Susie Leopold
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blastylavagrrrl.bsky.social
Susie Leopold
@blastylavagrrrl.bsky.social
210 followers 350 following 260 posts
Nerd who 💜s: husband, 🐱s Mara Jade🌈, Leia Organa, General Hugs & Obsidian Gideon (one more and I qualify for crazy-cat-lady status), Hawai`i, geology, 🌋💎 Star Wars costuming, Outlander, books, movies, nature, MineralCup superfan(she/her)💙
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Reposted by Susie Leopold
vickyveritas.bsky.social
Lady Liberty’s torch has gone thru renovations over the years. Originally designed as a lighthouse, the original torch was replaced by a new #copper torch in 1986 that was covered in gold leaf to give it a glow. It is 29 feet in length and weighs 450,000 pounds, with copper that will endure. Vote👇🏼
vickyveritas.bsky.social Vicky Veritas @vickyveritas.bsky.social · 13d
#Copper is the oldest metal worked by humans, & is 100% recyclable. Nearly 80% of all copper ever mined is still in use today. Historically significant examples of its use include the Statue of Liberty, which is made of copper.

Vote info 👇🏼

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
The Statue of Liberty in Paris, France before it was transported to America. Photo taken in 1886. When the statue was originally assembled, it was copper colored.
November 10, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
jresc.bsky.social
Though both deserve accolades...Copper, how versatile, malleable, and enduring, maturing into an elegant patina.
Native copper ore found in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. Mined by indigenous tribes 7,000 years ago.
November 9, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
vickyveritas.bsky.social
#MichiganCopper Part 2! Gary Cotter, PhD, aka the #Copper Guy, sells museum quality copper specimens at Michigan Rocks & Minerals, and is writing a history of Michigan Copper. More info on Cotter at Youtube, and eye candy below.

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
A Colorful Collection of Michigan Copper Minerals. #copper #crystals #michigan
YouTube video by Michigan Rocks & Minerals
youtube.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
vickyveritas.bsky.social
Copper helps power the entire planet, enables the transition to greener technology, is crucial for the production of red blood cells, & makes exquisite & durable art. Throw in 100% recyclability, & you have the perfect ore. #NoLube :)

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
vickyveritas.bsky.social Vicky Veritas @vickyveritas.bsky.social · 13d
#Copper is the oldest metal worked by humans, & is 100% recyclable. Nearly 80% of all copper ever mined is still in use today. Historically significant examples of its use include the Statue of Liberty, which is made of copper.

Vote info 👇🏼

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
The Statue of Liberty in Paris, France before it was transported to America. Photo taken in 1886. When the statue was originally assembled, it was copper colored.
November 9, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
vickyveritas.bsky.social
The Old Copper complex, was an ancient Native American culture around Michigan that mined (>5,000 mines) & worked the 99% pure native copper for tools, weapons, and ornaments as far back as 9,500 yrs. Fascinating! #MichiganCopper More

#OreCup ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🍎 🔭🪐
America's First Metal Industry: The Old Copper Complex
YouTube video by UArizona Mining Engineering & Mineral Resources
youtu.be
November 9, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
jraasch.bsky.social
#Copper

Learning about Old Copper Culture in North America ca. 4000-1500 BC. I should know about this — born and living in Wisconsin — but apparently not covered in grade school or high school history classes.

So THANKS! #MinCup #OreCup #OreCup25

www.mpm.edu/research-col...
Old Copper Culture | Milwaukee Public Museum
www.mpm.edu
November 9, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
maiainmi.bsky.social
I went to Cranbrook looking for the ores in Ore Cup. I hadn't fully realized before how many copper samples it has. This one is still my favorite.
A sample of ccopper or that looks like a rooster, if you squint. Or if you look at it another way, like a moose bending down to drink.
November 9, 2025 at 3:22 PM
blastylavagrrrl.bsky.social
Michigan is my home and it has #copper. Three copper in calcite specimens, two originating in MI and one from Arizona. The only calcite I like has a chewy copper center!

