RHODOCROSITE, A RED/PINK MINERAL

 Rhodocrosite

This relatively rare mineral consists of manganese carbonate (MnCO3) and is a gemstone prized for its red to pink color with some white bands. It rarely forms large crystals. It is a rather soft mineral, however. On the Mohs Hardness Scale (1 to 10) for minerals, it scores at 3.5 to 4; thus it is rather delicate for jewelry (use care).

Figures 1 and 2, both from the Smithsonian Institution (open access).

 

Rhodocrosite  rarely forms large crystals. It occurs in the trigonal crystal system and commonly occurs in rhomboid-shaped crystals. Thus, it has typical calcite cleavage (i.e., rhombohedral). It forms often as a hydrothermal-vein mineral at low-to-moderate temperatures (e.g. in certain ore deposits).  It can co-occur with silver, lead, zinc, and copper sulphide ores. 

Rhodocrosite is mined in Montana (Butte area), Colorado, Peru, Argentina [= the national stone], Romania, and South Africa, and this mineral is source of manganese. 

This reddish-pink mineral is used in jewelry, and is also sought after by mineral collectors.

References

Berry, L.G. and B. Mason. 1959. Mineralogy: Concepts, Descriptions, Determinations. W.H. Freeman and Company, San Francisco. 630 pp.

Sorrell, C.A. 1973. Rocks and Minerals. Golden Guide Book. Guide to field identification rocks and minerals. New York. 280 pp.

“Reflection Bridge On Water”

This title sounds like the title of a painting, but it has been used for real reflection bridges. The most famous one is the “Devils Bridge” [also known as the Rakotzbrucke], located in Germany. That bridge reflection forms a perfect circle, which has been known for over a century, photographed extensively, and also used in recent TV commercials. For more information about these kinds of bridges, see “bridge reflections” on YouTube.

Getting back to the picture at hand, I recently discovered this image while taking a walk in a local-housing project that has water canals and a few, very small bridges. Nevertheless, the photograph I recently took is indeed a “reflection bridge on water,” although it is elliptical shape, rather than a circle, it is still interesting (if you care about these kind of things).

The Carpenter Bee

This bee, which is close to bumble-bee in size, is solitary and has a shiny black carapace (body) with thin wings that have a reddish brown sheen. It is known for drilling perfectly round holes into wood (it seems likely that is how it got the common name “carpenter bee”).  It is a solitary bee that hibernates during winter. Starting in late March, one individual showed up in my yard. A few weeks later, another specimen (same one?) showed up.   

This unusual bee is native to Europe and is one of the largest bees that lives there. It makes its nests in dead wood. 

Females have a stinger, whereas the males do not (they are harmless). 

It is restricted to latitudes near or above 30 degrees or so. It is found in Europe, India, central China, and southwestern USA (i.e., southern California. ).  To date, I have only seen two specimens, and they like
purple flowers.

Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Arthropoda

Class Insecta

Order Hymenoptera

Family Apidae

Genus Xylocopa

Type Species X. violacea (Linnaeus, 1758).

Two views of the same carpenter bee.

VULTURE

 KING VULTURE

This bird is a large scavenger bird with wingspan up to 6.5 feet. These birds weight up to about 7.5 pounds. They have an orange fleshy carbuncle on the beak. The rest of the animal is predominantly white (back and belly) with black wings. They lack a voice box but can make low croaking noises.

Figure 1. Image of a vulture via the Smithsonian Institution (open access).

This bird lives in tropical forests from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. It is non-migratory. They will just anything but especially like carrion (e.g., dead meaty cattle and dead fish). It can lives 30 years in captivity. They live alone. They can soar for hours over  mountains.

Classification

Kingdom Animala

Phylum Chordata

Class Aves

Order Accipitriformes

Family Cathartidae

Genus Sarcoamphus

Type Species S. papa

This species is the last surviving species of this genus. Their numbers are decreasing primarily due to habitat loss.

Reference

Wikipedia, 2026

THE GREATER “BEE FLY”

 Bombylius major looks somewhat like a furry bee but with a long rigid proboscis used for drinking nectar from deep flowers. Actually, this animal is a fly! Its proboscis is not a stinger. Unlike a bee, Bombylius has only one pair of wings that are held away from the body. They can rotate their bodies around a vertical axis; this behavior is called “yawning,” when applied to a helicopter flight option. Their body length is 6 to 18 mm and their proboscis is between 5.5 and 7.5 mm in length; thus the entire animal is less than 26 mm long (1.25 inches); which is similar to the size of a bee. 

