and heartbreak from one little list! www.mineralcup.org/2026/mineral...

mineralcup.org

Mineral List — Mineral Cup & Ore Cup

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

It's #MineralMonday and today I have some hematite for y'all! A classic iron oxide. I was able to get some beautiful micro photos of this specimen!

Micromineral specimen of Hematite. The Hematite is the dark metallic crystals. Note the growth lines on the crystal face. This specimen is from Switzerland.

Micromineral specimen of Hematite. The Hematite is the dark metallic crystals. This specimen is from Switzerland.

Micromineral specimen of Hematite. The Hematite is the dark metallic crystal. This specimen is from Switzerland.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Happy #MineralMonday everyone! I know I have been slacking, but I hope you will take some Gypsum (var. Selenite) as my apologies. This specimen is curled into a "ram's horn" shape!

Photograph of a mineral specimen. The white elongated crystals are the mineral Gypsum var. Selenite. The curved shape is referred to as a ram's horn. This specimen comes from Mexico.

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Brandon Bishop @brandontbishop.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Agates from Mexico (@agatesfrommexico.bsky.social) is absolutely a chat bot. No ability to retain context between replies in the threads it makes. Do with this information what you will.

Subthread of responses that came up in relation to departmental closures. First response by Agates from Mexico reading: "That's genuinely sad to see. Petrographic microscopes alone reveal things no other tool can — extinction angles, pleochroism, twinning. Losing that hands-on mineralogy infrastructure at the undergraduate level has real consequences for the next generation of geoscientists." and concluding later with: "This comment seems to be about workforce surveys and employer preferences — not about agates or geology! Looks like it may have been sent to the wrong account. We're all about Mexican agates here 🪨"

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Psss... it's #MineralMonday... I got you a nice little Galena crystal cluster. I hope you enjoy and have a nice day!

Lead-grey galena crystal cluster with minute quartz and sphalerite crystals. The Galena shows a cubic crystal habit with bevals along {111}. This specimen comes from Bulgaria.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Happy #MineralMonday everyone! I was able to pick up a few new specimen this weekend! One of my favorites it this bournonite crystal, a sulfosalt mineral. Hope y'all have a great day!

Dark lusterous crystal of bournonite against a white background. The main crystals is striated and has smaller bournonite crystals growing off of it. This specimen is from Yaogangxian Mine in China.

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Richard Gibson @richardgibson.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

#MineralMonday Multicolored chrysocolla coating hemimorphite crystals; blue-green balls = chrysocolla coated thinly with malachite fibers. 40 mm, probably 79 Mine, Arizona USA ⚒️ #geology . No MAGA! Science = Resistance! #standupforscience

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Always a pleasure! Thank you again!

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Greg @suq.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Your post inspired me to learn more about the locality (i only knew they were from spain), and i found a fun article detailing a bit more about it: www.mcdougallminerals.com/blog/the-pyr...

mcdougallminerals.com

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Richard Gibson @richardgibson.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

#MineralMonday Covellite, Butte, Montana USA. Left edge of large blade is 12 mm. ⚒️ #geology . No MAGA! Science = Resistance! #standupforscience

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

For #MineralMonday I got y'all a classic specimen! Pyrite from Navajún, Spain which produces some of the best specimens in the world. These specimen are textbook pyrite cubes with sharp edges which clearly illustrate pyrite's cubic crystal system.

Photograph of a mineral specimen. Two excellent metallic yellow cubes of pyrite in a buff color marl. The edges of these crystals are sharp and well defined. This specimen comes from Navajún, Spain. The edge of the largest cube is 1.1 cm in length.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Heyo! It's #MineralMonday again! Today I have a cool crystal for y'all, Red Beryl in rhyolite from Utah. It is a rare variety of beryl which is colored red from trace amounts of iron and manganese!

$Mineral specimen of Red Beryl in a rhyolite tuff. The Beryl crystal is a purplish red color and forms hexagonal crystals. This particular crystal is largely fractured into three separate parts and is 8 mm in length. This specimen comes from Beaver County, Utah.$

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

First #artfight attack of the year for @leafora.bsky.social and @sushiikando.bsky.social! I had a blast drawing these two and I apologize for any trauma I inflicted. #TeamMystery #Furry #FurryArt

Traditional artwork of two characters, a minotaur and sheep lost in a labyrinth. The minotaur has brown fur and dressed in a plaid shirt, blue jeans, and a tan sun hat. She has a look of fear upon her face which shows her paralyzing fear of becoming lost. Next to the minotaur is a smaller anthropomorphic sheep sorcerer dressed fine black clothes with a red cape with serpent imagery. She is looking up at the minotaur in an attempt to comfort her.

