BRN 9-2 (uncompressed) - Flipbook - Page 26
The Geologic History Wing of the
Museum has added an incredible
quartz and gold specimen to the
permanent collection and its
Economic Geology Exhibit. This
crystal was found in a backyard in the
ÒHappy FlatsÓ neighborhood of
Hillsboro. (The exact location is
redacted.) The specimen is on
permanent loan to the museum with
the proviso that the museum conduct
research on the origin of the gold
inclusion. That research is being
conducted within the museumÕs BSL-2
rated research facility. (Because of
cost containment efforts, this facility,
which is capable of BSL-4 activities, is
operated at lower safety levels. Rest
assured that if necessary the safety
containment effort can be raised to
BSL-4 with the ßip of a light switch.)
The theory that quartz crystals with
gold veins contain ancient alien DNA
is a fringe idea often discussed in
alternative history and pseudoscience
circles. Proponents of this idea
suggest that these geological
formations, particularly those with
gold, could have been inßuenced by
extraterrestrial beings who allegedly
visited Earth in ancient times.
According to some speculative
narratives, these aliens might have
left behind their genetic material
within such crystals, perhaps as a form
of communication or biological
experiment. However, this claim lacks
scientiÞc evidence and is not
supported by mainstream geology,
biology, or archaeology. Instead, the
presence of gold in quartz is wellexplained by natural geological
processes like hydrothermal activity,
where gold particles are deposited
within quartz veins over millions of
years.
Thus far, we have found no evidence
to support the idea advanced by the
alien-infusion crowd. However, to err
on the side of safety, the specimen is
housed in a quadruple-sealed
enclosure which forms three air gaps.
The outermost air gap is Þlled
completely with argon gas, the
middle air gap is Þlled with helium,
and the innermost ÒairÓ gap is a
vacuum. In addition, all visitors to the
exhibit will be Þtted with an aliengenetics detection module (AGDM)
which hangs from a neck lanyard (the
devices are collected as visitors leave
the museum). Signed releases are
required before entering the room
with the exhibit.
All of that said, we invite you to
witness the marvel of nature's
alchemy at the Hillsboro Natural
History Museum, where the Economic
Geology exhibit features this
spectacular large quartz crystal
interlaced with gold veins. This piece
is not just visually stunning but also
tells a story of geological dynamics.
Here, the gold was uniquely attracted
to the quartz through piezoelectric
sparks, generated by the seismic
activity of earthquakes, illustrating
the fascinating interplay between
earth's movements and mineral
formation.
In other news, the museum is in Þnal
negotiations with the National Park
Service, which is in the process of
selling off the national heritage as
part of the current administrationÕs
tax program, to purchase the two
25
meteorites which landed at White
Sands National Park on October 7 of
last year (see photos on next page).
The Hard Rock Wing of the museum is
being retroÞtted to reinforce the
ßoors. Fund raising is underway: a
penny jar for donations can now be
found at the Hillsboro Park outhouse.
How these interstellar visitors were
able to make such soft landings is still
unknown. However, it should be
noted that the Egyptian hieroglyph
pictured on the following page was
found nestled within one of the small
craters of the meteorite shown at the
center left of the following page.
