North Carolina has a rich and diverse geologic history. It can be fun and fascinating to explore.
The leading gold producer prior to 1849? North Carolina
Largest emerald crystal ever found in North America? Found in North Carolina
Not to mention garnets and rubies among over 300 gemstone varieties!
In 1823, North Carolina became the first state to fund a geological and mineralogical survey.
And you can still pan for gold in Western North Carolina.
And there are more fun geological facts at those NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources links.
But, yesterday, I was running around Cary with my camera and stumbled into the quartz in the photo above. While watching the slide show below, one should realize that those rocks are HUGE. The smallest is about 30" and they run up to about 6 feet across. And there are yards in Cary with quartz rocks in the 8 foot range decorating the yards.
I was capitivated by the layers, veins, varous minerals squished into the rocks, and of course the play of light and the shadows from the tree and the rocks themselves.
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