This is a traditional piece done with ink pens and color pencils.

Adelaide the Minotaur belongs to @leafora.bsky.social
Lillith the Sheep belongs to @sushiikando.bsky.social

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Happy #MineralMonday y'all! Today I got a fairly new specimen of Cuprite from Arizona! Cuprite is a simple oxide with a cubic structure which is evident in the octohedral red crystals you see in this specimen!

Photograph of a mineral specimen taken by a digital microscope. The lustrous red crystals are the mineral Cuprite, a simple copper oxide. The small crystals display an octahedral habit. The largest crystal seems to show a modified octahdral habit. This specimen comes from Arizona.

Photograph of a mineral specimen taken by a digital microscope. The lustrous red crystals are the mineral Cuprite, a simple copper oxide. The crystals are timy adorable octahedrons. This specimen is from Arizona.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

It's #MineralMonday! You know what that means. I get to show you a cool rock! Today I got some native copper with some absolute gorgeous oxidation! I had to get a few pictures! This specimen comes from Michigan!

Mineral specimen under a microscope. It is native copper with red, blue, and green oxidation on the surface. It is associated with green epidote. This specimen is from Michigan.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

I am happy to report that I will be participating in #artfight this year! Y'all better watch out! >:3 #teammystery #furryart #dnd

Team Mystery character card for Artfight 2026. In the top corner is yours truly, a grey anthropomorphic cat in herringbone cap and red bow tie. He is holding a magnifying glass on his right paw. He is meant to be dressed as a detective. Snapshots of four characters of mine are in the lower boxes. Moving left to right:

Landon - A grey anthropomorphic house cat leaning over two boxes and staring at a shiny green rock. He is my main fursona and the self proclaimed "cat with rocks".

Aaz - A green vampire lizard with brown hair and red eyes. He is dressed in a classic gothic vampire outfit.

Dur (De'err) - An Aarakocra Ranger based off an American Kestral. They are a bit stupid, in an endearing way, denoted by the ellipses above their head.

Kuzu Elahorn: A Fey Wizard. He is a homebrew D&D 5.5e race called a sheepkin which is a shapeshifting sylvan creature. He is dark skinned with white wool-like hair and rose colored eyes.

The card includes several other details about myself and how I intend on playing which I will summarize below.

User - CatWithRocks
I Attack - Anybody! (Especially if you have cool rocks) >:3

Friendly Fire: Yes
Revenge: Yes
Mass Attack: No

Characters I Have: Human, Anthro, D&D OCs

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Today for #MineralMonday I got a small piece of Celestine from Turkmenistan! It is only 3 mm in size but with a microscope you can see excellent little crystals.

Photograph of a mineral specimen taken from a digital microscope. The specimen is the mineral celestine, a strontium sulfate, which are the clear double terminated crystals. This specimen is from Turkmenistan.

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Nadine, Hunter of Rocks @nadwgab.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

One of these days I'll make some more mineral pride flags. Here's one I made a few years back (check the alt text for specimen details)

Six photo slices of minerals arranged into a rainbow collage and below that, the six photos of the mineral specimens used for the collage. The crocoite consists of red, elongate crystals, from Tasmania, Australia. The wulfenite is tabular, interlocking orange crystals, from Arizona, USA. The sulphur is a mass of yellow crystals, from Sicily, Italy. The malachite contains curved banding in varying shades of green, from Russia. The azurite is a dark metallic blue resting on top of green malachite, from Arizona, USA. The amethyst consists of a mass of purple, translucent crystals, from Lake Superior, Canada.

All specimens are on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

A throwback specimen for #MineralMonday today! I got this specimen of Microcline var. Amazonite and Smoky Quartz back in June of 2021. Crazy how time flies!

Photograph of mineral specimen. Blue colored amazonite which is a variety of microcline feldspar. It also has a light grey smoky quartz crystal grown with it. This specimen is from Park Co., Colorado.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

I once again fashionable late to #MineralMonday. Today I have an Oregon Sunstone which is not only the state's gemstone but has a high concentration of copper in the crystal structure! Not to mention all the optical properties!

