The annual ROM research colloquium reveals local researchers' competitive edge on the study of meteorites.
Recently, a Martian meteorite probed by ROM researchers working alongside the Canadian Space Agency revealed just that: water contact. While some analysis eventually proved that the interaction with water had occurred after the rock had landed on earth, there was still something remarkable about the discovery: there was gerasite present in the rock. Gerasite is a mineral that forms only in acidic conditions, so it's typically found only in mine drainage sites. But this particular rock was found in a desert; the only water it could have interacted with would have been a little rainwater and air humidity, but hardly any of the "nasty stuff that makes gerasite," according to Brendt C. Hyde, a mineralogy technician at the ROM. Read more
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) has displayed the world's most comprehensive collection of meteorites thought to be from the asteroid Vesta. The temporary exhibition, held to mark the arrival of NASA's Dawn mission to Vesta, presents 30 different specimens from the asteroid, which is the second most massive of its kind in our solar system. Read more
The Royal Ontario Museum Rock, Mineral, Gem, Fossil and Meteorite Identification Clinic
There's always a queue at the ROM's bimonthly rock, mineral, gem, fossil and meteorite identification clinic. Most suspected meteorites are what clinic coordinator Katherine Dunnell calls "meteorwrongs." Read more
ID clinics are free with Museum admission and are held on Wednesdays from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm in Classroom #3. Future ID Clinics are scheduled for July 20, September 21 and November 16.
"Consensus." "Functional." "Sensible." At times, William Thorsell practically spits these words out as though afraid they will leave a bad taste in his mouth. Over the past decade, the now-departing director of the Royal Ontario Museum has steered the 96-year-old Toronto institution through a radical and sometimes controversial revamping on the strength of his charm and energy, but also his conviction that great things are by nature controversial, challenging, even disruptive. Read more
You could say the Royal Ontario Museum has an appetite for rocks and minerals. Which is why the ROM launched its new galleries - over 641 square metres worth - to house its favourite rock, mineral and meteorite samples. Opened Dec. 20, the Teck Suite of Galleries has space for 2,300 specimens and includes the Vale Inco Ltd. Gallery of Minerals, the Gallery of Gems and Gold, and the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame.
The Royal Ontario Museum unearths the ultimate rock collection The gigantic piece of amethyst at the entrance gives a good hint. The chunk of mineral larger than a dinner platter looks raw, prehistoric, and a whole lot more permanent than you. Its purple depths are alien with crystals larger than your fist. This is like experiencing your childhood rock collection were you transformed by a miniaturising machine.
Kimberly Tait doesn't wait for an answer because, really, who would say no? She leaves the dimly lit office in the basement of the Royal Ontario Museum, enters a hallway and opens a heavy metal door. Behind another door, at the back of a shallow drawer, there it is a lonesome hunk of lunar meteorite that lost its mama. Gentle divots in its greyish crust could be mistaken for fingerprints. Source
Teck Cominco Suite of Galleries: Earth's Treasures The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) unveils the Teck Cominco Suite of Galleries: Earth's Treasures on December 20, 2008, on Level 2 of the Weston Family Wing on December 20, 2008. Divided into the Vale Inco Limited Gallery of Minerals, the Gallery of Gems and Gold and the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Gallery, the galleries occupy a combined total of 6,900 square feet and showcase the ROMs exceptional specimens of minerals, gems, meteorites and rocks, a collection among the finest in North America. The fascinating displays are contextualised by over 40 interactive touch screen stations, compelling video exhibits and engrossing information on Canadas mining industry.