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The Rockland Gazette
Greetings and Welcome to our new members! November 2007
What's Rockin' this Month:
Geologists on the Job
The Rock Cycle
This Month's Featured Mineral:
 
STAUROLITE
 
Staurolite Twins 
 

Staurolite is a unique mineral which often forms cross-shaped twinned crystals.  While staurolite is generally brown it has a colorless to grey streak and it is about as hard as quartz (7 to 7.5 on Mohs hardness scale). 

 

The name staurolite comes from the Greek word stauros which means "cross."  Staurolite forms in metamorphic rocks such as schists and gneisses.

 

 
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Staurolite Trivia:

ó      Staurolite forms only in rocks which are metamorphosed within a narrow range of temperatures and pressures.

 

ó      Because staurolite forms under specific conditions it is a good indicator mineral for determining the conditions under which a rocks forms.

 

ó      Staurolite is found in Georgia, New Mexico, France and Brazil.

 

ó      Twinned staurolite crystals can form a cross shape which are often made into jewelry.

 
 Greetings!
Welcome to The Rockland Gazette!  Each month we provide you with feautures about rocks and minerals and Geologists having fun on the job.  We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter!
Sincerely,
Signature - Tracy Barnhart
Tracy Barnhart, PG, Owner
Geologists On The JobTracy Barnhart

-This month I'm giving you some information about me, Tracy Barnhart, President of Mini Me Geology

 

This month I thought I would give you a little bit of my own background as a working geologist.  My career has changed over time, but it has always been exciting and full of interesting projects and challenges.  I graduated from FurmanUniversity in Greenville, South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology.  After Furman, I went on to earn my Masters degree in geology with an emphasis on groundwater modeling from the University of South Carolina. 

 

While at USC, I spent a summer working for Mobil Oil Corporation in New Orleans, Louisiana.  At Mobil, I worked on a project where we were using geologic data from test borings and seismic studies to try to identify underground petroleum reserves.  I have to say, that exploring for oil has been one the highlights for me as a geologist.  If you like geology and solving puzzles, oil exploration is a great profession.After earning my Masters, I worked for several environmental consulting firms where I performed soil and groundwater assessments and cleanup of polluted properties. 

 

My husband asked me once what I liked best about geology and I said "the rocks and minerals and how they are formed."  When my son was in kindergarten, my husband and I went to visit the class during parents week where we got to tell the kids about our jobs.  I thought took a bunch of rocks and minerals with me and told the class about how they are formed.  The kids loved it!

 

Mini Me Geology was born during that trip to kindergarten.  With this business, I have used both my college degrees and the management skills I learned from environmental consulting.  I hope with Mini Me Geology I can introduce kids to the amazing rocks and minerals of our great Earth.

 

Here is my Geologist-on-the-Job Lowdown:

 

Mini Me Geology:  What are the best things about your job?

Tracy:  I love finding neat rocks and minerals to show to our readers.

 

Mini Me Geology:  What are the worst things about your job?

Tracy:  Nothing!  I love everything about this business.

 

Mini Me Geology:  What is the biggest challenge about your job?

Tracy:  Making sure that I find interesting article topics for every newsletter and both kids and parents will like.

 

Mini Me Geology:  Are you using your college Geology degree?

Tracy:  Yes! 

 

Mini Me Geology:  What is the most rewarding part of your job?

Tracy:  When a customer writes to me and says how much they love their new rock or mineral kit.

 

Mini Me Geology:  And the most important question-what is your favorite rock or mineral?

Tracy:  Galena!  I love galena because of the way is breaks into perfect cubes. 

 

If you had more questions about environmental consulting or how I started the Mini Me Geology business, just write to me on the www.MiniMeGeology.com website!
The Rock Cycle

One of the most interesting topics in geology is the Rock Cycle.  The Rock Cycle is the method by which minerals are made into sedimentary and igneous rocks, which are then made into metamorphic rocks.  The cycle continues when all of these sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks break down into mineral and small rock pieces and form new rocks. 

 

Here is an example:  The mineral quartz makes up common beach sand.  That beach sand will, over time, form into a sandstone sedimentary rock.  When a sandstone is buried and heated it becomes a quartzite metamorphic rock.  The sandstone and quartzite can either be buried, melted and formed into part of a new igneous rock, like granite, or it can breakdown and form a new sedimentary rock such as conglomerate.