A photograph of a mineral specimen. The image is of a rough yellow gemstone of Oregon Sunstone with planes of copper schiller parallel to each other. This specimen is from Oregon (if you can believe it!)

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

I recently got a new microscope which is a huge upgrade for me! I took a photo of a Mordenite I shared several weeks ago for comparison. I'm excited to play around with it some more!

Microscope photo of the mineral Mordenite which are the white acicular crystals. This image was taken with my new digital microscope.

Microscope photo of the mineral Mordenite which are the white acicular crystals. This image was taken with my old digital microscope.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Sorry for a bit of a hiatus. I recently moved, but I am back for another #MineralMonday! Today I got a very interesting fluorite specimen with beveled edges! This contrasts with the typical cubes and octahedrons crystals you typically see.

Photograph of a mineral specimen under a microscope. The mineral is a lavender colored transparent fluorite crystal. It resembles a cube however the edges are beveled in. This is a result of a modified crystal growth. This specimen comes from Arizona.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Been awhile since I've shared some lapidary work. So have a pretty little moss agate cabochon! #lapidary

A photo of two objects. On the right is a orange and green moss agate cabochon. This cabochon was cut and polished by myself. On the right is a penny for scale.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Sharing some of my personal finds for #MineralMonday today! Quartz crystals with a vibrant red hematite coating. I collected these in July of 2024 from the Pikes Peak Batholith region.

Mineral specimen against white background. Quartz crystals clusters covered in a bright red hematite coating. The specimen is from the Pikes Peak Batholith, Colorado. Self Collected in July 2024.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

I bestow upon thee a cute little Axinite crystal cluster for #MineralMonday. Have a wonderful day y'all!

Photograph of a mineral specimen in an acrylic box with foam. Brown to purple Axinite crystal cluster with tabular triclinic crystals.

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Erika Anderson @andersonmineral.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

One of my favourites!! You might be used to seeing cubes of fool’s gold but sometimes pyrite is more pyramidal in shape. #MineralMonday #GeoscienceBluesky ⚒️🧪

Specimen of shiny gold coloured pyrite in the shape of a large pyramid with two smaller ones coming off its left side. The faces have small growth marks in them in a squiggly shape. It’s on a black background and part of a plexiglass label below it saying pyrite. At the Sorbonne.

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Richard Gibson @richardgibson.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

#MineralMonday Kyanite, Barra de Salinas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. 8.8 cm. ⚒️ #geology . No MAGA! Science = Resistance! #standupforscience

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Happy #MineralMonday everyone! Today I got for you a excellent Cinnabar crystal on Dolomite with Quartz from Hunan Province, China. Cinnabar is toxic from it's mercury content so it should be stored safely.

A photo of a mineral specimen. The dark red translucent crystal in the center of the photo is Cinnabar and it is sitting on white rhombohedral crystals of Dolomite. Two clear Quartz crystals are also growing on the Dolomite and can be seen in the top right of the photo and directly beneath the Cinnabar. This specimen is from Hunan Province, China.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Y'all know what day it is! It's #MineralMonday! Today I got another zeolite mineral for you, a spikey balls of Mordenite!

A microscope photo of a mineral specimen. The fine white needles are a mineral called Mordenite and it is in a pocket of the mineral Heulandite. Both of these minerals are in the zeolite group. This specimen comes from Skamania County, Washington.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

It's #MineralMonday! Today I got a recent acquisition of Lévyne-Ca. I absolutely adore zeolites and this is probably my favorites! This specimen comes from Oregon (I'd love to find some there one day).

A microscope photo of a mineral specimen. The central clear tabular hexagonal crystal is Lévyne-Ca. This specimen comes from Grant County, Oregon.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

It's #MineralMonday (and I am fashionably late). Today we have a stunning little specimen of acicular Malachite crystals with such a rich green color. I've recently acquired many more microminerals so they will soon be shared!

