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vickyveritas.bsky.social
Vicky Veritas
@vickyveritas.bsky.social
3.2K followers 3.6K following 2.3K posts
Born in the Anthropocene
Worked at the intersection of Geology and GIS

#Geosciences | #EarthScience | #Geology | #GIS | #Rocks | #TeamFluorite | #ScienceFiction | #Fantasy
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vickyveritas.bsky.social
An 111 year-old photo of Mt. Lassen volcanic activity reminds us that Lassen is active and will eventually erupt again. Below (comment) is a link to the history of the 1914 - 1917 eruptions that include the one below. Picture from great uncle and provided by cousin.

⚒️ 🧪 Geosciences geology 🪨
Poorly preserved photo of Mt. Lassen, which awoke from a 27,000 year dormancy on May 30th, 1914. This is likely one of the earliest series of steam explosions that finally culminated in an explosive May 15th, 1915 eruption. More at the comment below. Back of picture is captioned with “Mt Lassen” (Shasta has been crossed out, a mistake by the author) “July 17 - 1914 11:45 AM one half mile distant”
January 4, 2026 at 5:01 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
@ladyoddduck.bsky.social See Blue Jets
obialik.bsky.social Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 23d
We call the very upper-atmospheric lightnings elves and sprites (which is itself great), and these events don't appear everywhere. The analysis in this study argues that elves are mostly occur along the tectonic plates' boundaries, which is slightly crazy. 🧪⚒️

Link: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Representation of upper-atmospheric lightning and electrical-discharge phenomena (from Wikipedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lightning_sprites.jpg)
January 1, 2026 at 6:20 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
I’m such a fan !

More here: bsky.app/profile/vick...
December 28, 2025 at 12:43 AM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
Twinned crystals of andalusite (chiastolite) are shown below. Chiastolite is a variety of andalusite that contains black particles of graphite arranged in geometric patterns. More at the comment.

⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
nadwgab.bsky.social Nadine, Hunter of Rocks 💎 @nadwgab.bsky.social · Nov 27
331 of #365Minerals 🧪⚒️

Andalusite:
- An aluminosilicate mineral
- A polymorph of kyanite and sillimanite
- A common low grade metamorphic mineral
- Used in the production of high temperature ceramics
- Named after Andalusia in Spain #minerals
Twin crystals of andalusite (variety chiastolite) in a grey mica schist. The crystals are beige and look like flowers with four petals. A cut and polished slice. From Bimbowrie, South Australia. Specimen on display in the Natural History Museum, London.
November 27, 2025 at 9:43 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
Never heard of Faden quartz. You’re in for a treat! Thank you, @richardgibson.bsky.social

⚒️🧪 geology geoscience #WomenInStem
November 17, 2025 at 6:05 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
Copper fans, we did it! Copper is the very FIRST Ore Cup Champion & the Ore Mineral of the Year. Great job! 🙌

Thank you, Mineral Cup team. The content has been extra excellent, & another great Cup. Kudos! 290 days until #MinCup26 !

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
Lustrous wavy copper stripes this museum specimen of a copper pseudomorph where copper has replaced the sedimentary cross-bedding of Precambrian shale. More at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Native_copper-replaced_cross-bedded_sedimentary_rocks_%28Nonesuch_Shale,_Mesoproterozoic;_White_Pine_Mine,_Upper_Peninsula_of_Michigan,_USA%29_1_%2817110279879%29.jpg
November 13, 2025 at 12:05 AM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
#OreCup
stressrelated.bsky.social Dr. Kim Hannula @stressrelated.bsky.social · Nov 10
I think it's cool how copper connects to tectonics - a failed rift in Michigan, ocean floor stranded by convergent tectonics in Cyprus - and how that tectonics connects to human use of metals.
November 10, 2025 at 10:54 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
Copper crystals can form beautiful leafy patterns called dendrites from the Greek word dendron meaning tree. Dendrites grow due to mineral-rich fluids moving through cracks or during rapid cooling from a melt or vapor. Vote and more👇🏼

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
Aerial dendritic growth of elongated Copper crystals, with the dominant dodecahedron. From Ray Mines, Pinal County, Arizona. From: https://www.mindat.org/photo-55571.html
November 10, 2025 at 9:19 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
Patinating copper is a thing apparently. Not for the faint of heart.
It involves ammonia, salt, water and a fumigation container.

www.instructables.com/Blue-Patina-...

#OreCup
November 10, 2025 at 7:07 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
1/3 Well this is a first (for me): Native #copper replaces ancient cross-bedded sedimentary rock perfectly preserving the original cross-bedding. Copper does amazing stuff in Michigan. 🤯 More below! Pinging @richardgibson.bsky.social

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
Lustrous wavy copper stripes this museum specimen of a copper pseudomorph where copper has replaced the original sedimentary bedding. From: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Native_copper-replaced_cross-bedded_sedimentary_rocks_%28Nonesuch_Shale,_Mesoproterozoic;_White_Pine_Mine,_Upper_Peninsula_of_Michigan,_USA%29_1_%2817110279879%29.jpg
November 10, 2025 at 2:59 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
Lady Liberty’s torch has gone thru renovations over the years. Originally designed as a lighthouse, the original torch was replaced by a new #copper torch in 1986 that was covered in gold leaf to give it a glow. It is 29 feet in length and weighs 450,000 pounds, with copper that will endure. Vote👇🏼
vickyveritas.bsky.social Vicky Veritas @vickyveritas.bsky.social · Nov 7
#Copper is the oldest metal worked by humans, & is 100% recyclable. Nearly 80% of all copper ever mined is still in use today. Historically significant examples of its use include the Statue of Liberty, which is made of copper.

