Maria Gorick
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mariagorick.bsky.social
Maria Gorick
@mariagorick.bsky.social
450 followers 900 following 24 posts
University lecturer, module lead and author. Based in Manchester, UK. She/her. Geology. Geoscience. Maths.
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Reposted by Maria Gorick
rapiduplift.bsky.social
Ptygmatic folding, along with a slight pinch and swell structure, in a quartz vein intruding Greater Himalaya gneiss.

Pindari Valley, Kumaon Himalaya.

November 2025.

#FridayFold
Pic is a light colored boulder of a high grade metamorphic gneiss, intruded by a quartz vein. The vein shows pytgmatic folding and a hint of a pinch and swell boudinage structure. From a stream in the Pindari Valley, Kumaon Himalaya. November 2025.
November 14, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
mineralsocamerica.bsky.social
Thin Section Thursday!
This megacryst of orthopyroxene shows high relief and faint pleochroism in PPL. Cross the polars, & the crystal comes alive with abundant thin bands of exsolution lamellae of clinopyroxene. Contributed by Matt Kohn. #thinsectionthursday
November 13, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
mineralcup.bsky.social
Congratulations to #OreCup winner and IMA Ore Mineral of the Year #Copper!
Ore Mineral of the Year Copper — Mineral Cup & Ore Cup
Native copper in a prehnite-lined vug from Michigan, USA. Credit: David M. Maietta
www.mineralcup.org
November 13, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
mineralcup.bsky.social
#OreCup finals are between a pair of bewitching ore minerals that glitter and gleam. But only one can have your vote.

Will it be native copper or molybdenite? You’re running out of time to choose!

Vote:
Vote in Ore Cup FINALS — Mineral Cup & Ore Cup
Pick the Ore Mineral of the Year! Voting for Copper vs Molybdenite will remain open for 48 hours. Credit: David M. Maietta and Harold Moritz
www.mineralcup.org
November 10, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
mineralcup.bsky.social
Remember that the #OreCup final match between #Copper and #Molybdenite is running an extra-long 48 hours to catch weekday voters.

Twiddling your thumbs waiting? Give us feedback on our first mini-cup!
Ore Cup Players Survey — Mineral Cup & Ore Cup
This is our first Ore Cup, our first week-long mini-cup, and our first collaboration with the International Mineralogical Association. We’d love to get your feedback on what worked, what didn’t, and…
www.mineralcup.org
November 10, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
mineralcup.bsky.social
#OreCup FINALS:

Place your vote to decide the IMA Ore Mineral of the Year! Are you a fan of the classic native metal #Copper, or the slippery silver #Molybdenite that evaded being pinned down for so long?

Vote:
Vote in Ore Cup FINALS — Mineral Cup & Ore Cup
Vote to pick the Ore Mineral of the Year!
www.mineralcup.org
November 9, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
doktrock.bsky.social
#Carrollite from Congo at the Tucson show #OreCup #MineralMonday
A several cm metallic crystal with octahedral and cubic faces
November 6, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
minouette.bsky.social
Lovely peacock ore bornite gets arts points as a source of copper, but so is rare carrollite, which is also a source of cobalt… and cobalt is important for pigments including cobalt violet, cobalt yellow, cobalt titanite green, and of course, cobalt blue.
#OreCup
Carrollite from Kambove, Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire). The specimen is 4.3 cm wide with a 1.2 cm carrollite crystal partly covered by pyrite between calcite crystals. Via Wikipedia Colourful sample of bornite, or “peacock ore” with turquoise and magenta colouring against a white background via https://geologyscience.com/gemstone/peacock-ore/ Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889 Medium: Oil Support: Canvas Size: 73.7 x 92.1 cm Art period: Post-Impressionism Museum of Modern Art, New York Object number: 472.1941 The very famous painting shows a village at night with a cypress in the foreground and swirling skies with stars and moon glowing in waves of blue. “The brighter blue parts of the sky are painted in cobalt blue, while the darker more intense parts contain artificial ultramarine.” Via ColourLex
November 6, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
mexporg.bsky.social
Perfect crystal of rare #Carrolite (CuCo2S4) on matrix from Camoya Mine, Congo.

#OreCup #sulfides #sulfide #mineral #mineralogy #mineralexpert
November 6, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
whoi.edu
🌋Did you know that there's more volcanic activity under the waves than on land?

