Rice Museum

What’s In The Box? A Light in the Dark

Behind the Scenes /

You’ll almost never see gorgeous red realgar crystals on display, and if you do, it won’t be for long. Why? It turns out that realgar is one of several minerals that changes and degrades when exposed to light. If left on display, this light-sensitive crystal would begin to turn dark and eventually change into an entirely different mineral: the powdery orange pararealgar, shown below. This happens because of the energy carried in certain wavelengths of light. When that energy hits atoms in the crystal, it causes some of their atomic bonds to break and rearrange into a different structure. For this reason, realgar is one mineral that will always stay inside the box! Even common minerals like amethyst and fluorite can begin to fade over time, especially if exposed to bright sunlight for long periods. We recommend displaying your treasures on a shelf rather than a windowsill. This post is part of our What’s in the Box? series.

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August 22: Downtown PDX Geology Tour

Events, Local Events /

The Geological Society of the Oregon Country is presenting a special event in downtown Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, August 22, 2015, at 9AM. It is a two-hour walking tour of Downtown PDX Geology. The outdoor walking tour is open to the public, though children under 12 must be supervised. It’s a fun opportunity to explore the geological mysteries and oddities of downtown Portland and see billion-year old building stones and fossils hidden under your feet. For more information, check out their event announcement. Note: This is not a museum sponsored event.

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Thanks to Our Summer Festival Sponsors

News /

Summer Festival 2015 is getting closer; August 1-2 is just a few days away. An event this large would not be possible without the generous support of our community friends and sponsors. We are proud to introduce you to some of those sponsors for our Summer Festival 2015. Pumkpin Ridge Golf Club Prehistoric, Lincoln City, Oregon New Seasons, Hillsboro, Oregon Elmers, Hillsboro, Oregon Resers Fine Foods Longbottom Coffee and Tea Harry and David, Lincoln City Oregon Hazelnuts Marketing Board, Aurora, Oregon Outback Steakhouse, Barnes Road Shari’s Restaurant, 185th Avenue Furrow Farm Tree Farm, Hillsboro Grocery Outlet – Hillsboro -Grocery Store on Facebook Thanks to their generosity, we have great raffle prizes and freebies for participants. These all help support the educational programming at the Rice Northwest Museum. Be sure and stop by these businesses and thank them for their continued support of the Rice Northwest Museum and rock and mineral community of the Pacific Northwest. IMPORTANT ROAD CONSTRUCTION ALERT:  Please note that Helvetia Road will be closed August 8, 2015 because of construction.  Not to worry!  Just follow our detour instructions and be alert for detour signs to guide you to the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals and the 2015 Summer Festival.

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Northwest Fossil Fest at the Rice Northwest Museum

Events, News /

The Northwest Fossil Fest sponsored by the North America Research Group (NARG) will take place at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals on Saturday, August 8, 2015, from 10 AM to 5 PM. The Theme for the 10th Annual Northwest Fossil Fest is The Pleistocene Epoch! The event is free for families to learn about fossils, fossil collecting, preparation, identification, and display. The event includes lectures and demonstrations, including presentations by Mike Full and Dave Ellingson.  Mike will discuss some of his recent important discoveries from the Yamhill River Pleistocene Project and will have some of his Ice Age mammal bone discoveries on display.  Dave, a science teacher at Woodburn High School, will talk about major fossil discoveries from a bog deposit on grounds of the Woodburn Campus.  The Woodburn discoveries are part of the exciting Willamette Valley Pleistocene Project.  The lecture schedule will be published soon. Paleontologists will be on hand identify fossils and to show kids of all ages how to clean and prepare fossils.  There will be lots of hands on activities and this is a great event for families and fossil fans.  Attendance for the Fossil Fest includes free admission to the museum. For more information and up-to-the-minute information see Northwest Fossil Fest. IMPORTANT ROAD CONSTRUCTION ALERT:  Please note that Helvetia Road will be closed August 8, 2015 because of construction.  Please follow our detour instructions and be alert for detour signs to guide you to the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals and the 2015 NW Fossil Fest.

