The sub-family of rocks which form from volcanic lava are called Igneous Volcanic rocks (to differentiate them from igneous rocks which form from magma, below the surface of the earth, called Igneous Plutonic rocks). The lavas of different volcanoes, when cooled and hardened, differ much in their appearance and composition. If a rhyolite lava-stream cools quickly, it can quickly freeze into a black glassy substance called obsidian. When filled with bubbles of gas, the same lava may form the spongy mineral pumice. Allowed to cool slowly, it forms ...

See also:

Lava, Lava - Lava composition and rheology, Lava - Lava Behaviour, Lava - Lava Domes, Lava - Sheeted flows, Lava - ‘A‘a, Lava - Pāhoehoe, Lava - Pillow lava, Lava - Lava formations, Lava - Lava cascades and fountains, Lava - Lava lakes, Lava - Composition of volcanic rocks, Lava - Towns destroyed by lava, Lava - Towns partially destroyed by lava flows

Read more here: » Lava: Encyclopedia II - Lava - Composition of volcanic rocks

The sub-family of rocks which form from volcanic lava are called igneous volcanic rocks (to differentiate them from igneous rocks which form from magma, below the surface of the earth, called igneous plutonic rocks). The lavas of different volcanoes, when cooled and hardened, differ much in their appearance and composition. If a rhyolite lava-stream cools quickly, it can quickly freeze into a black glassy substance called obsidian. When filled with bubbles of gas, the same lava may form the spongy mineral pumice. Allowed to cool slowly, it forms ...

See also:

Lava, Lava - Lava composition and rheology, Lava - Lava Behavior, Lava - Lava Domes, Lava - Sheeted flows, Lava - ‘A‘a, Lava - Pāhoehoe, Lava - Pillow lava, Lava - Lava landforms, Lava - Volcanoes, Lava - Cinder and splatter cones, Lava - Lava domes, Lava - Lava tubes, Lava - Lava cascades and fountains, Lava - Lava lakes, Lava - Composition of volcanic rocks, Lava - Towns destroyed by lava, Lava - Towns partially destroyed by lava flows

Read more here: » Lava: Encyclopedia II - Lava - Composition of volcanic rocks

Late in 2371, it was learned that the Founders had infiltrated nearly every major power in the Alpha Quadrant, and the ensuing paranoia about who might or might not be a shapeshifter led to the Klingon invasion of Cardassian territory in 2372. With the fall of the Obsidian Order, the Cardassian citizenry had legitimately overthrown the militaristic government, putting a civilian based government in place. However, the Klingons didn't accept the sudden change in government, and suspected Dominion involvement. Their refusal to break off their ...

See also:

Dominion War, Dominion War - Background, Dominion War - Initial contacts with the Dominion, Dominion War - Federation first contact with the Founders, Dominion War - Covert Cardassian/Romulan attack, Dominion War - Founder infiltration and political destabilisation, Dominion War - Full-scale war, Dominion War - Dominion invasion and capture of Deep Space Nine, Dominion War - After Operation Return, Dominion War - Final assault and fall of Cardassia, Dominion War - Aftermath, Dominion War - External link

Read more here: » Dominion War: Encyclopedia II - Dominion War - Founder infiltration and political destabilisation

Three teams would use Justice League name in the early 1990s. List of Justice League members - Justice League America. Led by Wonder Woman, consisted of Flash III, Fire, Metamorpho, Crimson Fox, plus the following members: Hawkman III (Modern Age Katar Hol) Nuklon Obsidian Blue Devil Icemaiden I (Sigrid Nansen) ...

See also:

List of Justice League members, List of Justice League members - Silver Age team -- Justice League of America, List of Justice League members - Justice League Detroit era, List of Justice League members - Justice League International era, List of Justice League members - Justice League/Justice League International/Justice League America, List of Justice League members - Justice League Europe, List of Justice League members - Justice League Antarctica, List of Justice League members - Justice Leagues era, List of Justice League members - Justice League America, List of Justice League members - Justice League Task Force, List of Justice League members - Extreme Justice, List of Justice League members - JLA, List of Justice League members - Justice League Elite, List of Justice League members - Animated Series

Read more here: » List of Justice League members: Encyclopedia II - List of Justice League members - Justice Leagues era

Mila, played by Julianna McCarthy, was for over three decades the housekeeper of Enabran Tain, the head of the Obsidian Order. During their time together, Tain and Mila had a child, whom they named Elim Garak. Due to Tain's position, it was decided to hide the fact that he was Garak's father. In 2371, Tain considered to have Mila killed because she knew too much about him. However, he did not go through with her execution. Sadly, she was killed by Jem'Hadar soldiers on the eve of Cardassia's liberation from the Dominion. She appeared in several ep ...

