Assessing the stability of mineralogical collections in museums

Thesis

At least 10% of currently identified mineral species are susceptible to deterioration within the museum setting. The significance of this, however, is largely unknown, as there is a substantial lack of quantitative information pertaining to mineral susceptibility within the heritage literature. Findings from other scientific fields—such as the geosciences and materials science—rarely enter the heritage sector, as relevant research outputs are not easily accessible or transferable. The doctoral research outlined in this thesis was designed as a response to these challenges, with the aim of developing of an efficacious methodology for facilitating the determination of mineral susceptibility. This was achieved via database, survey, and colorimetric methods. The Mineral Susceptibility Database (MSD) was produced as a single, openly accessible repository of currently published research relevant for mineral preservation, and contains 957 entries for 596 mineral species. The Deterioration Phenomena (DP) State Survey Method was designed to mitigate current shortcomings of collection surveying and provide quantitative data pertaining to the state of mineral specimens. The DP Method was used to survey 13,716 specimens from Oxford University Museum of Natural History’s (OUMNH) systematic mineral collection, and to characterise the types of deterioration prevalent within similar collections. The survey results corroborate that the types of reactions recorded in the MSD are indeed found within museum collections. Experiments validating the use of colorimetry on mineral specimens were performed and confirmed application to opaque and metallic species. Colorimetry was then used in conjunction with the DP Method to survey 1,273 pyrite specimens held at OUMNH, National Museum Cardiff, National Museums Liverpool, and the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences. The results of this cross-museum survey elucidated the nature of pyrite deterioration within the museum environment, as summarised by the impurity hypothesis: the concentration of impurities within pyrite is the primary factor influencing the pyrite decay reaction. The formulation of this hypothesis demonstrates that the aim of this thesis was achieved, and that the aforementioned methods can produce robust data from which the deterioration of other mineral species can be characterised.

Authors: Schronk, K

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-d5dagxd4g
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: state survey; damage; mineral susceptibility; preventive conservation; collection surveying; pyrite; pyrite decay; mineral collections; condition; collection assessment
• Subjects: Colorimetry; Museum objects; Minerals--Collection and preservation; Museum storage facilities; Museum conservation methods