Minerals of the World

More than 1,100 specimens in thirteen historic cabinets provide a survey of minerals from around the world. They follow Strunz's chemical classification in its 1996 version. Their position therefore depends on composition rather than colour or country of origin. The arrangement also supports the teaching of mineral identification to geology students.

The cabinets date from the nineteenth century, as does a substantial part of the displayed collection. Historic museum furniture continues to serve the presentation of scientific material, maintaining a connection with the university's earlier collecting traditions. The exhibition concept developed after the museum reopened in 1966.

Specimens presented by the museum include labradorite from Madagascar and pyromorphite from Germany. Calcite is represented by examples from Kyrgyzstan and England. One specimen from the United States combines fluorite, sphalerite, galena and quartz, bringing several minerals together in a single sample. Locality names reveal the collection's geographical reach, although the cabinets themselves follow a mineralogical order.