Natural Treasures:

Connecting to the Natural World

The geologic collections at McKissick Museum date to the 1823 when the South Carolina College, now known as the University of South Carolina, purchased the collection of Thomas Cooper who was serving as college president at the time. Throughout the 19^th century, significant mineral, rock, and fossil collections were acquired for research and instruction, with faculty members serving to maintain and manage the collections. In 1906 Daniel Strobel Martin was hired to inventory and catalog the geologic collection, effectively working as the first professional curator. He was succeeded by a series of academically based collections managers over the next 70 years, until McKissick Museum was established, and the collection was transferred from the Geology Department.

Geological collections are integral to the understanding of Earth’s 4.5-billion-year history—one that is filled with climate and landscape changes, magnetic pole migrations, landslides, volcanoes, floods, and earthquakes. Geological collections, both modern and historic, provide a framework to build both a bridge to the past and a window to the future.

Meteorites

A meteorite is a natural object of extraterrestrial origin that survives passage through the Earth’s atmosphere and hits the ground. When in space, these items are termed meteoroids and they range from dust-sized particles to under a kilometer in size. Asteroids are between 1-1,000 km, and objects in space larger than 1,000 km are termed planetoids. A meteor, or shooting star, is the streak of light created when a meteoroid burns as it passes through our atmosphere. Once a meteoroid lands on Earth, we call it a meteorite.

Meteorites can be generally broken down into 3 main types, though there are more than 50 classifications recognized by The Meteoritical Society. In general, meteorites are classified as either iron, stony, or stony-iron. Click the links below to learn more.

Iron meteorites, while most easily recognized, are quite rare, making up just under 6% of known meteorites. They consist of mostly iron and nickel, and some exhibit Widmanstätten patterns, or coarse interlocking crystals suggesting an extremely slow cooling rate. Iron meteorites are thought to represent the inner core of planetoids.

X500 – Ruff’s Mountain Meteorite.Found in 1844 in Little Mountain, Newberry County, SC.
Large mass cut through, polished, and etched to show Widmanstätten The knobby and pitted outer surface is an expression of the large grain size so evident in the polished and etched face. The original dark, reddish-brown crust covers the remaining surface area that has not been etched and polished.

X1749 – Babb’s Mill Meteorite, or Troost’s Iron. Found in 1842 near Babb’s Mill, Greene County, TN. From the collection of Charles Upham Shepard.
Thin (0.9 cm) slice of a roughly trapezoidal cross-section of the meteorite. The cross-section is metallic iron, nickel-rich, cut with a polished surface and shows no Widmanstätten structures. This meteorite was purchased from Prof. C.U. Shepard, in 1853 and it is included in the original Catalogue of the Collection of Minerals in the College of S.C.

Stony-iron meteorites are the rarest type of meteorite comprising only 1.5% of all meteorites. They are composed of greenish silicate crystals (usually olivine) surrounded by a nickel-iron matrix. Stony-iron meteorites are thought to represent the core-mantle boundary of a differentiated planetoid.

X995 – Brenham Meteorite. Found in 1882 in Kiowa County, KS.
Single cut slab, revealing silver metallic iron—nickel matrix with greenish brown crystals of olivine. The portion of the crust shows the meteor had a black color with brown and red oxidizing. This fall has resulted in over 15,000 pounds of meteorite fragments recovered. In 1929 an impact structure was identified by HH Nininger—the Haviland Crater is one of the smallest meteorite craters ever discovered at just 50 feet in diameter.

Stony meteorites are very common, forming about 93% of all meteorites. They can be either chondrites (which contain small round chondrules) or achondrites (no chondrules). They often look like Earth rocks and consist of silicate minerals. Stony meteorites are thought to be fragments of the mantle or crust of differentiated planetoids.

X931 – Stannern Meteorite (achondrite).
Fell May 22, 1808 into the Moravian village Stonarov (Stannern in German), now Vysocina in the Czech Republic. From the collection of Charles Upham Shepard.
Wedge shaped angular fragment of a meteorite. The fragment is dark to brownish gray and it retains a very thin crust on one face. The face with the crust is darker than other faces with broad, shallow pitting. The fragment exhibits minor internal fracturing. This meteorite was purchased from Prof. C.U. Shepard, in 1853 and it is included in the original Catalogue of the Collection of Minerals in the College of S.C.

X937 – Barbotan Meteorite (chondrite).
Fell July 24, 1790 in Roquefort, France. From the collection of Thomas Cooper.
Blocky, angular fragment. Dark gray to black in color except a small broken portion which is light gray. A note with the meteorite written in French is translated to “From a fragment of about 15 inches in diameter fell with explosion close to Roquefort at Seasquet; it crushed a thatch, killed the sharecropper and some livestock, and made a hole of about 5 feet.” This meteorite it is included in the original Catalogue of the Collection of Minerals in the College of S.C.

