Mineralogy Collection

The geology collection (MHNC-UP/GEO) consists of rocks and minerals from different parts of the globe, with about 1400 samples/specimens. Miguel Montenegro de Andrade, an important Portuguese geologist born in 1918, had a fundamental role in the composition/construction/organization and promotion of the geology department and its collections at the University of Porto. His distinguished work led the former Natural History Museum of University of Porto to name the Mineralogy Room after him. Until 2015 the Montenegro de Andrade Mineralogy Room was home to around 700 minerals from around the world, such as wolframs and apatites from the Panasqueira Mines in Portugal, amethyst quartz and emeralds from Brazil, fluorites from England, gems and replicas of historic diamonds, among many others. These are now part of the collection of the MHNC-UP.

The main lines of work associated to the geological collection entail maintaining and conserving the specimens. The collection is currently in the process of being digitized.