Earth & Environmental Sciences Blogs

Belemnites (Belemnitida) were squid-like organisms that belonged to the mollusk phylum's cephalopod class and were thus linked to ancient ammonites as well as modern squids, octopuses, and nautiluses. Their fossils can be found in rocks from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, with a few species surviving until the Tertiary period. The soft sections of the animal rarely fossilize, leaving us with only the guard and the phragmacone. Unlike nautiloids and ammonites, belemnites had a rostrum, which was a very rigid internal skeleton. Many people are familiar with belemnite rostra, which are cylindrical and resemble bullets. Paleontologists have discovered belemnite fossils that illustrate their interior structure and soft components in addition to their shells. These fossils reveal a lot about how these creatures lived. Belemnites possessed huge eyes and used jet propulsion to swim swiftly. They could certainly shoot clouds of black ink at their enemies to avoid the attack, jus...

A hydrated copper oxalate with an orthorhombic crystalline structure, Moolooite is an uncommon blue-green mineral. Cu++(C2O4)n(H2O) (n<1) is the formula for this mineral (copper oxalate hydrate). It was named after the original location on Australia's Mooloo Station. It's a hydrated copper oxalate from Western Australia that occurs naturally. In 1986, Richard M Clarke and Ian R Williams discovered it in Bunbury Well, Mooloo Downs ranch, Murchison, Western Australia. Figure 1 Physical appearance of Moolooite rock Information in general Minerals containing oxalate have Formula 10. AB.15 Strunz classification shows crystal class of Dipyramidal (mmm) and Orthorhombic Crystal Class. Properties It is formed by the interaction of bird guano with weathering copper sulphides and has an orthorhombic crystalline structure. It's used to give plastics a blueish-green hue. • Color: Blue, Green. • Density: 3.43 • Diaphaneity: Transparent • Habit: Microscopic Crystals – Crystals...