Description

The collections that are held by the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren, Belgium) include three collections of specimens, which are registered and stored separately: mineral, rock and fossil collections. The Geology department also houses large collections of maps and aerial photographs, as well as archives related to ore prospection, mining and geological research, both with a strong focus on Central Africa.

This book deals specifically with the mineral collection. It provides some information about the history, composition, and use of the collection, and some background information about the geological context of mineral occurrences in Central Africa. The main part of the book consists of a presentation of groups of minerals that are significant for the region. Central Africa is widely known to show a great abundance and variety of mineral occurrences, including deposits of significant economic value and comprising several localities that have produced mineral specimens of considerable aesthetic quality.