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SLIDESHOW geologia 1dimok
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SLIDESHOW geologia 3dimok
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SLIDESHOW geologia 5dimok

Geology section

The Geology section includes rich collections of minerals, rocks and fossils.
The many minerals on show come from various countries and offer a panorama of global geodiversity. The rock collections are mainly local (Siena Province, Mt. Amiata and mines in southern Tuscany). Striking specimens include an amethyst geode more than half a metre in diameter.
The fossils are mostly from southern Tuscany and cover a time interval from the Carboniferous period (about 300 million years ago) to the Holocene epoch (12,000 years ago to present). Most of the specimens come from the Pliocene basin of Siena, a stretch of sea that covered this area 5-2.5 million years ago. Non Tuscan specimens include the fur of a juvenile Siberian mammoth and three teeth of a megalodon, a giant shark now extinct.

 
terre bolari geologia

EARTH PIGMENTS

The collection consists of 60 samples of brightly coloured ochres, ranging from yellow to brown, through red, orange and green, in the past used as natural high quality pigments.. Read more



marmi duomo siena

THE “MARBLES” OF SIENA CATHEDRAL

The 23 specimens on show represent all the types of ornamental stone (commercially known as “marble”) used to build Siena Cathedral (12-14th century). Read more

 



invertebrati marini fossili geologia

MARINE INVERTEBRATE FOSSILS

This collection offers a panorama of the diversity of invertebrates that lived in the Pliocene basin of Siena 5-2.5 million years ago. Read more

 

 



vertebrati marini fossili box

MARINE VERTEBRATE FOSSILS

The sea that covered the Siena area millions of years ago produced sediments rich in vertebrate fossils.. Read more



mammiferi terrestri fossili box

LAND MAMMAL FOSSILS

The many remains of land mammals mostly date to the Pliocene (5,3-2.6 million years ago) and Pleistocene (2.6 million-12,000 years ago) and demonstrate that climate was different from today. Read more

 



microfossili box

AMBROGIO SOLDANI’S MICROFOSSILS

The room dedicated to the abbot Ambrogio Soldani (1736-1808), a pioneer of micropaleontology and marine biology, displays different material linked to his scientific activity. Read more

 

 



ligniti grosseto box

FOSSILS FROM LIGNITE MINES

Brown coal deposits in the Maremma area of Tuscany have yielded many fossils of reptiles and mammals dating to about 8 million years ago. Read more

 

 



minerali box

GENERAL MINERAL COLLECTION

The collection includes 1206 samples from Italy and elsewhere, ordered according to chemical composition and crystal system. Read more

 

 



acque min box

MINERAL WATERS

The mineral water collection consists of 26 bottles of water from thermal springs in Siena Province. Read more

 

 

ADOPT OUR SPECIMENS

The Museum specimens require constant maintenance to prevent damage by air, light and microorganisms. You can contribute to their conservation by “adopting” them.

SOSTIENI IL MUSEO per adottaEN

The Geology section includes rich collections of minerals, rocks and fossils. The many minerals on show come from various countries and offer a panorama of global geodiversity. The rock collections are mainly local (Siena Province, Mt. Amiata and mines in southern Tuscany). Striking specimens include an amethyst geode more than half a metre in diameter. The fossils are mostly from southern Tuscany and cover a time interval from the Carboniferous period (about 300 million years ago) to the Holocene epoch (12,000 years ago to present). Most of the specimens come from the Pliocene basin of Siena, a stretch of sea that covered this area 5-2.5 million years ago. Non Tuscan specimens include the fur of a juvenile Siberian mammoth and three teeth of a megalodon, a giant shark now extinct.

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