Find out how underwater explosions impact our planet at the WHOI Ocean Learning Hub, a free resource that's perfect for educators, students, and the ocean-curious:
go.whoi.edu/volcano

📸 via ROV Jason 2009 © #WHOI
November 5, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
mineralcup.bsky.social
#OreCup R1M4: Will you be entranced by #Carrollite’s octahedral crystals and cobalt ore? Or will the rainbows of peacock rock and its heftier copper content lure you to #Bornite?

vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
results:
www.mineralcup.org
November 6, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
mineralcup.bsky.social
#OreCup R1M4: This match is coming hot from a hydrothermal vein as #Carrollite competes with #Bornite. Both are copper ores with a beautiful tarnish. You have 24 hours to decide!

vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
results:
www.mineralcup.org
November 6, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
mexporg.bsky.social
Nice and large #Ilmenite crystal from Åmdal (Omdal), Froland, Norway.

Fennefoss Museum in Evje specimen

#OreCup #mineral #mineralogy #mineralexpert #titanium
November 5, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
eos.org
We're Team #Ilmenite today in the #OreCup! Not only did it enable Bob Ross's happy little clouds, it also may have helped flip the Moon's mantle. So versatile! 🔭🧪🌕

eos.org/articles/the...
November 5, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
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
Reposted by Maria Gorick
mineralcup.bsky.social
It’s titanium ore #Ilmenite vs lithium & boron ore #Jadarite. Both produce lightweight metals essential for advanced technologies, but only one will progress to the #OreCup semifinals!

vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
results:
www.mineralcup.org
November 5, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
jraasch.bsky.social
Voting for #Ilmenite.

I could be wrong, but right now I feel titanium is the more critical material for a cleaner future.

Lithium is a temporary bridge — or should be a temporary bridge — to better, cleaner, sustainable successors.

Huge negative environmental impact for lithium mining.

#OreCup25
mineralcup.bsky.social Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 13d
#OreCup R1M3: It’s a battle of black and white as titanium ore #Ilmenite is pitted against lithium and boron ore #Jadarite.

vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
results:
www.mineralcup.org
November 5, 2025 at 3:36 AM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
mineralcup.bsky.social
Only a few hours left for #OreCup R1M2 #Molybdenite vs #Tetrahedrite. Did you pick a favourite and vote?

Vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
Results:
www.mineralcup.org
November 4, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
mineralcup.bsky.social
#OreCup R1M2 is a matchup of extremely shiny and geometrically-distinctive ore minerals for #Molybdenite vs #Tetrahedrite.

Vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
Results:
www.mineralcup.org
November 4, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
richardgibson.bsky.social
#MineralMonday #Copper pseudomorph after pseudohexagonal aragonite twin, Corocoro, Bolivia. ⚒️ #geology . No MAGA! Science = Resistance! #standupforscience
November 3, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
birchduck.bsky.social
Everyone loves plumbing! At last everyone appreciates plumbing that brings clean water and takes away waste water. A lot of plumbing is copper tubing, so vote copper for clean water
mineralcup.bsky.social Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 15d
#OreCup is launching with two famous & beloved ore minerals, #Galena vs #Copper!

Vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
Results: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...

You have 24 hours to campaign. Go!
www.mineralcup.org
November 3, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
saavikford.bsky.social
#OreCup, the new November ‘sequel’ to #MinCup25!!

Let’s put lead in the bin—vote #Copper!!
mineralcup.bsky.social Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 15d
#OreCup is launching with two famous & beloved ore minerals, #Galena vs #Copper!

Vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
Results: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...

You have 24 hours to campaign. Go!
www.mineralcup.org
November 3, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
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
Reposted by Maria Gorick
fizzicks4lyfe.bsky.social
My favorite micro-blogging competition/learning opportunity Mineral Cup is having a cool spinoff competition: The Ore Cup.

Really appreciating the great writeups for Galena and Copper this time!
mineralcup.bsky.social Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 15d
#OreCup is launching with two famous & beloved ore minerals, #Galena vs #Copper!

Vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
Results: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...

You have 24 hours to campaign. Go!
www.mineralcup.org
November 3, 2025 at 3:30 AM
Reposted by Maria Gorick
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