Physical Geology Collection There are approximately 63,000 specimens in the six physical geology collections (mineralogy, gems, petrology, sedimentary rock, economic geology and meteorites). Meteorites- The meteorite collection housed at The Field Museum is one of the largest and most representative in the world, and is an important resource for the international cosmochemical and planetary science community. The Field Museum collection ranks as one of the seven largest meteorite collections in the world. The collection contains approximately 1,300 individual meteorites that represent all known meteorite types, and includes a valuable reference collection of polished and thin sections. The meteorite collection is one of the most active in the Geology Department in loan activity, with most loans for the purpose of research investigations and exhibits. A survey made by L. Grossman (University of Chicago) showed that during the period 1978 - 1987, Field Museum meteorite specimens were used in 27% of specimen-based scientific papers published in the preeminent geochemical journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, with additional papers using Field Museum meteorite specimens published in Meteoritics, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Nature and Science. The collection is particularly strong in iron meteorites. It also contains very large amounts of Murchison (a Type 2 carbonaceous chondrite), Allende (a Type 3 carbonaceous chondrite), and Indarch (an enstatite chondrite). Meteorite Catalog This catalog is downloadable in Adobe Acrobat format. optimized for: Acrobat Reader 3.0 Gem Collection- Most of the Museum's small but significant collection of representative precious and semi-precious stones is on exhibit. The most significant specimen is a 62,000 carat single crystal of topaz, very light yellow and transparent, which has been described as "textbook quality." Recent donations of jewelry including diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, opal, jade and pearls have increased the variety and educational value of the collection. Mineral Collection-The collection includes 146 holotypes and 471 paratypes. Petrology-The petrology collection contains diverse rocks from all over the world. It is particularly strong in material from Vermont and the Black Hills of South Dakota, and there is a large collection of slates and weakly metamorphosed rocks from Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Wales. Central American volcanic rocks, largely collected by S. K. Roy, are well represented. Sedimentary Rock-The sedimentary rock collection includes a significant assemblage of Lower Tertiary terrestrial rocks from the eastern front of the Rocky Mountains and Utah, useful in studies of paleoenvironments. Economic Geology-The economic geology collection contains examples of most metallic and non-metallic ores from all over the world. The collection began with the vast number of specimens assembled for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, later enhanced by materials from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 1904, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, 1915, and the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, 1909. Significant additions of South American specimens were made during the 1920s by O. C. Farrington and H. Nichols, and in 1962 with the acquisition of the E. S. Bastin collection of metallic ores from Canada, Mexico and the western United States. Petrographic Thin Sections-An important adjunct to the physical geology collections is the 2,700 petrographic thin sections of rocks, minerals and meteorites, which reflect the research interests of the staff and the external scientific community - particularly igneous and metamorphic rocks and concretions, and meteorites. Other Geology Department Collections: Paleontology | Fossil Amphibians and Reptiles |Fossil Fishes | Fossil Invertebrates |Fossil Mammals | Fossil Plants | Physical Geology