Arthur E. Smith Collection-Wheaton College

Mineral specimens in the Arthur E. Smith Collection at Wheaton College, located in the suburbs of Chicago, IL. Art Smith was an alumnus of the college, and when he passed away at the age of 74, his family donated the 30,000 piece collection that he had amassed over 5 decades to the college. A special dedication was held at the college on Saturday, Oct. 5. Many of the better pieces are on display at the Meyer Science Center on campus, in a stunning museum in the geology department. Art lived in Houston for most of his working career and worked as an exploration geologist, first for Texaco, and then for Murphy Oil where he retired in 2000. Art was an active member of the Houston Gem and Mineral Society and was a co-founder of the Mineral Section. He took control of the club's library and eventually built it into one of the finest society libraries in the United States. He also built the society's specimen inventory for the assembly of study collections to donate to schools. Art kept prodigious notes on the provenance of his specimens, and these have recently been published by his son Brett in a print-on-demand book at lulu.com entitled, "The Mineralogy of Texas", by Arthur E. Smith, Jr., 226 pages, ISBN: 9781329848764. The book was meticulously edited by Mark Ivan Jacobsen and Ruth Yeagar, working from Art's original text.

Albite (Sodium Feldspar), Llano County, Texas
Albite Crystals Locality: Badu Hill Pegmatite, Llano County, Texas Albite is a Plagioclase Feldspar, a Sodium Silicate Chemical Formula: NaAlSi3O8 Crystal System: Triclinic Specimen dimensions: 3.25"x2.25"x2" Specimen Weight: 145 grams In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, on display at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.
Calcite Crystals on Limestone base, Travis County, Texas
Calcite Locality: Travis County, Texas Calcite is the most stable polymorph of Calcium Carbonate Chemical Formula: CaCO3 Crystal System: Trigonal (Small dogtooth spar and larger scalenohedron and modified scalenohedron crystals) Specimen dimensions: 9 in x 13 in x 7 in tall Specimen Weight: exceeds 10 kg In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, on display at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.
Celestite Crystals, Locality ?, Texas
Celestite, or Celestine (a Strontium Sulfate) Locality: Unknown, Texas Chemical Formula: SrSO4 Crystal System: Orthorhombic Specimen dimensions: 4.5" x 5" x 4" Specimen Weight: 1.6 kilograms In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, on display at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.
Gadolinite (Y), a Berylium Yttrium Rare Earth, Llano County, Texas
Gadolinite Locality: Llano County, Texas (Baringer Hill) Chemical Formula: Y2FeBe2Si2O10 Crystal System: Monoclinic Specimen size: 1.75 in x 1.25 in x .75 in Specimen weight: 43 grams In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Additional Information: Baringer Hill is the site of a pegmatite, discovered in 1887 by John Baringer, and has been described by the USGS as one of the greatest deposits of rare-earth elements in the world. Unfortunately, the site is now covered by the waters of Lake Buchanon. So this sample is rare, and even though it doesn't display the crystal forms found in Norway and Italy, it does display the characteristic glassy vitreous nature and brittleness and conchoidal fractures that are common in specimens.
Gypsum, var. Selenite "Ram's Horn", Brewster County, Texas
Gypsum, variety Selenite, this curved variety often called “Ram’s Horn” Locality: Brewster County, Texas, Terlingua District Chemical Formula: CaSO4*2H2O Crystal System: Monoclinic Specimen size: 13 in long x 9 in across Specimen weight: 2.9 kilograms On display in the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Additional Information: Incredibly large and stunning specimen, very sculptural curved crystals of translucent selenite with pale pink coating. Most similar specimens in the market were originally acquired back in the late 1950’s and 1960’s, but a specimen this large is unprecedented.

