University of Otago Emeritus Prof Daphne Lee, Dr Jeffrey Robinson (centre) and the late Emeritus Prof Ewan Fordyce look through some of the geology department’s handwritten fossil catalogues in 2021. PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN The University of Otago’s geology museum has been made one of 32 International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) ‘‘geo-collections of global importance’’. It is the only one in New Zealand to be selected because of its particularly high scientific, historical or educational relevance for geological sciences. Other IUGS geo-collections of global importance have been named in Europe (18), the United States (five), the Middle East (two), Australia (two), Japan (one), India (one), South Africa (one) and Portugal (one). University of Otago geologist, palaeontologist and Foulden Maar authority Emeritus Prof Daphne Lee said it was the first time a museum from New Zealand had been added to the prestigious list. ‘‘At the moment, there’s only 32 geo-collections around the world on the list, so we’re part of a very select group. ‘‘I feel extremely pleased — delighted.’’ She said the geology museum had been in its present location since 1926, but specimens had been collected since before the University of Otago opened. ‘‘We feel honoured to have those things. I guess we are the stewards, the custodians, of the fossil treasures — of mainly Otago and Southland and further afield.’’ She said credit needed to be given to the late Emeritus Prof Ewan Fordyce, because a lot of the treasures in the geology museum were collected, prepared and studied by him. ‘‘And so, without his work over 40 years or so, we would not have got the designation.’’ Prof Lee said she and Dr Jeffrey Robinson applied to have the museum’s collection included in the IUGS list. An IUGS spokesman said the museum was included for its rock, mineral and fossil collections, which highlighted the rich geological history and the evolution of marine and terrestrial biodiversity in New Zealand. The collections date back to the 1870s and the fossil collections were the pinnacle of the museum, comprising 60,000 catalogued specimens. ‘‘Fossils of international significance include type specimens of endemic whales, dolphins, sharks, billfish, turtles and penguins. ‘‘Key freshwater animals include all of the world’s Galaxiidae fossils, the only southern hemisphere eel fossils, and fossil crayfish and mussels. ‘‘Thousands of marine invertebrates ranging in age from Cambrian to recent include holotypes of corals, brachiopods, clams, snails, ostracods, crabs, lobsters and sea urchins, mostly from the South Island of New Zealand. ‘‘Notable additions include most of New Zealand’s fossils, preserved in amber, and all plant and animal fossils, including a diverse array of insects, from the globally significant Foulden Maar.’’ He said visitors to the geology museum could learn about the ancestors of species living today, including relatives of treasured taonga species with deep local significance. ‘‘Spanning from the Cambrian period to the present, the collections document the evolution of the globally important marine life and ecosystems of the Southern Ocean. ‘‘In addition to the treasures on display, the museum features a fossil preparation research laboratory, where visitors can observe the preparation of research specimens through viewing windows.’’ He said students and scholars from around the world for more than 150 years had travelled to Dunedin to study the rocks and fossils housed within, and to collaborate with the specialist staff who had helped to build the geology museum into the valuable collection it was today. john.lewis@odt.co.nz
