Table of Contents
What is obsidian used for?
Obsidian has been used across history to make weapons, implements, tools, ornaments, and mirrors. Because of its conchoidal fracture (smooth curved surfaces and sharp edges), the sharpest stone artifacts were fashioned from obsidian.
Is obsidian a crystal or a stone?
Obsidian is mineral-like, but not a true mineral because as a glass it is not crystalline; in addition, its composition is too variable to be classified as a mineral. It is sometimes classified as a mineraloid.
Is haematite magnetic?
Hematite is a magnetic material that shows interesting magnetism [1, 7]. Bulk hematite is weakly ferromagnetic (FM) between the Néel temperature K and the Morin transition temperature K. In this state, the moments are exactly antiparallel and hematite is antiferromagnetic.
What does Tlaloc mean?
Tlaloc, (Nahuatl: “He Who Makes Things Sprout”) Aztec rain god. Representations of a rain god wearing a peculiar mask, with large round eyes and long fangs, date at least to the Teotihuacán culture of the highlands (3rd to 8th century ad).
How sharp can obsidian get?
Cutting edge Obsidian – a type of volcanic glass – can produce cutting edges many times finer than even the best steel scalpels. At 30 angstroms – a unit of measurement equal to one hundred millionth of a centimeter – an obsidian scalpel can rival diamond in the fineness of its edge.
Why is obsidian shiny?
That’s because obsidian is volcanic glass. It forms when volcanic lava cools so quickly, there’s no time for crystals to grow. This gives the rock a black, smooth, glossy shine.
What is volcanic rock called?
Volcanic rock (also called extrusive rock) is one type of magmatic rock (igneous rocks) and is the condensated product of extrusive magma after diagenesis and compaction, which differ greatly from sedimentary rocks in forming conditions, environments, and distribution.
Is obsidian conductive?
The mineral has no electrical conductivity, is not radioactive, and melts at a temperature of 1200 to 1500 degrees Celsius.
What are tezcatlipoca powers?
Aztec deity Tezcatlipoca Alter ego -Tezcatlipoca Team affiliations Aztec gods Abilities Various godlike powers, including magical mirrors revealing inner fears and desires, superhuman strength and enhanced senses, jaguar form, power to hurl lightning, and power to possess a human host.
What does basalt look like?
Basalt is usually dark grey to black in colour, due to its high content of augite or other dark-coloured pyroxene minerals, but can exhibit a wide range of shading. Some basalts are quite light-coloured due to a high content of plagioclase, and these are sometimes described as leucobasalts.
What is black volcanic rock called?
If a rhyolite lava-stream cools quickly, it can quickly freeze into a black glassy substance called obsidian. When filled with bubbles of gas, the same lava may form the spongy appearing pumice. Allowed to cool slowly, it forms a light-colored, uniformly solid rock called rhyolite.
Is obsidian really hard?
Obsidian forms sharp edges because of its chemical structure. It’s incredibly hard, and unlike crystalline minerals, which tend to cleave along their structural lines, obsidian has no crystalline structure.
Is ice a mineral?
Ice is actually the most common mineral on Earth. Ice is a naturally occurring inorganic solid, with a definite chemical composition, and an ordered atomic arrangement!!!
Do surgeons use obsidian scalpels?
Obsidian is used by some surgeons for scalpel blades, as well-crafted obsidian blades have a cutting edge many times sharper than high-quality steel surgical scalpels, the cutting edge of the blade being only about 3 nanometers thick.
Did the Mayans use crystals?
Modified and unmodified fragments of rock crystal have been recovered from a number of caves in the southern Maya Lowlands, suggesting that these stones were used in ancient ritual.
Where are obsidian arrowheads found?
This huge spear point is another artifact discovered near Ohio’s Hopewell mounds. The point is made of obsidian, a black, volcanic glass found in what is now Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.
Is obsidian magnetic?
The magnetic properties of obsidian have been recognized by geologists for some time and the causes subject to investigation (e.g., Schlinger et al., 1986). Basic glasses are reported to be more magnetic than acid glasses (George, 1924:370).
Is obsidian found in Oregon?
One of the best deposits of obsidian for lapidary purposes is the Glass Buttes area of central Oregon. The Buttes are a series of low hills and ridges just south of Highway 20 between Bend and Burns. The deposit is renown for the several gem varieties of obsidian dug.
What type of rock is pumice?
Pumice is pyroclastic igneous rock that was almost completely liquid at the moment of effusion and was so rapidly cooled that there was no time for it to crystallize. When it solidified, the vapours dissolved in it were suddenly released, the whole mass swelling up into a froth that immediately consolidated.
Is obsidian impossible to break?
Weapons are not made from it and it is very hard to break. In reality, obsidian is easily broken by human action and can also be worn down by the weather. While obsidian is not used to build indestructible walls or portals, it is used to make surgical tools.
What is obsidian mirror?
The obsidian mirror was the primary accessory of the supreme Aztec deity Tezcatlipoca, whose name means “smoking mirror.” He is often depicted with an obsidian mirror on his chest, in his headdress, or replacing his right foot.
Where is obsidian found in Australia?
Occurrences of obsidian are rare but scattered through eastern Australia. In our part of Queensland outcrops are known near Eidsvold and in the Peak Range north of Emerald. Volcanic activity was once widespread in what is now Roma and surrounds, with very extensive lava flows.
Is obsidian a real thing?
Earth > If Rocks Could Talk > Obsidian. Rondi: Everyone, meet Obsidian , an igneous rock that from melted rock, or magma. Obsidian is an “extrusive” rock, which means it is made from magma that erupted out of a volcano.
Where do I get fire obsidian?
The volcanic highland hosting the fire obsidian is located in southeast Oregon and is an extinct rhyolite dome complex that encompasses approximately 90 km2 at altitudes of 1,400 to 1,950 m (Walker and MacLeod, 1991).
What god is associated with obsidian?
Tezcatlipoca Tezcatlipoca Parents Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl (Codex Zumarraga) Siblings Quetzalcoatl, Xipe-Totec, Huitzilopochtli (Codex Zumarraga) Children None.
