KSircombe
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ksircombe.bsky.social
KSircombe
@ksircombe.bsky.social
410 followers 530 following 450 posts
A curious, innovative and always learning Geoscience Laboratory Director producing data for the public good. Opinions and long-winded nested verbs are all mine and nothing to do with my employer.
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ksircombe.bsky.social
KSircombe @ksircombe.bsky.social · Nov 14
Wow. Welcome to new ⚒️🧪 followers! I'm a geoscience laboratory director dabbling in outreach and innovation. Keen to share enthusiasm for all things geologic (and scenic) plus occasional slice-of-life observations. Passionate fan of the #MinCup and #TeamZircon, always looking forward to September 😁
A view across a wide wooded valley ringed by steep cliffs at sunrise with a prominent stack of rocks in the foreground. The cliffs in the distance are lit up by orange sunlight and there is patches of cloud/mist in the valley floor. This is the Three Sisters lookout in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, Australia.
ksircombe.bsky.social
#OreCup #copper is one of only two coloured metals ⚒️🧪

The iconic reddish color is due to a peculiarity in the transition of electrons between the 3d and 4s orbitals causing absorption of blue and green wavelengths and reflecting red/orange wavelengths. Also makes it a great electrical conductor.
Various copper fittings for pipes and tubes. By Torsten Bätge - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1929467
November 7, 2025 at 4:19 AM
ksircombe.bsky.social
No flashy specimen pictures, just minerals by the billion - voting for #ilmenite in the ⚒️🧪 Ore Cup because it contributes to the awesome black sand beaches of #NewZealand 🇳🇿 . (PSA from personal experience: *always* bring footwear on a hot summer's day...)
buff.ly/ez1xDOJ
Sunlight spills across a vast stretch of black sand, where scattered footprints lead toward the gentle shimmer of waves meeting the shore. To the left, green hills rise steeply against a horizon brushed with wisps of white cloud, while the deep blue sky arches overhead, streaked with light and warmth.
November 5, 2025 at 7:24 PM
ksircombe.bsky.social
Always a big ⚒️🧪 fan of #copper. We use it for vacuum gaskets which we then give away to visiting school groups - they find it fascinating because although copper is everywhere it's rare to actually *see* it. There's probably a kilo or so of copper in your immediate vicinity.
Three copper-coloured metallic rings of different sizes on a plain white background. The middle ring is 12 cm in diameter.
November 3, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Reposted by KSircombe
mineralcup.bsky.social
It’s almost time!

We’re excited. You excited?

Monday 00:00 GMT. 24 hours a match. This is going to be FAST
mineralcup.bsky.social Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 13d
It's time to make your predictions (and help us test the voting site). Which ore mineral do you think will win?

Bracket: www.mineralcup.org/ore-bracket
Make your predictions: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...

Competition voting starts on MONDAY NOVEMBER 3!
A stylized trophy filled in with a hand-drawn stratigraphic cross section. The entire image is black and white
November 1, 2025 at 2:02 PM
ksircombe.bsky.social
Did dinosaurs sneeze? ⚒️🧪
www.facebook.com/share/p/19ja...
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:41 PM
ksircombe.bsky.social
S**t, did we forget to put mithril on the list of ⚒️🧪 critical minerals?!

