Back to the earth

Since the time I was a young boy growing up just a block away from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City I have been mesmerized by the beauty and the wonder of the world of minerals.  Across the vastness of the universe, no matter what galaxy we gaze into, they are all formed from the same set of elements.  The periodic table contains to date a mere 118 elements .  And of these building blocks of the galaxies, only 90 are naturally occurring.  (A “synthetic” element is one which can be created artificially using a particle accelerator, but once created almost instantly ceases to exist as its atomic configuration is not stable.)

Out of these 90 naturally occurring elements, some, under the right conditions of time, pressure and surrounding conditions, will form themselves into crystals of magnificent shape, color or complexity. These wondrous things, beyond their physical beauty, provide us with a small glimpse at an order that reaches across the universe.

Now there are rocks and then there are minerals.  (I am striving not to have this journal entry descend into a science lecture, so you will have to research the distinction on your own.)  My primary interest is that of minerals and mineralogy.   Finland contains only limited mineral deposits.  The most significant of those resources have been found in the Outokumpu area in eastern Finland. Since the start of commercial mining there around 1910, it has yielded commercially exploitable deposits of copper, iron, sulfur, zinc, cobalt, nickel, gold, and silver. And where there is commercial mining, there will often be found beautiful crystal specimens.

Over the years, Finland has been the source of some very fine and rare mineral specimens.  Perhaps the best known example is a wonderful green garnet known as “Uvarovite” – it gets its green from chromium.

A group of Uvarovite Crystals

Uvarovite and many other terrific minerals can be found on display at several museums across Finland, but the one I most recently visited was the Mineral Cabinet located at Snellmaninkatu 3, 00170 Helsinki.  This is one of the collections of The Finnish Museum of Natural History (which is an independent research institution functioning under the University of Helsinki).

The Director of the Mineral Museum is Dr. Arto Luttinen.  I first met Arto several months ago when I went to visit the Natural History Museum here in Helsinki (Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13).  At that time Arto recommended I come to see the Mineral Cabinet, but it took a while before my schedule allowed the time.  I regret that I waited as long as I did – not just because Arto gave me a wonderful personal tour of the collection, but because both the collection and the building in which it is housed are a true delight.

Do not miss the lovely examples of Spectrolite – a rare and stunning form of Feldspar which glows with  a magical play of iridescent blues.

Spectrolite revealing its magic

First identified by Finnish Aarne Laitakari, the actual source remained a mystery until Aarne’s son Pekka discovered the great Spectrolite deposits at Ylämaa in southeastern Finland while building the Salpa Line fortifications there in 1940. (For those who love history, the story of the Suomen Salpa – the 1200 kilometer line bunker line built between the Winter War and the continuation War – is in itself a fascinating story.)

The Museum also has on display what is perhaps one of the world’s finest examples of a Pallasite – a meteor that contains gemmy green crystals – very similar to the gemstone Peridot.  There are also geologic oddities like Finland’s still unexplained “ball granite”.  You can see things from a fossilized wooly mammoth tusk to a breathtaking Finnish gem beryl specimen.

The list of treasures large and small is extensive.  So if you have never visited the Mineral Cabinet museum, I highly recommend that you find time to discover this hidden jewel.