See also:

List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Albino, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Bareil Antos, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Boday, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Brunt, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Dax, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Eddington Michael, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Fontaine Vic, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Ishka, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Keldar, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Leeta, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Lense Elizabeth, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Leskit, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Mila, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Mora Pol, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Morn, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - O'Brien Keiko, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - O'Brien Kirayoshi, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - O'Brien Molly, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Opaka Sulan, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Pazlar Melora, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Ross William, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Shakaar Edon, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Sisko Joseph, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Sloan Luther, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Tora Ziyal, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Vash, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Vaughn Elias, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Vreenak, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Yates Kasidy, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Yelgrun, List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Zek

Read more here: » List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters: Encyclopedia II - List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters - Mila

Snowflake Obsidian: Snowflake obsidian is a striking black, lustrous opaque stone with grayish/white bold markings, much like the beautiful patterns of snowflakes on a black background. It is a form of volcanic, amorphous, siliceous glassy rock. This form of obsidian is found in Utah.

Snowflake obsidian is said to sharpen both the external and the internal vision. It is one of the most important “teachers” of the New Age stones. It is the warrior of truth, and shows the self where the ego is at, and what it must change in order to advance to the next step of evolutionary growth.

(See also: Snowflake Obsidian, Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

Çatalhöyük /ʧɑtɑl højyk/ (also Çatal Höyük and Çatal Hüyük, or any of the three without accent marks -- Çatal is Turkish for 'fork' and Höyük is Turkish for "mound") was a very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlement in southern Anatolia, dating from around 7500 BC for the lowest layers. It is perhaps the largest ...

Including:

• Çatalhöyük - Archaeological history
• Çatalhöyük - Cultural findings
• Çatalhöyük - Religion
• Çatalhöyük - For Further Reading

Read more here: » Çatalhöyük: Encyclopedia - Çatalhöyük

metal and gem therapy: Ostensibly therapeutic application of gems, gemstones, and metals.

Its apparent principle is that different metals and gemstones affect the body's electromagnetic field differently. For example, emeralds, can balance chakras and can heal and cleanse one's aura. Obsidian can eliminate negativity and draw one's aura toward the body.

(See also: Metal and gem therapy, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Scrying

A method of divination using a crystal ball, shiny stone, dark mirror,, bowl of water or other reflective object or surface until psychic visions appear. The art dates back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, and practitioners aim to answer questions, solve problems, find lost objects or people, and help solve crimes.

The tool of scryers is called a speculum, which can be any object, but is usually one with reflective surface. The French physician and astrologer Nostrodamus used a brass bowl of water on a tripod. Dr. John Dee, astrologer to Queen Elizabeth I, used a crystal egg and black obsidian mirror. The stereotypical speculum is the crystal ball as popularized by gypsy fortune-tellers.

(See also: Scrying, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Apache Tear Drop:

Apache tear drop is a form of black obsidian. It is a calming translucent stone, found in Arizona and other parts of the U.S. It is composed of feldspar, hornblend, biotite and quartz. It was formed by rhythmic crystallization that produces a separation of light and dark materials into spherical shapes, and is a form of volcanic glass. There is a haunting legend about the Apache tear drop. After the Pinal Apaches had made several raids on a settlement in Arizona, the military regulars and some volunteers trailed the tracks of the stolen cattle and waited for dawn to attack the Apaches.

The Apaches, confident in the safety of their location, were completely surprised and out-numbered in the attack. Nearly 50 of the band of 75 Apaches were killed in the first volley of shots. The rest of the tribe retreated to the cliff’s edge and chose death by leaping over the edge rather than die at the hands of the white men. For years afterward those who ventured up the treacherous face of Big Pacacho in Arizona found skeletons, or could see the bleached bones wedged in the crevices of the side of the cliff.

