Swiss Natural History Collections Network (SwissCollNet)
Project information
SCN201-VD
Perennial conservation and fully digitisation of type minerals specimens of Musée cantonal de géologie, Lausanne
Main-grantee information
Nicolas Meisser, Musée cantonal de géologie, Lausanne
Co-grantee information
Marco Antognini, Museo cantonale di storia naturale, Lugano
Beda Hofmann, Naturhistorisches Museum Bern
Lay summary
Living beings constitute the biodiversity with nearly 2 million species discovered, minerals constitute the geodiversity of the Earth, the Moon and the meteorites but with only 5'863 species described (November 2022). These minerals in the form of crystals compose the rocks and ores used since the birth of humanity. They provide the chemical elements necessary for civilizations: gold, copper, iron, aluminium, uranium and now lithium and rare earths for the ongoing energy transition. The presence of minerals on Earth evolves with geological time and even with human activities and the discovery of a new mineral species is always important, because its study allows us to better understand a small portion of the Earth's history. The approval of a new mineral species requires a study that is submitted to the vote of an international committee of specialists. The samples studied, called mineral types, must be preserved in a museum. This project aims at preserving, using modern techniques, and digitizing the mineral types of the geological museum of Lausanne. The techniques that will be developed in this way will benefit other Swiss museums that possess such objects. This project lays the foundations for a complete online catalogue of the mineralogical types of Swiss museums and describes the techniques for the permanent preservation of these precious samples.
Digitisation, information, database upgrade and reporting: require an office computer with two high resolutions screens. A private contractor will be commissioned for the bibliographic research of original publications, Mr. Jacques Lapaire, La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Thanks
With support of Swiss natural history collections network (SwissCollNet) of Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT).
https://swisscollnet.scnat.ch/
https://swisscollnet.scnat.ch/fr/running_projects/mineralogy
SCN201-VD
Perennial conservation and fully digitisation of type minerals specimens of Musée cantonal de géologie, Lausanne
Main-grantee information
Nicolas Meisser, Musée cantonal de géologie, Lausanne
Co-grantee information
Marco Antognini, Museo cantonale di storia naturale, Lugano
Beda Hofmann, Naturhistorisches Museum Bern
Lay summary
Living beings constitute the biodiversity with nearly 2 million species discovered, minerals constitute the geodiversity of the Earth, the Moon and the meteorites but with only 5'863 species described (November 2022). These minerals in the form of crystals compose the rocks and ores used since the birth of humanity. They provide the chemical elements necessary for civilizations: gold, copper, iron, aluminium, uranium and now lithium and rare earths for the ongoing energy transition. The presence of minerals on Earth evolves with geological time and even with human activities and the discovery of a new mineral species is always important, because its study allows us to better understand a small portion of the Earth's history. The approval of a new mineral species requires a study that is submitted to the vote of an international committee of specialists. The samples studied, called mineral types, must be preserved in a museum. This project aims at preserving, using modern techniques, and digitizing the mineral types of the geological museum of Lausanne. The techniques that will be developed in this way will benefit other Swiss museums that possess such objects. This project lays the foundations for a complete online catalogue of the mineralogical types of Swiss museums and describes the techniques for the permanent preservation of these precious samples.
Digitisation, information, database upgrade and reporting: require an office computer with two high resolutions screens. A private contractor will be commissioned for the bibliographic research of original publications, Mr. Jacques Lapaire, La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Thanks
With support of Swiss natural history collections network (SwissCollNet) of Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT).
https://swisscollnet.scnat.ch/
https://swisscollnet.scnat.ch/fr/running_projects/mineralogy