Exotic Crystals of India Exhibition


A naturally-formed scolecite with stilbite.

A naturally-formed scolecite with stilbite.

By Zeenat Kassam Mitha –

The Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) at Sugar Land is bringing culture in the most priceless way to the greater community through the exhibit Crystals of India. This display is now open to the public until May 5th.

“The exhibition features a never before seen collection of the most beautiful and perfectly formed natural mineral crystals found anywhere in the world,” said David Temple, Associate Curator of Paleontology at HMNS. These crystals originated from India’s Deccan Plateau, a large geologic formation that comprises most of the southern part of the country. The beds of basalt rock, within which these crystals were formed and found, were created by massive lava flows from enormous volcanic eruptions that occurred more than 65 million years ago. Some paleontologists speculate that these massive eruptions may have even accelerated the extinction of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period.

An apophyllite with stilbite from the Crystals of India exhibit.

An apophyllite with stilbite from the Crystals of India exhibit.

“What better way to exhibit this for the first time but in our own culturally rich and diverse community of Fort Bend?” said Adrienne Barker, Director and Chief Development Officer at HMNS at Sugar Land. For this special engagement, the exhibition hall at the HMNS at Sugar Land has been converted into a jewel box that features these exquisite mineral masterpieces in a setting much like an installation of the crown jewels.

“One thing I find interesting is that such beautiful objects can be born out of a global catastrophe,” said Temple. “These crystals are formed due to the largest volcanic eruption the world has seen. The eruption lasted 30,000 years by some estimates and covered much of India in lava a mile thick.” The eruption would have affected the global climate, and the timing of the event coincides with the extinction of dinosaurs. “This event played a role in the earth’s natural history,” stated Temple.

An apophyllite with stilbite from the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land’s collection.

An apophyllite with stilbite from the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land’s collection.

India has long been famous for its mineral crystals and was the source of many precious gems in the ancient world. These crystals belong to a group of minerals called zeolites. They are the “best of the best” and were high-graded from a collection that has been assembled over the last several decades. Mineral collectors consider them to be “flowers” of the mineral world. “These crystals were carefully excavated from quarries throughout India over the last half century. Tens of thousands of quarry workers blasted apart – and picked through – billions of tons of rock by hand  in order to preserve these breathtaking mineral treasures for our visitors to enjoy,” commented Temple.

Crystals of India is organized by HMNS. Local support is provided by the City of Sugar Land and Sudha Chittaluru, M.D.  “While supplies last, each person who purchases a ticket for the exhibit leaves with a beautiful zeolite mineral sample from the same localities as the exhibited specimen, which is worth much more than the ticket price,” said Barker.

Speaking of history, for those who are not familiar with HMNS at Sugar Land, it is a former prison building transformed beautifully. This satellite facility of HMNS includes four permanent galleries reflecting the most popular exhibit areas of the downtown museum location. In addition to permanent exhibitions, there are a variety of compelling traveling exhibitions. A visit to HMNS at Sugar Land is always an adventure.

Tickets for Crystals of India are now on sale and may be purchased online. For more information, visit the museum’s website at www.hmns.org or call 713-639-4629.