Uncovering the past, informing the future
The Earth sciences examine the rock record to explore Earth's history, including the evolution of ancient life and the impacts of past climate change. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Earth Sciences research collections span four areas: invertebrate paleontology, paleobotany, vertebrate paleontology, and mineralogy.
Invertebrate Paleontology
Invertebrate paleontology is the study of fossil organisms without vertebrae. The Museum's invertebrate paleontology collection includes body fossils of animals such as sponges, bryozoans, corals, trilobites, crustaceans, insects, millipedes, brachiopods, and mollusks, as well as trace fossils (ichnofossils) made by invertebrate animals.
Paleobotany
Paleobotany is the study of ancient plants, using plant fossils found in sedimentary rocks. These fossils can be impressions or compressions of the plants left on the rock's surface, or "petrified" objects, such as wood, which preserve the original plant material in rocklike form. Still other specimens are found in calcified lumps called coal balls, so named because they are usually found in or near coal deposits.
Vertebrate Paleontology
Vertebrate paleontology is the study of vertebrate fossils, ranging from some of the earliest fish, as preserved in the Devonian rocks of the northern Ohio region, to Late Cretaceous vertebrate fauna. The Museum's collection emphasizes fossils from the Paleozoic Era: arthrodire fish and early chondrichthyans.
Mineralogy
Mineralogy is the study of the physical, optical and chemical properties of natural crystalline structures. The Museum holds collections covering all inorganic crystalline materials that come from the Earth (rocks and minerals) and outer space (meteorites and one Moon rock). The Museum also houses collections of mineraloids (amber, opal, coal, etc.); synthetic industrial minerals (quartz, corundum, salts, etc.); economic ores (rocks used for industry); and lapidary arts (jewelry, cabochons, polished stones, and faceted gemstones) of both natural and synthetic materials.
Internships and Students
The Earth Sciences Department has a long history of working with students, frequently offering paid summer internships for undergraduate students through the Kirtlandia Research Internship Program, as well as part-time employment for undergraduate students at Case Western Reserve University through the Federal Work-Study program.
Recent student projects include:
