Earth and Environment

In addition to thousands of geological samples that have been collected from all over the world, the School of Earth and Environment holds a collection of approximately 100 twentieth century geological instruments used in teaching and research.

Having been superseded by newer technology and subsequently placed in storage, these instruments laid hidden within the department until 2011 when volunteers from our museum worked with the school’s curator Dr. Robert Finch to document objects found in cupboards and under some stairs. This worked revealed a varied collection including numerous surveying instruments, early microscopes and spectroscopy and crystallography equipment.

This led to the creation of a display under the title Earth Education at Leeds: The Whole World in a Ray of Light. Each shelf of the display case focuses on a different level of observation in the Earth Sciences. This progresses from equipment used in naked eye observations in surveying, to the microscopes required for a more in-depth and detailed analysis, down to the crystallography equipment that allows the investigation of the most fundamental aspects of environmental samples.

The display is located on level 6 of the School of Earth and Environment. It can be accessed through the main foyer or the entrance at the back of the building, by the steps from the forecourt towards Charles Morris Halls. For further directions please ask at the School’s reception.