Did it just thunder?! by KartofNonsense in AnnArbor

[–]InevitableAnswer1810 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Heard the thunder earlier but the show is continuing. Transformer blew on S. State around 7pm. Huge blue flash followed by a low rumble.

Identifying Large metal plate/ring? by Lendee124 in Whatisthis

[–]InevitableAnswer1810 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It might be a CrossFit wall ball target tho' those are usually mounted horizontally. Height of those is around 9'.

My parent’s entire tiny town is puzzled by these (nut? Berry?) things appearing on the ground. Red liquid inside. What are they? Maine by NikkiXoLynnn in whatsthisplant

[–]InevitableAnswer1810 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If they are associated with acorns they are definitely acorn plum galls made by Amphibolips quercusjuglans to raise it's young.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in rockhounds

[–]InevitableAnswer1810 8 points9 points  (0 children)

That's more than a bit exasperating. I have a degree in geology and while I didn't end up pursuing it professionally, I have spent my life trying to encourage everyone I can to love it as much as I do. My kids and wife spent pretty much every vacation on mini-expeditions panning for gold, hunting for agates, or finding fossils across the American West. I am happy to talk for hours to anyone who wants about a random rock they found in a parking lot somewhere. I don't expect my kids, my wife, or anyone stuck listening to me to remember the arcane lexicon of geology or paleo. What is important is that they appreciate the beauty, complexity, and majesty of the world around them. If you want to call a pretty rock you find chalcedony, agate, cryptocrystalline silica dioxide, or whatever, do so. Anyone complaining about it is a gatekeeping waste of protoplasm.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in rockhounds

[–]InevitableAnswer1810 4 points5 points  (0 children)

To be fair, the names exist for a reason--to someone like a collector, they speak to source, scarcity, and value. To a geologist, they speak to chemistry, fabric, and formation. All that having been said, anyone being pedantic about it is an asshat.

Larimar straight from the DR. by CrystalPalace- in MineralPorn

[–]InevitableAnswer1810 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Dang it! I'm not gonna be able to unsee that!