Bruce B. Dice Mineralogical
Museum Catalog
(Sample)
“God has provided humanity with many wonderful, natural
objects, and it was my mission to present these wonderful
creations for all to see.”
-Bruce Dice
Welcome to the
Bruce B. Dice
Mineralogical Museum
Dear Visitor,
The goal of this catalog is to provide a
comprehensive, informative document of the
minerals found within the Bruce B. Dice
Mineralogical Museum. Contained in this catalog is
a photograph of each mineral, accompanied by its
official name, chemical formula, and an explanatory
description that assists in understanding the
mineral’s importance and uniqueness. A mineral
index has been added at the end of this catalog to
help guide readers to specific minerals of interest.
Additionally, some terminology used in the catalog
may be unfamiliar; therefore, a dictionary has been
added to help sort through the geologic rhetoric.
Information within the catalog is for general support
to docents, students, and visitors while they
encounter the beautiful specimens within the
museum. Please enjoy this informational guide as
you embark on a journey through the Dice
Mineralogical Museum.
Sincerely,
Calvin College Museum Staff
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Acknowledgments:
Special thanks are to be graciously given to those who
participated in the creation of this informative catalog:
To Professor and Museum Supervisor Gerry Van
Kooten and Docent volunteer Jim Muller for their
geological expertise and proofreading efforts.
Also to Student Docent Brianna Marshall, Curator
Jared Stratz and Department Assistant Cheryl
Hoogewind for their help in layout development and
all proofreading. Numerous hours were spent
researching the specimens, writing summaries, and
constructing and finalizing this catalog.
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Copper
[Cu]
The exquisite leaf of copper (shown below) was discovered in the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan. Native copper is found in ancient lava flows, where iron and oxygen have
depleted the magma of its sulfur content. Copper is abundant in this form in Michigan,
where it has been deposited in a thick series of flows. The Keweenaw Peninsula is the
only economic copper source where all the copper unearthed is in its native state. Large
samples, like the one displayed below, are difficult to excavate, therefore, they are usually
broken up into smaller copper fragments during the extraction. B33
Copper (Leaf) OR34
Native Copper in Matrix P26
Copper after Petrified Wood P20
Copper in Nonesuch Shale OR21
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Goethite var. Turgite
[FeO(OH)]
Goethite is an iron hydroxide that normally occurs as tabular or stalactitic aggregates although
it can also from prismatic crystals. Turgite is a name given to specimens consisting of a
mixture of two minerals—hematite and goethite—due to the chemical alteration of goethite.
Colors vary from yellowish brown to red and can also be iridescent, and contribute to the main
constituents of iron oxide (rust). The color has made it a source for pigments, such as the
yellow ocher, which has been used in cave paintings from prehistoric times to modern day
canvas art. OR50
Goethite (Stalactite)
[FeO(OH)]
Goethite is a “replacement” mineral forming as a
weathering product in the oxidation zones of veins of ironrich minerals, such as magnetite, pyrite and siderite. This
mineral has also been nicknamed “iron hat”, as it is often
found layered over other iron-rich minerals.
Color
variations—such as those within this specimen—are
indicative of specimens that have a multitude of iron-rich
minerals present, and where goethite replacement is
occurring (orange coloration). B52
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Opal var. Boulder Opal B62
Opal
Opal var. Boulder Opal
OR5
[SiO2•n(H2O)]
Opal, considered to be a mineraloid due to the presence of 3 percent to 21 percent water
within the crystalline structure, is famous for its display of rainbow-like hues that change
with the lighting or angle of observation. The internal structure of precious opal is
composed of silica spheres (some 150 to 300 nanometers in diameter). These ordered
spheres produce the internal color by causing the interference and diffraction of light passing
through the specimen. First discovered in Quilpie, in Western Queensland in 1870, the
boulder opal is highly desirable, and found within thin veins of ironstone boulders. Most
stones are cut to include some of the host matrix—the contrast giving it its appeal.
Opal
P1
Prase Opal PK6
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Fossil Colonial Coral – Petoskey Stone
The Petoskey Stone, also called Hexagonaria
(6 sides), is a fossilized colonial coral that existed
350 million years ago during the Devonian age when
Michigan was covered with warm, marine water.
