"Ram's horn" Selenite (old Texas classic!) James Carter Coll.

Item Description

"Ram's horn" Selenite (Gypsum) from Terlingua is a rare Texas classic. A sculptural stout curved ram's horn comprises this aesthetic 360-degree small cabinet. The curled crystals splitting off the top and bottom of the body are especially appealing. It resembles an old flint-lock derringer. Essentially pristine. The termination is contacted, but there is very little actual damage. Gypsum was found in limestone caverns. The mercury mines (mostly cinnabar) opened in the 1880s and finally closed after World War II. See the 1990 Mineralogical Record article in Vol. 21, No. 3. Ex Dr. James Carter Collection. James was a professor of Geology and former Department Chairman at the University of Texas at Dallas for 43 years until he retired in 2008. A true geoscientist, he studied and performed research on a remarkable variety of geological aspects. NASA asked Carter to help create a material that was similar to actual lunar regolith. The lunar regolith simulant, or fake moon dirt, he developed was used by NASA and other researchers for studies in support of future human activities on the moon. He passed away in 2019. We recently acquired part of his collection. Read about James at: https://www.utdallas.edu/news/faculty-staff/carter-tribute-2019/. How often do you see a fine old Terlingua ram's horn selenite of this quality? A MUST for the Texas, species or locality collector!