FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[John Jaszczak]

John,
We did indeed get a lot of snow during the Thanksgiving holiday!.

[John Jaszczak]

This week the west wall was uncovered and the entrance way at the north west was started under the scaffolding.

[John Jaszczak]

Steel for the roof started going in this week. It looks like some mechanical work is also progressing. It will be nice for the workers to get the roof on. The snow keeps falling.

[John Jaszczak]

Here is an unusual micromount that curator George Robinson found in after trimming a large specimen of domeykite (ex R. W. Drier collection) that was probably from the Mohawk mine, Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan. Acicular green olivenite crystals surround and top off some relatively uncommon cuprite crystals.

[John Jaszczak]

It has been quite cold and snowy in recent weeks. The museum building's roof is getting its finishing touches and the front entrance has been "uncovered", though it hasn't been trimmed out yet.

[John Jaszczak]

The museum has a growing collection of minerals from the general region around Lake Superior, including an impressive suite of specimens from Wawa, Ontario, Canada.

[Vinoterapia]

What a nice picture, it resemble a fly statically suspended.

Regards.

José Luis.

[John S. White]

Stunning photo John. Wow!

[John Jaszczak]

This specimen of native copper shows cubic crystals with prominent hopper growth. It is 5.9 x 3.5 x 4 cm, and is from the Ahmeek Mine in Keweenaw Co., Michigan. It was formerly in the Donald C. Gabriel collection.

[John Jaszczak]

We posted an image of this specimen earlier, but here is a close up of the main 1.8-cm long diopside crystal. I never tire of looking at this specimen. It is perched on a matrix of well formed, frosty graphite crystals, and is associated with laumontite and mesolite. The frosty coating on the graphite crystals is from a second generation of graphite growth (showing stellate forms) and tiny octahedral pyrite crystals. The specimen was purchased in Tucson in 2009 by curator George Robinson from Fine Minerals International. It apparently is one of the specimens that came from a pocket discovered in December 2007 at a depth of 230-260 m in the Karo pit, Block D, Merelani, Tanzania. [See Min. Rec. 40-5 (2009).]

[John Jaszczak]

It has been a while since we've updated regarding the new building for the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum. Not much has been visible on the outside much of the winter, but a lot of work has been taking place inside. Here are a few images by director Ted Bornhorst of the inside of the building before the drywall was installed. The front of the building will house the gift shop, offices and collection management area. The rest of the building, occupying most of the square footage, will be a wide-open gallery. The only enclosed area in the gallery will be a spacious new exhibit of fluorescent minerals.

[John Jaszczak]

Here are some views of the Gallery with the drywall up.

[Antonio Alcaide]

I have come to this thread by accident reading another thread of the Spanish Forum:

https://www.foro-minerales.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5442

about the book 'Minerals' by the current curator of the Museum, George W. Robinson.

Very interesting information and pictures. Thanks, John, for sharing here.

Regards

[John Jaszczak]

While work continues on the inside of the new building, spring is trying to come to the outside. Temperatures are still generally a bit low, but the sun warms things up during the day, and quite a lot (not all) of the snow has melted.

The new building has two windows installed on the front, and the main entry is under construction.

[John Jaszczak]

Here is a lovely arborescent native copper from the John T. Reeder collection.