The mineral and geological historical collections of the University of Messina (Italy)

The mineral and geological historical collections reported here were part of the original collections of the Mineralogy Institute at the University of Messina, most of which date back to the 1880s. These historical collections, today hosted by the Earth Sciences Section of the Department of Mathematical and Computers Sciences, Physical Sciences and Earth Sciences at the University of Messina, comprise a thousand specimens of minerals, gemstones, ores, rocks, hundreds of topographic, geographical, and geological maps, mineralogical and geological models, and numerous original documents and instruments. They represent an essential geoscientific cultural heritage to preserve and valorize for future generations. The restoration and cataloging of this geoscientific naturalist heritage are necessary to make it accessible to scientists, students, tourists, and citizens worldwide. The preliminary results presented in this study are part of an ongoing project devoted to restoring, analyzing, and cataloging the mineral and geological historical collections of the University of Messina.