#identifications

Got given these rough-sawn lapidary slabs recently. Only a couple were labeled, and I have identified a few of them (some only tentatively), and others have eluded my research abilities completely. 

The slabs are between 1/8-inch (3mm) and 1/4-inch (6mm) thick.

Most of them will be cut-up with diamond saws, polished and used as inlay pieces in my sculpture.

from the top: unidentified — black nodule layer on brown underlying matrix (now known as Hematite since I cut into it - May, 2020)

                                             Rhodonite (this was labeled)

                                             Chrysocalla (softer and more friable than others)

                                             Epidote  (this was labeled, from North Carolina)

                                             green agate geode slice maybe?

                                             Red Jasper

                                             petrified wood perhaps?

                                             clear agate with inclusions?

                                             translucent lavender agate?

                                             Sodalite                                                                      

Any help identifying would be appreciated — Don

Southern Residents

J Pod K Pod L Pod Southern Residents (All three pods) *always updated*

West Coast Community Killer Whales

Killer Whales of the Bremer Sub-Basin (photo ID guide available on the site)

Killer whales of the Crozet Islands

1

2

3

Northern Resident Killer Whales

1

2

3

Russian Killer Whales

1

2

Punta Norte Killer Whales

Killer Whales of the Eastern North Atlantic Biggs Killer Whales (West Coast Transients)

Marion Island Killer Whales

Killer whales of southern Alaska

Killer Whales off Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan

Icelandic Killer Whales

New Zealand Orcas

Killer Whales of Seal Island (Falkland Islands)

California Transients 

1

2

Northern Isles Pod

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3

Norwegian Orcas

1

2

Icelandic/scottish orcas

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2

Killer Whales of Greenland

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@midnight-mod submitted:

Hey! Could I get some help IDing these little fellas? My mom found them in a lake in Texas, they’re about 5-6cm long. She’s a flyfisherman so she’s always really excited about learning about aquatic larvae in areas she fishes! I’ve been digging through lists and guides of aquatic invertebrates/larvae and haven’t found anything quite like them, care to help me out?

These fat babies are water scavenger beetle larvae. I’ve never been blessed with seeing them in person, but I have seen the adults. They can be small, but they can also get very large! Here are a couple from Austin:

Tropisternus sp.

Hydrophilus ovatus 

These were both seen in March 2018. Sorry it took me SO LONG to answer you life is stressful!