This is one of the rarest gems on Earth! Red beryl is so rare that only one of these crystals is found for every 150,000 diamonds.
Red beryl is found only in the South Western United States; this one is from the Wah Wah Mountains in Utah.
#MineralMonday #RedBeryl #RareMineral

Many of us are familiar with body fossils (e.g: dinosaur bones), but did you know that the behaviour of prehistoric life can be preserved as trace fossils? These 200 million year old Chirotherium footprints from the Triassic are trace fossils! 👣
#FossilFriday #TraceFossils

Drop in and see 'The Butterfly Effect’, a climate change-themed art installation by Parkside Community College Parkside Community College & artist Hilary Cox Condron.

Launched today on #EarthDay , the young people hope to 'spark thought, discussion & awareness', & 'inspire everyone to action'.

📢From Mon 22 April #EarthDay2024 📢
The Butterfly Effect: a climate change installation by the young people of the Kaleidoscope Collective, Parkside Community College Parkside Community College & artist Hilary Cox Condron. They hope to 'spark awareness & inspire everyone to take positive action'.

You might have heard of insects being preserved in amber, but did you know that insects can be fossilised too? You can find this beautifully detailed dragonfly fossil in our museum. This one is from the late Jurassic Period and is around 155 million years old! #Fossilfriday

Sculptor Paula Haughey is visiting the Collections Research Centre today to study specimens of alabaster in our Building Stones collection.
Follow this link to learn more about Paula’s work and her stone sculpting workshops: instagram.com/paulahaughney/… paulahaughney.co.uk

We didn’t always know that ammonites are the fossilised remains of extinct cephalopods.
In Whitby, legend has it that they are snakes which were turned to stone by St. Hilda. Local curiosity dealers used to carve out snake heads to encourage the idea!🐍
#SnakeStone #FossilFriday

Tomorrow is the last chance to take part in our dinosaur egg hunt! 🥚 Our resident T-Rex Clare has laid six eggs around the museum. If you find all of them and answer the questions, you can win a prize from the shop.
#CambridgeMuseums #MuseumActivities #DinosaurEgg #EasterEggHunt

thank you Museums Association for featuring @sedgwickmuseum University of Cambridge Museums
This Research England funding is transformational for our collections & people who use them
Nationally, a very positive picture for university museums but my thoughts are with those not receiving funding they need

Bone-eating worms from the Cretaceous! 🪱
Some great new research just published by Sarah Jamison-Todd Phil Mannion Adrian Glover
& Paul Upchurch looked at worm borings in plesiosaur bone specimens from the Museum's collections
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rs…

We are delighted with Research England's recent announcement of funding for the Sedgwick Museum! This recognition of the importance of our collections,
and a huge boost to our plans to improve how we support research & researchers 🦖💎🪨🏛 🎉
esc.cam.ac.uk/news

Join us on Weds 10th April and Fri 12th April (10am - 1pm) for another ‘Microfossil Fiesta’! Drop in to discover a world of beautiful, tiny fossils that can only be seen with a microscope. Use them as inspiration to craft a springtime decoration!
#microfossils

This Sunday is #InternationalBeaverDay ! 🦫
Some of our fossils, like this beaver, belong to species which have been reintroduced after local extinctions. The fossil record plays a vital role in informing rewilding projects like the reintroduction of beavers.
#FossilFriday

Come and join us tomorrow, 4th April, (1pm-4pm) for a ‘Microfossil Fiesta’!
Drop in anytime during these hours to discover a world of beautiful, tiny fossils that can only be seen with a microscope. Use them as inspiration to craft a springtime decoration!
#Microfossils

Easter Opening Times
Fri 29th - Closed
Sat 30th - 10am-4pm
Sun 31st - Closed
Mon 1st April - 10am -5pm

Happy Easter! This fossilised bird egg from the early Oligocene Period (33.9 to 23 million years ago) was found in France. 🐣

The Luberon mountains in France are an important site for fossilised birds. 🪶

#FossilFriday #Oligocene #Easter #Easter Egg

We're really pleased to be a partner in these residencies providing opportunities for artists to come and be inspired by our rock and fossil collections! 🪨🦖
#Artists #Extraction #GroundWorkResidency
@groundworkgallery instagram.com/p/C48laWkofG8/…

Happy birthday to Adam Sedgwick (1785-1873)! 🎂
The trilobite that Adam Sedgwick is holding in this statue was based on a real fossil which you can find on display in the museum.
#OnThisDay #AdamSedgwick #SedgwickMuseum #FossilFriday #Geology

Check out those mountain formations! Join us tomorrow between 11am and 3pm at our Earth Sciences Fair to make your own mountain range, meet the Museum team and scientists of Cambridge Earth Sciences , and take part in our other free activities. 🏔️
#CambridgeMuseums #MuseumActivities

Don’t forget to join us on Saturday 23rd March between 11am and 3pm! Meet the team and the scientists of Cambridge Earth Sciences and take part in exciting activities, including making mountains, at our Earth Sciences Fair. 🏔️
#CambridgeMuseums #MuseumActivities #EarthSciences