Gems & Minerals

Unearth dazzling specimens
Learn how minerals form
Discover a six-foot wall of rhodochrosite

Rocky Mountain Express 2D

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Rocky Mountain Express takes audiences on a steam train journey through the breathtaking vistas of the Canadian Rockies as it tells the epic story of building the nation's first transcontinental railway.

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With Ka Chun Yu, curator of space science
Sie FilmCenter on Colfax

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Location: Level 1

Got your hard hat? In Coors Mineral Hall, follow the mine shaft into a Mexican silver mine, where a cavern glistens with milky white gypsum crystals and stalactites. Then enter Colorado's own Sweet Home Mine to discover a six-foot wall of blood-red rhodochrosite crystals.

Colorado was founded on mining, and in the historical mining section you'll see more local finds, like Tom's Baby, an eight-pound nugget of crystallized gold unearthed in Breckenridge in 1887.

You'll also uncover Brazilian topaz, California watermelon tourmaline, Australian opals, intense blue azurite, green malachite, four-inch zeolite needle sprays from India, and hundreds of other dazzling specimens from around the world. Hands-on activities and videos help young explorers learn about mineral characteristics and how minerals form.