The Apache women and the lovers of those who had died gathered a short distance from the base of the cliff where the sands were white, and for a moon they wept for their dead. They mourned greatly, for they realized that not only had their 75 brave Apache warriors died, but with them had died the great fighting spirit of the Pinal Apaches. Their sadness was so great, and their burden of sorrow so sincere that the Great Father imbedded into black stones the tears of the Apache women who mourned their dead.

These black obsidian stones, when held to the light, reveal the translucent tear of the Apache. The stones bring good luck to those possessing them. It is said that whoever owns an Apache tear drop will never have to cry again, for the Apache maidens have shed their tears in place of yours.

The Apache tear drops are also said to balance the emotional nature and protect one from being taken advantage of. It can be carried as an amulet to stimulate success in business endeavors. It is also used to produce clear vision and to increase psychic powers. Black obsidian is a powerful meditation stone.

The purpose of this gemstone is to bring to light that which is hidden from the conscious mind. It dissolves suppressed negative patterns and purifies them. It can create a somewhat radical behavior change as new positive attitudes replace old, negative, egocentric patterns.

Also See: Apache Tear Drops

(See also: Apache Tear Drop, Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

The mineraloid opal is amorphous SiO2·nH2O; hydrated silicon dioxide, the water content sometimes being as high as 20%. Opal ranges from colorless through white, milky blue, gray, red, yellow, green, brown and black. Often many of these colors can be seen at once, caused by interference and diffraction of light passing through minute, regularly arranged apertures within the microstructure of opal, known as Bragg's lattice. These apertures are filled with secondary silica and form thin lamellae insi ...

Including:

• Opal - Common opal
• Opal - Sources of opal
• Opal - Synthetic opal

Read more here: » Opal: Encyclopedia - Opal

Mount Ararat (Armenian Արարատ; Turkish Ağrı Dağı; Kurdish Çîyayê Agirî; Persian آرارات; Hebrew אררט, Standard Hebrew Ararat, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĂrārāṭ), the tallest peak in modern Turkey, is a snow-capped dormant volcanic cone, located in the far northeast of Turkey, 16 km west of Iran and 32 km south of Armenia. The Book of Genesis identifies this mountain as the resting place of Noah's Ark after the Great Flood described there. Mount Arara ...

Including:

• Mount Ararat - History
• Mount Ararat - Symbolism
• Mount Ararat - Elevation

Read more here: » Mount Ararat: Encyclopedia - Mount Ararat

The cryptocrystalline nature of chert, combined with its above average ability to resist weathering, recrystallisation and metamorphism has made it an ideal rock for preservation of early life forms. For example: The 3.2 billion year old chert of the Fig Tree Formation in the Barbeton Mountains between Swaziland and South Africa preserved non-colonial unicellular bacterial-like fossils. The Gunflint Chert of western Ontario (1.9 to 2.3 BYA) preserves not only bacteria and cyanobacteria but also organisms believed ...

See also:

Chert, Chert - Chert and Precambrian fossils, Chert - Chert and flint: archaeological and historical uses

Read more here: » Chert: Encyclopedia II - Chert - Chert and Precambrian fossils

Besides the gemstone varieties that show a play of color, there are other kinds of common opal such as the milk opal, milky bluish to greenish; resin opal, honey-yellow with a resinous lustre; wood opal, caused by the replacement of the organic material in wood with opal; menilite brown or grey; hyalite, a colorless glass-clear opal sometimes called Muller's Glass; geyserite, (siliceous sinter) deposited around hot springs or geysers; and diatomite or diatomaceous earth, the accu ...

See also:

Opal, Opal - Common opal, Opal - Sources of opal, Opal - Synthetic opal

Read more here: » Opal: Encyclopedia II - Opal - Common opal

In the absence of written records, only a summary history can be derived from monuments and archaeological remains. But the decipherment of writings in recent times has added much new knowledge. Aegean civilization - Origin and continuity. A great deal of evidence has been uncovered by archaeology which answers the question how much the Aegean civilization, which existed for at least three thousand years, can be regarded as continuous. Aegean civilization had its roots in a long-lasting primitive Neolithic ...

