An acclaimed international collection of earth science articles and book reviews on palaeontology, geology, minerals and more
Jon Trevelyan (UK) Beneath Dudley Castle lies a landscape that began as a tropical Silurian sea and ended as one of the most intensively worked limestone systems in Britain. Around 425 million years ago, this part of the Midlands lay beneath a warm, shallow sea, building the reef limestone now … Read More
With the restoration of the Crystal Palace prehistoric sculptures and their remarkable Geological Court now virtually complete, it is perhaps worth asking why this unique Victorian landscape continues to command such scientific and historical importance. Why should geologists, palaeontologists and members of the public still make the journey to south London to see reconstructions that are now more than 170 years old and, in many respects, scientifically outdated?
Jon Trevelyan (UK) The Galerie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie Comparée, part of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, is located in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. Established in 1898, the gallery showcases an extensive collection of fossils and anatomical specimens, offering insights into the evolution of life on Earth. The … Read More
Hans-Henrik Meyer (Denmark) This article was written in 2011. While some of it is clearly out of date, hopefully it is still relerant for those wishing to visit the museum. The Möns Klint GeoCenter continually strives to improve the understanding of life in the Chalk Sea of 70 million years … Read More
Dennis C Nieweg (The Netherlands) and Dick Mol (The Netherlands) In April 2012, the exhibition Zeemonsters in Twente, opened its doors in Museum TwentseWelle in Enschede, The Netherlands (Fig. 2). The exhibition (held until the 28 October) told the story of the Triassic marine reptiles (Sauropterygians) found in the Dutch … Read More
Jon Trevelyan (UK) The origins of the collection at the Museum national d’Histoire naturelle’s Galerie de Géologie et de Minéralogie in Paris date back surprisingly far. In 1625, under Louis XIII, minerals thought to have medicinal virtues were deposited in the ‘droguier du roi’ (royal drug cabinet) associated with the then … Read More
Jon Trevelyan (UK) The geology and palaeontology section at the Museo di Storia Naturale: geology and palaeontology in Verona is one of those museum experiences that perhaps quietly insists you pay attention if you notice it there among the other attractions of this lovely town. It doesn’t shout with flashy … Read More
Jon Trevelyan (UK) The Naturmuseum Südtirol is housed in an historic building in the old town of Bolzano and was opened in 1997 in its current form. Its major theme consists of the geology of South Tyrol, that is, the region’s rocks, minerals (Fig. 1) landscapes, tectonics, its natural habitats … Read More
Paul D Taylor (UK) and Consuelo Sendino (UK) Barcelona is an extremely popular tourist destination. For many visitors, the idiosyncratic buildings of Antoni Gaudi represent the principal attraction, but the Catalan capitol has its fair share of art galleries and museums too. Among the latter are several geological museums, including … Read More
Steve Koppes (USA) When the solar system was born 4.5 billion years ago, davisite and grossmanite were soon there. These minerals were two of the first solids to form when an interstellar gas cloud collapsed to form the sun. Found in the Allende meteorite (Fig. 1), they now carry the … Read More
Deborah Painter (USA) Why is there a reef in a cavern under a hill in south-central Pennsylvania in the USA? My good friends Richard Hedges and David Hawk and I wanted to know the answer. We had seen various websites which describe an amazing commercial cave with one wall composed … Read More
Vivi Vajda (Sweden) In a valley in the Andes, at 2,500m above sea level, is Bolivia’s third largest city – Cochabamba. The town is beautifully surrounded by snow-capped mountain peaks of which the highest is Tunari at 5,088m. For a palaeontologist, the town is an excellent base camp, as it … Read More
Jon Trevelyan (UK) Recently, I spent a few days on my own down at one of my favourite fossil hunting sites – Copt Point and East Wear Bay in Folkestone. As readers probably know, the Gault Clay at Folkestone is a marine sedimentary deposit from the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) period, … Read More
Elizabeth Devon (UK) ‘I know it’s Monday when a new Earth leaning idea appears’ – quote from a supporter in India. The Earth learning idea was set up for the International Year of Planet Earth with the intention of reaching as many children throughout the world as possible, particularly those … Read More
Mike Viney (USA) Introduction The Front Range of the Colorado Rockies is not a place one would expect to find a residence designed in the style of a European castle. So, for me, it was a delightful surprise to learn about the existence of Cherokee Castle in Sedalia, Colorado (Fig. … Read More
Heather Wilson (New Zealand) I am involved in a rock and mineral club at Dunedin, which is situated about a third of the way up the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Given the possibility of flying from one end of the country to the other in three hours, … Read More
Deborah Painter (USA) It’s all about time, rocks and living things. When humans make attempts to record the distant past, there will be gaps in our knowledge. Historians and archaeologists have the luxury of the written word and of the preservation of culture in the form of fences and aqueducts, … Read More
