Collections
About
The full collection has an estimated 40,000 specimens, with nearly 3,000 being type (published) specimens, that represent the ancient heritage of North America, as well as containing specimens from over 20 different countries. These specimens are housed in 192 metal cases that are part of a Space-Saver compactor system that can accommodate future growth. They are organized by geologic age, location, and taxon. Almost 35,000 specimens are on the publicly accessible digital database and over 7,000 specimens have images. This allows students and professionals an opportunity to research and remotely access a diverse suite of fossils. And if needed, specimens are loaned to researchers all over the world. This research has produced around 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts featuring UM collections since 1936. These include books, popular science articles, and professional papers, some published in prestigious journals such as Nature and Science. The collection also contains minerals, economic samples, and petrographic specimens.