REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY 



(Rat S. Bassler, Head Curator) 



The past year was notable for the quantity and value of geological 

 material acquired, particularly in the mineralogical division, where 

 several endowment funds were used rather freely to take advantage of 

 favorable market conditions. In quality of specimens acquired 

 through field work and exchange, this has been the most outstanding 

 year in the history of the division of vertebrate paleontology. Ex- 

 plorations were undertaken in both of the paleontological divisions 

 and in the mineralogical division, the latter under the auspices of the 

 Canfield fund. All resulted in the acquisition of desirable material 

 both for exhibition and study. 



ACCESSIONS 



In both specimens and accessions the aggregate is greater than last 

 year, numbering 255 accessions with an estimated total of 35,555 

 specimens. The number for the various divisions is as follows: 

 Mineralogy and petrology, 100 accessions, 728 specimens; geology, 

 systematic and applied, 33 accessions, 706 specimens; stratigraphic 

 paleontology, 92 accessions, 33,805 specimens; vertebrate paleontol- 

 ogy, 30 accessions, 316 specimens. 



The year's accessions include the following minerals not previously 

 represented: Alkansul, alleghanyite, ardealite, bianchite (type), 

 corvusite (type), galaxite, leucophospliite, minyulite, oxykertschenite, 

 pisekite, rilandite (type), rosickyite, and tuhuaiite. 



There were 31 accessions to the Roebling collection through the 

 income from the Roebling fund, totaling 114 specimens. Perhaps the 

 finest item is a 2}^-pound pink spodumene (kunzite) of good crystal 

 form and almost flawless. Four fine black opals from Lightning 

 Ridge, New South Wales, are partly polished to show the wonderful 

 fire that makes these Australian stones most highly prized of all 

 opals. Two 1.7-carat diamonds were added to the American series, 

 1 from Huntsville, Tex., and 1 from the gold washings of Brown 

 County, Ind. A fine cinnamon-brown crystal of topaz from Burma 

 weighs 2% pounds. A huge mass of native copper from the Lake 

 Superior region shows numerous unusually large and well-formed 

 crystals. Other noteworthy additions are a specimen of quartz 

 with attached crystals of euclase and topaz from Brazil; 3 speci- 

 mens of California gold showing unusually fine crystals; a beautiful 

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