The soft tissue of the Hexagonaria coral was
replaced by calcite, silica and other minerals,
causing each chamber to harden. These stones can
be found in gravel pits, along beaches and even in
back yards in many Michigan cities from Traverse
City to Alpena. B13
Petrified Wood
The petrified wood found in Arizona’s Petrified National Park consists of mostly solid
quartz (SiO2). The different colors in the wood are produced by impurities in the quartz,
such as iron, carbon and manganese. Most geologists believe that 200 million years ago,
logs were washed into a river system and were buried deep and quickly by massive
amounts of sediment and debris. This process cut off oxygen and slowed decay. Hot
geothermal water—like what we see today in Yellowstone National Park—dissolved silica
(quartz) from volcanic ash. This water was absorbed into the porous wood through a
process called permineralization. The geothermal water replaced the organic wood with
quartz while also preserved the original cellular structure of the wood.
Petrified Wood B4
Petrified Wood P22
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Quartz
[SiO2]
Quartz is predominately silica, which is a very common component of the earth’s crust.
Although not rare in the geological world, many collectors find its color and crystal forms
to be very alluring. Most quartz specimens take on the color of the chemical constituents
in their environments. ‘Cactus’ quartz, as it is known, is formed by a quartz crystal being
encrusted by a second generation of smaller crystals growing upon the original faces. The
two phases of crystal growth give the specimen a cactus-like appearance, as seen in the
middle specimen below.
Pyrite on Quartz OR30
Quartz var. Amethyst P12
Quartz var. Amethyst P2
Quartz coated with Titanium
[SiO2]
Although manmade, the titanium-coated quartz is
a brilliant example of scientific ingenuity. The
process involves the treatment of quartz crystals
with titanium, accomplished through an
electrostatic process. The titanium is exposed to
high temperatures and then, with quartz, is placed
into a vacuum. Opposite charges and high
temperatures are applied to the titanium and
quartz. The titanium-charged particles adhere to
the faces of the quartz crystal, and the two
minerals are permanently fused together. OR33
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Stibnite on Quartz PK38
Stibnite
[Sb2S3]
A lead-gray to steel-gray antimony sulfide, stibnite forms exquisite acicular crystals that
radiate outward from a common center. Due to its soft nature (2 on the Mohs hardness scale),
free-growing samples of stibnite are extremely fragile, and are often destroyed by exposure to
weathering or during the collection process. Stibnite is often associated with other sulfide
minerals (i.e. realgar, galena, pyrite, cinnabar), with fine crystals coming from many areas in
China.
Stibnite on Quartz B34
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Vocabulary Index:*
Acicular – Needle-shaped, or crystals having a needlelike appearance
Aggregates – A mass or body of rock particles, mineral grains, or a
mixture of both in one specimen.
Alkali – Said of silicate minerals that contain alkali metals but little
calcium, e.g. the alkali feldspars.
Allochromatic – Said of a mineral that is colorless in its pure state, but
that has color due to submicroscopic inclusions, or to the presence of a
closely related element that has become part of the chemical structure of the
mineral.
Amorphous – A mineral or other substance that lacks crystalline
structure, or whose internal arrangement is so irregular that there is no
characteristic external form.
Amygdaloidal – A gas cavity or vesicle in an igneous rock, which is
filled with such secondary minerals as calcite, quartz, chalcedony, or a
zeolite.
Andesitic – A dark-colored, fine-grained extrusive rock that, when
porphyritic, contains phenocrysts composed primarily of zoned plagioclase
and one or more of the mafic minerals (e.g. biotite, hornblende, pyroxene).
Birefringence – The ability of crystals other than those of the isometric
system to split a beam of ordinary light into two beams of unequal velocities;
the difference between the greatest and the least indices of refraction of a
crystal.
Conchoidal – Said of a type of mineral or rock fracture that gives a
smoothly curved surface. It is a characteristic habit of quartz and of
obsidian.
Cryptocrystalline – Said of the texture of a crystalline rock in which the
crystals are too small to be recognized microscopically.
Desiccant – A complete or nearly complete drying-out or drying-up, or a
deprivation of moisture or of water not chemically combined; e.g. the loss of
water from pore spaces of soils or sediments as a result of compaction, or the
formation of evaporites as a result of direct evaporation from bodies of water
in an arid region.
