Zawadi sapphire

A recently found (2010) opaque variety of Corundum displays a beautiful golden bronzey sheen. Its moniker comes from the Swahili word for ‘gift of the Earth’. Only found in Kenya so far near its border with Somalia, the stones have a chocolate brown colour with a shimmering moving glint caused by inclusions of rutile and haematite inside the stone (see http://on.fb.me/1EoGpBi for a detailed explanation). In order to display the optical effect they have to be cut in a unique way, as flat slab like stones with some depth, unlike the normal domed cabochons typically used for star stones (see http://on.fb.me/1PCk2bT). The original pocket is supposed to be depleted, though I’m sure that the miners are eagerly searching for more. Unlike most corundums, these stones are not treated.

Loz
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Image credit: Gem Adventurer

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headinthecloudssz:

Ooop here comes the hurdles

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anywhereinafrica:

the quarry

anywhereinafrica:

sem titulo

This is a photo of Lake Nakuru in Kenya’s rift valley and is part of the great lake Nakuru National park. It is best known for the up to two million pink flamingos that use its shores as a nesting ground.

It is the huge abundance of algae in the lake that attracts all of the flamingos and from a distance the lake simply looks like a mass of pink due to the sheer number of them. It is estimated that the flamingos consume approximately 550,000 lbs. [250,000 kg] of algae per hectare of surface area per year.

-Jean

For more photos see: http://nidalm.com/blog/travelography/nakuru-kenyas-flamingo-lake/

Photo courtesy of Bartcop.com

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Location Location Location: Mountains, Climate and Vegetation

Earth’s land is a dynamic and ever changing landscape; folding, fracturing, and deforming the rock in many ways. Mountain ranges are thrust high into the air; sections of the ground sink, and volcanoes form conical mountains or inundate wide areas with lava.

Keep reading

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