Native elements
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Glasgow Museums has a collection of approximately 400 native element specimens. This collection contains 17 species. It includes metals such as gold, silver and copper, and non-metals such as sulphur and the two forms of carbon – graphite and diamond. Other elements in the collection include mercury and arsenic. These specimens come from all over the world. Among those from Scotland are a few examples of Scottish gold, flakes and small nuggets from Leadhills and Kildonan, Sutherland, and silver from the once productive mine at Alva. There are also examples of copper found not far from Glasgow in lavas of the Carboniferous age. The diamonds in the collection are uncut stones, mainly from South Africa. As well as native elements there are also glass models of famous diamonds and man-made samples of elements. Native elements are elements that occur naturally in the Earth’s crust. Metal alloys are also included in this group. Many of these elements are of economic importance, whether as precious metals, gemstones or in the chemical industry.
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