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  3. Earth science

Earth science

The Mineralogy and Palaeontology collections include rocks, minerals, gemstones and fossils. Learn more about these naturally occurring, inorganic solids.

  • Updated
    01/09/20


Earth photographed from space.

Shaping the Earth

What makes the Earth unique? Where does it fit in the Solar System and, ultimately, the universe? Take a look inside the Earth and find out what it is made from and how it is structured. Look at the processes that shape the Earth.

Read more

Amethyst geode D.47883

What are minerals?

Minerals are the building blocks of our planet. Discover what they reveal about the history of Earth and our solar system and what makes them so essential to our existence.

Read more

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Mineral properties

Minerals can be identified using a number of properties. These include physical and chemical properties such as hardness, density, cleavage and colour, crystallography, electrical conductivity, magnetism, radioactivity and fluorescence.

Find out more

Chalcedony blue and white

Gemstones

Gemstones are prized for their beautiful colours and patterns and are used in a range of applications including jewellery, decorative items and as important features of mineral collections.

Read more

School girl looking at megafauna display

Australia over time

Learn about our evolving landscape, Australian megafauna and other extinct animals and how we use fossils to relate the animals of the past with those of today.

Megafauna
Fossil sites in Australia
Geological time scale
Learn more

Long-wave fluorescing minerals

Mineralogy

Learn more about our mineralogy and petrology collections and study of minerals and rocks.

Gemstones
Crystals
Learn more


  • Mineralogy Collection

    Study of rocks & minerals.
    Learn more
  • Palaeontology collection

    Ancient animals and plant fossils.
    Read more
  • Australian Museum Research Institute

    Scientific discovery and conservation of our collections.
    Find out more

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Marine Invertebrates Collection Area 2018

Marine Invertebrates

The Marine Invertebrates Collection is active in research on a variety of taxa, such as annelids, cnidarians and crustaceans, and holds extensive collections of most marine phyla.

Crustaceans
Polychaetes
Learn more

3D scanning of fish fossils

Collection objects in 3D

See some of our rare and unique natural science and cultural collection objects in 3D.

Egyptian collection
Fish and fossils
Extinct mammals
Learn more

Egyptian Mummy

Yellow coffin from Akhmim

A mummy, well wrapped in bandages in a painted coffin without a lid from Thebes in Egypt, was gifted to the Museum in 1912 by brewer, politician, and philanthropist, Robert Lucas-Tooth.

18 October 2022
Read more

Collection Care and Conservation, Rhinoceros

Collection Care and Conservation

The CC&C team specialise in the preservation of natural science specimens, archaeological and cultural objects, rare books and archives, and life and geoscience collections.

Preventive conservation
Treatment programs
Find out more

Capturing Nature book

Museum Archives and Research Library

The Museum Archives and Research Library cares for the Museum’s institutional memory and its historic natural history book and journal collections dating from 1836.

History of the Museum
Archives
Rare books
Photography
Explore our history

Scientists on Lord Howe Island

Expeditions and fieldwork

Learn about past Australian Museum expeditions and field work from around the globe that have contributed to our collections and research.

Lord Howe Island
Solomon Islands
Historic expeditions
Discover more

Australian Museum Archival images 200 Treasures

History of our museum collections

Discover the history of the collections and construction of Australia's first museum, beginning in January 1846.

Read more

Arachnology Collection Area 2018

Arachnology

Arachnology is the study of the group of animals called arachnids. Arachnids include spiders, scorpions, harvestmen, ticks and mites.

Spiders
Scorpians
Ticks
Learn more

The AMRI Herpetology Collection. These are general shots of the Collection specimens and Collection areas for the AM website redevelopment in 2018.  Shots taken in the Herpetology Collection with Techinical Officer Stephen Mahony.

Herpetology

Herpetology is the study of amphibians, including frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians, and reptiles, including lizards, snakes, turtles and crocodiles.

Amphibians
Reptiles
Find out more

Illustration of pacific objects

The Sarah Stone Collection

A fascinating collection of original watercolours by a talented female natural history artist.

Illustrations of objects from Captain Cook’s voyages
View collection

Feathertail glider

Animal factsheets

Discover the astonishing variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, marine life and more in the Australian Museum collections.

Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Extinct animals
Find out more

Glass marine model

Blaschka glass models

The 19th century was a time of great scientific endeavour. In 1879 the Australian Museum actively sought to share these wonderful discoveries with the public by ordering specimens and models from Europe so that it could display all the common European vertebrates and invertebrates.

Glass models of sea anemones
Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka
Discover more

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The Australian Museum acknowledges that it operates on the unceded lands, waters and skies of many First Nations Peoples. These lands have been maintained and protected through time. As Australia's first museum, we share the responsibility for advocating for Country honouring the sovereignty of the First Nations peoples. This website may contain names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

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Photo of two painted shields

The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands.

Image credit: gadigal yilimung (shield) made by Uncle Charles Chicka Madden