Figure 1. Bombylius major, approximately 25 mm in entire length (body and proboscis).

This bee mimic does not sting, bite, nor spread disease. It can tolerate arid and moist environments.

This bee mimic is most common in England, Scotland, and Wales. There are several hundred described species of this bee mimic.

Reference

Wikipedia, 2026

A VIPER FISH

 

A viper fish is any species belonging to genus Chauliodus. This post concerns the viper fish Chauliodus sloani. 

This particular species, which is a good representative of the nine known species of viper fish, lives at depths of about 200 m (660 feet) deep in most oceans; thus it inhabits the twilight (mesopelagic zone) of oceans. 

Viper fish are fierce predators with fangs. Chauliodus sloani has fangs so large that this fish cannot close its mouth over them. When closing its mouth, the teeth slide up to the front of the fish’s face. Its flexible neck allows it to bend its head back and stick out the lower jaw in order to reach out and grab fish, squid, and crustaceans. Once the jaws close, they form a “cage” of teeth that fit together. Its teeth make up about 10 percent of its body length. Their jaws are exceptionally strong. Also, the first vertebra is a shock-absorber; thus this fish can collide with and stun its prey.

The viper fish discussed in this blog post is iridescent dark silver/blue, with pale fins. It is also bioluminescence (i.e., wilth photophores on the ventral sides). These photophores probably attract prey.  

Chauliodus sloani can grow to over 30 cm in length. It has a large mouth but a narrow body. These fish can live up to 30 years!

   Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Actinopterygii

Order Stomiiformes

Family Stomiidae

Genus Chauliodus

Type Species C. sloani

This fish migrates vertically through tropical and temperate oceans worldwide. During the day, it prefers deep depths as much as 2500 m deep, but, at night, it migrates upward into shallower (about 500 m deep), where food is more plentiful.  

Figure 1. The viperfish Chauliodus sloani (about 30 cm in length). 

Figure 2. Chauliodus sloan (complete body).

Fenster Quartz

It seems that I cannot resist the various forms of quartz (silicon dioxide). In my defense, quartz (silicon dioxide) is the most common mineral on Earth (think beach sand and sand dunes) and one of the most diverse minerals-- in terms of its physical characteristics. 

To date, I have previously posted the following four write-ups about quartz: 

May 31, 2026 “Rose Quartz”

August 26, 2016 “Varieties of Quartz, Part 1”

Sept 14, 2018 “Varieties of Quartz, Part 2 “

Sept 23, 2028 Black Onyx Quartz

This current blog concerns a rare form of quartz, called “Fenster quartz  = (SiO₂)

During its crystallization, the sunken faces of fenster quartz crystals are occasionally sheeted over by a thin layer of more quartz that traps whatever water or mud might have been around at the time of the formation of this mineral. As a result, the crystallizing material experienced complex, fluctuating geological conditions during formation, which caused its unique layered appearance. This type of crystal has a very complicated internal structure that looks very complicated. Europeans refer to this material as “Fenster Quartz,” which is derived from the German word “das Fenster,” meaning “the window.” Fenster quartz develops in pegamatitic veins where unstable growth (with inclusions) took place. It is not a unique mineral, but it is an unusual growth pattern for quartz. 

Furthermore, fenster quartz is a coupling of clear quartz and elestial quartz. The result is that a crystal has repeating faces, which remind some folks of “an infinite multi-verse of repeating opportunities and outcomes.” This form of quartz is also known as “window quartz.” Variations of this mineral range from rusty/smokey” (like the one shown here) to perfectly clear. It is an affordable mineral if you wish to add it to your collection.

 

Fenster quartz is found in Brazil (most common source), Madagasgar, Africa, and in USA (at the Herkimer Diamond site---see one of my previous posts concerning this locality).

Two views (front and back) of the same specimen of fenster quartz (eclestial quartz) is 40 mm wide, 40 mm long, and 30 mm thick at its thickest point. It was collected at Arramberri, Nuevo Leon, south of Monterrey, in northeastern Mexico.