X1751 – Monroe Meteorite, also called Flows Meteorite (chondrite).
Fell Oct. 31, 1853 in Midland, Cabarrus County, NC. From the collection of Charles Upham Shepard
Two small fragments (that fit together) of meteorite that have been cut on one side. The opposite side exhibits fusion crust. A note with this specimen reads “This Meteorite fell in Cabarrus County, North Carolina on October 31, 1849. On impact, the meteorite splintered a pine log and was later extracted from a hole 10 inches deep. The total weight of the meteorite was 19.5 lbs.” This meteorite was purchased from Prof. C.U. Shepard, in 1853 and it is included in the original Catalogue of the Collection of Minerals in the College of S.C.

X938 – Allegan Meteorite (chondrite).
Fell at 8am on July 10, 1899 in Allegan County, Michigan.
Light grey stony mass with individual chondrules clearly visible to the naked eye in the loose granular texture. Roughly rectangular in shape on all faces. Original specimen weighed 50 lbs after landing. This is one segment of that original meteorite.

Minerals

Minerals are the building blocks of rocks, sort of the ingredients that make up rocks. They are made of elements, either isolated or in combinations, and have 5 inherent properties:

naturally occurring
inorganic
ordered internal framework or a crystal structure
definite chemical composition
solid

Minerals are classified according to their chemical composition, which you can investigate further with the links below. Minerals are often identified based on characteristics such as color, luster, streak, cleavage, and hardness.

Native elements are technically isolated elements, like gold (Au), silver (Ag), and diamond (C) that occur in an uncombined form but have an ordered internal structure.

3137 – Copper (Cu) from Mohawk Mine, Keweenaw County, MI.
Excellently formed dendritic or arborescent copper with dark gray to iridescent tarnish.

4257 – Graphite (C) from Matson’s Peak, Oxford Township, PA.
Massive specimen of silver metallic graphite that has been roughly cut into a rectangular shape. From the collection of Thomas Cooper.

3120A – Diamond (C) crystal from Kimberley, Northern Cape Province, South Africa.
A single isolated octahedral crystal of diamond with sharp edges and points. Color is very pale yellow, and crystal faces are not completely formed.

3118 – Silver (Ag) from the Silver Mining District of Kongsberg, Norway.
Dendritic silver crystals with black tarnish infilling the cracks of a quartz specimen.

3111 – Gold (Au) from Rutherford County, NC.
Fragment of colorless to white massive quartz with a vein of small bright yellow metallic gold within.

Sulfide minerals are a combination of a metal element (iron, aluminum, zinc, etc.) and the element sulfur (S).

3167 – Sphalerite (ZnS) crystals from Joplin, Jasper County, MO.
Large specimen of dolomitic limestone covered on one surface with pale pink curved rhombohedral dolomite crystals sprinkled with gold colored tetrahedral crystals of chalcopyrite. The opposite surface is covered with large and small crystals of dark reddish-brown tetrahedral sphalerite. A few small brassy gold chalcopyrite crystals are also present with the sphalerite.

11208 – Cinnabar (HgS) from unknown locality in Europe.
Heavy massive specimen of dull earthy purplish red opaque cinnabar, with no obvious crystals or overall shape. From the collection of Lardner Vanuxem.

3149 – Cubic Pyrite (FeS₂) crystal from Chester, Windsor County, VT.

3152 – Dodecahedral Pyrite (FeS₂) crystal from Rio Marina, Elba Island, Italy.
Isolated crystals of pale yellow metallic cubic and dodecahedral (12-sided) pyrite with faint striations.

0153 – Galena (PbS) from Joplin, Jasper County, MO.
Very heavy specimen of large silver gray metallic cubic galena crystals with a plane of white small pearly dolomite crystals (with characteristic curved rhombohedral shape) and many small composite crystals of adamantine tetrahedral sphalerite scattered on the dolomite.

Oxide and hydroxide minerals are composed of a metal element (iron, aluminum, zinc, etc) combined with either oxygen (O), a water molecule (H₂O), or a hydroxide molecule (OH). This group of minerals is incredibly diverse, from hard to soft, and black to extremely colorful.

OXIDES

30703 – Hematite (Fe₂O₃) from England.
Cluster of 7+ stout hexagonal colorless double terminated quartz crystals, embedded in silvery metallic scaly specular hematite, emanating from a base of reddish black massive hematite. Numerous scaly hematite crystals are covered with colorless quartz drusy.

11361 – Magnetite (Fe²⁺Fe³⁺₂O₄) from an unknown locality.
Large heavy irregularly shaped nodule of dark gray to black massive magnetite. Five surfaces appear rounded or weathered, while a sixth surface is more freshly broken. The specimen is magnetic.

