Index to “StoneSpeak” Reviews of Online Resources Series

I am a member of the Southland Geological and Lapidary Club. The Club’s website is here and its Facebook Page is here. “StoneSpeak” is the monthly Newsletter of the Club, and I have been writing a series of Reviews of Online Resources for it since June 2025. I have posted usually slightly extended versions of these Reviews in TumbleStone Blog. The aim of the Reviews are to provide a bit of backgound and context to an online geological or lapidary resource, describe what’s in it, and evaluate its strengths and limitations. This Series is likely to be ongoing.

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Peter Ballance. Source: http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bruce-Hayward/publication/232993016_Peter_Ballance_the_geologist/links/0046352f3400ca3976000000/Peter-Ballance-the-geologist.pdf

Cover of Ballance’s book, Available free online at https://gsnz.org.nz/assets/Uploads/Shop/Products/MP148_Ballance_NZ_Geology.pdf

Contents of Ballance’s book.

Page 57 of Peter Ballance’s “New Zealand Geology: An Illustrated Guide”.

Page 275 of Peter Ballance’s “New Zealand Geology: An Illustrated Guide”.

1) A Review of Peter Ballance’s (2017) “New Zealand Geology: An Illustrated Guide” (June 2025)

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Julian Thomson, founder of GeoTrips. https://outtherelearning.co.nz

GeoTrips home page. http://www.geotrips.org.nz/index.html

Howells Point Volcanics GeoTrip, Riverton Aparima. http://www.geotrips.org.nz/trip.html?id=331

“Learn About It” section, Howells Point Volcanics GeoTrip, Riverton Aparima. http://www.geotrips.org.nz/trip.html?id=331

Ward Beach Uplift GeoTrip. http://www.geotrips.org.nz/trip.html?id=531

2) A Review of the “GeoTrips” Website (July 2025)

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Jolyon Ralph, 2024. http://www.mindat.org/user-1.html

Mindat Home Page http://www.mindat.org

Mindat chalcedony page http://www.mindat.org/min-960.html

Part of chalcedony page on Mindat http://www.mindat.org/min-960.html

Part of chalcedony page on Mindat http://www.mindat.org/min-960.html – more chalcedony photos at http://www.mindat.org/gm/960

3) A Review of “Mindat.org” (August 2025)

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https://rocksminerals.flexiblelearning.auckland.ac.nz/minerals/physical.html

https://rocksminerals.flexiblelearning.auckland.ac.nz/minerals/common.html

On clastic sedimentary rocks. https://rocksminerals.flexiblelearning.auckland.ac.nz/rocks/sedimentary.html

Gabbro. https://rocksminerals.flexiblelearning.auckland.ac.nz/rocks/gabbro.html

Page 1 of “StoneSpeak” Newsletter, October 2025.

4) A Review of the University of Auckland’s “Geology: Rocks and Minerals” Website (October 2025)

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Jocelyn Thornton (right) at opening of Research School of Earth Sciences, Victroia University of Wellington. 1985. https://tapuaka.wgtn.ac.nz/nodes/view/8505

Online cover http://www.onnaturesedge.co.nz/downloads/nzgemstones.pdf.

Petrified Wood. Page 21 of Thornton’s “Gemstones”.

Orepuki (Gemstone Beach). Page 36 of Thornton’s “Gemstones”.

East Coast. Page 31 of Thornton’s “Gemstones”.

5) A Review of Jocelyn Thornton’s (1985) “Gemstones” (November 2025)

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Siim Sepp. https://sandatlas.org/about

Sandatlas Home Page. https://sandatlas.org

Sedimentary rocks. https://sandatlas.org/types-of-rocks/

Igneous rocks. https://sandatlas.org/types-of-rocks/

Sandatlas on the 3 categories of rocks. https://sandatlas.org/rock-classification-problems/

6) A Review of the “Sandatlas” Website (December 2025)

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Cover of “New Zealand Geographic”, November-December 2025.

“Dragonlust” article, “New Zealand Geographic”, November-December 2025.

7) A Review of “New Zealand Geographic” Magazine Online (January-February 2026)

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Alessandro Da Mommio. Source: http://www.alexstrekeisen.it/english/index.php

Globigerinids Foraminifera in a Mudstone, field of view = 2mm. http://www.alexstrekeisen.it/english/sedi/mudstone.php

“Streckeisen diagram”, the QAPF diagram for classification of igneous rocks. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Streckeisen_Plutonic_Rocks.svg

Page on Metamorphic Rocks. http://www.alexstrekeisen.it/english/meta/index.php

Rhodonite page. http://www.alexstrekeisen.it/english/meta/rhodonite.php

8) A Review of “AlexStrekeisen” Website (March 2026)

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Nicola Gray’s YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSQMZ5-H0nsBL_bM2BjNEHw/videos.

More of Nicola Gray’s videos.

Gordon Sherwoods YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/@NewZealandRocksDownunder/videos.

Morne Mamlambo’s Fossils Channel http://www.youtube.com/@MamlamboFossils/videos.

Morne Mamlambo’s Rocks Channel http://www.youtube.com/@mamlamborocks/videos.

9) A Review of Three Kiwi YouTube Rockhounds (April-May 2026)

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Home Page of “Geological Digressions” http://www.geological-digressions.com.

From Trace Fossils article on “Geological Digressions” http://www.geological-digressions.com/someone-passed-this-way-tracks-trails-impressions-and-footprints

One of the Glossaries http://www.geological-digressions.com/glossary-paleontology.

Sandstone formation http://www.geological-digressions.com/from-sand-to-stone-sandstone-a-remarkable-transformation.

“Ancient earth. 2 How old is it?” http://www.geological-digressions.com/ancient-earth-how-old-is-it.

10) A Review of the “Geological Digressions” Website (June 2026)

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To be continued…

Author: tumblestoneblog

Retired Academic, male, living in the New Zealand countryside near Whanganui with his wife as well as Jasper the dog, Fluffy the cat, Dancer and Penny, the horses, and a shed half-full of stones. Email john.tumblestone@gmail.com. View all posts by tumblestoneblog