Greenland

Thirty-two years ago, around this time of year, I had just returned from a three-month geological expedition to Greenland. I brought this rock back with me. It is part of a big-feldspar dyke, and though it may not look very much here, it is part of an amazing story. When the surface of the Earth cracked in this part of Greenland - many millions of years ago - a molten magma shot up to fill the gap - that is the dark, fine-grained background to this rock. As the magma slowly cooled, the chemistry changed, and the large white crystals - feldspar - started to grow. (they are up to 6cm long and 4x4 cm in cross-section). The white crystals were lighter than the darker material, so they floated upwards, a bit like froth on choppy water, and there they solidified, and there I found them. They are now part of my fireplace! (An indoor blip todays as it is too wet for me to go outside).