We've all seen our fair share of rocks, and most of them aren't that pretty. The ones that are though, can be totally mind-blowing. Ryoji Tanaka, a Japanese photographer and chemist, likes to capture some of the most striking elements, minerals, and compounds in close-up (like the Uranium-containing cuprosklodowskite you see above) and the results are crazy awesome.


Adamantane (by sublimation)


Bismuth

Titanium crystals (by electrolysis)


Andersonite


Plain old gold


Vanadinite crystals on white barite


Muonionalusta meteorite


Karpatite


Uvarovite


Bonus Non-mineral: Thenoic acid


Top Image: Uranium-containing cuprosklodowskite. All photos by Ryoji Tanaka with permission