In a generous donation from a friend of the university, Castleton received an extensive mineral collection that is currently on display in the Natural Sciences Department located in the Jeffords Science Center.
As Alice Held downsized her Arizona home she was also looking to downsize her vastly colorful collection of the earth’s layers.
“She had this amazing mineral collection that she didn’t have room for,” said Natural Sciences Professor Helen Mango.
After donating a large portion of her collection to Arizona State University, Held contacted a family member local to the Castleton area for further suggestions of where to gift her collection.
“She wanted to find a place where these minerals would be appreciated and were needed,” Mango said.
Held was eager to donate her collection to the university for the Castleton community to enjoy and use as a platform of geological study. To preserve this impressive collection, the minerals will not be used for experimental purposes.
“It’s purely for beautiful display,” said Mango.
After her many years of experience in the field, Mango determined that a majority of the collection originates from Arizona, but also includes pieces from various parts of the world. In particular, she said the purple amethyst was most likely derived from Brazil while the light green malachite she suspects to be from Zaire, Africa.
Mango along with other professors and students plan to examine the collection more closely and add labels with each minerals name and suspected origin to the display.