7663 – Corundum (Al₂O₃) from Ikaría, Greece.
From the collection of Lewis Reeves Gibbes. Specimen is a heavy rock fragment of small granular red corundum (emery) crystals with small pale gold pyrite, and mica (probably biotite).

7801 – Cassiterite (SnO₂) from an unknown locality.
Specimen is a cluster of brownish black intergrown cassiterite crystals; some are twinned. Small clusters of very small cubic pyrite crystals are also present. Specimen is very heavy for its size.

12231 – Rutile (TiO₂) from an unknown locality.
Specimen is a large, dark red, double knee-shaped twin of rutile with many well-defined striations along the crystal faces.

7713 – Franklinite (Zn²⁺Fe³⁺₂O₄) from Sterling Hill Mine, Ogdensburg (Franklin Mining District), Sussex County, NJ.
From the collection of Lewis Reeves Gibbes. Small aggregate of black adamantine granular and octahedral franklinite, embedded in dark gray calcite (fluoresces bright red) and brown willemite (fluoresces bright green). Franklinite does not fluoresce.

3939 – Chrysoberyl (Be Al₂O₄) from Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Specimen is a cluster of four fine tabular intergrown crystals of chrysoberyl with vitreous luster, olive green transparent color, and faint striations on the crystal faces.

HYDROXIDES

3872 – Goethite (α-Fe³⁺O(OH)) from Crowder’s Mountain, Gaston County, NC.
Large heavy mass of dark gray submetallic botryoidal goethite with iridescent luster.

8163 – Brucite (Mg(OH)₂) from Hoboken, Hudson County, NJ. From the collection of Lewis Reeves Gibbes.
Three samples of yellow green waxy thickly fibrous nemalite (a variety of brucite) forming a seam or layer in brown serpentine.

8181 – Gibbsite (Al(OH)₃) from Richmond, Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
From the collection of Charles Upham Shepard. Small cluster of stalactitic forms covered in opaque white to colorless botryoidal gibbsite. This specimen is from the type locality of gibbsite.

11559 – Diaspore (AlO(OH)) from Chester, Hampden County, Massachusetts.
Fracture surface of a rock covered with colorless to pale pinkish intersecting blades of diaspore. Faces are faintly striated, and the crystals emanate perpendicularly from the rock.

1914 – Bauxite (AL₂O₃ &#183 2H₂O) from Saline County, Arkansas.
Large rock fragment of pisolitic bauxite with earthy reddish brown spherical masses within a tan microcrystalline cement. Rounded pisoliths with conchoidal fracture and microcrystalline structure are also present.

Halide minerals contain one or more metal elements (lead, iron, aluminum, etc.) and one element from the halogen family (chlorine, bromine, fluorine, iodine, or astatine). Characteristics include low hardness levels, good cleavage, and poor electric and heat conductivity.

8344 – Fluorite (CaF₂) from the Mex-Tex Mine, Bingham, Socorro County, NM.
Large cluster of small cubic translucent blue fluorite crystals. A few blades of white barite are also present.

3231 – Sylvite (KCL) from Stassfurt, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
Small sample of massive salmon-red crystalline sylvite.

8315 – Halite (NaCl) from an unknown locality.
Large cleavage block of colorless and blue transparent halite, or salt. Blue coloring is zoned within the crystal.

30711 – Atacamite (Cu₂(OH)₃Cl) from Copiapó, Atacama, Chile.
Large rock fragment with scattered areas of pale green malachite and dark blue green opaque chrysocolla and an entire fracture surface covered with radiating clusters of tiny dark green acicular striated atacamite crystals.

In nature, carbon atoms join with 3 oxygen atoms to form the carbonate ion, CO3. These ions combine with metal cations to form carbonate minerals, which commonly formed in sedimentary and oxidizing environments. Common characteristics of carbonates are transparency, a white streak, generally low hardness with good to perfect cleavage, and many are soluble in acidic solutions.

3270 – Dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) from Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico.
Cluster of large pearly white opaque rhombohedral dolomite crystals with small thin colorless transparent tabular blades of hemimorphite and tiny white and dark pink crystals of rhombohedral dolomite.

8914 – Cerussite (PbCO3) from Coeur D’Alene Mining District, Shoshone County, ID.
Specimen consists of radial sprays of light gray fibrous acicular cerussite crystals on a thin crust of opaque light gray calcite. This specimen is very fragile.

3254 – Rhodochrosite (MnCO3) from Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado.
Large sample of dark pink well-formed rhombohedral crystals of rhodochrosite in milky massive quartz with clusters of colorless slender quartz crystals. Large crystals of colorless anglesite are also present, as well as massive silver metallic galena and small amounts of yellow metallic pyrite.

