The Beauty & Magic of Microscopic Minerals

All nature is beautiful, but microscopic minerals are a part of natural beauty that most people never suspect. 

Join Micromounter Hall of Fame 2020 Inductee, Mike Seeds to learn about microminerals and micromounting. Micromineral specimens are typically less than 2 centimeters in size and contain crystals that are commonly less than 1 millimeter in size. At this scale all of the crystals are “euhedral,” or perfectly shaped, and provide a stunning image when viewed under the microscope. Only about 200 of the 5500 known minerals form crystals as large as your thumb. The rest form only microscopic crystals.  Microminerals allows for vast numbers of collection specimens but requires very little space. Micromounting is also inexpensive. Dealers sell micromounts for a few dollars each, and micromounters enjoy trading or giving away extra specimens. Micromounting is a hobby for quiet evenings studying rocks, trimming them to size, mounting them safely in little boxes, labeling them, and admiring the beautiful crystals under the microscope.

Mike Seeds has a PhD in Astronomy from Indiana University and was a professor at Franklin & Marshall College for 32 years. Mike began micromounting in 1999 and  has about 5400 specimens in his collection including about 1450 different minerals.

Zoom information will be sent upon registration.

Please direct any questions about this program to bstrong@marylandnature.org