Painite: The gem from Myanmar Painite is a rare borate mineral only found in Myanmar (Formely Burma). Its colors range from orange-red to brownish-red owing to traces of chromium and vanadium. It has a white streak, transparent appearance and vitreous luster. It is formed as hexagonal or prismatic crystals and has a relative hardness is 8. Painite contains calcium, zirconium, boron, aluminum, and oxygen alongside the traces of chromium and
Diamond: The April Birthstone The month of April is characterized by many things, but in the mineral world, one mineral truly stands out; Diamond. Diamond is the irrefutable birthstone for April above opal and sapphire which are also recognized as April birthstones. Let us take a quick look into the sparkling, precious and at the same time hardest natural substance on earth. Diamond is a crystalline form of pure carbon
The Forest of Limestone Needles Whether you love geology or not, you’ll agree with me that Tsingy de Bemaraha is a visual phenomenon. Let’s learn a little geology about this amazing feature. There are several such places in the world. Tsingy (which in Malagasy means “where one cannot walk barefoot” – referring to the tall, thin, needle-like rock formations) “limestone forests” are structures of towering, sometimes razor-sharp pillars of limestone.
COVID-19: The Fate of Manganese Artisanal and Small Scale Miners in Kilifi The impacts of COVID-19 in the mining industry have been immediate and immense. The effects vary in magnitude from the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) to large scale mining companies in Kenya. Whereas its implication was anticipated to be minimal at the start, the virus has put everyone in scare mode and mine development plans have in one
Importance and History of Geologists Day Geologists Day is a day set apart to appreciate the work and people who have dedicated their lives to study the Earth and Earth’s processes, how these processes affect our lives and foresee how events and processes of the past might influence the future. In other words we call them Geologists. Their research and discoveries play an important role in our day to day