See also:

Aegean civilization, Aegean civilization - Distinctive features, Aegean civilization - Indigenous script, Aegean civilization - Art, Aegean civilization - Architecture, Aegean civilization - History of Aegean Civilization, Aegean civilization - Origin and continuity, Aegean civilization - Chronology., Aegean civilization - Annals, Aegean civilization - Political Organization, Aegean civilization - Religion, Aegean civilization - Social Organization, Aegean civilization - Commerce, Aegean civilization - Treatment of the Dead, Aegean civilization - Artistic Production, Aegean civilization - Evidence of Aegean civilization, Aegean civilization - The discovery of Aegean civiliation, Aegean civilization - External link

Read more here: » Aegean civilization: Encyclopedia II - Aegean civilization - History of Aegean Civilization

Aphoom-Zhah (The Cold Flame) debuted in Lin Carter's short story "The Acolyte of the Flame" (1985)[1]—although the being was first mentioned in an earlier tale by Carter, "The Horror in the Gallery" (1976). Aphoom-Zhah is also mentioned in Carter's "The Light from the Pole" (1980), a story Carter wrote from an early draft by Clark Ashton Smith. Smith later developed this draft into "The Coming of the White Worm" (1941).See also:

Great Old One compendium, Great Old One compendium - Aphoom-Zhah, Great Old One compendium - Atlach-Nacha, Great Old One compendium - Basatan, Great Old One compendium - Bokrug, Great Old One compendium - Cynothoglys, Great Old One compendium - Dweller in the Gulf, Great Old One compendium - Eihort, Great Old One compendium - Mnomquah, Great Old One compendium - Nug and Yeb, Great Old One compendium - Oorn, Great Old One compendium - Quachil Uttaus, Great Old One compendium - Rlim Shaikorth, Great Old One compendium - Tharapithia, Great Old One compendium - Vulthoom, Great Old One compendium - Vulthoom short story, Great Old One compendium - The Worm that Gnaws in the Night, Great Old One compendium - Yibb-Tstll, Great Old One compendium - Yig, Great Old One compendium - Zathog, Great Old One compendium - Zushakon

Read more here: » Great Old One compendium: Encyclopedia II - Great Old One compendium - Aphoom-Zhah

The Chacoans built an amazing urban ceremonial center along a nine mile (14 km) stretch of canyon floor, with the walls of some structures aligned cardinally and others aligned with the 18.6 year cycle of minimum and maximum moonrise and moonset. Nine Great Houses lie nestled along the north side of Chaco Wash at the base of massive sandstone mesas. Additional Great Houses are found on mesa tops or in nearby washes or drainage areas. The fourteen known Great Houses are listed below in geographic order, beginning at the head of the canyon, ne ...

See also:

Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Chaco Culture National Historical Park - Park history, Chaco Culture National Historical Park - Cultural history, Chaco Culture National Historical Park - Chacoan Great Houses, Chaco Culture National Historical Park - Chaco Canyon sites, Chaco Culture National Historical Park - Reference, Chaco Culture National Historical Park - External link

Read more here: » Chaco Culture National Historical Park: Encyclopedia II - Chaco Culture National Historical Park - Chaco Canyon sites

As unique and spectacular as any Greek or Roman architecture, Maya architecture spans many thousands of years; yet, often the most dramatic and easily recognizable as Maya are the fantastic stepped pyramids from the Terminal Pre-classic period and beyond. These pyramids relied on intricate carved stone in order to create a stair-step design. Each pyramid was dedicated to a deity whose shrine sat at its peak. During this "height" of Maya culture, the centers of their religious, commercial and bureaucratic power grew into incredible cities, in ...

See also:

Maya civilization, Maya civilization - Origins, Maya civilization - Art, Maya civilization - Architecture, Maya civilization - Urban design, Maya civilization - Building materials, Maya civilization - Building process, Maya civilization - Notable constructions, Maya civilization - Writing and literacy, Maya civilization - Writing system, Maya civilization - Writing tools, Maya civilization - Scribes, Maya civilization - Literacy, Maya civilization - Mathematics, Maya civilization - Religion, Maya civilization - Agriculture, Maya civilization - Decline of the Maya, Maya civilization - Rediscovery of the Pre-Columbian Maya, Maya civilization - List of Maya sites, Maya civilization - Most important sites, Maya civilization - Other important Maya sites, Maya civilization - Reference

Read more here: » Maya civilization: Encyclopedia II - Maya civilization - Architecture

The settlement was described by Mellaart as the earliest city in the world. However, it is more properly described as an overgrown village rather than a true town or city. The community seems to have consisted entirely of domestic housing with open areas for dumping rubbish. There are no obvious public buildings or signs of division of labour, although some dwellings are larger than the rest and bear more elaborate wall paintings. The purpose of larger rooms remains unclea ...

