Index to “StoneSpeak” Reviews and Articles 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 and some other Articles for it since June 2025. I have posted usually slightly extended versions of these 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. The Articles are on various topics. 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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First page of review article.

Hobart M. King of Geology.com. Source: http://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/tucson-visit-spurs-geology-professor-publisher-head-back-school.

Geology.com home page.

“Rocks” page, Geology.com.

Part of “Rocks” page, Geology.com.

11) A Review of the “Geology.com” Website (July 2026)

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Hobart M. King of Geology.com. Source: http://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/tucson-visit-spurs-geology-professor-publisher-head-back-school.

https://rocktumbler.com/

https://rocktumbler.com/tips/what-happens-in-a-rock-tumbler/

https://rocktumbler.com/tips/rock-tumbler-instructions/

https://rocktumbler.com/questions.shtml

12) A Review of the “Rocktumbler.com” Website (September 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