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Geology Education Museum |
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Geology Education Museum The Geology Education Museum forms part of the School of Geological Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It was initially opened in 1948 by Professor L.C. King to house rock, mineral and fossil collections. At the beginning of 2007 the Museum moved to its new location on the UKZN - Westville Campus. It now forms part of the Science and Technology Education Centre. It is the only Geological Museum in KwaZulu-Natal. |
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A couple of years ago, in an effort to assist in schools education in KwaZulu-Natal, the Museum opened its doors to the general public, targeting teachers and pupils in particular. It was also seen as the perfect opportunity to expose prospective students to the exciting and varied fields of Geology.
The "new" Geology Museum inside the Science and Technology Education Centre
The museum provides a series of displays pertaining to the high school geography syllabus, ranging from a basic introduction to minerals and rocks, to the fields of Economic Geology and Palaeontology. Rock, fossils and mineral samples from KwaZulu-Natal are intended to promote an awareness of our immediate geological environment. For potential students and students in the school, there are displays relating to Geology as a career.
A large proportion of the teaching is conducted using interactive presentations, where visitors to the Museum may have "hands-on" contact with minerals and rocks, look down microscopes and sort fossils. Teaching is also carried out using video and computer presentations. This "object-based" and graphical method of teaching is an important way of putting fundamental concepts across to disadvantaged persons.
The Museum has the capacity to be a dynamic centre of informal science tuition. By targeting the displays at a generally uninformed, youthful public, and keeping the level of information basic, geology can now become accessible at a greater range of people. It also has the capacity to complement the proposed science education service in the Durban Metropolitan Region.
It should always be remembered that the Museum has a dual function to perform, and that it must house rock, mineral and fossil collections, as well as fulfil the role of a geological educator to the public.
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Minerals The mineral collection is large and varied, and includes samples of all major rock-forming minerals, as well as many less common minerals. We also house a wide range of ores which are mined especially in South Africa. |
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Amethyst |
Calcite |
Rhodochrosite |
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Rocks The rock collection consists of representative rock samples form a lot of type geological areas in South Africa, including samples of host rocks to the major ore deposits in the country, e.g. Barberton and Witwatersrand gold mining areas, and the Bushveld Igneous Complex, where the majority of our chromite and platinum comes from. We also have a selection of meteorites on display |
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Pallasite meteorite |
Conglomerate |
~2.Ga year old mudcracks |
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Fossils Our fossil collection mainly focuses on fossils from KwaZulu-Natal. It includes a large variety of ammonites, mammal like reptile fossils like lystrosaurus and plant fossils such as glossopteris. Part of this collection is a130 000 year old elephant tusk from Durban. We also house silurian fossils from Gotland which have been collected by E.C.N. van Hoepen over one hundred years ago. |
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Lystrosaurus |
Mortoniceras ammonite | Ammonite | ||
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last updated: 08 May 2009