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University of Arizona Mineral Museum: Special Exhibit

March 21, 2015 Hershel Friedman (0)
Every year, the University of Arizona in Tucson hosts a special exhibit in their mineral museum, located in the Flandrau Science Center. This exhibit is present at the time of the show in Tucson, and I have been visiting the museum every year during my visit to Tucson. This year's special exhibit was titled "Mineral Evolution: Mineralogy in the Fourth Dimension." Represented were rock-forming minerals and minerals showcasing the evolution process of the formation of minerals.

Most of the larger exhibit areas were filled with fossil cases, but there was still a nice representation of interesting and unique minerals, of which some are shared in the post below.


Click on the images below for larger pictures. The pop-up pictures can also be downloaded in a higher resolution by right clicking them to save them locally.)

Forsterite Kolonne, Uva Province, Sri Lanka
Huge Forsterite crystal from Kolonne, Uva Province, Sri Lanka
Mark Le Font Collection


Rutile Cluster from Novo Horizonte, Bahia, Brazil
Large and Hairy Rutile Cluster from Novo Horizonte, Bahia, Brazil
University of Arizona Mineral Museum Collection


Toluca Iron meteorite from Mexico
Polished Toluca Iron Meteorite from Mexico State, Mexico
Mark Le Font Collection


University of Arizona Mineral Museum pegmatites
Various Pegmatite Gem Minerals
Multiple Collections


University of Arizona Mineral Museum
Vertical Section of one of the Display Cases
Multiple Collections


Calcite With Dioptase Inclusions, Tsumeb, Namibia
Amazing Calcite Colored Blue-Green by Dioptase Inclusions from Tsumeb, Namibia
Mark Le Font Collection


Calcite With Dioptase Inclusions, Tsumeb, Namibia
Giant Botryoidal Rhodochrosite from the Oppu Mine, Japan
Mark Le Font Collection


Manganese Nodules from Project Azorian
Manganese Nodules from Project Azorian
Multiple Collections


hewellite Crystal from Zwickau, Saxony, Germany
Rare Whewellite Crystal from Zwickau, Saxony, Germany
Marcus J. Origlieri Collection


Mineral Pseudomorphs After Wood
Various Mineral Pseudomorphs After Wood
Multiple Collections


Opal after Calcite after Ikaite from White Cliffs, NSW, Australia
Opal after Calcite after Ikaite from White Cliffs, NSW, Australia
Museum Gift from the de Monmonier Estate


Danburite Charcas, Mexico
Danburite Showing Regular Crystal and Similar Specimen Replaced by Quartz from Charcas, Mexico
Marcus J. Origlieri Collection


Trilithionite after Elbaite
Elbaite from the Himalaya Mine, San Diego Co., California, Next to a
Pseudomorph of Trilithionite after Elbaite from Minas Gerais, Brazil
Arizona Historical Society (R) and Marcus J. Origlieri (L) Collections


Copper pseudomorph after Cuprite Rubtsovsk, Russia
Cuprite and Copper Pseudomorph after Cuprite from Rubtsovsk, Russia
Marcus J. Origlieri Collection


Pseudomorphs from the Bor Pit, Dal'negorsk, Russia
Quartz pseudomorph After Datolite and Danburite, Bor Pit, Dal'negorsk, Russia
Bill Shelton Collection


Staurolite Fairy Cross Pestsovye Keivy, Kola Peninsula, Russia
Staurolite "Fairy Cross" in Matrix from Pestsovye Keivy, Kola Peninsula, Russia
Mark Le Font Collection


Afghanite Sar-e-Sang, Afghanista
Very Large Afghanite Crystals in Matrix from Sar-e-Sang, Afghanistan
Mark Le Font Collection


Afghanite Sar-e-Sang, Afghanista
Pink Heulandite Geode from Pune, Maharashtra, India
Mark Le Font Collection