Vote info 👇🏼

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
The Statue of Liberty in Paris, France before it was transported to America. Photo taken in 1886. When the statue was originally assembled, it was copper colored.
November 10, 2025 at 1:32 AM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
This is #copper. The exquisite golden tetrahexahedral crystal glows with its own light. And the amazing bevels (look closely) and faces! Only nature could create something so beautiful. Vote for Copper Ore. It has it all. Link in ALT.

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
See details at Mindat: https://www.mindat.org/photo-359476.html
November 9, 2025 at 10:09 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐 Fascinating and fast :)
jraasch.bsky.social J. Raasch @jraasch.bsky.social · Nov 9
The rise and decline of Old Copper Culture tools, starting with the Midcontinent Rift System that generated the largest native #copper deposits in the world.

Was the copper just too pure? 😮

Watch and learn.

#OreCup #OreCup25

youtube.com/watch?v=lf7c...
Why Did These Ancient People Abandon Copper?
YouTube video by SciShow
youtube.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:08 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
andalitebandit.bsky.social AndaliteBandit @andalitebandit.bsky.social · Nov 9
Can you believe that in the 20th century, we forgot copper had antimicrobial properties?!

Copper has had our backs since the Bronze Age. I stan a reliable legend! #OreCup
mineralcup.bsky.social Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · Nov 9
#OreCup Finals:
Native #Copper is the purest form of copper ore with a deep history with humans, while slippery #Molybdenite confounded us for centuries until sharing its secrets on how it enhances all it touches

Vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...

Results:
November 9, 2025 at 8:07 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
museumlara1.bsky.social Lara T is a museum nerd @museumlara1.bsky.social · Nov 9
Did! #VoteCopper #OreCup
Not just pennies, copper has been a key part of history, a major player in world economics.
copper "manillas" in Western Africa, copper jewelry among the Powhatan and other Indigenous Americans, it's role was vital in the 17th century & before.
November 9, 2025 at 3:41 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐

Canada knows copper is the best ore!
November 9, 2025 at 3:26 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
Delicious:)

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
blastylavagrrrl.bsky.social Susie Leopold @blastylavagrrrl.bsky.social · Nov 9
Michigan is my home and it has #copper. Three copper in calcite specimens, two originating in MI and one from Arizona. The only calcite I like has a chewy copper center!

Vote for Copper in #OreCup! www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
November 9, 2025 at 3:14 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
#Copper is an excellent material for crafting art due to its beauty & malleability, & allows for exquisitely detailed work such as copper hammering & tooling. Enjoy the examples below & vote for copper ore! Descriptions in ALT.

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
Copper tooling art workshop by Mr Gooi Thin Kwang of Equator College, Penang, Malaysia. Art piece has 2 elaborately finned fish. The grand prize winning of the 76th Hammered Copper Competition at the Copper Museum in Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán, Mexico. Piece is footed pot with lid. Extremely Rare American Arts and Crafts Copper hammered/tooled Jardinière bowl/pot by Arthur Stone, Gardiner, MA, c. 1905 1970s Copper Wall Art by Hugo O’Carroll, Hand Wrought Hammered Copper, Ogham Celtic Writing, Made in Ireland, 1974
November 9, 2025 at 2:44 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
Copper helps power the entire planet, enables the transition to greener technology, is crucial for the production of red blood cells, & makes exquisite & durable art. Throw in 100% recyclability, & you have the perfect ore. #NoLube :)

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
vickyveritas.bsky.social Vicky Veritas @vickyveritas.bsky.social · Nov 7
#Copper is the oldest metal worked by humans, & is 100% recyclable. Nearly 80% of all copper ever mined is still in use today. Historically significant examples of its use include the Statue of Liberty, which is made of copper.

Vote info 👇🏼

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
The Statue of Liberty in Paris, France before it was transported to America. Photo taken in 1886. When the statue was originally assembled, it was copper colored.
November 9, 2025 at 12:58 AM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
#MichiganCopper Part 2! Gary Cotter, PhD, aka the #Copper Guy, sells museum quality copper specimens at Michigan Rocks & Minerals, and is writing a history of Michigan Copper. More info on Cotter at Youtube, and eye candy below.

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
A Colorful Collection of Michigan Copper Minerals. #copper #crystals #michigan
YouTube video by Michigan Rocks & Minerals
youtube.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:29 AM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
The Old Copper complex, was an ancient Native American culture around Michigan that mined (>5,000 mines) & worked the 99% pure native copper for tools, weapons, and ornaments as far back as 9,500 yrs. Fascinating! #MichiganCopper More

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
America's First Metal Industry: The Old Copper Complex
YouTube video by UArizona Mining Engineering & Mineral Resources
youtu.be
November 9, 2025 at 12:15 AM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
#Copper!

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
Vote in Ore Cup FINALS — Mineral Cup & Ore Cup
Vote to pick the Ore Mineral of the Year!
www.mineralcup.org
November 9, 2025 at 12:10 AM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
November 8, 2025 at 12:57 AM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
#OreCup #Copper
studiomineralia.bsky.social Studio Mineralia @studiomineralia.bsky.social · Sep 24
Brown gems are skyrocketing in popularity with Mocha Mousse, an earthy brown hue, being the Pantone® Color of the Year.
📸 Native, crystalline Copper in a cool fractal formation. Ray Mine, Scott Mountain, Pinal County, Arizona, USA. 🧪

Story Link at Rock & Gem Magazine

#crystals #fractal #copper
November 7, 2025 at 9:24 PM
vickyveritas.bsky.social
#OreCup
ottomanhistory.bsky.social History Cafe ☕ Ottoman Heritage @ottomanhistory.bsky.social · Oct 22
🏛️ Ottoman Hammered #Copper Vessel, 18th Century
November 7, 2025 at 9:20 PM