Today is my birthday, so I am going to post some pictures of my favorite rock, which is peridotite. One of my committee members often refers to peridotite as "prettytite." I agree that peridotite-- which is comprised primarily of the minerals pyroxene and olivine-- is very, very pretty.
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Image taken from here.
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| Image taken from here. |
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| Image taken from here. |
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| Image taken from here. |
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| Image taken from here. |
Peridotite sometimes contains gem-quality olivine, which is called peridot. Peridot can be made into some beautiful jewelry.
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| My peridot engagement ring on our engagement day, South Africa, March 2009. |
For the past two years, I spent my birthday amidst peridotite hills in the desert of Oman. I can think of no better way to spend my birthday than hiking and doing fieldwork surrounded by my favorite rock. Last year, my committee member (the one who says "prettytite") and another graduate student Lisa even brought me a cake from a grocery store in Muscat as they had gone back to the city the day before for a meeting. The cake survived-- sort of-- several hours of driving on rough roads in a Land Cruiser and almost a day in the heat of the Omani sun. They also purchased several New Year's decorations and noisemakers. After dinner that night, the cake appeared and our simple field dinner turned into a birthday party! Thanks, everyone, for that party. I think it might be my favorite birthday party ever.
This year, I am spending my birthday reducing data (and blogging, I suppose) from my apartment in Woods Hole. Because of the winter blizzard, WHOI is closed today, so I've decided to play-it-safe and not brave the roads. For my birthday next year, I hope that I am back in Oman amongst the peridotite.
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| Birthday hike amongst carbonate-cemented peridotite clasts, Oman, January 2009. |
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| Birthday accommodation, Oman, January 2010. |
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| Sunset on another year, Muscat, Oman, January 2010. |
Gorgeous mineral (lack of geological terminology shining through) and what better way to celebrate a new year!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite, too. That's why I have a blog just about peridotites. Not as exciting as yours, though - mostly photomicrographs, and so far only from the U.S.
ReplyDeleteHave you been to Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland?
ReplyDeleteThe park takes in a large portion of the Bay of Islands ophiolite, and has an impressive peridotite plateau called The Tablelands.
Here's a pic, and an audio documentary about the geology of the park:
http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/episodes/2011/05/16/bones-of-the-earth/
Hi Sheldon-- no I've never been to Newfoundland though I would love to visit. Thanks for the link!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos!
ReplyDeleteDid you know that this rock can suck up more than it's mass of carbon dioxide? It's composition allows it to react with the carbon dioxide particles in the air to produce calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. There's a research team from Columbia University that has traveled all the way to Oman to find a way to harness the rocks and offset carbon dioxide emissions.
I am also writing an essay about the future of Oman as an oil producing country to have some good global impact with regard to global warming.
I want your permission to use some of those pictures in my essay if that is okay with you.
I will properly quote/cite your photos and add them to my bibliography.
Please respond ASAP.
Thank you sir. ...love geology. ....keep blogging. ....
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