Allanite closeup, Llano County, Texas
Allanite (also called Orthite) Locality: Rode Ranch Pegmatite, Llano County, Texas Allanite is a Sorosilicate, often containing rare earth elements. Chemical Formula: (Ce,Ca,Y,La)2(Al,Fe+3)3(SiO4)3(OH) Crystal System: Triclinic In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.
Calomel (Mercury Chloride), Brewster County, Texas
Calomel (waxy and amber crystal in center of specimen) Locality: Mariposa Mine, Terlingua District, Brewster County, Texas Calomel is rarely found in nature Chemical Formula: Hg2Cl2 Crystal System: Tetragonal Specimen dimensions: 2" x 2" x 1" tall Specimen Weight: 141 grams In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois
Chambersite (closeup), Chambers County, Texas
Chambersite, a Manganese Borate Locality: Chambers County, Texas found in the Mont Belvieu Salt Dome located in Barber's Hill, Texas (a strategic petroleum reserve). Chemical Formula: Mn3B7O13Cl Crystal System: Orthorhombic Specimen size: .375 in x .375 in x .3125 in Specimen weight: .77 grams In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Additonal Information: Chambersite was first discovered at Barber's Hill in 1957 in brine returns from the Mont Belvieu Salt Dome.
Fergusonite and Gadolinite, Llano County, Texas
Gadolinite is a rare earth Nesosilicate In photo, the darker, black mineral Chemical Formula: Y2FeBe2Si2O10 Crystal System: Monoclinic - Prismatic Fergusonite is a complex oxide of various rare earth elements In photo, the greenish fractured masses Chemical Formula: (Y,RE)NbO4, where RE is rare earth in solid solution with Y Crystal System: Tetragonal - Dipyramidal Locality: R. A. Rode Ranch Pegmatite, Llano County, Texas Specimen size: 4.5 in x 3 in x 3 in Specimen weight: 666 grams In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Additional Information: These minerals were found on a ranch 23 miles from the famous Baringer Hill pegmatite, locality renowned for many rare earth minerals.
Gypsum, var. "Ram's Horn" Selenite, Brewster County, Texas
Gypsum, variety Selenite, this curved variety often called “Ram’s Horn” Locality: Brewster County, Texas, Terlingua District Chemical Formula: CaSO4*2H2O Crystal System: Monoclinic Specimen size: 6 in tall x 3 in across x 2.5 in deep Specimen weight: 436 grams On display in the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Additional Information: Single “ram’s horn” spire, very sculptural curved crystal of white selenite. Most similar specimens in the market were originally acquired back in the late 1950’s and 1960’s.

Aragonite, Bexar County, Texas
Locality: Bexar County, Texas Aragonite, a crystal form of Calcium Carbonate Chemical Formula: CaCO3 Crystal System: Orthorhombic Specimen Size: 5 in x 2.75 in x 1.25 in Specimen Weight: 474 grams In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, on display at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.
Cassiterite (Tin Oxide), El Paso County, Texas
Cassiterite (Tin Dioxide) Locality: Franklin Mountains, El Paso County, Texas Occurs in veins in pink granite. Chemical Formula: SnO2 Crystal System: Tetragonal Specimen Weight: 150 grams In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Additional Information: Reportedly 8 - 10 tons of Tin was produced by the El Paso Tin Mining and Smelting Co. between March 1909 and late 1910 ( Sydney H. Ball report 1936).
Cinnabar, Brewster County, Texas
Cinnabar, a Mercury Sulfide Locality: Terlingua District, Chisos Mountains, Brewster County, Texas Chemical Formula: HgS Crystal System: Trigonal, but typically found in a massive, granular or earthy form and bright scarlet to brick-red in color. Specimen size: 4.75 in x 4 in x 2 in Specimen weight: 580 grams Additional Information: Today Brewster County has a population of less than 10,000, but from the turn of the 20th century through World War II, the Terlingua Mining District was a boom town due to the extraction of cinnabar in the Chisos Mountains.
Garnet, Llano County, Texas (Badu Hill Pegmatite)
Garnet, probably Spessartine variety Locality: Llano County, Texas (Badu Hill Pegmatite) Chemical Formula: Mn3Al2Si3O12 Crystal System: Isometric, this sample a classic modified dodecahedral Specimen size: 2.5 in x 2.5 in x 2.5 in Specimen weight: 144 grams In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Additional Information: The Badu Hill Pegmatite, discovered in 1936 by Tillie Badu Moss, is a late-stage hydrothermal pegmatite located about 4 miles southwest of Lake Buchanan, in Llano County. Classified as an NYF or "rare-earth" pegmatite, Badu Hill contains a large number of rare-earth minerals, many of which are radioactive due to the presence of uranium and thorium daughter elements.
Anhdrite (fibrous) inclusions in Gypsum (Selenite), Liberty County, Texas
Unusual sample of Anhydrite fibers included in clear Selenite Locality: Liberty County, Texas, Sample from the Moss Bluff Salt Dome Anhydrite Chemical Formula: CaSO4 Gypsum (Selenite) Chemical Formula: CaSO4*2H20 Anhydrite Crystal System: Orthorhombic Gypsum (Selenite) Crystal System: Monoclinic Specimen size: 4 in long x 3 in across x 1.75 in deep Specimen weight: 354 grams On display in the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Additional Information: The Moss Bluff Salt Dome in Liberty County (north of Houston) from which this specimen was acquired, is the site of a natural gas storage facility owned by Duke Energy Transmission, which made national news in August 2004 when nearly 6 billion cubic feet of natural gas escaped from the storage cavern 2500 feet below the surface, and burned for six days before it self-extinguished.

