Mining the minerals, data, and other resources of the National Museums Scotland Collection
Resource type
ConferenceItem Conference poster (unpublished)
Abstract
National Museums Scotland has a hugely diverse, historical, and well-curated mineral collection. Five kilometres from here at the National Museums Collections Centre, over 70,000 mineral and rock specimens are housed in one of the best storage facilities in Europe. There are over 2000 mineral species represented, with examples from a range of geological and paragenetic environments. These specimens and their associated data are available for research use
by the MDSG community. Our mineral, ore, and rock specimens represent 992 different mines across 125 countries. Many of these mines are no longer accessible or have been exhausted. Other specimens are from areas or environments that are difficult and
expensive to access for sampling. Our Scottish Mineral Collection is a globally unique resource, including highly important specimens from Scotland’s most well-known mineral localities and multiple sites identified as being ‘potentially prospective’ for Critical Raw Materials by the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre. Parts of the collection are over 300 years old and the quality of associated data, in particular the geochemical characterisation of our specimens, is continually improving through our on-site analytical and preparation lab, as well
as ongoing research collaborations. Collections with long-term digital and physical support such as this provide a valuable important resource for reproducible science. Access to the collection, be that digitally or at our site in north Edinburgh can provide an easy cost-effective, low-environmental-impact alternative to field sampling, making pilot studies and time-restricted projects easier to fund and complete
Event title
Mineral Deposits Study Group
Publisher
Mineral Deposits Studies Group
Related URL
Rights statement
In Copyright