Vote for Copper in #OreCup! www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
Display case full of Michigan copper. Text on the glass reads, "Michigan's copper formed after our continent almost split apart. North America almost split apart about a billion years ago--right through Michigan. In the process, fluids heated by the hot magma carried dissolved elements as they seeped up through the rocks. These elements crystallized as minerals, like copper, in cracks and air pockets within the rocks." A large, amorphous float copper with tarnish and thin edges occupies the back of the case. Tucson calcite infused copper from Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. For reasons I can't fathom, they don't label these with both minerals represented. (Another piece is just labeled "calcite". This is giving copper-colored paw a large beast with moss and dirty toes. Copper with calcite from Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan. Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Euhedral transparent calcite with a hazy copper center from Keweenaw County, Michigan. Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
November 9, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
joxter.bgay.cat
#OreCup The answer is obvious.

Don't be stubborn: #Copper is inevitable.
November 9, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
minouette.bsky.social
Of all the minerals in the #OreCup for my art/physics use voting scheme copper wins hands down!

Ok, molybdenum has some applications as catalyst/electrodes/in alloys but copper is the conductor par excellence.

In art we have all of bronze & copper sculpture & many blue/green pigments! Vote copper!
The Burghers of Calais Auguste Rodin French Founder Coubertin Foundry modeled 1884–95, cast 1985 On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 548 “The Burghers of Calais (1884–95) is Rodin’s best-known public monument. The plaster and bronze casts in this case are small- and large-scale studies from different stages of the commission that Rodin considered independent works. The monument commemorates the heroism of six leading citizens (burghers) of the French city of Calais. In the fourteenth century, at the beginning of the Hundred Years’ War, they offered their lives to the English king in exchange for the lifting of his siege of the city. By portraying their despair and haunted courage in the face of death, Rodin challenged contemporary heroic ideals and made an event from the past seem immediate and real. A full-scale bronze of The Burghers of Calais is on view in the Carroll and Milton Petrie European Sculpture Court (Gallery 548)” Via the Met Buddha Maitreya (Mile) China dated 486 (10th year of Taihe reign) On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 208 This is the largest early gilt-bronze Chinese sculpture known today. The Buddha’s broad shoulders, powerful physique, and long legs derive from fifth century Indian prototypes that spread to China along the Silk Road, an example of which can be seen directly behind you in the gallery for Indian art. Maitreya is worshiped both as a bodhisattva and as a Buddha, for it is believed that once the current cosmic era has destroyed itself, he will be reborn as the teaching Buddha of the next great era. The identification of this figure as the Buddha Maitreya is based on the dedicatory inscription at the back of the base, which dates the sculpture to 486 and states that it was commissioned in honor of the dowager empress Wenming (442–490), who controlled the Northern Wei dynasty during the last three decades of the fifth century. Period: Northern Wei dynasty (386–534) Date: dated 486 (10th year of Taihe reign) Culture: China Medium: Gilt bronze with traces of pigment; piece-mold cast Dimensions: H. 55 1/4 in. (140.3 cm); W. 24 1/2 in. (62.2 cm); D. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm) Classification: Sculpture Credit Line: John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1926 Object Number: 26.123 Via the Met Cat Statuette intended to contain a mummified cat Ptolemaic Period 332–30 BCE On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 899 “The cat was the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet, a great and benevolent Egyptian goddess. For the Egyptians, the goddesses Bastet and Sakhmet were two aspects of divine power. Sakhmet, the lioness, represented dangerous, potentially destructive forces. Bastet, the feline of the house, incorporated the benevolent aspects of a deity that could be pacified by rituals. In Bastet's honor, mummified cats, sometimes in