SEDIMENTOLOGY PROGRAM AT THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL 

 HISTORY, THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



by 



J. W. Pierce 



This is my first official function as an employee of the Museum of 

 Natural History even though I do not assume full-time duties until June 



27, 1965. 



The Smithsonian Institution was founded for the increase and diffusion 

 of knowledge among men. It first became involved in research in 1846 and 

 now has research facilities in many phases of the sciences. 



Unique among governmental activities, the Smithsonian Institution is a 

 private organization that operates on both public and private funds. The 

 first appropriation of Federal funds for operation of the Smithsonian was 

 made in 1877, 



The U. S. National Museum, of which the Museum of Natural History is 

 a part, is the official repository of natural history materials for the 

 government of the United States. Contained in the Rules and Regulations 

 of the United States Geological Survey is the following section: "All 

 collections of rocks, minerals, soils, fossils, and objects of natural 

 history, archeology, and ethnology, made by the Coast and Geodetic Survey, 

 the Geological Survey, or by any parties for the Government of the United 

 States, when no longer needed for investigations in progress, shall be 

 deposited in the National Museum." This includes collections made by 

 individuals employed by these agencies. The law, as passed for the Geo- 

 logical Survey, also included other governmental agencies. 



The Museum of Natural History has been rather passive with respect to 

 claiming title to collections. The material was accepted if offered for 

 keeping. It appears to be the duty of the agencies involved to deposit 

 the collections in the Museum, not for the Museum to demand the collections. 

 The present operational procedure probably will be maintained. 



Two sections of the Smithsonian will be involved in the handling of 

 collections of samples from the ocean floor and the marginal environments. 

 The Smithsonian Oceanographic Sorting Center has a program to assemble 

 samples from the marine environment to be loaned to interested and competent 

 investigators for further study. This is, in essence, a "library" of marine 

 sediment samples. The intent of this program is to assemble from different 

 sources, a large and representative collection of marine sediment samples 

 that will allow lines of investigation to be pursued without the expense 

 and time involved in a collecting expedition. No one is presently filling 

 this role. 



Samples will be received from various Federal agencies and from the 

 private oceanographic institutions. In time, there will be a large. 