4031 – Malachite (Cu2(CO3)(OH)2) from Tsumeb, Namibia.
Clusters of bright green fibrous tabular crystals (possibly after azurite) with encrusting crystals of white translucent calcite and colorless massive quartz at the base.

8883 – Aragonite (CaCO3) from Tagnaneit, Morocco.
Large cluster of small dark pink translucent hexagonal (penetration twins) crystals of aragonite. Crystals emanate from a thick layer of massive reddish-brown aragonite.

3261 – Azurite (Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2) from San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Large specimen covered with radiating clusters of small dark blue translucent tabular crystals of azurite with rounded masses of encrusting bright green malachite, all on a base of yellow and brown material.

3878 – Smithsonite (ZnCO3) from the Kelly Mine, Magdalena, Socorro County, NM.
Sample of light gray granular matrix with a botryoidal coating of pale blue green (aqua) translucent smithsonite.

8491 – Calcite (CaCO3) from Weardale, Durham, England. Purchased from Ward’s Scientific.
Four intergrown stacked aggregates of colorless translucent hexagonal tabular calcite crystals.

8678 – Calcite (CaCO3) from Rossie, Saint Lawrence County, NY. From the Collection of Lewis Reeves Gibbes.
Large cleavage block of colorless, transparent rhombohedral calcite, also known as Iceland Spar, with strong internal fracturing. Double refraction is strong, though not easily seen due to internal fracturing.

These three groups of minerals are formed when one or more metal elements (lead, iron, aluminum, etc.) combines with either phosphate (PO₄), vanadate (VO₄) or arsenate (AsO₄) ions, respectively. Minerals in these groups are typically colorful, have average hardness and high density.

Sulfate minerals are formed by one or more metal elements (lead, iron, aluminum, etc.) combined with the sulfate ion (SO₄). Crystals of these minerals are typically of average density and hardness with a glassy luster. Sulfates typically form in veins, as evaporite deposits, or through contact metamorphism.

3985 – Chalcanthite (CuSO₄ · 5H₂O) from Kings Creek, Cherokee County, SC.
Irregular mass of turquoise blue and white, granular Chalcanthite, with tan granular crust.

5634 – Gypsum (CaSO₄ · 2H₂O) from Maryland.
From the collection of Thomas Cooper.
Isolated crystal of colorless translucent fractured rhombohedral gypsum with two edges beveled.

5507 – Barite (BaSO₄) from Frizington, Cumberland, England.
Cluster of randomly oriented golden translucent thin tabular (blade-like) crystals of barite on a base of tiny tan rhombohedral dolomite crystals. A tiny amount of silver metallic graphite is present on the base.

10424 – Anglesite (PbSO₄) from Perkiomen, Montgomery County, PA. From the collection of Charles Upham Shepard.
Single crystal of colorless translucent anglesite with tan prismatic striated phosgenite, all in a large cluster of small cubic silver metallic galena crystals. This specimen is very heavy.

3332 – Celestine (SrSO₄) from Clay Center, Ottawa County, OH.
Several pale bluish-white transparent thinly bladed tabular celestine crystals, that are loosely intergrown with gray hexagonal calcite clusters on the crystals. No matrix exists between crystals.

Silicate minerals are the most common minerals on Earth and are composed of a combination of metal elements (lead, iron, aluminum, etc.) with the silicate ion (SiO₄). This ion consists of one silica atom combined with 4 oxygen atoms through strong covalent bonding, resulting in the silica tetrahedron. The manner in which numerous silica tetrahedra are combined (isolated, as single or double chains, in rings, sheets, or 3-dimensional frameworks) determines the subclass of silicate mineral and also has a lot to do with the physical characteristics of the mineral. For example, micas are sheet silicates that split apart very easily, while quartz and feldspars are both framework silicates that are very hard, durable, and insoluble. Many silicate minerals can have varying amounts of metal elements, so this is represented in their chemical formula with variable letters, like M, X, Y, or Z. These variable letters can stand for elements like calcium, iron, manganese, nickel, magnesium, etc. in differing combinations and proportions.

Isolated silica tetrahedra – Nesosilicates

1672 – Epidote ({Ca₂}{Al₂Fe³⁺}(Si₂O₇)(SiO₄)O(OH)) from Bakersville, Mitchell County, NC.
Sample of colorless massive quartz covered with and intergrown with veins of yellow green finely granular epidote.

30718 – Garnet Group, Grossular, variety Hessonite, (X₃Z₂(SiO₄)₃) from the Jeffrey Mine, Asbestos, Quebec, Canada. Minerals belonging to the family of Garnets typically fall into one of six minerals that each contain differing proportions of iron, magnesium, manganese, calcium, chromium, or aluminum. Granitic rock with several fracture surfaces covered with deep orange transparent dodecahedral crystals of grossular garnet, variety hessonite, with faint striations on the crystal faces. Another fracture surface has small clusters of greenish black clinochlore.