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What’s in the Box? Clammy Hands

Behind the Scenes /

What do you think the object on the left has in common with the three objects on the right? This question isn’t too hard to answer: they’re all fossilized clams. But why do they look so different? The clam on the left is the mineralized shell of a clam from Coal Creek, Washington. After the clam died, its shell was encased in sedimentary rock; while that rock was forming, foreign minerals grew and replaced the original calcium carbonate the shell was created from when the clam was alive. (These replacement minerals are responsible for the dark color.) The clams on the right, on the other hand, are agate molds of clam shell insides. They come from Green Creek in Washington. Their tops have been polished a bit to give them a nice shine, but the shapes are natural. After these clams died, agate filled in the insides of their shells, and the shells themselves dissolved away. These fossil clams show just two of the many different modes of fossil preservation!

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Survival and Resilience after a Cascadia Earthquake Event

News /

This week’s New Yorker article on The Really Big One has struck a chord with my friends on my Facebook feed. I’ve seen several posts this morning from geologists and non-geologists alike expressing fear and hopelessness in the face of a looming threat: the next great Cascadia earthquake, which may happen at any moment and will bring the coastal Pacific Northwest along with both Portland and Seattle to its knees. Though the article’s science and history are spot-on, the author has left out a critical part of the story: just what are we supposed to do about it? Contrary to popular belief, a Cascadia earthquake does not mean that everything is simply “toast,” as FEMA’s Kenneth Murphy is quoted as saying. Each of us has the power, both as individuals and as a regional community, to prepare for survival and resilience. Keep reading to learn more about what you can do!

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What’s in the Box? Green Eyes

Behind the Scenes /

These concentric green circles look like some kind of painting or an old-fashioned LP gone wrong, but in reality this mesmerizing pattern was created by nature. This is the mineral malachite, a copper carbonate associated with ore deposits. Malachite forms when other copper minerals like chalcopyrite react with acidic water percolating through the rock. This water can carry copper atoms along for a bit before the copper begins to combine with other atoms and grow minerals like malachite. Sometimes, the water drips into open cavities in the surrounding rock, and malachite will grow as a stalactite or stalagmite the same way other cave formations do. The photo above shows a slice through a malachite stalactite. The concentric rings come from the growth of the stalactite in fits and starts, and the light and dark colors reflect small changes in the water chemistry over time. Even though it was made by nature, a little human ingenuity helps this pattern to shine: the rings are most striking in malachite pieces that have been cut and polished like this one. This post is part of our What’s in the Box? series.

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What’s In The Box? Picture’s worth a thousand…

Behind the Scenes /

One of the most famous lapidary materials to have ever come from Oregon, Biggs Picture Jasper has captivated many with its beautiful blue and brown lines and swirls. This slab’s pattern is characteristic of the early material found near the town of Biggs Junction. Biggs Jasper was discovered by modern rockhounds in 1964 after a massive flood tore through the canyons just south of the intersection between US-97 and present-day I-84. The excitement over the find was so great that road repairs in one canyon were briefly delayed while rock enthusiasts removed boulders of the material, according to rockhound Dale Rhode. Biggs Jasper stands out best when cut and polished as cabochons or slabs. Jaspers are a grainy variety of chalcedony (silicon dioxide) rendered opaque by incorporation of other minerals and foreign material. Brown, red, yellow, and white colors are most common; the blue of Biggs Jasper stands out. This is part of our What’s in the Box? series.

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What’s In The Box? Playing with color

Behind the Scenes /

The most famous precious opal in the US comes from Virgin Valley in Humboldt County, Nevada. Petrified tree trunks buried in volcanic tuffs have developed opals with gorgeous play of color. In this specimen, white common opal infills large holes, while blue and green precious opal is found in pores preserving the tree trunk’s original grain structure. This specimen is from Richard and Helen Rice’s original family collection. Have you ever collected opal from Virgin Valley? Where are some of your favorite opal localities? This is part of our What’s in the box? series.

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