Conferences
Date: August 18-23, 2024
Location: Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Organiser: Mineralogical Society of the UK and Ireland
Conference Website: https://emc-2024.org/
Presentation Title:
Finding the Smoking Gun: A cross-museum survey of pyrite
Abstract:
Pyrite has accrued millennia’s worth of scientific and cultural value. However, its noxious deterioration has long made it a challenge for collectors and museum professionals alike. In order to preserve pyrite—be it as single crystals or part of assemblages—we must first understand how pyrite deteriorates within indoor environments. Despite over a century of study, pyrite decay as it occurs in these conditions is still poorly understood. Most reports remain effectively anecdotal; sample numbers are limited and do not truly represent pyrite’s diverse nature. Further, no known substantial longitudinal studies have been conducted. In order to acquire quantitative evidence of pyrite’s long-term behaviour within the museum setting, a cross-museum study was conducted using specimens from four UK museums: Oxford University Museum of Natural History, National Museum Cardiff, National Museums Liverpool, and the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Science. Survey and colorimetric data provided sufficient evidence to infer the main causal factor governing pyrite decay: the total concentration of impurities, as determined by formation conditions. The formulation of this hypothesis evidences that mineral deterioration pathways can be determined through such methods, and allowed for the author to produce pragmatic recommendations for the future care of pyritic specimens. Actions utilising these findings are already underway at the four museums.
Presentation:
Poster Title:
An Investigation of Material Changes Occurring within Mineral Collections
Abstract:
According to the literature [1 and citations therein], at least 10% of currently identified mineral species are susceptible to deterioration within the museum setting. This primarily occurs through changes in hydration and oxidation state. There is a question, however, of whether such responses are overrepresented. Data for other reaction types are far fewer and generally more qualitative. Light-induced reactions are a poignant example: details such as illuminance, length of exposure, and distance from the illuminant are often missing, effectively making the reports little more than anecdotal. Physical examinations of mineralogical collections were thus deemed necessary to determine:
- whether there is agreement between the material changes experimentally reported and what occurs within collections, and
- whether there are any unreported species demonstrating deterioration within the museum context.
The systematic mineral collection at Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH) was surveyed to investigate the above. 13,716 specimens belonging to 1,049 species from all mineral groups, including silicates, were examined. Results suggest that the aforementioned reaction types are indeed prevalent in museum collections and are likely not overrepresented in the literature. However, museum collections may also contain more species susceptible to other reaction types (e.g., photo-induced) than recorded. The nature of museum storage makes these species difficult to identify, especially without repeated surveying. Yet of foremost importance is the susceptibility of minerals to physical forces. About a quarter of OUMNH mineral specimens have been affected by physical forces to some degree. All other potential reaction types occur in less than 10% of specimens. These results act as a reminder that—whilst it is indeed important to identify a species’ susceptibility to temperature, moisture, light, and pollutants—one cannot ignore physical forces altogether.
References
[1] Royce K (2023) Assessing the Stability of Mineralogical Collections in Museums. DOI: 10.5287/ora-d5dagxd4g
Poster:
Date: August 12-13, 2024
Location: Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, Cardiff
Organiser: International Mineralogical Association Commission on Museums
Conference Website: https://mm-10.org/
Presentation Title:
An Investigation of Material Changes Occurring within Mineral Collections
Abstract:
According to the literature [1 and citations therein], at least 10% of currently identified mineral species are susceptible to deterioration within the museum setting. This primarily occurs through changes in hydration and oxidation state. There is a question, however, of whether such responses are overrepresented. Data for other reaction types are far fewer and generally more qualitative. Light-induced reactions are a poignant example: details such as illuminance, length of exposure, and distance from the illuminant are often missing, effectively making the reports little more than anecdotal. Physical examinations of mineralogical collections were thus deemed necessary to determine:
- whether there is agreement between the material changes experimentally reported and what occurs within collections, and
- whether there are any unreported species demonstrating deterioration within the museum context.
