Collections

The Mineralogical and Geological Museum at Harvard University (MGMH) holds a vast collection of geological specimens that have been assembled since the late eighteenth century. It is the oldest university mineral collection in the United States. They are a legacy of vigorous research and teaching in various fields of geology including mineralogy, petrology, and mining geology. There are more than 300,000 specimens of minerals, rocks, meteorites, gems, and jewelry curated by the MGMH following the principles laid out in our Collections Management Policy. 

The Mineral Collection consists of more than 100,000 specimens and ranks as one of the world’s finest due to its broad representation, wealth in rare species, large number of specimens described in scientific literature, and the quality of its specimens. The Earth Archive Collection holds more than 200,000 specimens as a result of active faculty and student research; this collection is rare and unique because some of the ore bodies have been mined out and many of the mines are now closed. The Meteorite Collection contains a largely comprehensive group of meteorites, with nearly 600 distinct meteorites, and about 1,674 specimens. Included within this collection is a small ancillary assemblage of impactites and tektites. Finally, the Gem and Jewelry Collection, mainly used for research and display, consists of more than 1,000 specimens with special focus on New England gems. The MGMH also has an archival collection of media that is related to the specimen collections and the history of the museum. Select documents from the archival collection are digitized and available on the Harvard Libraries Image Viewer. Additionally, the Harvard Earth and Planetary Science Teaching Collection is curated by the MGMH, but separate from the four primary specimen collections. 

Samples range from display to reference quality and represent a broad range of species and localities from around the globe. Particular strengths of the collection encompass material from the New England region and over two hundred type mineral specimens.

Although fossils are critically important geological specimens, at Harvard University they are housed with the biological collections. Fossil plants are held by the Harvard Herbaria and fossil animals are held by the Museum of Comparative Zoology.