Mineral Museum Continues to be Open to the Public

multimedia

Sights and Sounds From ESPN College GameDay at Arizona

podcats

Arizona PodCats (Sept. 10, 2009)
Interview with Paul Robbins, UA professor of geography and development, and author of "Lawn People."

news tools

RSS Feeds

Mineral Museum Continues to be Open to the Public

Mineral specimen from the Hubert C. De Monmonier Collection.

The UA Mineral Museum will continue to be open to the public due to the generous financial assistance of the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation and an anonymous donor.

By Sam Kane, Flandrau: The UA Science Center
June 29, 2009

The University of Arizona Mineral Museum will continue to be open to the public due to the generous financial assistance of the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation and an anonymous donor. The museum, located inside Flandrau: The UA Science Center, will be open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and on Tuesdays through Fridays from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. for field trips by reservation only.

Along with its outstanding collections and exhibits, the UA Mineral Museum offers field trip opportunities for schools, youth groups and organizations. The field trip program provides students with a private tour through the Mineral Museum and a more interactive experience, including several activities.

A typical program includes time for visitors to explore the musuem's asteroid cave, view rare and beautiful mineral specimens in the Hubert C. De Monmonier Collection. On the museum's scale replica of the Martian surface, students can try their hand at "crystal construction."

Downstairs in the Mineral Museum, all students will go on a Mineral Scavenger Hunt, as well as one of the other activities of their choice. The activities offered range from exploring minerals and their products, studying the rock cycle and demonstrations of mineral fluorescence and triboluminescence.

The UA Mineral Museum is the longest continuously-curated mineral museum west of the Mississippi. Officially recognized in 1919, the museum is now considered one of the top five collections in the United States and contains more than 27,000 minerals and 1,000 artifacts, including mineral specimens that date back to 1892.

During its history, the museum experienced a number of milestones including a gift in 2008 of $1 million from the Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation to Flandrau: The UA Science Center for the support of the Mineral Museum.

Former president and chief operating officer of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Timothy R. Snider, said, "Our relationship with the UA goes back a long, long time – back to the origins of both our institutions – and we are honored to provide support in several ways. This gift will help to create an environment for the public to become more informed about natural resources."

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. acquired Phoenix-based copper mining company Phelps Dodge Corp. in March of 2007.

In 2007, the UA Mineral Museum received a substantial mineral and rare book collection from the late Hubert Charles de Monmonier – a relatively unknown collector who amassed a unique and comprehensive private collection.

The collection is comprised of 871 mineral specimens, many of which are considered to be very rare. It includes more than 70 gold specimens, one the size of a dinner plate that was found at the Jamestown mines, near the historic Mother Load responsible for starting the California gold rush in 1849. It is considered one of the largest known specimens from that location.

The UA Mineral Museum is dedicated to providing public education and the preservation of minerals and meteorites while also serving the research needs of professionals, students and collectors.