Gents – while sitting on my couch doing boring accounting work, I spied a Desert Rose sitting amongst all sorts of junk on a shelf. To pull this into WLBOTT, we need to include the Inland Sea of Qatar [Khawr al Udayd] into our tour. I retrieved the desert rose shown below from a beach there and it is now on my shelf – very interesting geological artifact. And the Qatari’s, with unlimited wealth, hired Juan Nouvel to design their national museum in the same style.
My rock:
[ed. note: tamale for scale]
UC#3
A desert rose is an intricate rose-like formation of crystal clusters of gypsum or baryte, which include abundant sand grains. The “petals” are crystals flattened on the c axis, fanning open in radiating clusters.
The rosette crystal habit tends to occur when the crystals form in arid sandy conditions, such as the evaporation of a shallow salt basin. The crystals form a circular array of flat plates, giving the rock a shape similar to a rose blossom. Gypsum roses usually have better defined, sharper edges than baryte roses. Celestine and other bladed evaporite minerals may also form rosette clusters. They can appear either as a single rose-like bloom or as clusters of blooms, typically ranging from pea-sized to 10 centimetres (4 in) in diameter.
The ambient sand that is incorporated into the crystal structure, or otherwise encrusts the crystals, varies with the local environment. If iron oxides are present, the rosettes take on a rusty tone.
The desert rose may also be known by the names: sand rose, Sahara rose, rose rock, selenite rose, gypsum rose and baryte (barite) rose.
And you thought Oklahoma had nothing going for it? The rose rock was selected as the official rock of the US state of Oklahoma in 1968. – Wikipedia
By Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10140406 By Laura Peña – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31798840
Khawr al Udayd خور العديد: Inland Sea in Southern Qatar
Dude – had two hard core geologists in my research group in Qatar and they took me on a day trip to the inland sea in southern Qatar. They just dug up the desert rose from a mud flat – the tops are visible. Very nice trip – dune bashing in pickup (with XOM approved driver) to get to site. Purely for research. Also to field trips to look for dugong carcasses on the beach. Bizarre place.
UC#3
Visiting Qatar
UC#3, our interim Minister of Virtue and Vice, is establishing the corporate policy for “Just the Right Amount of Gay”.
This new addition to the Doha skyline is called Katara Towers and is divided between two hotel brands, the Fairmont and the Raffles. Each occupies one half of the 300,000 square meter building, which is designed to resemble a pair of Qatari crossed scimitars.
Even our most Melania-esque guests are vaguely satisfied with the accommodations.
WLBOTT / Qatar Supply Chain
Heath Benefits of Crystal Clusters of Gypsum and/or Baryte
Desert Rose Health Benefits: The Soar Plexus Chakra
Let us just say that we’ve been far too dismissive of New Age philosophy, especially as it applies to the Solar Plexus Chakra. Further research is indicated.
