M.P. Semenenko Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Ore Formation of NAS of Ukraine

Department of Mineralogical Museum named after Academician V.I. Vernadsky

 

«…without mineralogical collection the development of mineralogy is unthinkable…»

V.I. Vernadsky - the first President of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.

 

      The Mineralogical collection of the IGMOF of the NAS of Ukraine was established in 1978 by the decision of the Scientific Council of the Institute. Its basis was the working collections of outstanding Ukrainian mineralogists, academicians of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR E.K. Lazarenko and O.S. Povarennykh, who at one time headed the departments of mineralogical profile at the Institute. Further expansion of the collection took place at the expense of samples of the Institute's employees, collected during planned thematic works and specialized expeditions to various regions of the former USSR and beyond.

     Вагомий внесок у колекцію зробили такі вчені: В.П. Беліченко, О.А. Вишневський, М.В. Владикін, А.В. Волошин, С.А. Галій, К.І. Деревська, Е.Я. Жовинський, В.М. Квасниця, Ю.С. Кобяшев, Г.О. Кульчицька, І.К. Латиш, Ю.П. Мельник, В.С. Мельников, В.І. Павлишин, О.М. Пономаренко, Г.О. Рогачевський, В.П. Семененко, М.П. Семененко, В.М. Хоменко, В.М., Л.К. Яхонтова. Джерелом поповнення зібрання були також подарунки приватних осіб: І.М. Александрова, Г.І. Безвушко, М. Бітмана, А.І. Коваленка, Ф. Лисенка, Е. Науменка, Д. Нехайчука, А. Ситнікова, В.В. Сковороднєва, В.М. Сурової та інших.

    The following scientists made a significant contribution to the collection: V.P. Belichenko, O.A. Vishnevskyi, M.V. Vladykin, A.V. Voloshyn, S.A. Galii, K.I. Derevska, E.Ya. Zhovynskyi, V.M. Kvasnytsia, Yu.S. Kobyashev, G.O. Kulchytska, I.K. Latysh, Yu.P. Melnyk, V.S. Melnikov, V.I. Pavlyshyn, O.M. Ponomarenko, G.O. Rogachevskyi, V.P. Semenenko, M.P. Semenenko, V.M. Khomenko, V.M., L.K. Yakhontova. The source of replenishment of the collection was also gifts from private individuals: I.M. Aleksandrova, G.I. Bezvushko, M. Bitmana, A.I. Kovalenko, F. Lysenko, E. Naumenka, D. Nekhaychuk, A. Sytnikova, V.V. Skovorodneva, V.M. Surova and others. Everyone's contribution was different: some donated the entire collection, others - a rare mineral or their favorite specimen. Among them are world-renowned scientists and mineralogists known only to a narrow circle of specialists, managers of mines and directors of natural history museums, collectors and people far from mineralogy. All of them are related by generosity of soul, love for stone and understanding of the beauty and uniqueness of this creation of nature.

     The collection is located in a room with an area of 150 m2, which is conditionally divided into 3 parts, in which separate expositions are placed. Currently, the collection fund includes more than 7,000 samples representing almost 1,000 mineral species and their varieties. In terms of the variety of minerals, the collection of IGMOF occupies a worthy place among the well-known mineralogical collections of Ukraine. Quite diverse geography of exhibits. It covers more than 50 countries of the world from all continents.

                 

        Photo. Director of the M.P. Semenenko Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Ore Formation of the NAS of Ukraine, academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine O.M. Ponomarenko (right) and the head of the department "Mineralogical Museum named after Academician V.I. Vernadskyi" professor V.I.Pavlyshyn

 

    About 60% of the collection is in permanent exhibitions, the main ones of which are "Systematic Mineralogy", "Minerals of Ukraine" and "Minerals of Abroad". Such expositions as "Stone-colored bouquet of silica", "Agate and jasper palette", "Carbonate diversity", etc., were created and periodically updated.

    The exposition "Systematic mineralogy" is built in accordance with the crystal-chemical classification of Struntz. This exhibition includes about 1,000 samples from deposits and ore occurrences in many countries of the world and Ukraine. Among them is a unique sample with lazarenkoite, a mineral named in honor of academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR E.K. Lazarenko. The mineral was discovered as part of oxidized schmaltine-lolingite ores of the cobalt-nickel deposit of Hovu-Aksa in Western Siberia.

