Geological Survey and Museum

Abstract

FROM the opening of the Geological Museum at South Kensington on July 3 until December 31, 159,000 visitors passed through its doors. This compares with an average total of 18,000–20,000 a year at the old museum in Jermyn Street. Recent additions and presentations to the Museum include a fine collection of cut zircons, one royal blue stone of 44 carats, being unique in size and colour; a collection of multi-coloured doubly-terminated tourmaline crystals from Mesa Grande, California; a large composite photograph of the moon from the Mount Wilson Observatory, and other series of enlarged photographs of earthquakes and other geological phenomena; more than two thousand British building stones and other collections illustrating economic geology, bequeathed by Mr. B. E. Laine-Pearson; and some 250 rocks recently collected for the Museum from southern Norway.