Hidden Inside ... Part 1

Inside of a rock! Hey it's a strange world, why shouldn't there be interesting insides to some rocks, in particular geodes. Okay, that probably brings up two questions, why did we end up on this topic? and what is a geode anyway? Recently we returned from a trip to South Dakota, Wyoming and points in between, the subject matter of the last ten posts actually.

Mammoth and slice for it to stand on

At one of those stops, Wall Drug to be exact, I bought some geodes. I should say more geodes as I had bought some in the past, opened and polished ones to be sure. Why not? They're pretty. The first I got I think was a slice of one that I got to be perfect to set the carved wooden wolf figure on. I got the wolf two or three years ago at the Rockwell museum which features western art, located in Corning, New York, of all places but have now forgotten where I got the slice to put it on, probably out west on that same trip.

Some where I got a pair of bookends and at Wall Drug I had gotten another figure, a mammoth,  and a slice to put it on, as well as a small opened geode shown in the photo below next to my computer mouse for a size reference.

Some smart merchandiser put a basket full of potential geodes right out there where no one can miss it ... you know those last minute impulsive purchase displays? So of course at the last minute I added an unopened geode to my purchase ... at least I remembered to put the little promo bit with it. It says "Break Your Own Geode? and gives brief directions on how to break it open and then adds "there's no way to tell what's inside a geode until you break it apart - but that's the most exciting part!"

An unopened geode ... looks sort of stupid doesn't it?

I then tucked it all away along with the other souvenirs forgetting all about it until we were home again. Once I caught up on things here at home though I approached Geoffrey about our opening our very own geode. I started to say he did not react well ... but that is not it, more he reacted in his usual paranoid imaging of bits of rock shard everywhere in our eyes and probably cutting us to pieces! So time for me to research it online and provide him with some comforting online instructions and youtube videos.

The bookends which are actually a type of geode called a nodule as it is completely filled

First of course is to find out more exactly what a geode is ... they are actually interesting acts of nature and come in all sizes from really really tiny to huge boulders! There seem to be lots of people about there that like finding them and cracking them open. Geodes are basically hollow rounded rocks in which often lovely crystals have formed. The holes in  the interior usually appear because gasses have been trapped in bubbles in the rock. Then water enters carrying dissolved minerals which eventually form inward growing crystals, usually in millions of years!

Online Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geode

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyZ2rtThmOw

https://www.homesciencetools.com/earth-science/rocks-minerals/

https://geology.com/articles/geodes/

https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-a-geode

Between my reading and Geoffrey's paranoia I ended up ordering a rock hammer and, to protect my eyes, goggles. Of course while I was at it I got the goggles that come in a kit with ten more geodes. Hey, it was labeled National Geographic, I figured it should be good. Then I got distracted by a set of two jumbo geodes, unopened, and added those to me order. Good old Amazon Prime, one day free shipping!

https://www.wikihow.com/Identify-an-Unopened-Geode

https://www.wikihow.com/Crack-Open-a-Geode

Next step ... Part 2 ... we'll open at least one. Geoff promises we can do it tomorrow!