The Mineral Museum is located on the second floor of one of the buildings on the campus of Montana Tech in Butte, Montana. Montana Tech was originally the Montana School of Mines.
These bears lived throughout Europe and western Russia. The males weighted about 1,000 pounds. According to the display:
“Their extinction was probably caused by a combination of climate change (the Ice Age) and competition with humans with whom they shared the same hunting and foraging areas. Many fossils of cave bears have spear or knife marks—perhaps fighting for the same food or shelter.”
The Rheanna Star
The Rheanna Star is a large smoky quartz crystal cluster found in southwest Montana.
Amethyst Geode
This large geode began as a gas bubble in hot lava. According to the display:
“As the lava cooled and eventually hardened, the bubble left a void in the rock. Sometime later, hot water seeped through the lave and deposited quartz, a form of silica, into the void. The geode’s outer layer is made of chalcedony (microcrystalline quartz), followed by clear quartz, and then by the beautiful amethyst quartz crystals. The purple color is derived from iron found in the crystal matrix.”
“Big Daddy” Quartz
This is the largest known quartz crystal found in Montana. It weighs 397 pounds and is 37 inches tall.
Smoky Quartz with Overgrowth of Amethyst Quartz Crystals
According to the display:
“Smoky quartz can form when natural radioactivity changes the floor of clear quartz to either gray or black. Amethyst quartz’s purple shade is due to traces of iron in the quartz. This amethyst overgrowth formed sometime after the smoky quartz because its color wasn’t effected by radioactivity.”
Calcite Deposits
More Museums
Mineral Museum: Quartz (Photo Diary)
Mineral Museum: The Charles Gallgher Collection (Photo Diary)
Mineral Museum: The Thompson Collection of World Minerals (Photo Diary)
Mineral Museum: Gemstones (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Nevada City Assay Office (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Gem and Mineral Hall (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Hixon Gem Vault (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Gems and Minerals as Art (Photo Diary)