The Department of Geology and Geophysics and LSU Museum of Natural Science has a number of collections that are available for display, teaching and research.

LSU Museum of Natural Science: Howe Microfossil collections

The microfossil collection was initiated by Dr. Henry V. Howe (1896-1973), who conducted research on Gulf Coast sediments for almost 50 years. Considerable material, especially from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean areas, has been added by later workers. Holdings consist primarily of foraminifers and ostracodes, two groups of organisms whose members are widely used as markers of sediment age and indicators of ancient environments. Recognized as one of the nation's best university repositories of microfossils and an important resource for researchers, the collection continues to grow in size and scope. The H. V. Howe Collection now contains approximately 2,800 slides of primary types and over 8,500 figured or identified specimens. Over 5,000 stratigraphic assemblage slides constitute a comprehensive Gulf Coast Plain collection. Localities from around the world are also represented. Website: www.museum.lsu.edu/LSUMNS/index.html

LSU Museum of Natural Science: Invertebrate Paleontology Collection

The invertebrate collection is worldwide in scope with more than 10,000 catalogued specimen lots including both fossil and Recent mollusks, bryozoans, and several other faunal groups. The stratigraphic collection contains more than 1,000 lots. A valuable component of the invertebrate holdings is the Stenzel Collection, which contains specimens and a reference library used by Dr. H. B. Stenzel in the preparation of his monograph on oysters (Stenzel, H.B., 1971. Oysters. In: Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part N, Vol. 3. pp. 953 - 1224).

LSU Museum of Natural Science: Vertebrate Paleontology Collection

The museum's collections of over 10,000 lots (more than 20,000 specimens) come from over 500 localities and emphasize Louisiana's early Tertiary marine, and middle Tertiary and Pleistocene terrestrial faunas. Of special importance is the large and growing Miocene fossil collection from Fort Polk, Louisiana. Early Tertiary specimens include the front third of the skeleton of the fossil whale Basilosaurus, the best specimen of this ancient whale known to science. Middle Tertiary specimens include specimens of fossil mammals from Fort Polk in western-central Louisiana, including elephant and camel relatives, bats, hedgehogs, and three-toed horses. Pleistocene specimens include the remains of Ice Age animals, such as the elephant-like mastodon. The museum holds the second-largest collection of fossil specimens from Big Bend National Park, ranging from late Cretaceous dinosaur specimens to small mammals from the beginning of the Age of Mammals. The collection of casts of early Tertiary mammals from China is among the best in the nation and was obtained as part of an ongoing LSU program of cooperative research on Chinese vertebrate fossils, especially those from near the Paleocene/Eocene boundary when modern mammal groups were evolving. The vertebrate paleontology section has a volunteer program involving community volunteers in research.

Contacts: Laurie C. Anderson, (225) 578-2153,glande@lsu.edu; Judith Schiebout, (225) 578-2717, jschie@lsu.edu ; Barun K. Sen Gupta,(225) 578-5984,glbarun@lsu.edu