The systematic mineral collection at Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH) was surveyed to investigate the above. 13,716 specimens belonging to 1,049 species from all mineral groups, including silicates, were examined. Results suggest that the aforementioned reaction types are indeed prevalent in museum collections and are likely not overrepresented in the literature. However, museum collections may also contain more species susceptible to other reaction types (e.g., photo-induced) than recorded. The nature of museum storage makes these species difficult to identify, especially without repeated surveying. Yet of foremost importance is the susceptibility of minerals to physical forces. About a quarter of OUMNH mineral specimens have been affected by physical forces to some degree. All other potential reaction types occur in less than 10% of specimens. These results act as a reminder that—whilst it is indeed important to identify a species’ susceptibility to temperature, moisture, light, and pollutants—one cannot ignore physical forces altogether.
References
[1] Royce K (2023) Assessing the Stability of Mineralogical Collections in Museums. DOI: 10.5287/ora-d5dagxd4g
Presentation:
figshare DOI: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26675071.v1
Date: April 27-28, 2023
Location: The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-On-Trent, England, UK
Organiser: Natural Sciences Collection Association
Conference Website: https://natsca.org/natsca2023
Presentation Title:
The DP Method: A Novel Semi-Quantitative Method for Surveying Heritage Collections
Abstract:
Collection assessments are a well-known and widely employed tool for examining the overall state of a collection and identifying any processes which may be causing negative changes to collection items. As such assessments can be time- and resource-intensive, a well-designed method is critical for easy and effective data capture, analysis, and replication within a reasonable timeframe. The difficulty in striking this balance has produced nearly as many methods as there are museums, but there is still a high degree of subjectivity, ambiguity, and variability in both procedure and result. The Deterioration Phenomena (DP) Method was designed in an attempt to tackle these challenges. It can be quickly performed on an entire or substantial fraction of a collection. This coverage is achieved by recording only the presence or absence of pre-defined visible ‘Deterioration Phenomena’ (DP). The extent and severity of these criteria are purposefully not determined in order to minimise surveying time, reduce variability due to interpretational bias, and solve the quandary of assigning quantitative values to subjective perceptions. The DP Method has been successfully applied to four mineralogical collections, and provided ample data to determine and understand local deterioration processes. As the methodology is easy to adapt - through selecting DP that are applicable for the items being surveyed - it is hoped that the DP Method will be adopted within and beyond natural history collections to monitor change over time and to elucidate deterioration causes and pathways.
Proceeding: Royce, K. 2024. The Deterioration Phenomena (DP) Method: An efficient approach to collection surveying. Journal of Natural Science Collections, 12, 85-105.
Presentation:
Dates: September 21 2022
Location: the Natural History Museum, London
Organiser: the Fossil Reptile Research Group at the Natural History Museum
Conference Website: https://svpca2020.com/symposium-on-palaeontological-preparation-and-cons...
Presentation Title:
Past, Present, & Future: What the current state of pyrite tells about historic conditions and means for the decision-making
Abstract:
Pyrite is infamously unstable, with a long track record of complaints against it. Yet even after centuries, we remain uncertain just how it deteriorates, especially in the museum environment. A novel, semi-quantitative collection surveying method was designed to gather further evidence. Surveys were performed at four UK museums: Oxford University Natural History Museum (OUNHM), National Museum Cardiff (NMC), National Museums Liverpool (NML), and the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Science. This survey was created specifically to identify the types of changes seen in a given mineral species and correlate patterns in these phenomena to relevant agents of change. In addition to quantifying just how deteriorated specimens actually are, the survey’s results provide insight into the efficacy of various storage options, and the likely deterioration pathways of pyrite in the museum context.
