"Minerals and Meteorites" showcases the incredible diversity of minerals on our planet and elsewhere in the solar system. Large displays, in brilliant hues, explain the vast array of chemical structures and properties which determine how minerals are classified. A giant walk-though model of a crystal of quartz, one of the most common minerals on Earth's surface, highlights the significance and varieties of that mineral. A black-light room displays glowing, fluorescent minerals. Several spectacular meteorites, which were discovered in places ranging from Argentina to Nebraska, are on public display for the first time. Other rare specimens include a 800-pound amethyst cathedral pair, a 350-pound smoky quartz cluster, and the 165-pound Bayard Meteorite, found near the Nebraska town. The exhibit also explores the ways minerals affect our daily lives.

The exhibit was made possible in part through a grant from the Lancaster County Visitors Improvement Fund. It was curated by R.M. "Matt" Joeckel, State Museum geology curator and professor in the UNL Conservation and Survey Division of the School of Natural Resources and the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. It was prepared by exhibit specialist Joel Nielsen with assistance from artist Angie Fox, vertebrate paleontology collection manager George Corner, Erin Colona, Westley Schomer and Ron Pike. State Museum associate director Mark Harris coordinated the exhibit. Specimens have been loaned to the museum by the Lincoln Gem and Mineral Club, the Struempler family, Bruce Sturges, Greg Ford, Charles Wooldridge and many others.