3373 – Olivine (M₂SiO₄) from Globe, Gila County, AZ. Olivine group minerals can range from Forsterite, which is rich in magnesium, to Fayalite, which is rich in iron. This specimen of granular olivine is probably forsterite and occurs on a base of vesicular basalt.

Ring silicates – Cyclosilicates

3447 – Beryl, variety Emerald, (Be₃Al₂(Si₆O₁₈)) from Takowaya River, Ekaterinburg, Russia. Several elongate crystals of bright green translucent hexagonal emerald (beryl) embedded in a rock composed almost entirely of small silver muscovite mica. Colorless massive quartz is also present. Sample also contains three isolated emerald (beryl) crystals.

3490 – Tourmaline (a boro-aluminum silicate), var. Schorl from Minas Gerais, Brazil.
A single colorless hazy doubly terminated quartz crystal intergrown with an iron-stained crystal of white plagioclase feldspar, and approximately ten black striated tourmaline crystals with characteristic triangular cross section.

11506 – Tourmaline (a boro-aluminum silicate), var. Rubellite, from Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Isolated terminated crystal of heavily striated deep pink translucent tourmaline, variety rubellite with a small thick book of silver muscovite mica embedded near the base.

Sheet silicates – Phyllosilicates

3760 – Biotite (K(Mg,Fe)₃AlSi₃O₁₀(OH)₂) from Ogdensburg, Sussex County, NJ.
Thick (3.5 cm) column of black-brown, vitreous, translucent, platy, hexagonal biotite mica crystals. A smaller intergrown column of hexagonal biotite mica crystals is present.

30737 – Muscovite (KAl₂(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂) from an unknown locality in NC.
Large cluster of well-formed hexagonal silvery muscovite mica crystals intergrown together.

Framework silicates – Tectosilicates

1474 – Quartz (SiO₂), variety Herkimer Diamond from Herkimer County, NY. Isolated, clear, transparent hexagonal crystal with a double termination. Sample is lightly fractured internally and has small black carbon inclusions. A small embayment is visible on two parallel and two pyramidal faces where a quartz crystal had formed.

11019 – Quartz (SiO₂), variety Amethyst from Diamond Hill Quartz Mine, Antreville, Abbeville County, SC.
Specimen is a cluster of 20+ hexagonal pale purple quartz crystals with fully formed terminations. The largest termination is 10 cm. in diameter. Most crystals show slight zoning and horizontal striations on the crystal faces. One specimen exhibits twinning. From the collection of James Witkowski.

3592 – Feldspar Group, Microcline (K(AlSi₃O₈)), variety Amazonite from Pikes Peak, Teller County, Colorado Four intergrown crystals of opaque, blue-green microcline feldspar, with the largest crystal twinned according to the Carlsbad twinning law. Striations on the crystal faces are present, and tiny lines of white albite (perthite lines) are present also. Colorless massive quartz is present on the base of the crystals, too.

Dr. Charles Upham Shepard, Sr.

Dr. Charles Upham Shepard, Sr. (1804-1886) was a world-renowned mineralogist who studied and worked at institutions such as Amherst College, the University of Cambridge, and Yale University. While at Yale, he worked alongside his mentor Benjamin Silliman. By 1834, Shepard was splitting his time between New Haven, CT and Charleston, SC where he was a professor of chemistry at the Medical College of SC. In 1847, he returned to Amherst College to teach full time until his retirement in 1877.

The Shephard collection at the University of South Carolina was purchased in 1853, brokered by Richard Brumby. At the time Shepard noted that the collection at South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) was “second in point of numbers and variety in the United States… The Yale [cabinet] is the first.” The collection contains ten meteorites collected by Shepard, forming half of the university’s meteoritic collection.

Click here to read the full inventory and Shepard’s letter to Brumby

Rocks

Rocks are naturally occurring aggregates of one or more minerals. While minerals are classified based on their chemical composition, rocks are typically broken down into 3 types based on how they formed. Click on the links below to learn more about each rock type and see examples from McKissick’s collection.

Igneous rocks form when molten rock material solidifies. Intrusive igneous rocks cool slowly beneath the earth’s surface, while extrusive igneous rocks cool quickly after erupting from the earth’s surface. Igneous rocks are also classified based on their composition, either basaltic or granitic. Granitic rocks are often light in color because they are rich in feldspars and silicate minerals, while basaltic rocks are rich in iron and magnesium minerals and tend to be dark in color. There are no examples of extrusive granitic rocks below as they more typically form as ash or pumice.