A photo of a mineral specimen. The bright green needle-like crystals are Malachite, a hydrous copper carbonate. The Malachite is on a dark grey host rock. This specimen was collected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Richard Gibson @richardgibson.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

#MineralMonday pyromorphite-mimetite series, var. campylite (from Greek for bent or curved), on yellow-white barite. S'Ortu Becciu Mine, Donori, Sardinia, Italy, about 6 cm across. #geology . No MAGA! Science = Resistance! #standupforscience

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Cam Muskelly (Explorer of Deep Time ⏰ ⚒️) @cambriancam.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Welcome back to #mineralmonday These are beautiful red Spessartine crystals. This particular specimen comes from Fujian Province, China. Spessartine is a species of magnesium rich Garnet that can be deep red or orange in color. They pop out very nicely with the association of Feldspar and Quartz.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

A quick #MineralMonday from me today! I present black balls of Todorokite on clear acicular Tiptopite! Very obscure and weird friends for y'all!

Microscope photo of a mineral specimen. It consists of black spheres of Todorokite on clear needle like crystals of Tiptopite. This specimen is from Custer Co., South Dakota.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Gotta share this incredible work done by @neofangz.bsky.social! Go give them some love!!!

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Happy #MineralMonday from a particularly exhausted cat! Today I am showing off another old one of mine, an excellent crystals of Vivianite! It is pleochroic and a phosphate so I am naturally a huge fan!

A mineral specimen of dark green translucent Vivianite crystal with excellent faces.

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Naturae Lapides @naturaelapides.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

#MineralMonday for all ! Nice metallic grey shiny crystals of Andorite, from the type site in Romania. With Pyrite and Quartz for a perfect combination.

Metallic grey crystals of Andorite from Romania

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Richard Gibson @richardgibson.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

#MineralMonday Terminated, brown hübnerite crystals (manganese tungstate), with tetragonal (square) white stolzite (lead tungstate) crystal on left front, quartz on back. 9 mm high, from Black Pine Mine, Montana USA⚒️ #geology . No MAGA! Science = Resistance! #standupforscience

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Happy #MineralMonday y'all! I bestow upon thee a fine micro specimen of vibrant blue Clinoclase on green botryoidal Cornwallite. Both minerals are copper arsenates so don't lick them!

A micro mineral specimen of dark blue lustrous Clinoclase forming prismatic crystals on a soft botryoidal green Cornwallite. This specimen comes from Pershing County, Nevada.

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Autunite @autunitevulpes.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Not mine to keep, but some cinnabar I recently acquired. Note the twinning red crystals. Locality: 凤凰县/鳳凰縣, 湖南 (Xiangxi Yunnan) Cinnabar is a mercury metal ore that has been known since the deep past, it was used for refining mercury and making red dyes. Wash your paws after handling. ❗

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Happy #MineralMonday peeps! Today I got an oldie from my collection, purple and blue Fluorite cubes on Muscovite with Quartz.

A mineral specimen of blue to purple Fluorite cubes sitting on grey Muscovite with a little bit of orange iron staining. White Quartz crystals are also growing on the Muscovite. This specimen is from China.

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Nadine, Hunter of Rocks @nadwgab.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

A Swiss hematite rose for all you mineral lovers #MineralMonday #minerals

A mass of platy crystals of black metallic hematite, resembling a rose. There's a sprinkling of small thin crystals of red rutile on each hematite "petal", and at the centre of the "rose" is a quartz crystal. From Cavradi Gorge, Switzerland.

Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Y'all know what today is! It's #MineralMonday! Today I have a funky little geode with golden needles of Millerite (NiS) inside!

A mineral specimen of a small geode with white Calcite and golden needles of Millerite in the cavity.

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Richard Gibson @richardgibson.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

#MineralMonday Yellow brucite, magnesium hydroxide, from Muslim Bagh Ophiolite, Killa Saifulla Dist., Balochistan, Pakistan. 52 mm.⚒️ #geology . No MAGA! Science = Resistance! #standupforscience

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Douglas Merson @flameryder.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Elpidite Na₂ZrSi₆O₁₅·3H₂O Poudrette quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, La Vallée-du-Richelieu RCM, Montérégie, Québec, Canada FOV = 3.50 mm #3991 NFS #MineralMonday

A spray of colorless elpidite crystals arranged around the tip of a colorless quartz crystal. There are several other quartz crystals in the image. Colorless gaidonnayite crystals cover the matrix in the lower right quadrant.

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

Richard Gibson @richardgibson.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

#MineralMonday Spessartite garnet, Wushan Mine, Tongbei, Yunxiao County, Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province, China. Largest crystal about 5 mm.⚒️ #geology . No MAGA! Science = Resistance! #standupforscience

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