[Rockhounds] Alien worlds

[jb]

Axel Emmermann wrote:
>> Dendritic manganese carbonate or bicarbonate in silica gel. You say it
>> is really pink, which would probably point to manganese, and not black,
>> which eliminates manganese oxides. Something akin to pseudo-dolomite.
>>
>>     
> [Axel] No, John. However: the pink color may, in part, have something to do
> with manganese... There is no gel involved.
> The growths are indeed dendritic but they are ON the surface and have grown
> in seconds!
> Don't forget an important part of the riddle; 'under the light of which
> strange star?'
> The photo was, of course, taken on this planet, Earth. More specifically, in
> my hobby room.
> Oh and yes: look at my signature.
>
> There... now you should be at least half way there ;-)))
>
> Axel Emmermann
>   
Then it is a microphotograph of a manganiferous something, which 
fluoresces pink, and which crystallized in seconds from a 
(super)saturated solution as dendritic whiskers... What 
low-temperature-forming (manganiferous) substance fluoresces pink?  
Aragonite? Calcite? Rhodonite?  Some borate?

Or is the compound not fluorescent, but crystallized on a substance 
which does fluoresce (pink)?

Since they are "ON the surface" and "planets with lots of CO2 in their 
atmosphere have a pink sky", perhaps the atmosphere is CO2, and the 
whiskers  are formed out of that. To form "in seconds", dry ice would 
have to be involved. The usual suspect then would be traces of H2O.

Sodium or potassium tend not to be dendritic, though it could be some 
silicate formed from water-glass on a crystal.
Magnesium is a possibility.  But what Mg  compounds fluoresce?

Perhaps a zinc compound? Sphalerite? Smithsonite?

I doubt copper, but maybe iron is involved. It usually is in some way or 
other.

Double the CO2 points to bicarbonate I should think.

On the other hand, there has been an awful lot of talk lately about REE's.

O.K., listiferous lifers. Take over!


john