Basaltic rocks

11288 – Gabbro from Mt. Holyoke, MA. Intrusive. Large rock fragment of dark greenish gray gabbro (a fine grained intrusive equivalent of basalt). Three surfaces have been exposed for quite some time and one even has part of a lichen on it. From the collection of Thomas Cooper.

11070 – Obsidian, or Mahogany obsidian (due to the brown and black banding). Extrusive. Specimen of banded brown and black glassy obsidian with numerous conchoidal fractures on all sides.

11135 – Basaltic Lava Medallion from Mt. Vesuvius, Italy. Extrusive. Specimen is a stamped sample of basaltic lava, from Mt. Vesuvius. These pieces were sold as souvenirs and this piece probably dates to the 1794 eruption. The words “LAVA DEL VESUVIO” are stamped around the perimeter and “RICORDO” in the center [Souvenir Lava from Vesuvius]. The opposite side includes a picture of the volcano with smoke/ash coming from the crater with the words “VESUVIO / GITA AL” [Trip to Vesuvius]. From the collection of Thomas Cooper.

Granitic rocks

11152 – Manganese Dendrites on granite from an unknown locality. Intrusive. Specimen of fine-grained granite with growths of black dendritic manganese oxide. From the collection of Lewis Reeves Gibbes.

5007 – Graphic Granite from an unknown locality. Intrusive. Flattened hand sample of opaque white orthoclase feldspar with colorless massive inclusions of graphic quartz forming the appearance of runic or cuneiform writing.

Sedimentary rocks form through one of two basic methods: cementation of sediments, or through chemical or organic precipitation. Cemented sediments are considered clastic rocks, which form when weathered particles of minerals or other rocks accumulate, settle into one place and are cemented together. The particles, or clasts, can be large (gravel-sized), sand-sized, or even microscopic (clay-sized). Fossils are most often found in sedimentary rocks.

Clastic Sedimentary Rocks

12720 – Shale with fern fossil. Partial fern frond on dark grey shale. Some lighter matrix is visible around the fern trace. Shale matrix is very thin and roughly triangular in shape. Several individual fern leaflet traces are visible on the reverse of the specimen. From the collection of Ron Kuebler.

2097 – Sandstone from Cumberland, England. Very fine-grained iron cemented sandstone with reddish pink color. From the collection of Lardner Vanuxem.

11287 – Conglomerate from Maryland, Leesburg Member of the Balls Bluff Siltstone. Rock sample of dark brown calcite-cemented conglomerate. Clasts include light gray chert, white calcite, dark gray limestone, and quartz. This specimen has been cut on three sides making a blocky corner, and one of those faces has been polished. Although historically referred to as Potomac Marble, Potomac Breccia, or Calico Marble, this rock is actually a sedimentary conglomerate of Triassic age. SC College Catalog of Minerals notes this rock was used in the “Capitol Rotunda” which was known as the US House of Representatives in the 19th century but is now known as Statuary Hall. This rock was used to form the columns there, but builders quickly discontinued using it because the differing hardness of the loosely cemented clasts made it very difficult to work with. From the collection of Lewis Reeves Gibbes.

Chemical/Organic Sedimentary Rocks

12118 – Chert from the Brewer Mine, Chesterfield County, SC. Sample of opaque, gray, dull microcrystalline quartz, var. chert, with scattered thin black veins. From the collection of Lewis Reeves Gibbes.

12489 – Limestone with crinoid fossils, probably from Lockport, NY. Thick block of dark gray limestone packed with broken sections of crinoids with light gray preservation. Polished on one side.

5194 – Anthracite Coal from PA. Fragment of dark gray and black blocky anthracite coal with iridescent luster. From the collection of Thomas Cooper.

Metamorphic rocks were once igneous, sedimentary, or previous metamorphic rocks that have gone through a phase change. Typically, metamorphic changes are due to exposure to high heat or pressure, hot mineral-rich fluids, or a combination of these external conditions. Two types of metamorphic rocks are foliated and non-foliated. Foliated metamorphic rocks have a visible texture of parallel arrangement of minerals. Non-foliated metamorphic rocks are crystalline.

12514 – Marble from an unknown locality. Crystalline.
Nearly square slab of mottled dark yellow and brown marble that is polished on 1 side. Dark grey and dark red veining is present as well as white crystalline calcite. From the collection of Thomas Cooper.

4649 – Quartzite from an unknown locality. Crystalline.
Small sample of opaque banded, greenish tan and dark green, metamorphosed sandstone (quartzite).

7155 – Phyllite with Andalusite crystals from Germany. Low to mid-grade metamorphism with fine micaceous foliation.
Small sample of dark gray phyllite with several pinkish-brown square columnar crystals of andalusite within. From the collection of Thomas Cooper.