See also:

Çatalhöyük, Çatalhöyük - Archaeological history, Çatalhöyük - Cultural findings, Çatalhöyük - Religion, Çatalhöyük - For Further Reading

Read more here: » Çatalhöyük: Encyclopedia II - Çatalhöyük - Cultural findings

All volcanic rock (and thus, all lavas and magmas) may be characterized by its relative proportions of three important elements: silica, iron, and magnesium. This family of rock is called the 'Ferro-magnesium silicates', and together these rocks make up the majority of the Earth's surface. When these rocks are molten, they may have a wide range of viscosity, which varies according to three factors: temperature, pressure, and the proportion of silica vs. metals (iron and magnesium) in the rock. When molten at the surface, all lavas are under about the same amount of pressure, leaving just composition and temperature ...

See also:

Lava, Lava - Lava compositions, Lava - ‘A‘a, Lava - Pāhoehoe, Lava - Pillow lava, Lava - Lava formations, Lava - Lava cascades and fountains, Lava - Lava lakes, Lava - Composition of volcanic rocks, Lava - Towns destroyed by lava, Lava - Towns partially destroyed by lava flows

Read more here: » Lava: Encyclopedia II - Lava - Lava compositions

John Dee - Early life. Dee was born in Tower Ward, London to a Welsh family, whose surname derived from the Welsh du ("black"). His father was a merchant and minor courtier. Dee attended the Chelmsford Chantry School (now King Edward VI Grammar School (Chelmsford), then – from 1543 to 1546 – St. John's College, Cambridge. His great abilities were recognized, and he was made a founding fellow of Trinity College. In the late 1540s and early 1550s, he travelled in Europe, studying at Leuven and Brussels a ...

See also:

John Dee, John Dee - Biography, John Dee - Early life, John Dee - Later life, John Dee - Personal life, John Dee - Final years, John Dee - Achievements, John Dee - Thought, John Dee - Reputation and significance, John Dee - Artefacts, John Dee - Dee in fiction

Read more here: » John Dee: Encyclopedia II - John Dee - Biography

Contra Costa County, California - Pre-human. In prehistoric times, particularly the Miocene epoch, portions of the landforms now in the area (then marshy and grassy savanna) were populated a wide range of now extinct mammals, known in modern times by the fossil remains excavated in the southern part of the county. These included pigs the size of modern rhinoceros and rhinoceri the size of modern pigs. In the northern part of the county significant coal deposits were formed in even earlier geologic eras. Other are ...

See also:

Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County, California - History, Contra Costa County, California - Pre-human, Contra Costa County, California - Native American period, Contra Costa County, California - Spanish colonial, Contra Costa County, California - Mexican provincial, Contra Costa County, California - Bear Flag Republic and the Statehood of California, Contra Costa County, California - Contra Costa's creation and division, Contra Costa County, California - Orchards, farms, and ranches, Contra Costa County, California - Railroads, Contra Costa County, California - Irrigation canals, Contra Costa County, California - Commuter railroads, Contra Costa County, California - Heavy industry, Contra Costa County, California - 1941-45, Contra Costa County, California - Early postwar period, Contra Costa County, California - Technical innovators, Contra Costa County, California - Corporate headquarters, Contra Costa County, California - West County, Contra Costa County, California - Central County, Contra Costa County, California - East County, Contra Costa County, California - Urban decay at the fringes, Contra Costa County, California - Redevelopment, Contra Costa County, California - Geography, Contra Costa County, California - Landmarks, Contra Costa County, California - Demographics, Contra Costa County, California - Politics, Contra Costa County, California - Cities and towns, Contra Costa County, California - West County, Contra Costa County, California - Central County, Contra Costa County, California - East County, Contra Costa County, California - Other named regions and developments, Contra Costa County, California - Museums and Historic sites, Contra Costa County, California - Parks and related places, Contra Costa County, California - Trails, Contra Costa County, California - California Casino Proposals, Contra Costa County, California - Proposals

Read more here: » Contra Costa County, California: Encyclopedia II - Contra Costa County, California - History