Calcite (Fluorescent), Brewster County, Texas
Calcite (Fluorescent) Locality: Brewster County, Texas Calcite is the most stable polymorph of Calcium Carbonate. Chemical Formula: CaCO3 Crystal System: Trigonal Specimen dimensions: 6in x 5in x 4in deep Specimen Weight: 1.5 kg In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, on display at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.
Cassiterite (Tin Oxide), El Paso County, Texas
Cassiterite (Tin Dioxide) closeup Field of view = 1 inch Locality: El Paso County, Texas (Franklin Mountains) Chemical Formula: SnO2 Occurs in veins in pink granite Chemical Formula: SnO2 Crystal System: Tetragonal Specimen Weight: 150 grams In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Additional Information: Reportedly 8 - 10 tons of Tin was produced by the El Paso Tin Mining and Smelting Co. between March 1909 and late 1910 ( Sydney H. Ball report 1936).
Coffinite on Calcite, Live Oak County, Texas
Coffinite, a Uranium-bearing Silicate Locality: Live Oak County, Texas found in the pit on the Marrs-McLean Lease worked up to the 1970's by Exxon Minerals Co. Chemical Formula: U(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x Crystal System: Tetragonal Specimen size: 3 in x 2 in x .75 in Specimen weight: 139 grams In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Additional Information: This is a stunning example of black coffinite crystals on brown and white calcite matrix, examples are typically finer and more disseminated.
Goethite, San Saba County, Texas
Goethite Locality: San Saba County, Texas Chemical Formula: FeO(OH) Crystal System: Orthorhombic Specimen size: 4.5 in x 3.5 in x 2.75 in Specimen weight: 812 grams In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Additional Information: The exact collection site of this sample is unknown, but the 1890 Annual Geological Report of the Geological Survey of Texas notes "goethite occuring occurring near the divide between Hinton Creek and Deep Creek on the Fredonia and San Saba road" and "the Chaney diggings southeast of Packsaddle Mountain the quantity is sufficient for profitable working . . . for better ore (manganese or iron) and the "same remarks apply to veins near Camp San Saba".
Halite (Salt), Harris County, Texas
Halite, Salt (cube) Locality: Harris County, Texas from the Hockley Salt Dome on the Warren Ranch Chemical Formula: NaCl Crystal System: Cubic Specimen size: 1.75 in x 1.5 in x 1.5 in Specimen weight: 186 grams Shared by the Murphy Collection (AGMS) Additional Information: The United Salt Corporation mining operations at the Hockley Salt Dome have been in continuous production since 1931, with average salt production being 300 tons per day in the off-season, and as much as 900 tons per day during the high-demand wintertime. (The product is mainly used in animal-feed). The operations have been at the same depth within the mine since its origin (1540 feet), and there is enough salt left at that level to continue on for another 300 years. Various interpretations of seismic data in the area indicate the salt could reach 14,000 feet in depth. The dome has an irregular shape, approximately 2 1/2 miles by 2 miles wide.

Calcite (Fluorescent), Brewster County, Texas
Calcite (Fluorescent) Locality: Brewster County, Texas Calcite is the most stable polymorph of Calcium Carbonate. Chemical Formula: CaCO3 Crystal System: Trigonal Specimen dimensions: 6in x 5in x 4in deep Specimen Weight: 1.5 kg In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, on display at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.
Celestite (Celestine) fibrous variety, Brown County, Texas
Celestite (or Celestine) a Strontium Sulfate Locality: Brown County, Texas Chemical Formula: SrSO4 Crystal System: Orthorhombic Specimen size: 3.5 in x 2.5 in x 2 in Specimen weight: 440 grams In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Named for its delicate blue color, Celestite is the primary source for strontium, which is used in metal alloys and fireworks.
Fluorite, Mason County, Texas
Fluorite (or Fluorspar) is a Calcium Fluoride Locality: Mason County, Texas, noted as found in the "Fredonia area" Chemical Formula: CaF2 Crystal System: Isometric Specimen size: 1.5 in x 1.5 in x 1.5 in Specimen weight: 33 grams On display in the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.
Graphite Schist, Burnet County, Texas
Graphite (flake variety) in schist Locality: Burnet County, Texas Chemical Formula: C Crystal System: Hexagonal (dihexagonal dipyramidal) Specimen size: 2.5 in long x 1.5 in deep Specimen weight: 71 grams In the Arthur E. Smith Collection, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Additional Information: The Southwestern Consolidated Graphite Company began mining graphite , found in the PreCambrian Packsaddle Schist nine miles northwest of Burnet in the late teens; the mining stopped because of the Great Depression of the 1930s, but began again at the request of the War Production Board in 1942. The Southwest Graphite mines were open pit. A couple of other mining operations were also profitable, better quality graphite was found underground at the nearby Dixie Graphite Company in Llano County. The mine finally closed in the late 1970's.