Beryl, Triple Chance Mine, Broken Hill, NSW. 200mm x 200mm (MHM specimen #35)

Minerals Heritage Museum

Display location:
Queensland Museum
Southbank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
(Mezzanine Floor)

Display Hours:
Open daily from 9.30am - 5.00pm. Closed Good Friday, Christmas Day & Boxing Day. Open ANZAC Day from 1.30 pm.

General admission: Free.

Map of location

Our collection
Recent acquisitions
Collection highlights
The future

Our collection
Recent acquisitions
Collection highlights
The future

The Minerals Heritage Museum collection consists of approximately 700 mineral specimens. The museum has purchased only a small percentage of these, with the majority of them donations from companies and individuals. We also display a number of specimens that have been loaned to us long term. Owing to space considerations we cannot display all of our specimens at one time. We endeavour to display our best pieces.

These specimens pictured here are a small sample of what you can expect to see in our MHM display.

Cuprite on Native Copper (CuO2, Cu) A fine, lustrous specimen of native crystalline copper that is overlaid with glittering cuprite crystals. This specimen came from the Boddington Gold Mine in Western Australia and was donated by Roger Staley. MHM #144 (180mm x 130mm).		Pyromorphite (Pb5(PO4)3Cl) A large slab of rock covered in hundreds of yellow pyromorphite crystals from the Black Star open cut, Mt Isa, Queensland. MHM #60 was donated by Kevin Olzard (420mm x 200mm).
Fluorite (CaF2) A very large crystal group of mauve fluorite crystals up to 100mm along each edge. This specimen is from Elmwood Tennessee, USA and weighs over 20kg! Dubbed "Chan's Crystal" in honour of his mother, it is on permanent loan to the MHM by Caleb Yue.		Pyrite (FeS2) Another specimen on loan from Caleb Yue is this slab of perfectly formed cubic crystals of pyrite from the Victoria Mine, Navajun, La Rioja, Spain (Loan) (250mm x 200mm).
Calcite and Chabazite (CaCo3, (Ca,K2Na2)2 [Al2Si4O12]2.12H2O) This specimen of calcite balls and chabazite nestled in a pocket of basalt, was found at the Toowoomba, Queensland landfill site. It just shows how specimens can be found in most unlikely places!   MHM #71 (200mm x 1300mm).		Crocoite (Pb(CrO2) The MHM has a number of crocoite specimens from Dundas, near Zeehan, Tasmania, which has provided the world's best specimens of this species. This one which has a large single crystal spray is from the Red Lead Mine. MHM #30 (Large crystal 150mm x 12mm).
Crocoite (Pb(CrO2) Another crocoite, this one from the Adelaide Mine, Dundas, Tasmania. It has a large mass of matchstick crystals, some showing hollow, boxlike formed crystals which a common habit of this mineral. MHM #64 (200mm x 170mm).		Molybdenite and Smoky Quartz (MoS2, SiO2) Australia has produced many of the finest specimens of crystallised molybdenite, and this one is from the Allies Mine, near Deepwater, New South Wales. MHM #42 (125mm x 100mm).
Barite (BaSO4) Although small, this cluster of golden barite crystals from the Mt Isa Mine, north Queensland is beautiful and rarely found there. MHM #7 (60mm x 50mm).		Cassiterite on Smoky Quartz (SnO2, SiO2) Like plums in a pudding these lustrous crystals of the oxide of tin emerge from the faces of a crystal of quartz. It was found in Elsmore, near Inverell, New South Wales. MHM #52 (180mm x 150mm).
Fluorite, Sphalerite and Dolomite - Allenheads Mine, Weardale, UK. Largest crystal 15mm. Specimen 170mm x 120mm Purchased with funds raised by the museum. MHM #136.		Fluorite, Sphalerite and Dolomite- closeup view: The collection of a UK mining engineer who retired in the 1970's was placed on sale and this large specimen of fluorite, sphalerite and dolomite was amongst the best. As it is from such a classic locality, funds were raised to purchase it for the museum. The specimen is highly fluorescent, as are many from this area. In daylight the fluorites glow a tinge of lilac, and in artificial light they are colourless. Under UV light they glow an eerie electric blue-white in colour.

~ Preserving Australia's Mineral Heritage ~
Copyright MHM 2015 - The Minerals Heritage Museum is a not-for-profit institution based in Brisbane.