Apologies for the extended downtime of mindat.org - don't worry we are coming back, we just had a database clustering failure which requires a SLOW rebuild. We're just as annoyed as you are! And it doesn't give a progress meter so really can't say how long. Probably today though.

As you might have noticed mindat.org is in 'READ ONLY' mode right now as we move servers. It's going to take a few more days for the databases to import correctly in their new home (and we did as much as we could in advance) and then we'll be faster than ever before!

So I was given this old trophy that had a rock on it, and turns out it's a piece of "platinum-rich"* ore from the Merensky Reef, South Africa. Some nice visible chromite and sulfides (pentlandite/pyrrhotite?) along with the usual silicate gunk. * Everything is relative.

Yes, there's a page on mindat.org for flourite

Killer Micros! IYKYK

LEGO minerals are on the way! Congratulations Dario.

Proterozoic Rocks xkcd.com/3008

Keichousaurus from China, showing a visible tectonic neck split with a calcite vein! Expertly prepared by Kim Yunghuyn.

Woohoo! Marshall Ma's paper on OpenMindat, which I am a co-author on, has just won the Geoscience Information Society Paper of the Year award. It's all the more special getting awards in academia considering I don't even have a degree. rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

1950s illustration of the Pacific without the ocean. From Geological Society of America Memoir 64.

There are now 494,884 PDFs available for download in the Rock H. Currier Digital Library. www.mindat.org/reference.php

Did a thing. Want to be part of the thing? Let us know. go.bsky.app/3Z5SFJr

You may have heard of left and right-handed quartz, but did you know that hundreds of minerals are chiral, that is have left and right handed variants? A new open-access paper by David Avnir explores this... www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/14...

Because of the continuing downward trajectory of 'the other place', we'll start posting here more!

Ten years ago we went to visit the type locality of Dioptase in Kazakhstan - and an amazing adventure was had. www.mindat.org/article.php/... #MinCup23

Don't miss the Dallas Mineral Collecting Symposium, which you can watch live on ZOOM on Saturday August 19, 2023. Also see details of the online auction, where you can get a bargain and support mindat.org (and other worthy causes) at the same time! https://www.irocks.com/dallas-mineral-collecting...

Did you know the mindat Photo of the Day changes every day? Well, duh, of course you did. But do you look every day? In 15 minutes this one will be gone, replaced with something else! https://www.mindat.org/photo-918741.html

Just had one if the biggest geology nerd-love experiences EVER. @mindat.bsky.social found and followed me first! Probably doesn't seem like a biggie, but y'all have to understand how much I LOVE & frequently used the site for my research & when teaching Intro/Sed/Mineralogy labs. 🥰

Are you a mineral freak who's having a baby? Here are some nice mineralogical names for your child: Amethyst Diamond Topaz Jade Rutile Kyanite Andalusite Dolomite Uraninite Massicot Plumbogummite Hexatestibiopanickelite Calciumhilgardite-2M(Cc) UM1990-38-S:CuFeIrNiPtRh

Did you know that mindat.org now has a massive reference library with details on over 16 million geoscience articles, books, etc - and with close to half a million downloadable PDFs. More being added daily! https://www.mindat.org/reference.php 🧪 Geosciences ⚒️

So, who likes rocks?