    During the arrangement of the collection fund, more than 10 new mineral species were found for the mineralogical collection. Among them are badeleite from Kovdor, leucosphenite, gadolinite-(Y), monazite from the Lovozersky massif, vyrodovite, jerfisherite from Khibiny, bismite from Tigryny, rhinersonite from Goltsovsky, afganite and bystrite from the Malobistry deposit, turkestanite from Dara-i-Pioz and others. The most interesting find was the discovery of zavaritskyite in a quartz vein with cassiterite and beryl from the Sherlova Gora deposit in Transbaikalia. This rare bismuth oxyfluoride was discovered during the study of museum specimens from the oxidized zone of the Sherlogor deposit and was first described in 1962.

    The exposition "Minerals of Ukraine" is a priority in the collection. More than 2,000 samples of this unit represent various regions in terms of mineralogical specialization – Carpathian, Volyn-Podilsky Plate, Ukrainian Shield, Donetsk Fold Region, and Crimea. Separate showcases have been created for samples from the Volyn deposit of chambered pegmatites, the Azov region and the Kryvyi Rih iron ore basin.

     “The "golden" asset of the collection are samples of minerals from Volyn chambered pegmatites. These are giant crystals and gigantic druses of quartz and feldspars, crystals of topaz, beryl, fluorite.

      The "Minerals of Ukraine" exposition also presents samples of minerals discovered for the first time on the territory of Ukraine. Volnin, kalushite, karpatite, skolite from the Carpathian region; auerbachite, taramite, priazovite from nepheline syenites of the Priazovsky massif; donbasite and tarasovite from quartz veins of the Nagol ridge in Donbas; kerchenite, mithridatite, tosudite from the Crimea.

   Recently, thanks to amateur mineralogists, the exposition has been replenished with new interesting exhibits. Among them, a topaz crystal measuring 5x8x11 cm with clusters of kerite bristles deserves special attention. This organic substance from a number of hard bitumens was found in the chamber of only one granite pegmatite in Volyn. In our lithothec, kerite was represented only in the form of a monomineral black felt-like aggregate composed of short intertwined fibers.

    No less interesting are the samples from the Zavaliv graphite deposit, in which aggregates of romaneshite form kidney-shaped crusts on voluminous graphite dendrites.

    The collection was also replenished with samples of perotite from alkaline metasomatites of the exocontact zone of the Mariupol massif of nepheline syenites in Eastern Azov, where it was found in 1992. It was the second discovery of this mineral in the world. Perotite was first described as a new mineral species in 1991 in samples from granite pegmatite veins in nepheline syenites of the St. Hilaire massif in Canada.

    Among the additions from the Eastern Azov region, new in our lithotheque were samples of metasomatites from the quarries of the Old Crimea, in which topaz crystals up to 2 cm long were found.

   When detailing the collection of past years, the discovery of a rare bismuth sulfoselenide – laitakarite from the Podulka tract in Transcarpathia turned out to be rather unexpected.

    Among the samples of minerals from deposits abroad, astrophyllite "suns" from the Kola Peninsula, quartz crystals and druses from the Pamirs and the Urals, calcite "roses" and andradite druses from the Primorsky Krai are fascinating.

     In 2014, samples of the larnite-mayenite rock from the Hatrurim Formation in Israel appeared in the collection. The holotype samples with shulamitite and fluorkuygenite are really a "royal gift" from V.V. Sharygin.

    Today, the collection is used for both scientific and educational purposes. Research work is aimed at a more detailed study of individual mineral species and their varieties, development of thematic plans, creation of new expositions and modernization of existing ones, as well as replenishment of the collection with new arrivals.

   Decorative and rare samples from the collection were repeatedly exhibited at exhibitions organized by the Expocenter of Ukraine.

  The Institute's mineralogical collection provides scientists with the samples necessary for research, sometimes from geological objects that have already been completely worked out. Excursions are organized on its basis for private individuals, students of higher educational institutions and students of schools, gymnasiums, and lyceums.

    In the future, it is planned to expand the expositions due to new additions and samples that are in the funds.

   Information about the samples is summarized in an electronic catalog that is constantly updated.

   In 2020, employees of the department conducted 7 excursions for students of schools, gymnasiums and lyceums, students of higher educational institutions and private individuals. Using material from the collection fund, 5 school mineralogical collections were made.

   Minerals Collection

Pavlyshyn Volodymyr Ivanovych Department of Mineralogical Museum named after Academician V.I. Vernadsky Head of the Department Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences (Geochemistry) Professor
Cherniyenko Nataliya Mykolaivna Department of Mineralogical Museum named after Academician V.I. Vernadsky Senior Scientist Candidate of Geological Sciences (Economic Geology)
Solomatina Larysa Oleksandrivna Department of Mineralogical Museum named after Academician V.I. Vernadsky Unior Scientist
Yaroschuk Dmytro Andriyovych Department of Mineralogical Museum named after Academician V.I. Vernadsky Postgraduate
logo

© IGMOF
2021-2024