7278 – Schist with Garnets from Wissahickon Creek, Philadelphia, PA. Mid-grade metamorphism with large micaceous foliation.
Rock specimen of silvery foliated muscovite mica with numerous dark red dodecahedral (12-sided) garnets, probably almandine, and three dark red single prismatic staurolite crystals. From the collection of Thomas Cooper.

11043 – Gneiss with Spodumene from the Hiddenite Mine, Alexander County, NC. High-grade metamorphism with clear dark and light banding.

Rock fragment of granitic gneiss, with massive and crystalline quartz, cubic pyrite, tiny columnar crystals of reddish-brown rutile, and bright green heavily striated blades of hiddenite (spodumene). Some hiddenite crystals have a black granular crust. Slender black tourmaline is also present. Underside of specimen has been cut. From the collection of Burnham Standish Colburn.

Fossils

A fossil is defined as any evidence of ancient life. This includes bones, teeth, footprints, and even impressions of leaves or insects trapped in rock. Most paleontologists consider something to be fossilized if it is older than 10,000 years old. Anything younger than this arbitrary date is considered “historic.” Fossils are used to provide relative ages of rock units. Occasionally a rock unit can be radiometrically dated to provide an absolute date, which can then be correlated to the fossils from that unit. These dated fossils, called index fossils, can be used to determine the age of other rock units as long as the fossils are easy to identify, abundant, lived for a short period of time, and were widely distributed geographically. Explore the links below to learn more about fossils.

Body fossils refer to evidence of ancient life that includes the preserved remains of a previously living organism, like bones or teeth. Most animal life can be divided into two basic categories: those with backbones – vertebrates, and those without back bones – invertebrates (this group is often represented in the fossil record by shells and corals).

Vertebrates

00.14 – Cockerellites (Priscacara) liops, perch-like fish from Fossil, Lincoln County, WY. Green River Formation, Eocene Period (approx. 50 million years before present).
Small thin slab of tan and brown limestone, with a complete, dark brown skeleton of a fish. Fish skeleton is Priscacara peali, however that species has been synonymized to Cockerellites (Priscacara) liops.
Dorsal fin with 11 large fin rays and 12 additional branched soft rays. Anal fin has 3 stout fin rays and 10 additional branched soft rays. 20 complete vertebrae are present, and the tail is v-shaped and complete. Specimens is nearly (if not entirely) complete, and preparation is well done.

67.41.39 – Otodus (Carcharocles) megalodon, Megalodon shark tooth from an unknown locality in SC. Neogene Period (23 – 3.6 million years ago)
Isolated complete lower shark tooth with light gray enamel and dark gray root. Serrations are nearly completely worn away, and many deep shrinkage cracks are present on both surfaces. A distinctive lingual scar is approximately 2 cm at the widest point. Cusp is narrow suggesting it is a lower tooth. The cusp is distinctly folded to the right and the edge of the crown is folded and sinuous – most likely a pathology. Two circular borings are present in the root, as are deep cracks.

FIC1190 – Mammuthus primigenius, Wooly Mammoth from an unknown locality in South Carolina. Pleistocene Period (2.6 million – 11,700 years before present)

Specimen is very large nearly complete molar of Mammuthus primigenius (wooly mammoth). Several enamel ridges are fractured and missing, though most of the tooth is present. Unworn ridges are present at the posterior end, and the anterior occlusal surface is damaged. Wooly mammoths are now extinct. Presumably from the collection of Thomas Cooper.

Invertebrates

5198 – Favosites sp., tabulate coral from an unknown locality in NY. Ordovician Period (485 – 443 million years before present)

Partial fragment of favositid coral preserved by petroleum. Tabulate corals are often called honeycomb corals for their closely packed colonial formation, however, the group is now extinct. From the collection of Lardner Vanuxem.

FIC1278 – Heliophyllum sp., Horn coral, from the Falls of the Ohio River, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY. Corniferous Limestone, Devonian Period (419 – 359 million years before present)

This isolated horn coral of Heliophyllum sp. is comprised of a complete corallite, preserved with a distinctive heavily ridged outer margin. Horn corals are named for their outward similarity to a cow’s horn, but the entire group is now extinct. From the collection of James Woodrow.

FIC1296 – Architectonica nobilis, Sundial Snail from the Darlington District, SC. Presumably Raysor Formation, Pliocene Period (5.3 – 2.6 million years before present)

Isolated marine snail shell with a low spired, trochoid, conispiral shell that is heavily ornamented with four beaded ribs in the first five whorls, then four ribs with growth lines in the body whorl. From the collection of Michael Tuomey.