impressive bronze or wooden containers, were donated at her temples, of which the most important were located at Bubastis and Saqqara. The mummies were then buried within her temple precincts. This statue was the container for a mummified cat. Clearly this is not an ordinary cat. Its pierced right ear once held a gold ring (now lost), and suspended from its incised necklace is a wedjat-eye pendant. An impression of majesty is created by the cat's erect and dignified pose and the alert expression of the eyes. The sleek muscles and long graceful legs convey a sense of controlled power. Cats were first domesticated by the Egyptians in the Middle Kingdom for their mouse-hunting abilities. By New Kingdom times they had also become household companions. In tomb scenes they frequently appear seated beneath the chairs of their owners or on sporting boats in the Nile marshes, where they flush out birds for their masters.” Via the Met Jan Van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434 (via the National Gallery London) The Arnolfini Portrait (or The Arnolfini Wedding, The Arnolfini Marriage, the Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife, or other titles) is an oil painting on oak panel by the Early Netherlandish painter Jan van Eyck, dated 1434 and now in the National Gallery, London. It is a full-length double portrait, believed to depict the Italian merchant Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife, presumably in their residence at the Flemish city of Bruges. He wears a fur-lined cloak and large black hat. She wears a vivid green gown with blue underdress and white veil. There is a red bed and bench behind them, a small dog and sandals on the floor and a circular convex mirror behind them. The scene is lit by a window and a chandelier hangs above them. Her dress in particular depends on copper pigments
November 9, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
glacierpique.bsky.social
We didn’t always recognize #Molybdenite or know how to use Mo until the late 19th Century. Rh wasn’t discovered until 1908. After early experiments during WWI, automobile and aviation industries found uses for both elements in high-performance alloys. Then catalysts and medical uses.
#OreCup25 ⚒️ 🧪
Layered hexagonal sheets of silver Molybdenite on white Quartz. Image from mindat.org. Chart featuring world production of Mo between 1900 and 2011, from 0 to 250,000 tons per year. Image from Wikipedia.
November 8, 2025 at 5:01 AM
blastylavagrrrl.bsky.social
Bornite is great, but #molybdenite is not copper! I kid (kind of)! A soft, silver, greasy, hexagonal mineral that can look like JiffyPop, foil-wrapped leftovers, or metallic graphite. It can handle high-stress/high-temps, & it's anti-corrosive. Those seem like good qualities here & now!
#OreCup
Silver hexagonal sheets of molybdenite on a brownish-white mineral. From Carnegie Natural History Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. What looks like melted silver candle wax dripped onto a lumpy brown matrix, is molybdenite. Sometimes it looks sad and waxy, which I totally identify with. (If one can identify with a mineral.) From Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Less melted, but still somewhat tired looking silver molybdenite layers which grow increasingly smaller as the number of layers increase. From Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
November 8, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
glacierpique.bsky.social
What makes the greatest ore, tho? Sulfides crystallize at higher temperatures and have simpler molecular structures. Sulfosalts precipitate at lower temperatures, have greater solubility, plus bonus semi-metals. I’m voting for the sulfosalt, #Tetrahedrite.
#OreCup25 ⚒️ 🧪
Spiky ball of great Tetrahedrite crystals with tiny white quartz prisms. Image from mindat.org, copyright Gerard Van der Veldt Closeup view of a shiny tetrahedron of Tetrahedrite or Tennantite in a matrix of earthy yellow Siderite. Image from mindat.org, from Juan Miguel. Black and white SEM image of intergrown Zinc Tetrahedrite crystals. Image from mindat.org.
November 4, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
vickyveritas.bsky.social
Learn more about dendritic minerals.
Dendritic Crystal and Minerals – Geology In
Dendrite minerals are natural tree-like or moss-like formations found on or in rocks and minerals. These fascinating patterns form when an e...
www.geologyin.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:10 AM
blastylavagrrrl.bsky.social
For once I have both mins in my collection! (Ignore the fur-covered cat tree.)

