Earth Science Collection

The Earth Science collection is evenly split between the rock and mineral collection and the palaeontology collection, with about 3000 specimens of each, as well as a few meteorites.

The rock and mineral collection includes the Hatch and Butler collections, important references for KwaZulu-Natal dating back to 1880. Many of these sites are no longer accessible, increasing the value of these specimens.

The Palaeontology collection is predominantly from KwaZulu-Natal, but also includes reference specimens from the rest of South African and a few global specimens. The majority of the specimens are plant fossils from the Mooi River area, along with associated insect specimens.