A+Grain+of+Sand

=Become an Arenophile - Start collecting sand... It's dinolite- addictive!=

of crystal models out of paper...

 * [[image:P1330325.JPG width="316" height="239"]]

The sand samples
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Students embarking on a treasure hunt....
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Garnets galore!
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 * [[image:P1330332.JPG width="321" height="241"]]

Crystal building resources in the Allen Centre
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Noah's crystal of calcite
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of silicon dioxide molecules
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Except for the quartz sand grains (bottom left) which have been magnified 50X, the grains have been magnified 200X. Simply **STUNNING!**
=Some crystals to look for in your sand specimens:=
 * [[image:dino sand-014.jpg width="320" height="239"]] || [[image:dino sand-024.jpg]] || [[image:dino sand-021.jpg width="303" height="238"]] ||
 * [[image:dino sand-008.jpg width="309" height="239"]] || [[image:dino sand-023.jpg]] || [[image:dino sand-025.jpg width="302" height="225"]] ||
 * [[image:dino sand-030.jpg]] || [[image:dino sand-005.jpg]] || [[image:dino sand-006.jpg width="300" height="238"]] ||

The grains can appear brightly coloured because their surfaces have been polished by rolling around in rivers and the sea.

 * [[image:olivine crystal.jpg width="207" height="260" align="center"]]

Olivine - olive green
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Garnet - mostly pink, orange or red.
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Quartz - transparent
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 * [[image:mica crystal.JPG width="226" height="210" align="center"]]

Mica/Muscovite - transparent flakes
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Hornblende - shiny black
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Feldspar - pink, white or red
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 * [[image:pyroxene.jpg width="212" height="192" align="center"]]

Pyroxene - dark black
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Plagioclase - white
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Magnetite - dark grey-black
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 * [[image:epidote.jpg]]

Epidote - lime green
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Mica/Biotite - shiny black flakes
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brown stains on other rocks.
|| =Colours of Quartz...=

Quartz occurs in many colours. The colours are caused by traces of different elements. Here are some examples...

 * || [[image:purple amethysts.jpg align="center"]] || [[image:rose quartz.jpg width="222" height="175"]] || [[image:citrine.jpg width="207" height="178"]] || [[image:rock crystal.jpg width="232" height="175"]] ||
 * || ==== **Amethyst** ====

Element: Manganese
|| ==== **Rose Quartz** ====

Elements: Titanium or Manganese
|| ==== **Citrine** ====

Element: Iron
|| ==== **Rock Crystal** ====

Colourless - No trace of elements
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All about crystals:
 * ==== [[image:mineralogy for kids.png width="323" height="256" link="http://www.mineralogy4kids.org/crystals.html"]] **For Senior students...** ====

or visit **[|Crystal City]**
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to make a paper garnet crystal.
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grain micro-photography of Dr. Gary Greenberg.
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 * ==== [[image:sand atlas2.jpg width="308" height="261" link="http://www.sandatlas.org/sand-collection-2/"]] **Click the image** to explore the Sand Atlas ==== || ====  [[image:crystalshapes250pix.jpg width="330" height="249" link="http://www.ellenjmchenry.com/homeschool-freedownloads/earthscience-games/documents/Crystalshapes.pdf"]] **Click the image** to print out the templates to ====

cut-and assemble your own mineral crystal shapes.
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**Click on the image** to grow your own crystals
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 * [[image:6calcite4192.jpg width="280" height="251" align="center"]]

Oxygen (O) - red
. ** Click image ** to **"Make Five"**  A Chemical Formula Game || ====   **What is a Crystal?** ====

Fluorite
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**Go Microfossil-hunting** in the North Otago Greensand...
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The green-blue colour of the sand is caused by the green clay mineral glauconite.

 * [[image:dinolite.jpg width="172" height="96"]] || =Handy tip...=

You willl find them more easily if you use the dinolite microscope at its 200X magnification.
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 * [[image:coccolith.jpg width="312" height="235"]] || [[image:ostracods3.jpg width="323" height="234"]] || [[image:forams.jpg width="324" height="239"]] ||
 * ====**Coccoliths** are tiny round, plates of calcium====

the bodies of single-celled algae.
. || ====**Ostracods** are tiny seed shrimps with their bodies====

enclosed in a bivalve shell.
|| ====**Foramenifera** ("hole-bearers") or forams for short,====

made up of chambers, each chamber linked by a hole.
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