1/3 of my cats posed for photos. They all received treats after the grueling sitting next to a mineral. Copper-hued Hugs is MVP, Obsidian sort of posed, and Leia did her own thing.

#OreCup #MinCup #Copper
Mostly oxidized galena and copper on furry cat tree. Leia with copper. Or, Leia attempting to smell my phone as I tried to take a photo. Obsidian and General Hugs with copper. Obsidian checking to see if copper is food. (He just sniffed it. They received treats after photos.)
November 3, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
vickyveritas.bsky.social
Naturally occurring pure copper is called “native” copper & is formed in veins & fractures by super-heated mineral-rich fluids often associated with volcanic activity. My sample shown below. Get the lead out & vote #copper!

#OreCup25 #MinCup25 ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🔭🪐
Native copper
November 3, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
vickyveritas.bsky.social
The Flemish masters painted on #copper as it provided a smooth surface that allowed fine detail and durability of their exquisite works, like this self portrait of Rembrandt.

#OreCup25 #MinCup25 ⚒️ sci-fi 🧪 🖖🏼 scifi Geosciences #WomenInSTEM geology 🔭🪐
Self-portrait of Rembrandt, 1630. An example of oil painting on copper.
November 3, 2025 at 12:31 AM
blastylavagrrrl.bsky.social
Michigan has historically been a source for beautiful, and useful, #copper. Specifically, the Upper Peninsula contains the largest native copper deposits!

Copper from Carnegie Natural History and Cranbrook Institute.

Vote copper for Michigan!

#OreCup #MinCup
Pennsylvania copper from Adams County. On the left is a polished orb, on the right is dendritic copper. Dancing llama dendritic copper from Houghton County, Michigan. Crystalline copper ball within white mineral cavity. Copper with squiggly branches from a mass, there is some color variation from fresh orange and red to slightly tarnished green.
November 3, 2025 at 12:56 AM
blastylavagrrrl.bsky.social
When admiring geologic features in movies/tv, my hand reaches out to trace whatever is pinging my geologic brain.
Tonight we saw One Battle After Another. There's some gorgeous #geology near the end. And I reached. The rocks were STUNNING. I also liked the movie.
Location: CA Anza-Borrego State Park
October 8, 2025 at 5:18 AM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
shmermel.bsky.social
I guess since it won, here's the kyanite one college roommate got me which totally ruined the mediocre kyanite we saw in Spain ⚒️ #mincup25
A hunk of kyanite with intersecting crystals in the shape of an L and is deep blue where the crystals are planes. The longer side the crystals are in a slight V shape perpendicular to the camera and approximately 5 inches long. The short side is about 3 inches long and a deep blue and look flat in the photo
October 3, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
mineralcup.bsky.social
Have minerals you want to see run in #MinCup26? The nomination form is open! www.mineralcup.org/nominations
October 3, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
minouette.bsky.social
This October I am going to use the #SpacetoberChallenge prompts on IG as inspiration for sharing both new work & space art from my portfolio. Starting with my #linocut portrait of Félicette for the prompt “launch”. 🧪🐡 #histsci

Félicette was a Parisian stray tuxedo cat who was recruited into the 🧵
My linocut portrait of Félicette, a Parisian stray tuxedo cat who was recruited into the French space program. It's printed by hand, in black ink on pearlescent Japanese paper, 6" x 8". She peers from the side of the image, facing the viewer with the electrode on her head, the Véronique rocket, paw print, her name and starry sky behind her.
October 1, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
minouette.bsky.social
Day 2 of #spacetober_challenge is planet(s), so I am sharing two mini #linocut prints of Mars (with Phobos and Deimos) and Mercury, along with my stylized minimalist ‘Transit of Venus’ print, showing Venus eclipsing the Sun. 🧪🔭

#sciart #printmaking #spaceArt

minouette.etsy.com/listing/1313...
This is a mini print of Mars! This hand-carved, hand-printed linocut is just 5” x 8” (12.7 cm x 20.3 cm) and shows Mars, in orange and brown against a black background, with the word and symbol for Mars. Its tiny, lumpy moons Phobos and Deimos are in black. This linocut represents the transit of Venus. A gold semicircle (curve up, flat side horizontal) on white paper represents the solar disk and the series of smaller excised circles represent the path of Venus tracing a slanted line which would form a chord of the semicircle. This is a mini print of Mercury! This hand-carved, hand-printed linocut is just 5” x 8” (12.7 cm x 20.3 cm) and shows Mercury, with craters in shades of grey against a black background, with the word and symbol for Mercury.
October 2, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Reposted by Susie Leopold
mineralcup.bsky.social
Ready to learn about rivers?
agu-h3s.bsky.social AGU Hydrology H3S @agu-h3s.bsky.social · Oct 2
CATCHMENT CUP IS LIVE! Whose ready to learn about some new (and old) research catchments?!? First up: HEADWATER CATCHMENTS

VOTE HERE until 10/4: www.agu-h3s.org/rivercup
October 3, 2025 at 12:09 AM
blastylavagrrrl.bsky.social
Looking to fill that post- #MinCup need to learn facts about this orb we ride through space?
October is Spooky Lake month, 31 days of haunted hydrology!
Daily videos on Instagram: www.instagram.com/reel/DPPa1Un... and TikTok: www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8A8YmR2/
October 3, 2025 at 3:25 AM