Mirror, mirror ...
The mineral diversity of the two American continents awaits you in the America Hall. Travel to the most important sites in America: in addition to large specimens from Brazil and the USA, the colourful treasures from Mexico and Peru also are exhibited here.
In the Hall of Mirrors, there are literally no limits to the world of minerals. Here you can focus entirely on the minerals of America in the seemingly endless expanse of a crystal.
In the "Journey into the Light" you will discover a very special side of minerals. In a dark cabinet, specimens are exhibited that fluoresce under ultraviolet light irradiation. This glow reveals the hidden colours of the minerals in a brilliant spectacle.
Precious stones from Brazil
The gemstone deposits of Brazil are among the classic locations for tourmalines, topazes and beryls. The blue variety of beryl is called aquamarine. This very special specimen shows distinctly clear and sky-blue aquamarine crystals with muscovite and quartz.
By the way: Each colour variety of beryl has its own name: green is the emerald, yellow the heliodor or golden-yellow the gold beryl. You can find all these gemstones at terra mineralia. In the Africa Hall, for example, you will find more dreamlike aquamarine specimens.
Gypsum and the largest crystals of the world
Gypsum is not only a construction material, but also a mineral. Large, crystal-clear crystals are called Marienglas. But they are very rare.
This perfect specimen was found in a lead-zinc mine near Naica in Mexico. During the mining process, a gigantic subterranean cavity was discovered in the year 2000. The "Cave of Swords" contained up to 14 metres long gypsum crystals. This makes them the largest crystals ever discovered in the world. The cave has recently been flooded again with groundwater and is no longer accessible.
