East Texas Gem & Mineral Show

Every year the East Texas Gem & Mineral Society hosts their annual Gemstone & Jewelry Show.  Dealers from across Texas and beyond converge on the Tyler Rose Garden Center to sell custom jewelry, unique gem & mineral specimens, rare fossils and other treasures dug from the earth beneath our feet.  We've been to a few of the group's functions and was happy to return for this year's show.  

One of the show's best attractions is the Rock Food Table.  Take a close look at the picture above.  What looks like a delicious spread of fine dining choices are actually all rocks.  Most of the pieces are rocks that just happen to be shaped like certain foods but some of them are polished/finished to complete the illusion.  

The Rock Food Table is currently owned by a member of the ETGMS but originated by a couple in the Gulf Coast region.  A few years back we shot some footage of it for the documentary "RockHounds: The Movie."  Here's a clip:

Just for fun, we got some updated video on this visit for our TikTok.  Here's a quick look at the current Rock Food Table and maybe you can spot some new dishes on display:

@geologyvideo Rocks that look like food #geology #rocks #gemandmineralshow #science #rockfoodtable #earthscience #fyp ♬ Eat It - "Weird Al" Yankovic

Other attractions at the show included a silent auction, a fluorescent mineral display, door prizes, demonstrations and kids games.  We picked up a few new specimens for collection and got a look at some great displays that included petrified wood, lapidary work and other great pieces found by ETGMS club members.

The Geology Department from Stephen F. Austin University was also represented at the show.  Professor Bloxson and one of her grad students were there with information about oil deposits in east Texas and the rocks in the area that contain the oil.  They had great information for young aspiring geologists and anyone else that might have an interest in the subject. 

 

Oklahoma Rocks! Online

 All four parts of the Teacher's Edition of our documentary "Oklahoma Rocks!" are now on YouTube and you can stream them for free!  Here's all four in a YouTube Playlist:

EveryDay Earth Transmissions #2

The quarantine continues and EveryDay Earth Headquarters is on lockdown! But don't worry, Devin is broadcasting a steady stream of transmissions.   Let's start with some information on coquinas:

Next up is some valuable info on granite.  Pay close attention, there's a lot to learn about this valuable rock:

And finally, here's one about the beautiful and mysterious barite rose rocks of Oklahoma:

Stay tuned for more!  You can get more information on our Facebook and Twitter!

Latest Shoot: Checking Out Some Rocks at the Library

It takes a lot of footage to make a project like EveryDay Earth.  Like all our projects, the kind of shots we typically need are of rocks.  We get plenty of footage in the field but since there's no such things as "too many rocks," we're always trying to get more.

Luckily our friends at the Oklahoma Mineral and Gem Society were kind enough to loan us some of their best specimens to shoot.  A few days before they had just taken down a display at the Metropolitan Library in downtown Oklahoma City so the timing was prefect.

We needed a space to set up and our friends at another library, the Piedmont Library, let us use some of their space (and show off some rocks).  Here's what the setup looks like...

...to get a shot of native sulfur that looks like this:

We spent several hours shooting and had access to some great specimens.  There were even several that were so big we couldn't fit them in the light box.  That didn't stop us from getting footage of them though. 

All in all, it was a very productive day and we'd like to thank everyone who helped out.  Be on the lookout for the great shots we got in EveryDay Earth!

Thunder Struck

Last Sunday, Devin went out to the Oklahoma City Thunder game to show off some specimens from the Oklahoma Geological Foundation's Rock, Mineral and Fossil kit.  The rocks were a hit with Thunder fans who got an up close look at the museum quality pieces.

The Foundation was invited out to the game to receive the Devon Thunder Explorers Award which celebrates organizations that encourage outreach and education on STEM topics.  Devin and his fellow OGF board member Jason Hamilton were on the court after the first quarter to receive the honor.

They were joined by Christine Berney from the Thunder, Jeremy Humphers from Devon Energy and, of course, Rumble the Bison to raise awareness for the need to get kids excited about science, technology, engineering and math.

The rock kits are donated to Oklahoma schools and are frequently on display at events like this so keep your eyes open and maybe it you'll get a chance to see, touch and even taste the rocks!

Rocks at the Library

We recently helped out with showing off some of the Oklahoma Geological Society's rock kits at the Piedmont Library.  Below are some pictures of Larry Lunardi explaining the origins of many of the impressive rock, mineral and fossil specimens. 

Naranjo Museum of Natural History

We found a hidden gem in Lufkin, TX: The Naranjo Museum of Natural History!  Devin checks it out in this new video:

The Lunar, the Better

When you think of the small East Texas town of Lufkin you might not immediately think of fossils, dinosaurs and space travel but those are some of the topics covered in the town's little known (at least I had never heard of it) Naranjo Museum.

But among the impressive dinosaur skeletons and archaeological specimens is the museum's most impressive piece...which came from a long distance to its East Texas resting place.

That's right, the world's largest moon rock on display can be found in Lufkin, TX!  It was collected by the Apollo 14 mission and was permanently loaned to the museum by NASA’s Johnson Space Center.  Here's a close look at the 4 billion year old specimen:

The moon is approximately hundreds of thousands of miles away so if you want to see a big piece of it you're probably a lot better off heading to Lufkin.