Sparkly Times at the Mineral and Gem Show

By Cailin Hillier
2B Geological

The annual Earth Science Mineral and Gem Show took place once again, on the weekend of October 24th and 25th. It was a main part of the University of Waterloo Science Open House, held in the Earth Science Museum. This year’s theme was fossils and minerals of Ontario. The show was truly a wonder to behold for all who attended, which included curious students, faculty members, families from the surrounding area, and industry experts. It offered a large variety of interesting educational demonstrations, products, and table upon table full of stunning samples.

Upon entering the Mineral and Gem Show, you could enter yourself in a door prize draw, awarded hourly on both days. There was also an area set up where people could examine and collect free samples, donated by the Kitchener-Waterloo Gem and Mineral Club. Demonstrations around the Earth Science Museum included small scale fossil digs, rock and mineral identification stations, and gold panning. The educational group, Mining Matters, was also present. Their goal is to inform the public on the uses and importance of mining in Canada, and to show that the mining industry is being environmentally conscious. They had a booth set up where young children could match mining site photos with their current photo, showing quarries reclaimed and turned into parks, and tailings ponds restored to healthy fields. Examples of products made from mined materials were shown, such as gold for electronics and nephaline syanite in Oreos and porcelain.

The mineral and gem dealers had many tables set up around the two main floors of EIT. Raw rock and mineral samples were displayed alongside their polished equivalents. Several tables had their own geode crackers that would crack open a normal-looking, coconut-sized rock to reveal the crystals within. The products for purchase that were on display were spectacular. Jewellery, coasters, clocks, lamps, book ends, gem-encrusted tree sculptures and paintings, soapstone carvings, and candles made out of minerals and gems were truly beautiful and displayed with extreme creativity.

Several particularly impressive rock samples on display included perfect, cubic pyrite crystals, sparkly blue azurite samples, rather large copper formations, amber and, my personal favourite, galena. A vender that frequently supplies samples to the Earth Science Department had amazing examples of ulexite, also known as TV stone. This rock has fibre optic properties which allows for a rock side to display whatever surface is adjacent to its other side. Google or YouTube ulexite to see for yourself, it is really neat! Another interesting find were dinosaur eggshell pieces from Argentina. Since these pieces were exported in 1996, a law forbidding the export of this archaeological wonder has been estalished.

A fluorescence exhibit offered a ton of information on the study of fluorescent minerals. Did you know that only 30% of all minerals are fluorescent, and of those, only 10% are worth collecting? The Canadian Shield offers the best fluorescing minerals in the world, including calcite, sodalite, and more. The Mineral and Gem Show was a learning experience for people of all ages. If you missed it this time around, be sure to check it out next year in EIT on November 6th and 7th.