Earth Sciences Within the broad discipline of "Earth Science" the Albany Museum houses a number of geological collections which cover the subjects of Palaeontology, Mineralogy, Petrology, Economic geology, Stratigraphy and a small collection of Meteorites. The Palaeontology Collection consists of c.5000 fossil specimens and is considered as one of the oldest in South Africa started by Mr Andrew Geddes Bain and Dr William G. Atherstone in the mid 19th century. The material is largely South African with good coverage of vertebrates, invertebrates, plants and trace fossils of varying age. Of particular interest is the recent addition of Devonian fishes, plants and invertebrates collected from a local Witteberg Group fossil site on the outskirts of Grahamstown. These fossils have provided a better understanding of the biodiversity and geological setting of a Devonian estuary which was situated in the vicinity of Grahamstown 360 million years ago. The collection also comprises mammal-like reptiles, fishes and plant fossils collected from the Permian and Triassic beds of the Karoo. Research on Early Cretaceous dinosaur fossils is currently being undertaken on material recovered from the Kirkwood Formation of the Uitenhage Group (Algoa Basin) exposed in the Bushmans and Sundays River valleys in the vicinity of Port Elizabeth. It was from these sediments that Dr W.G. Atherstone and Mr A.G. Bain found the first dinosaur fossils in South Africa in 1845 - the stegosaur Paranthodon africanus. The full story of the discovery, identification and reconstruction of this dinosaur is presented here. Links to Palaeontology Related Sites (Information, Museums and Resources). The Rock and Mineral Collection is a comprehensive general collection of South African and European material. The bulk of the specimens are used for education and display purposes. New specimens, particularly in the field of economic geology (ore minerals) are continuously being incorporated into the collection. This stems from the close association the Museum enjoys with the Department of Geology at Rhodes University, particularly in their MSc Exploration and Economic Geology courses. Staff: Curator: Dr (W.J) Billy de Klerk (PhD Rhodes)     B.Deklerk@ru.ac.za Palaeontology Assistant: Mr Vincent Mtyobo Research Associate (Post Doctoral Fellow): Dr Rose Prevec, (PhD Wits) BACK HOME BACK TO DEPARTMENTS