The American Museum of Natural History is known for many of its iconic minerals in its collection. I captured in photographs some important specimens of the collection in these next two posts, which feature individual minerals on display. I chose some of the museum's famous mineral specimens, as well as those that are highly photogenic or historically significant.
Unfortunately, I was not able to get a good photograph of the Newmont Azurite. This specimen, a giant Azurite from Bisbee, Arizona, is among the most famous minerals of the collection (and the world). While exceptionally aesthetic, it is very hard to capture on camera from within its display case. Another famous mineral I did not see is the Subway Garnet, a very large, well-formed Almandine Garnet found in 1885 in Midtown Manhattan during a sewer excavation. This mineral is not on display but in the museum's repository, and I was therefore unable to see it. However, I was happy to hear that it will be showcased on display when the museum completes its current renovation, scheduled for 2020.
Despite missing some key mineral specimens, I was able to capture many other important specimens, and feature them in this and the following post.
Large Epidote Crystals from Untersulzbach, Tyrol, Austria
Giant Topaz Crystal from Minas Gerais, Brazil
Sulfur Crystals from Cianciana, Sicily, Italy
Giant Calcite Crystals from Joplin, Missouri
Sulfur Crystals from Cianciana, Sicily, Italy
Phosphophyllite from Bolivia
Stolzite from Broken Hill, NSW, Australia
Calcite Crystals from Joplin, Missouri
