EPOD - a service of USRA
The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.
The Beaver's Tale
July 09, 2020
Ellero beaver_sm
Photographer: James Van Gundy
Summary Author: James Van Gundy
I recently came across this somewhat whimsical carving of a beaver
in an antique shop. It looked odd to me and as I picked it up, I was
struck by its weight that seemed unusually heavy for an object its
size. As I looked more closely, it appeared that the statue was carved
from some sort of metallic sulfide mineral that again was unusual
as such materials are usually too brittle to carve.
A label on the underside of the base identified it as a creation of
stone carver Peter Ellero of Sudbury, Ontario. With a little
research, I learned that Mr. Ellero was an Italian immigrant who worked
for a while in International Nickel Corporation’s Creighton Mine at
Sudbury. The material used to carve the beaver probably came from that
mine. The Sudbury district is home to one of the world’s
richest mineral deposits and has produced over $100 billion worth of
nickel, copper, gold, platinum, palladium, and
silver over its 100+ year history.
The statue is actually carved from nickel ore that consists of a
mixture of metallic sulfide minerals including pentlandite -
(Fe,Ni)9S8, pyrrhotite - Fe(1-x)S, and chalcopyrite - CuFeS₂.
The polished base appears to be an igneous rock called gabbro
that contains a large number of inclusions of the same minerals.
Pyrrhotite is one of the few minerals that are naturally magnetic,
and indeed, the ore deposit was initially discovered by a surveyor who
noticed a magnetic distortion in his compass readings.
It’s now understood that the Sudbury ore deposits lie within an
impact crater that was originally about 155 miles (250 km) in
diameter and resulted from the impact of a 6 to 10 mile (10-15 km)
diameter comet approximately 1.8 billion years ago. The Sudbury
ores are derived from the impact melts produced by that comet’s
interaction with the Earth’s crust and upper mantle. Since it was
originally formed, the crater has been much deformed by subsequent
tectonic activity.
So, it turns out that this little beaver has a number of tales to tell.
One, of an immigrant seeking a better life. Another of a wandering
compass needle pointing towards almost unimaginable mineral wealth, and
finally, a story of an ancient cataclysmic natural catastrophe. Note
that the statue’s base is 9.5 by 4.5 inches (24.1 by 11.4 cm) and it
weighs 7.2 pounds (3.27 kg).
* Sudbury, Ontario Coordinates: 46.492217, -80.993300
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Young Lava and Old Olivine A Crack in the Moon?
More...
Geology Links
* Earthquakes
* Geologic Time
* Geomagnetism
* General Dictionary of Geology
* Mineral and Locality Database
* Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
* This Dynamic Earth
* USGS
* USGS Ask a Geologist
* USGS/NPS Geologic Glossary
* USGS Volcano Hazards Program
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Space Research Association.
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