The Standards Collection

The Mineralogical and Geological Museum at Harvard University owns a collection of over 650 standards. This collection encompasses more than 250 different types of minerals, with specimens from localities across the globe. Common localities for these specimens include Sunnmøre in Norway, Kakanui in New Zealand, and Franklin in New Jersey, U.S.A.

During the 1980s and 1990s, David Lange, an electron microprobe specialist, operated Harvard University’s Cameca MBX Microprobe. He used the microprobe to determine the chemical compositions of the standards and recorded this information in a collection of documents.

David Lange recalls exchanging standards with other organizations and scientists, in order to grow Harvard’s database. These communications between Lange and his fellow researchers are documented in the Museum’s collection, such as this letter between David Lange and Dr. Pattison from the University of Calgary.

Similarly, the standards have been utilized in PhD theses of Harvard graduate students. These PhD theses include Cornelis Klein’s 1965 study titled “Mineralogy and petrology of the Wabush iron formation, Labrador City area, Newfoundland” and Harrison H. Schmitt’s thesis entitled “Petrology and structure of the Eiksundsdal Eclogite Complex, Hareidland, Sunmøre, Norway”.

The Museum’s standards collection also includes a set of approximately 70 pellets, each with the capacity to hold five sample containers.

Many of the standards have recently been transferred into new glass vials, if deemed necessary based on the condition of their original containers. These new vials will preserve the minerals for future research and allow for organized storage.

One specimen in the Museum’s standards collection which is especially notable is the Zircon 91500 standard. This mineral is the individual zircon standard used for secondary ion mass spectrometry, as well as laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (International Association of Geoanalysts [IAG], n.d.). Hafnium, U-Th-Pb and oxygen isotopes have been identified for this sample (IAG, n.d.). This zircon standard was initially referenced in the paper titled “Three natural zircon standards for U-Th-Pb, Lu-Hf, trace element and REE analysis” by Wiedenbeck et al. in 1995 (IAG, n.d.). Recently, the Museum’s zircon specimen became the source of this standard, replacing that of the Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques (IAG, n.d.). Purchasing restrictions are in place to extend the zircon’s use and conserve the standard for future applications (IAG, n.d.).