buff.ly/122Ziq7
Is it a critical mineral or a Tolkien invention? Take the Guardian’s nerdiest quiz yet
Do you know your ores from your orcs? Your rare earths versus Middle-earth? Test your knowledge here …
www.theguardian.com
October 24, 2025 at 5:20 AM
ksircombe.bsky.social
A great way to click together ⚒️🧪 #EarthScienceWeek2025 with a Lego speed build competition using the new 'Minerals' set of quartz, amethyst, tourmaline, pyrite, fluorite, and rhodochrosite. Pictures don't do them justice, they are quite spectacular in person. Alas, no #zircon - maybe in Set 2?
A photo of a LEGO Ideas set displayed on a white table in a meeting room. In the foreground, six LEGO mineral models are arranged in brown square frames: a purple geode (amethyst), a cluster of blue crystals (fluorite), an amalgamation of several golden cubes (pyrite), red cubes arranged at different angles on a dark base (rhodochrosite), an orange crystal with a small nugget (tangerine coloured quartz), and a tall multicolored crystal (tourmaline). Behind them is the LEGO Ideas box showing images of the same crystal builds. The background includes chairs, tables, and part of a person standing near the box.
October 17, 2025 at 6:24 AM
ksircombe.bsky.social
⚒️🧪 Great ShakeOut! Earthquake safety is not common knowledge in Australia where quakes are infrequent, but still potentially deadly. After a hefty M5.9 quake in 2021 that reached the Melbourne CBD, it was found only 3% knew what to do in a quake. Find out now!
buff.ly/PNGYgTa #EarthScienceWeek2025
The Great ShakeOut
Earthquakes happen in Australia! Join the Great ShakeOut on Thursday 16 October and learn how to keep yourself safe during an earthquake.
www.ga.gov.au
October 16, 2025 at 2:28 AM
ksircombe.bsky.social
For #EarthScienceWeek2025: what 3 steps got you into ⚒️🧪 Earth Science?
1. A wood box full of rocks and crystals that my Dad had collected in his travels
2. David Attenbourgh's 'Life on Earth'
3. Couldn't make up my mind choosing a science major, so I did the (earth) science that does them all!
A rectangular wooden box filled with an assortment of rocks and minerals of various shapes, sizes, and colors. The stones include smooth rounded pebbles, jagged fragments, and polished pieces in shades of gray, brown, white, and green. Some rocks display layered textures or crystalline patterns. The box rests on a stone-paved surface. It wasn't actually this box because, sadly, it never occurred to me to take a picture of the box when it was still around. But it looked very much like this!
October 14, 2025 at 1:55 AM
ksircombe.bsky.social
It's ⚒️🧪 #EarthScienceWeek2025 !

Here's a new product from the awesome Geoscience Australia Education and Outreach team: a Year 8-10 classroom activity exploring critical minerals in Australia and their value through the lens of topographic data and the geology of Australia.

buff.ly/Y8v46nt
Map of Australia showing critical mineral deposits across the country. The map uses a satellite-style background with state boundaries labeled, including Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria. Numerous colored squares and circles are scattered across the map, representing different types of critical minerals. High concentrations of markers appear in Western Australia, Queensland, and along the eastern and southern coasts near major cities such as Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. The title above the map reads: “Analysing Australian geology, topography, and critical minerals using online datasets – Classroom inquiry activities.” A caption below states: “Map of Australia marking out critical mineral deposits (Geoscience Australia data portal).”
October 13, 2025 at 1:31 AM
ksircombe.bsky.social
The greatest advance of the 21st century has been inflight WiFi because it has enabled having live geological maps on hand to more thoroughly investigate the ⚒️🧪 geology you are flying over. Window seats forever!
vickyveritas.bsky.social Vicky Veritas @vickyveritas.bsky.social · Oct 9
Love plane window geology! I “discovered” sand dunes in Nevada that I never knew were there!
October 10, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Reposted by KSircombe
minouette.bsky.social
For #spacetober_challenge day 8 prompt propulsion, my portrait of #mathematician, aeronautical #engineer, philanthropist & Cherokee ‘hidden figure’ of the space race: Mary Golda Ross (1908-2008).⁠ 🧪🐡🧮🔭👩🏻‍🔬 #histsci
⁠
Great-great-granddaughter of Chief John Ross, who was forced to lead his people on the
Linocut portrait of Mary Golda Ross looking over her shoulder in a gradient of green (at bottom) to gold (at top) surrounded by vehicles important to her career including P-38 Lighting fighter plane, and Agena rocket, important to Apollo missions in grey.
October 8, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by KSircombe
vickyveritas.bsky.social
I forgot to say, for more Mineral Cup fun, pin the feed below, & use the #MinCup25 hashtag when posting. There are no wrong answers, just lots of fun, & sometimes you learn something cool! Join us! See the comment for the vote link.

#MinCup25 ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🔭🪐
September 19, 2025 at 8:13 PM
ksircombe.bsky.social
... and winner of #MinCup 2023. Just saying... 😁
September 20, 2025 at 8:09 PM
ksircombe.bsky.social
This is an excellent piece of ⚒️🧪 work, and will be a deep rabbit hole to explore. Already learnt: that 'analysis' is plural and 'analysin' is the singular; that Captain Cook introduced the word lagoon into English; and the term 'mantle' for the layer below the crust didn't appear until the 1940's.
kiwigeolog.bsky.social Brian Ricketts @kiwigeolog.bsky.social · Sep 8
A post I’ve been putting together for 2 years - the Etymology of Earth Sci Words. So far about 500 terms - the initial goal before clicking the ‘Publish’ tab

www.geological-digressions.com/etymology-of...