Surveyed specimens varied in age, from recent acquisitions to those collected more than 300 years ago. Yet similar patterns of deterioration were observed in damaged specimens, regardless of age. All museums (save NML) retain specimens accessioned prior to the adoption of climate-controlled facilities. Their existence evidences that stable pyrite can withstand fluctuating indoor conditions when stored in wooden cabinetry. Additionally, correlating specimen state to locality indicates which habits are relatively more stable and suggests which locations produce them. This is affected by the geochemistry of the localities themselves, such as formation conditions and elemental impurities. It is clear from this work that the surveying methodology provides ample information about specimen state, which in turn can be used to make decisions about specimen storage and acquisition.
Presentation:
Dates: June 5-10, 2022
Location: the National Museums of Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
Organiser: The Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections
Conference Website: https://spnhc2022.com/
Presentation Title:
Applying Colorimetry to Minerals: Limitations and Applications
Abstract:
Colorimetry is a valuable tool for the heritage sector, as it is an easy to use, increasingly affordable, portable, and non-destructive means of quantifying change over time within heritage contexts. It is used most commonly within the sector to determine the effects of light, pollutants, and conservation treatments on objects such as artwork, mosaics, wall paintings, building materials, and textiles. Colorimetry has also been recently applied to herbaria specimens. To determine additional applications within the natural history museum, experiments were conducted to verify possible use with geological specimens, specifically minerals. Although initial experiments identified some challenges in applying currently available portable colorimeters, it proved to be a great success with metallic minerals (such as pyrite and hematite) and could accurately represent various stages of tarnish. Current work is examining the correlation between pyrite colour and tarnish by utilising an AI algorithm. This has been developed into an app that can predict the likelihood of tarnish, in an attempt to design a tool that aids preservation decision-making.
Presentation:
Poster Title:
The Mineral Susceptibility Database: a new tool for mineral preservation
Abstract:
Minerals are often overlooked in museum conservation due to their assumed stability. While many may be stable under ambient conditions, at least 10% of known mineral species are susceptible within a museum context. While there is a significant lack of quantitative information within museum literature regarding this topic, there is a wealth of relevant research within other sectors, such as materials science and geoscience. Yet findings from these fields rarely enter the heritage sector, as relevant research outputs are not easily accessible or transferable. As a response to this, a new online resource, the Mineral Susceptibility Database (MSD), has been created to provide scientific information relevant for the preservation of minerals under ambient conditions in a single, openly accessible location. The MSD collates and synthesizes data from various fields, and adapts key findings into an easily digestible and usable format tailored for non-scientific audiences. By being a repository of interdisciplinary research, the Database:
- encourages informed decision making,
- increases awareness of which disciplines and institutions are performing relevant research,
- exposes additional research applications, and
- advocates cross-disciplinary research and communication.
Poster:
Poster Title:
PyrΔTE: an AI-based pyrite tarnish probability generator
Abstract:
PyrΔTE is the result of a pilot study conducted to determine whether AI can be used to help identify change in museum specimens. To simplify this proof of concept, numerical color data were collected from hundreds of pyrite specimens from Oxford University Natural History Museum, National Museum Cardiff, and National Museums Liverpool. Over a dozen volunteers helped to collect thousands of color data points. They and the collections’ curators also assessed whether each specimen was either tarnished or untarnished. This data was then fed into two separate Regression AI modules in Python to identify patterns within the dataset. Here, the AI used the color data to calculate tarnish likelihood and the overall color difference (ΔE00).
Multiple iterations of the calculator have been developed, increasing the size of the training dataset and adding new features with each version. The present version allows the user to input their own CIELAB color values, either individually or as a series of data points in a .csv file. The user can also select either the default untarnished pyrite color values or enter their own set of values to use in calculating the ΔE00. Whilst this program is presently limited in scope to colorimetry and pyrite, PyrΔTE demonstrates that, with further development, similar AI tools can be created to aid identifying and treating visual and material changes to museum objects.