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Mineral Index
Adamite – Pg. 3
Agate – Pg. 4
Amber – Pg. 4
Apophyllite – Pg. 5
Aragonite – Pg. 6
Astrophyllite – Pg. 5, 6
Atacamite – Pg. 7
Aurichalcite – Pg. 7
Azurite – Pg. 8, 9
Barite – Pg. 9, 10
Beryl – Pg. 10, 11, 12, 13
Morganite (pink)
Heliodor (yellow-green)
Aquamarine (blue)
Emerald (green)
Bixbyite – Pg. 13
Bornite – Pg. 13
Calcite – Pg. 13, 14, 15
Campbellite – Pg. 15
Cavansite – Pg. 16
Celestine – Pg. 16, 17
Charoite – Pg. 16
Chrysanthemum Stone – Pg. 17
Cinnabar – Pg. 17
Conichalcite – Pg. 18
*Copal
Copper – Pg. 18, 19, 20
Corundum – Pg. 21
Crocoite – Pg. 21
Danburite – Pg. 22
Dioptase – Pg. 22
Epidote – Pg. 21, 23
Fluorite – Pg. 23
Garnet – Pg. 25
Uvarovite
Demantoid
Gold – Pg. 26
Goethite – Pg. 27
Turgite
Gypsum – Pg. 28
Selenite
**Gyrolite
Halite – Pg. 29
Hematite – Pg. 29
Specular
Hemimorphite – Pg. 30
Heterogenite – Pg. 30
Kyanite – Pg. 30
Laboradorite – Pg. 31
Langite – Pg. 31
***Limonite
Malachite – Pg. 32, 33
Mimetite – Pg. 34
Obsidian – Pg. 35
Okenite – Pg. 35
Opal – Pg. 36
*See Amber
**See Okenite
***See Aurichalcite
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Orpiment – Pg. 37
Pectolite – Pg. 38
Peridot – Pg. 38
Prehnite – Pg. 38
Petoskey Stone – Pg. 39
Petrified wood – Pg. 39
Pyrite – Pg. 40, 42
Quartz – Pg. 40, 41, 42
Amethyst (purple)
Rutilated
Smoky (gray to black)
Citrine (yellow-orange)
Rhodocrosite – Pg. 43
Rutile – Pg. 41, 44
Scolecite – Pg. 44
Shattuckite – Pg. 45
Silicon Carbide – Pg. 45
Silver – Pg. 45, 46
Skutterudite – Pg. 46
Slag – Pg. 46
Sphalerite – Pg. 47
Spinel – Pg. 47
Stibnite – Pg. 48
⃰ Stilbite
Tanzanite – Pg. 49
Topaz – Pg. 50
Tourmaline – Pg. 51, 52
Elbaite (pink)
Schorl (black)
Vanadinite – Pg. 52
Vivianite – Pg. 53
Wulfenite – Pg. 53
Zincite – Pg. 53
⃰ ⃰ Zoisite
⃰ See Apophyllite
⃰ ⃰ See Corundum
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If this catalog has instilled a fascination and
appreciation for the mineralogical world,
we are pleased to suggest other informative
works to whet your appetite for all things
Geology. Enjoy!
“A Manual of Mineralogy” – Arthur Aikin
“A Popular Guide to Minerals” – L.P. Gratacap
“A System of Mineralogy” – James Dwight Dana
“Cave Minerals” – Carol A. Hill
“Condensed Mineralogy” – Daniel Barringer
“First Lessons on Minerals” – Ellen Swallow Richards
“Geological Collections” – William Otis Crosby
“Hard-book of Mineralogy” – J.C. Foye
“Mineral Science” –Miner H. Paddock
“Mineralogical Contributions” – Abraham W. Jackson
“Mineralogy” -- F.H. Hatch
“Minerals and Cut Stones” – Mengo L. Morgenthau
“Outlines of Mineralogy and Geology” – William Phillips
“Philosophy of Mineralogy” – Robert Townson
“Rocks and Minerals” – Richard Maxwell Pearl
“The Book of Minerals”— Alfred Cary Hawkins
“The Fluorescence of Minerals” – Chester Baker Slawson
“The Story of the Minerals” – Herbert P. Whitlock
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