ROCK AND ORE COLLECTIONS

Olivine nodule in basalt, Camperdown, Victoria

The present rock collection consists of approximately 13 000 registered specimens, as well as the large rock collections of the Geological Survey of Victoria and the University of Melbourne which have yet to be fully catalogued. The major emphasis is on Victorian rocks, although there are significant suites of rocks from classic European localities. Computerisation of the rock and ore collections has commenced.

The ore collection consists of suites of economic minerals from mainly Victorian mines, most of which are no longer accessible. The systematic Victorian ore collection is organised according to the major metal present and has been registered and computerised.