Pictured above is smithsonite, a zinc carbonate mineral that was named after James Smithson (c. 1765–1829), a British chemist, mineralogist, and the founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution.

A specimen of smithsonite housed in the museum’s mineral and gem collection. Jack Tamisiea, NMNH With more than 148 million specimens and objects, the vast majority of the National Museum of ...

More than 100 people gathered to tour the exhibits on Smithson (including a sample of his most notable discovery, the mineral Smithsonite) and to see his small tomb near the entrance of the castle.

House Bill 411 would amend a law covering other official state symbols, such as the official state bird and flower, and add Smithsonite as the official mineral of New Mexico. The bill has passed ...