A rare triplet of bi-colored black and white
calcite balls from the Herja Mine in the Maramures District of Romania.
Below it is rose-colored rhodochrosite on white quartz from the same area.
A Gem of a Find
There's plenty new--and old—at Hillman Hall of
Minerals and Gems
As a showcase for some of the most spectacular mineral
specimens to be seen anywhere, Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems does not
regularly transform its displays—but it does change, and mineral lovers are
quick to note an “upgrade” or new specimens on exhibit.
Section Head Marc Wilson is an experienced collector of
top-level specimens, and working with the committed support of the Hillman
Foundation, he travels to mineralogical shows and to mining regions in far
parts of the globe, to discover and bring back outstanding specimens for
Pittsburgh. Experts and specimen
vendors who are friends of the museum, knowing Hillman Hall seeks the best
examples, send newly discovered or newly available specimens for
inspection, before they go on the open market.
Recently, an active part of the world for the Section of
Minerals has been northern Romania, where outstanding specimens are being
produced from the classic Maramures District. Wilson has acquired spectacular Romanian
mineral specimens for display in the “Systematic Collection” exhibits. The Maramures District, which until recently
was under communist control with restricted access, has been an important mining
region since Roman times.
One such specimen is the famous example of a triplet of
bi-colored black and white balls of calcite from the Herja Mine. Such mineral specimens are extremely
rare, and were formed under unusual conditions over tens of thousands of
years. Another example from Cavnic
is of rose colored rhodochrosite on white quartz. Both specimens can be seen in the
Systematic Collection —the mirrored display at the far end of Hillman
Hall. You can also see a
spectacular new and large specimen of purple fluorite crystals on white
quartz in the “Masterpiece Gallery.”
It was added to the Masterpiece displays in early 2003.
Jungles
March 1, 2003 - May 25, 2003
A personal exploration of nature in the tropics by
master photographer, storyteller, and naturalist Frans Lanting. His images from the past 20 years on
several continents depict jungles from the lowlands of the Congo to the
cloud forests of the Andes. A
tropical rainforest is a realm of bewildering complexity where nothing is
the way it first appears. Lansing
says, "While the essence of photography is to show, jungles hide, or
at best suggest. So I opted to show
impressions of jungles to evoke a sense of their kaleidoscopic nature--the
glimpses of faces that melt into the shadows, the bursts of color and
shimmering light."
Produced as an exhibit by Naturalis, the National Museum
of Natural History in Leiden, The Netherlands, Jungles continued toured in Europe before coming to the United States.
Museum honors recent retirees
Paleontologist Mary Dawson
Mary Dawson, the well-known curator of vertebrate
paleontology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History for three decades,
officially retired on January 3, 2003.
But she continues her scientific work at the museum as a
volunteer. "I think we're
likely to see her productivity actually increase," said K. Christopher
Beard, who assumed her role as chief of the museum's Vertebrate
Paleontology Section.
Last year, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
awarded Dawson the A.S. Romer-G.G. Simpson Medal, the group's highest
honor. During Dawson's years at the
museum
Vertebrate Paleontology grew from a small group of
researchers to one of the largest, if not the largest, in the United
States." On staff are "10
full-time staff members, including four doctorate-level researchers,"
says Beard. "That's largely due to Mary's leadership."
Staff Archeologist Richard George
Dick George has been excavating sites in the Upper Ohio
Valley for the Section of Anthropology since 1967. During his 35 years with
the museum, he explored many artifact-rich sites destined to be destroyed
by future development, and one such site proved to be the first complete
village of the Monongahela people ever documented. Although officially
retired at the end of 2002, he will continue to work as a volunteer in the
Section of Anthroplogy.
Collection Manager Elizabeth Hill
The collection manager of the Section of Vertebrate
Paleontology, Betty Hill, also retired at the beginning of 2003, after 28
years of association with the museum.
Her responsibility was managing the important "VP"
collection of some 150,000 individual specimens, including dinosaur
fossils. Through the years, Betty
showcased the collection area to thousands of people, especially during
Open House Events, in addition to the visiting scientists from around the
world who come regularly to Pittsburgh to analyze specimens. Betty will continue to work with
collection records as a volunteer.
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