NASA, USGS Scientists Go Rock Hounding in California’s High Desert

Equipped with rock picks and hand lenses, a team of geoscientists deployed to the Mojave Desert recently to investigate a tantalizing “fingerprint” detected by a NASA sensor.

Their target: a cache of topaz hiding in plain sight.

The geologists weren’t searching for gem-grade treasure.

Rather, the presence of topaz could hint at a more valuable […]