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#Sphalerite

4 posts

julierey.bsky.social @julierey.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

It’s absurdly pretty #azurite for me! Though #Sphalerite ‘s tiny crystalline ziggurats are charming too. #MinCup26

Janelle Shane @janelleshane.com · 03/09/2026

Oh wait here we GO ZnS nanosheets are basically sphalerite, and here's a paper where they got them to lase (badly). #Sphalerite is the laser choice for this round of #MinCup26 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

If you are a laser scientist, this set of graphs screams "laser! (albeit crappy)". The inset graph shows an exponential increase in brightness once the pumping intensity reaches a certain threshold. That "kink" is a classic sign of a laser turning on. The outer graph shows the spectrum narrowing as pump intensity increases (although there are a lot of individual lines, so this is likely multiple competing lasers at once).

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Janelle Shane @janelleshane.com · 03/09/2026

#Sphalerite is the mineral of choice according to my laser-focused #MinCup26 voting guide! Sphalerite is a zinc sulfide with varying amounts of iron in it, and although I don't know of anyone directly making a laser from it, ZnS is phosphorescent AND a semiconductor AND makes good infrared lenses.

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 3 Both zinc ore #Sphalerite and calcium plagioclase feldspar #Anorthite will split cleanly if you hit them with a hammer, but only one can claim a larger split of your votes! VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

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Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

A photo split between toothy translucent yellow crystals chewing on a grey rock and a blocky milky-yellow translucent crystal where every corner and edge is cut by a small oblique face.

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