Rocks from around the world

The Geological Museum, attached to the Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, was opened in August, 1980. At the time, we received gifts in the form of many rock plates from a number of geological research centers and comparable national institutes worldwide. Forty eight of these plates are being exhibited on the wall to the left of the museum’s entrance. Each exhibit is labeled with the name of the specimen, together with the name of the institute which donated it. All are examples of geological characteristics unique to the countries of their origin. The specimens include rocks not found in Japan. A few of the exhibits are fossil specimens. Please take closer look, and just imagine how varied the geological characteristics of the earth’s surface are.