Maine Mineral and Gem Museum

Sorta sister, Shannon, took me to the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum, in Bethel, for my birthday. At the moment, the museum is very small, but shortly (in 2018) it will house the finest collection of Maine minerals and gems. The new facility will become a research facility, museum, educational facility, and I can't wait!

Here you see me posed with a big beryl boulder just outside the museum door. I couldn't take any photos inside the museum if I was going to post them online, so you'll have to go there yourself to see what's inside (although I did take a few photos of meteorites as they have a fabulous collection!) Here is some information about beryl from Geology.com.

Beryl is a mineral that contains a significant amount of beryllium. Beryllium is a very rare metal, and that limits the occurrence of beryl to a few geological situations where beryllium is present in sufficient amounts to form minerals. It mainly occurs in granite, rhyolite, and granite pegmatites; in metamorphic rocks associated with pegmatites; and, in veins and cavities where hydrothermal activity is associated with rocks of granitic composition. These different types of deposits are often found together and serve as an exploration model for finding beryl.Beryl is also found where carbonaceous shale, limestone, and marble have been acted upon by regional metamorphism. The famous emerald deposits of Colombia and Zambia have been formed under these conditions. The carbonaceous material is thought to provide the chromium or vanadium needed to color the emerald.