There are >1,000,000 words in the English language
So my 500 words is a paltry sample. ⚒️🧪🌊
Etymology of Earth science words and phrases
The origins of words, prefixes, suffixes, abbreviations, names, acronyms, and terms commonly used in Earth sciences.
www.geological-digressions.com
September 8, 2025 at 6:20 AM
ksircombe.bsky.social
Vote #Stibnite (Sb₂S₃) for #Mincup25 ⚒️🧪 because it was the likely source of antimony that literally wrote history. The chemical symbol for antimony is ‘Sb’ from ‘stibium’ the Latin for, you guessed it, #stibnite. Let's revisit a 🧵 from last year /1
buff.ly/md0dreE
Vote in Round 1 Match 2 — Mineral Cup
Click here to vote in Stibnite vs Okenite
www.mineralcup.org
September 2, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Reposted by KSircombe
manenbu.bsky.social
We're hiring
Three year postdoc on geochemistry and petrology of ore-forming systems.
jobs.anu.edu.au/jobs/researc...
Research Fellow - Canberra / ACT, ACT, Australia
Classification: Academic Level B Salary package: $118,632 - $134,507 per annum plus 17% superannuation Terms: Full time, Fixed term (up to 3 years) The Position This postdoc will explore the geochemic...
jobs.anu.edu.au
September 2, 2025 at 2:32 AM
ksircombe.bsky.social
⚒️🧪 #Mincup25 begins! Let's start with a PSA:
• Please don't take a handful of fluffy stuff into a laboratory to ask for a microscope to see if it is asbestos. That tends to get people excited for all the wrong reasons. True story.
• Vote #pectolite because it isn't trying to kill you.
Fibrous, radiating mineral specimen of Pectolite in light beige to white tones, displayed on a clear circular stand with a label reading 'R24875 PECTOLITE Prospect Quarry NSW'
September 1, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Reposted by KSircombe
mineralcup.bsky.social
#MinCup25 Round 1 Match 1: Hazardous (but useful!) #Chrysotile faces off against stunning gem #Pectolite. Do you pick the forbidden cotton candy, or the anti-pulverization beauty?

VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r1...

Check RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...
Vote in Round 1 Match 1 — Mineral Cup
Click here to vote in Chrysotile vs Pectolite
www.mineralcup.org
September 1, 2025 at 12:04 AM
ksircombe.bsky.social
⚒️🧪🌪️💎🌪️💎🌪️💎🌪️💎🌪️💎😆
August 30, 2025 at 1:08 AM
ksircombe.bsky.social
This ⚒️🧪 repository looks amazing! I am especially geeking out over the continental rift animation s-ink.org/continental-...

Thanks for the link @callanbentley.bsky.social !
August 27, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Reposted by KSircombe
microtopico.bsky.social
Only two weeks to go until Spetember. Best time of the year on social media since #MinCup25 is about to start!

Have ideas for minerals to compete in #MinCup2025? Nominate them now! 👉 www.mineralcup.org/nominations

Want to be part of this year’s organizing team? 👉 www.mineralcup.org/volunteer
Nominate Minerals — Mineral Cup
www.mineralcup.org
August 17, 2025 at 8:54 AM
ksircombe.bsky.social
Want to know more about #GeoscienceAustralia 's multi-generational initiative Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity to better understand the ⚒️🧪 geology and 💧 hydrology of Australia to support our net zero transition? Sign up for the 26 August seminar and Q&A here!
Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity – the first 10 years
Join us online, Tuesday 26 August, 11:30am – 1:00pm AEST, to hear more about what's planned under the 4 components for the first 10 years of Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity.
www.ga.gov.au
August 13, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Reposted by KSircombe
mineralcup.bsky.social
Ideas for minerals to compete in #MinCup2025? Nominate them now! www.mineralcup.org/nominations

Want to be part of this year’s organizing team? We love volunteers! www.mineralcup.org/volunteer
Nominate Minerals — Mineral Cup
www.mineralcup.org
August 8, 2025 at 7:37 PM
ksircombe.bsky.social
Meanwhile, back in 🇦🇺 Australia... another addition to the already chonky list of Things That Will F**k You Up.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
A large stick insect with spread wings being held by a man with bare arms. The insect length is approximately the same length from the man's forearm. The newly discovered Acrophylla alta species with its wings spread. Photograph: Angus Emmott/James Cook University. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/31/big-stick-insect-acrophylla-alta-found-north-queensland-trees
July 31, 2025 at 4:27 AM