Recently, my cousin was in northern Indiana and visited a unique mineral and fossil museum. The museum is called Joshua Tree Earth and Space Museum and is located at 106. S. Michigan Street, Lakeville, Indiana. Admission is free but they could use the donations. They are open 10 AM to 6 PM daily and can be reached at 574-784-2291.
Image above shows a number of crinoid fossils that all are from the Mississsippian (Carboniferous) Period. Two on the far left are Halysiocrinus from Montgomery County Indiana, the four in the middle are crinoid float balls (used for buoyancy) found in Monroe County Indiana.
The museum was opened in 2006 by Terry Boswell in honor his dead son Joshua. It features meteorites, fossils and minerals. They have an extensive meteorite collection.
Image below is a polished slice of the South Bend Meteorite found by farmer in Indiana in 1893. It is of type stony iron pallasite. The main specimen was acquired by the Field Museum in Chicago.
Below is a picture of a large sand fulgurite caused by lightning strike. The lightning generates intense heat (5x hotter than sun's surface) and pressure which fuses the silica sand into these root like shapes. This one is re-assembled across a large section of floor.
As in most mineral museums, they have a fluorescent minerals display.
Learn more at their internet site: Facebook Page and this article in the South Bend Tribune
Thanks to Kenny for the images.
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