Sedimentary Rocks
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Glasgow Museums has a collection of approximately 1,500 sedimentary rock specimens. These represent a wide variety of rocks types of different ages and from various localities in Britain and from other parts of the world. Sedimentary rocks are formed from accumulations of sediments, generally derived from weathering and erosion of pre-existing rock, that are then buried and compressed to form new rock. They can vary widely in texture, composition and grain size. Common types include shale, mudstone, sandstone and conglomerate. Limestone and coal are formed from accumulations of organic matter. Sedimentary rocks are often stratified or bedded and can form layers of varying thickness. This collection is particularly strong in Scottish examples. Rocks dating from the Carboniferous Period are best represented but there is also a large collection of Ordovician and Silurian rocks from the Southern Uplands. Samples of coal, building stones and other rocks of economic interest are also included. The collection also contains 350 thin sections, to be viewed under a microscope. These are almost all sections of Ordovician and Silurian rocks from the Girvan area, acquired as part of the Henderson collection.
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