Poster:
Dates: August 24-26, 2021
Location: National Museum “Earth and Man”, Sofia, Bulgaria
Organisers: Bulgarian Mineralogical Society & National Museum “Earth and Man”, Sofia
Conference Website: ---
Presentation Title:
Vulnerability of mineral collections to indoor environmental conditions – a synopsis
Abstract:
Minerals are widely considered to be stable even within the museum sector, yet there are numerous examples of minerals which deteriorate in conditions commonly found in museums. Previous conservation guidance for vulnerable minerals (Parsons 1922, O’Donoghue 1983, Howie 1984, Horak 1994, Hazen and Ausubel 2016)—such as those within Frank Howie’s 1992 publication, The Care and Conservation of Geological Material—was not always complete or comprehensive, and distinguished on the basis of agents of deterioration. In addition, new information established in the past 30 years has yet to be shared effectively within the museum sector.
To rectify this, a database of minerals vulnerable to surface conditions has been designed and introduced. It presents a compilation of data presently available from the literature of numerous disciplines, such as museum studies, mineralogy, chemistry, and material science. Organised by Hey Index numbers, rather than alphabetically, the database facilitates an understanding of how related minerals are affected by a given agent of deterioration. The effects of temperature, moisture, light, and pollutants are presented side by side, rather than separately, to enable conclusions about the potentially synergistic effects of these agents. Also listed are the conditions at which unwanted changes may occur and the resulting alterations that may ensue from chemical and physical changes. Most importantly, this information is open access, enabling an improved understanding of the vulnerability of mineral collections to indoor environmental conditions, analysis of potential commonalities in vulnerability within mineral groups to given agents of deterioration, and the potential to design focused conservation and curation approaches.
This database is a result from a research project part of the Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage, and Archaeology Centre for Doctoral Training (SEAHA CDT), and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). It is a collaborative initiative between the University of Oxford, Nation Museum Wales Cardiff, and BSRIA Ltd., with supervisors from each institution. These are Professor Heather Viles, Dr. Christian Baars, and Ian Wallis, respectively.
References
- Hazen, R.M. and Ausubel, J.H., 2016. On the nature and significance of rarity in mineralogy. Amer. Mineral., 101 (6), 1245–1251.
- Horak, J.M., 1994. Environmental Effects on Geological Material: light induced changes of minerals. – In: Conservation of Geological Collections (Ed. Child, R.E.). Archetype Publications, London, 23–30.
- Howie, F.M.P., 1984. Conservation and storage: geological material. – In: Manual of Curatorship: a guide to museum practice (Ed. Thompson, J.M.A.). Butterworths: Museums Association, London, 308–317.
- Howie, F.M.P., 1992. The Care and Conservation of Geological Material: Minerals, Rocks, Meteorites, and Lunar finds. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.
- O’Donoghue, M., 1983. The Encyclopedia of Minerals and Gemstones. 2nd ed. Crescent Books, New York.
- Parsons, A.L., 1922. The preservation of mineral specimens. Amer. Mineral., 7 (4), 59–63.
Presentation:
Dates: July 4-9, 2021
Location: Lyon Congress Centre, Lyon, France
Organisers: European Association of Geochemistry & Geochemical Society
Conference Website: https://2021.goldschmidt.info/goldschmidt/2021/meetingapp.cgi/Home/0
Presentation Title:
The Mineral Susceptibility Database: a new tool for communicating research outputs with the heritage sector and beyond
Abstract:
Minerals are often overlooked in the context of heritage conservation due to their assumed stability. While many may be stable under ambient conditions, at least 10% of known mineral species are susceptible to temperature, moisture, light, and pollutant levels common in museum stores and displays. These susceptible minerals are widely represented in museums, not only as natural history specimens, but also as components of many other objects, including paintings, sculpture, jewellery, and objects d’art. However, there is a significant lack of scientific research within the heritage literature regarding mineral instability within a museum context.
