GSC artifacts move to nature museum
By Mona Mahmoud
The Geological Survey of Canada has launched a pilot project to move two national collections of meteorite and fossil plant specimens from its Booth Street complex to the Canadian Museum of Nature.
The geological collections — formally titled National Meteorite & Tektite Collection and the National Plant Type Fossil Collection — consist of fossil type specimens, meteorites and minerals that have been collected by the GSC since its establishment in 1842.
“These specimens provide a scientific baseline for understanding the biological and geological evolution of the Earth, making the partnership with the Canadian Museum of Nature a perfect fit,” said Natural Resources Canada spokeswoman Danica Vaillancourt.
In late 2013, former NRC associate deputy minister Michael Keenan expressed interest in having the museum of nature curate NRC’s fossil invertebrate and mineral collections. From there, it has taken about three years for the first move to happen.
“Through the pilot project, we have learned that fragile and irreplaceable specimens must undergo conservation activities prior to being moved,” said Vaillancourt, “and new space requires fit-up to accommodate geological collections, both of which require time and resources.”
The specimens being moved include the famous Madoc Meteorite, the first recognized meteorite in Canada. It will remain at the survey’s offices during the celebration of its 175th anniversary, and then move to its permanent home within the nature museum.
“The Geological Survey’s collection of rock or iron fragments from outer space has attracted much public and scientific attention throughout its history,” according to an article on the museum’s website, co-authored by museum palaeobiologist Kristine Stewart and GSC curator Michelle Coyne. “This collection had an auspicious beginning in 1855 when Sir W.E. Logan acquired the 167.8 kilogram Madoc Meteorite. . . Very soon after its discovery, the Madoc Meteorite became internationally known, going on display at the 1855 Universal Exposition in Paris, France.”
The specimens being transferred will mostly be allocated to new cabinets shipped from the United States and placed in climate-controlled, secured storage rooms at the museum’s national collections facility, the Natural Heritage Campus in Gatineau.
The Natural Heritage Campus is home to approximately 14.6 million specimens and essentially serves as a “record of biodiversity over time,” according to the CMN’s senior media relations officer Dan Smythe.
Smythe also noted that an agreement has been drafted with the GSC allowing the museum to display appropriate specimens in exhibits at its public exhibitions space in Centretown.
“They can also be used in educational activities such as workshops, or for public outreach events such as our annual Science by Night in May,” said Smythe, “or at the open house of the Natural Heritage Campus in October.”
The open house is an annual event at the museum’s collections facility and typically draws in hundreds of history and science enthusiasts who get the chance to connect with the museum’s research staff, explore the millions of artifacts and specimens that are stored, and get a peek at the nation’s biggest science hub.
In the meantime, the pilot project of the specimen transfer will be ongoing for the next year or more, representing the first attempt at the physical transfer of the collections. NRCan has ensured that although the move is taking longer than expected, their utmost priority is ensuring the scientific integrity of the samples is preserved.