The objects in the geosciences collections at the Museum der Natur Hamburg date back to the beginnings of life on our planet. Even the formation of the earth and the development of biological diversity was characterised by an interaction between the diversity of minerals and rocks and the diversity of organisms.
Basic
understanding
Research on the mineralogical, geological and palaeontological collections thus contributes to a fundamental understanding of the relationships between geological processes, climate, evolution and the development of biodiversity, particularly for the European region.
Over 1000 meteorites
The mineralogical collection is one of the largest reference collections of its kind in Germany with over 3,100 of the approximately 5,700 recognised types of minerals. Of particular importance is the meteorite collection with around 1,000 specimens and valuable individual pieces.
The geological and palaeontological collections comprise over 100,000 objects, including 70-million-year-old fossil finds from the Lägerdorf mine in Schleswig-Holstein, the valuable amber collection with its more than 6,000 pieces and the extensive collection of fossil squid. There are also glacial boulders and micropalaeontological material.