Trace fossils are preserved evidence of past biological activity. Also known as ichnofossils, trace fossils do not preserve anatomy like body fossils, but rather, they preserve the behavior of extinct animals. Common ichnofossils are feeding/running/resting traces, but the most notable are footprints and trackways. Two examples below include raindrops which are technically sedimentary features (not trace fossils) because they don’t represent the behavior of an animal.

00.13116 – Coprolite, fossilized feces from Bristol, England. Inferior Oolite, Jurassic Period (approx. 170 million years before present)

Large ovate slab cut from a concretion that includes gray fossilized feces. Thick concentric bands of reddish and dark gray coloration surround an irregular black and light gray formation in the center. Historic label suggests the sample is from an ichthyosaur, likely based on size and place of origin. The term Oolite probably refers to the Inferior Oolite – a geologic formation representing the middle Jurassic Era in England. From the collection of Thomas Cooper.

FIC1095 – Dinosaur footprints from CT. Newark Supergroup, Triassic Period (252 – 201 million years before present)

Thin rectangular slab of dark brown, phyllitic shale with two impressions of dinosaur footprints. The larger imprint is a deep 3-toed track with drag marks from the claws. The smaller impression is more shallow and from a smaller animal. Toe morphology is not preserved in either track. The surface also has numerous tiny circular impressions that appear too small to be raindrops. Phyllitic nature of shale and Triassic age suggest this sample may be from the Triassic Newark Supergroup.

FIC1284 – Raindrops with Grallator footprint. Newark Supergroup, Triassic Period (252 – 201 million years before present)

Thick rectangular slab of dark brownish gray, phyllitic shale with a single large 3-toed impression of a dinosaur, similar to the ichnofossil Grallator. Four toe segments are visible, and digit III is 16cm long and the impression is 9cm wide. Numerous small circular raindrop impressions are also present with rounded borders and a maximum size of 1cm in diameter. Phyllitic nature of shale and Triassic age suggest this sample may be from the Newark Supergroup of NJ.

Geologic Time Scale

Geologists and paleontologists work together to form stratigraphic columns that represent the story of the history of the earth. Because there is no complete stratigraphic column of rock present on the Earth, these scientists correlate stratigraphic columns from all over the world to create a composite geologic column. This correlation is based on rock types and fossil succession and is used to create the Geologic Time Scale. Each of the major time units is characterized by a broadly common fossil assemblage, with boundaries placed where major and abrupt changes in faunal assemblages occur. These abrupt changes are known as extinction events. Initially, the geologic time scale was a relative scale, but with continued research in radiometric dating and index fossils, paleontologists have been able to add absolute time to the scale. These numbers are continually being refined.

About HSN

In 2016 McKissick Museum applied for and was awarded a Advanced Support for Innovative Research Excellence (ASPIRE) award from the University of South Carolina. The project objectives were threefold:

Digitize objects and associated archives of significant historic collections from the University of South Carolina’s collecting institutions (A.C. Moore Herbarium, McKissick Museum, and South Caroliniana Library)
Merge those digital records of natural history collections into a comprehensive, cross-referenced database accessible to the public online
Utilize newly created digital images to enhance exhibits through interactive touchscreens

In 2018 the project was expanded through funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This new phase of the project added the archives, specimens, and objects related to seven additional naturalists, as well as materials held at The Charleston Museum. Additionally, 3 digital exhibitions featuring McKissick’s collections were developed.

These archival collections not only document the 19th-century investigations of the natural environment in South Carolina, but they also illustrate the establishment and advancement of the field of natural history. The material collections, including botanical, fossil, and mineral specimens, exemplify the natural world that existed two hundred years ago, and are sometimes the only representatives of these taxa in existence due to extinction and loss of geologic localities. Additionally, these objects are not always appropriate for exhibition due to their sensitive or fragile nature; digitizing them will allow for use in on-site exhibitions as well as an online resource.

Other features of this website include video vignettes and a timeline of these naturalists’ investigations. This resource is in no way complete; however, it focuses on the naturalists associated with the University and includes significant events in US and global history. Rather than highlighting historic naturalists, the video vignettes feature modern researchers from the University as they demonstrate the collection, documentation, and preservation of objects for future generations.

Explore the HSN site here.

Acknowledgements

This project is a collaboration of the following UofSC organizations and the Charleston Museum and was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (Project # MA-30-18-0048-18).

McKissick Museum

Christian Cicimurri
Linda Smith
Giordano Angeletti
Heather Cain
Eric Friendly
Savannah Keating
Jay Loy
Nate Price
Katy Self
Elliott Sloan
Meghan Teumer
Taylor Turbyfill

Digital Collections

Megan Oliver
Alex Trim

Institute of Southern Studies

Matthew Simmons

The Charleston Museum

Matt Gibson
Jennifer McCormick
Jessica Peragine