South Australian Museum
| Title | South Australian Museum |
|---|---|
| Previous names for museum | South Australian Institute Museum |
| Year of opening | 1861 |
| Description | This collection houses over 35,000 minerals, rocks, meteorites and tektites from all over the world,making it one of the largest collections in Australia. The strengths of this collection are undoubtedly the fine suites of specimens from South Australian localities and Broken Hill N.S.W. Over 1500 mineral species are represented in the collection. |
| Number of visitors per year | 713 (2016) |
| Mineral display arrangement | Chemical,Regional,Aesthetic,Other The mineral gallery is relatively small and focuses on South Australian localities. Colour in minerals and the chemical groups display feature minerals from around the world. |
| Specific regional collections/experience | South Australia's historic copper mines, particularly Burra, Moonta and Wallaroo, are well represented in the "Copper Country" display. Minerals from the Olympic Dam Copper-gold-uranium deposit, the Precambrian iron formations of the Middleback Ranges and a particularly fine assortment of quartz specimens from the White Rock Quarry in the Mount Lofty Range feature prominently in other displays. There are also a number of large meteorites displayed. |
| Items of specific note | Atacamite Crystals 4 cm long, New Cornwall Mine, A large bornite crystal, Olympic Dam Mine, Large Wittichenite crystals and Chalcocite pseudomorphs of bornite, Mt. Gunson Copper Mine from South Australia. Superb azurite crystals from Broken Hill N.S.W The centrepiece of the fossil gallery is the opalised skeleton of a 6m long Addyman Plesiosaur, found in an opal mine in Andamooka in 1968. It is the finest known opalised skeleton on Earth. A fine display of Ediacaran Biota is also a highlight. |
| Total number of earth science specimens | 85,000 total. |
| Total number of mineral specimens | 32,000 total. |
| Total number of fossil specimens | 50,000 total. |
| Total number of meteorite specimens | 150 total. |
| Museum Address | 221 North Terrace Adelaide South Australia Australia |
| Website address | http://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/ |
| Mindat Locality region | Adelaide, South Mt Lofty Ranges (Adelaide Hills), Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia, Australia |