A considerable quantity of research performed within geosciences and adjacent fields investigates mineral reactions under Earth surface conditions, and is thus applicable to indoor environments, including museums. Unfortunately, findings from these fields rarely enter heritage conservation literature, as relevant research outputs are not easily accessible to heritage professionals, both physically and verbally. As a response to this, a new online resource, the Mineral Susceptibility Database, has been created to provide scientific information relevant for the preservation of minerals under ambient conditions in a single, openly accessible location. Data are collated and synthesized from various fields, and adapts key findings into an easily digestible and usable format tailored for non-scientific audiences. By being a repository of interdisciplinary research, the Database:
- encourages informed decision making within the heritage sector,
- increases awareness of which disciplines and institutions are performing relevant research,
- exposes additional research applications, and
- advocates cross-disciplinary research and communication.
The author hopes that the Mineral Stability Database becomes a lasting, effective, and valuable tool for connecting geosciences with the heritage sector.
Presentation:
Dates: May 25-31, 2019
Location: the Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Organiser: The Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections
Conference Website: https://www.spnhcchicago2019.com
Presentation Title:
Cracking it Open: Addressing Mineral Instability within Museum Environments
Abstract:
Historically, caring for mineral collections was widely perceived to be straightforward. However, approximately 10% of the 4,400 known mineral species are vulnerable to interactions with museum environments. Exposure to pollutants and inappropriate temperatures, relative humidity, and light can induce significant physical and chemical reactions which damage specimens and surrounding materials, and can lead to loss. Whilst some minerals - namely pyrite - have received considerable attention, research has been limited in scope and has done little to clarify guidance for the appropriate care and storage of geological materials. In a quest to begin to rectify insufficient guidelines, a research project has been developed to initiate evidence-based care of mineral collections by identifying the most susceptible minerals to average museum conditions, examining their reaction to varying conditions through accelerated aging, and analysing their reaction products. This will provide results that aid in defining thresholds of deterioration-inducing agents, which will inform collection owners on how best to care for their specimens and mitigate future damage. These outcomes could also be applied beyond geological collections to other fields where minerals are commonly found as objects, pigments or metals.
Presentation:
Date: April 1-3, 2019
Location: University of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK
Organiser: SEAHA
Conference Website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/seaha-cdt/activities/seaha-conferences#SEAHA%20Con...
Poster Title:
Mineral Instability: More common that you’d think
Poster:
Date: October 17, 2018
Location: Oxford University Natural History Museum, Oxford, England, UK
Organiser: Natural Sciences Collection Association
Conference Website: https://www.natsca.org/event/2419
Presentation Title:
Storage and Conservation of Geological Collections
Abstract:
Caring for geological collections is neither as simple nor as straightforward as widely perceived. Several hundred mineral species are vulnerable to the effects of moisture, temperature, air pollutants, and light. Some species undergo significant changes when exposed to minor deviations from their stability limits. One example—well documented by geochemists, engineers, and conservators alike—is iron sulfide oxidation; whilst reaction products and pathways are well characterised, the precise causes of deterioration of iron sulfide species within museum collections remain largely elusive. There is even less knowledge about the stability of many other susceptible mineral species—such as realgar or lansfordite—within the museum sector. Published guidelines for managing geological materials are often contradictory and evidence the lack of applicable information on optimal storage conditions and suitable conservation actions. In addition, currently available condition assessment methodologies are not always appropriate for the routine monitoring of large collections, and the results of such surveys are not necessarily reproducible. A new approach is required to answer the numerous questions regarding the care of geological collections, and to establish evidence-based conservation guidance, both of which requires substantial research. This paper introduces a framework for a research agenda that would underpin a robust approach to establish satisfactory conservation practices. This includes defining the extent at which material change constitutes damage, categorising damage, developing a protocol for routine condition assessments, determining adequate storage environments, and rigorously testing the suitability of conservation treatments presently available.
Proceeding: Royce, K., and Baars, C. 2021. Caring for geological collections: unresolved questions. Journal of Natural Science Collections, 8, 28-38.
Presentation:
