Round 1 Match 10
It’s story the surface versus depths as newcomers Mellite and Omphacite join Mineral Cup.
Two minerals with very different and unique origin stories; crustal inorganic processes versus deep tectonic forces. Which story will you choose?
Translucent warm gold with resinous sheen evocative of honey gives Mellite its name, although it can also be red, brown, grey, or white. Honeystone’s golden crystals are alluring enough to be faceted and polished into gemstones despite the crystals being soft (Moh’s hardness 2-2.5) and fragile. The crystals form when decayed and compressed plant matter in the form of brown coal weathers near aluminum, blurring the lines between biology and geology.
Omphacite is a tribute to the beauty created by remaining cool under pressure. These pale to dark green clinopyroxenes form when ocean floor is subducted, mineralizing in low-temperature high-pressure zones. It’s usually found at the surface as the green paired with red garnet in Christmas rocks that tell geologists of the “there and back again” journey of subdued and uplifted rocks.
Both origin stories are dramatic, but only one will see another chapter in Round 2. Make your pick!
Voting for each match starts and ends at 06:00 GMT. Due to site limitations, the polls will continue to be visible until manually closed by volunteers, but only votes cast in the 24-hour period will be tallied.
Omphacite from Norway and Mellite from Germany. Image credit: Smithsonian Institute