May 2023 – Wood opal

This month the category Mineral of the Month is fitting for the new special exhibition “Flowering Minerals”. In this special exhibition we see the connection between botany and mineralogy. Some minerals look like flowers, such as the sand rose and this wood opal. But also the topic of symmetry is explained in the exhibition and why there are differences between flowers and minerals in symmetry. Other topics include display plants, fertilizers, biomining, rocks and wine, and fossils.

SiO₂·nH₂O

Locality: Lubietová, Slovakia

Size: 4x10x9 cm (HxLxW)

Weight: 370 g

Foto: Fabio Joseph, Mineralogische Staatssammlung München