iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Quick #MineralMonday from me! Have a few hematite included quartz and smoky crystals! Also congratulations to quartz winning the mineral cup!

Quartz crystal with small red hematite specks.

Quartz crystals with small red hematite specks. A smaller crystal grows perpendicular to the main crystal.

Smoky quartz crystal point on some orange microcline feldspar.

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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

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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 · 07/08/2026

That is an interesting observation! There are many signs which indicate the use of chatbots — predictable text patterns, repetitive conversations, and a stagnant tone are a few signs you are communicating with a chatbot. It is important to remember chatbots are not experts in the geosciences.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Phonolites are definitely up there as some of my favorite rocks! Due to the low silica content, you get some especially wacky minerals! Here is a sample of tuperssuatsiaite (brown needles) and villiaumite (red gemmy clusters) in phonolite!

Photograph of mineral specimen. Green-brown needles of tuperssuatsiaite and red transparent crystals of villiaumite in a phonolite vug from Namibia.

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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 · 29/07/2026

From my observations, this specimen does not show any twinning. Maybe one day in the future I will find a nice sample with twinning.

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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 · 20/07/2026

I have been a little suspicious of a couple of these accounts myself.

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

Always a pleasure! Thank you again!

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Reposted by CatWithRocks

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

I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this article! Thank you for sharing

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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

I would love to see if you are able to find it!

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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

There is a good chance your piece is also Celestine. The mineral can take on several forms from the tiny colorless crystals to large blue crystalline masses. A good way to check if your sample is celestine is to check the density. Celestine contains strontium which makes samples fairly heavy.

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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 · 26/05/2026

Sunstone have an optical property known as schiller, which is an silky looking sheen of color within the stone. In Oregon Sunstones this can be anywhere from red to orange to green. Schiller often occurs along the crystal lattice, you can see this in the parallel planes of schiller in mine.

Red lines showing where the planes of the crystal lattice are. These are where the schiller is occuring. The schiller in this specimen is copper colored.

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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 · 24/05/2026

I would absolutely love to see some of those!

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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 · 10/05/2026

Is that St. Peter's Dome area perchance? 👀

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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 · 01/05/2026

You are more than welcome to! I'll answer them the best I can!

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Its difficult to say from the photos but from everything I'm seeing it is very likely epidote.

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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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