Collections - Geology

Overview

Bristol Museum Service holds around 400,000 specimens in its Geology collection- chiefly fossils, but also minerals, rock samples, building materials and some worked decorative stone.

The strengths of the collection are minerals of the Mendips and SW England, Triassic fossils of the Severn estuary area, Mesozoic marine reptiles, Carboniferous Limestone corals, plants and arthropods from Coal Measures, Jurassic invertebrates and Pleistocene mammals from cave sites and gravel deposits.

The Geology Galleries

The Mineral Gallery displays specimens of all minerals that a student might need to see, derived from sources throughout the world, with special emphasis on local specialities such as celestine.

 The Earth through Geological Time is a presentation of 4.5 billion years of history, arranged stratigraphically and richly illustrated by specimens of representative rocks and fossils.

The Sea Dragons Gallery shows specimens of large carnivorous marine reptiles from the Jurassic Period, several of them unique to Bristol's collection.

[back to top]