CURIOSITIES IN THE MINERALS COLLECTION OF THE UNIVERSITY

The mineral collection of UM is one of the oldest collections of earth sciences for educational purposes. It will also be on display at the 39th Miskolc International Mineral Festival on 11-12 March.

The mineral collection also has significance from the point of view of the history of science. The origin of the mineralogical collections of the Department of Mineralogy and Petrology of UM can be traced back to the Mining and Metallurgy Institute founded in Selmecbánya in 1735 and the Mining Academy that developed from it.

The collection was moved from Selmecbánya to Sopron in 1918 and from there to Miskolc in 1959, following the training sites of mining and metallurgical engineers. A new era in its history began, and over the last two decades the collection has grown at an unprecedented pace. The research topics have become more diversified than before, involving environmental mineralogy, the complex study of the basaltic deposits, and the research of strategically important critical elements. Staff field trips, individual purchases and donations have played a major role in this growth.

Today, UM's mineral collection consists of about 7,400 pieces, of which about 1,000-1,200 represent the Selmec period. The collection, together with other collections in the earth sciences, is still used today for the effective education of the university’s students.