In Washington D.C., on Thursday, April 16, Pinhead’s Sarah Holbrooke attended the livestream of the Smithsonian Science How? webcast Mineral Dependence: Gemstones to Cell Phones with geologist Mike Wise and got a chance to meet the expert.
Here in Telluride at the same time, a group of Pinheads gathered at the Wilkinson Public Library for the webcast. They had a lot of fun, first viewing the program and, following the webcast, a mineral display on loan to Pinhead by a local collector.
They also did a mineral scavenger hunt around the library – searching for everything from gypsum in drywall to perlite in potted plants.
Because minerals are often prized for their ability to conduct electricity, the kids actually tested a variety of objects for their conductivity. An aluminum bar? Sure. But a baby carrot? Who knew!
But perhaps the most exciting part was when Dr. Wise responded to the question texted to him by our Pinhead group: Which pegmatite mined in Colorado is the most common, and which is the most rare?
Our question and his response start at the 24:57 mark.
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