Earth sciences, biology and anthropology emphasizing the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau.

The Utah Museum of Natural History's collections form the basis for all of the Museum's educational functions, from public exhibits and programming to scholarly research and publication.

The Museum's systematic collections in the fields of earth sciences, biology, and anthropology rank among the largest and most comprehensive for the western United States. While emphasizing the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, they also include material from throughout the world. Ongoing development of these collections is directed toward strengthening their comprehensive regional coverage and increasing their significance and accessibility to all user communities.

The anthropology collections include ca. 3/4 million objects. These materials document the cultural diversity and temporal breadth of human prehistory in western North America. The University of Utah has been a regional archaeological repository since the late 19th century, with collections from more than 3,000 archaeological sites including Utah's famous dry caves, the Glen Canyon Archaeological Salvage Project, and more than 40 years of summer archaeological field schools. The Museum also holds an important ethnographic collection representing the breadth of North American Indians, although again with an emphasis on Great Basin and Southwestern tribes and nations. Future growth and development of the anthropology collections will stem from 1) the archaeological field program at the Museum, run in conjunction with the University Departments of Anthropology and Geography; 2) collections resulting from excavations on state lands, for which the Museum is the designated repository; and 3) collections from federal lands which have always comprised the bulk of the material added to the collections. During the past two years, 145 cubic feet of specimens, plus associated documentation, were added to the Museum's anthropology collections.

The Museum's biological collections represent one of the most important assemblages of material from the biologically diverse Intermountain region. Individual zoological collections are devoted to mammals (ca. 30,000 specimens, including 40 holotypes), birds (20,000), lower vertebrates (20,000), mollusks (22,000), and insects and other invertebrates (135,000). The herbarium houses 126,000 pressed plants (including 204 type specimens) and a large collection of seeds. The biological collections incorporate material dating from the 1870's, and continue to grow by more than 1,000 specimens per year through ongoing staff research, exchange programs, donations, and the Museum's designation as a repository for collections from state and federal lands. All types are maintained according to disciplinary standards.

The earth sciences collections represent the rich diversity of local and regional geologic phenomena. Separate collections are devoted to minerals (ca. 3,200 specimens), rocks (1,000), plant and invertebrate fossils (9,000), and vertebrate fossils (15,000). The mineral collection includes material from the famous Inglesby and Buranek collections. The vertebrate paleontology collection includes Pleistocene and earlier mammals, the Jurassic Cleveland-Lloyd dinosaur collections, and important Early Cretaceous dinosaur materials form the Museum-owned Long Walk Quarry in central Utah. The fossil plant collection includes the recently donated Sid Ash collection, comprising the most extensive assemblage of Triassic fossil plants outside the Smithsonian Institution. Collections continue to grow and improve through donations (e.g., some important Eocene specimens from Green River Shale), ongoing preparation and analysis of backlogged material, and through current field research (especially Cretaceous dinosaurs and mammals).

Separate teaching and comparative collections containing unprovenienced or duplicate materials are maintained for each major subject area. These aid students and researchers who are studying typology or identifying specimens, and these collections are also used in public educational programs within the Museum, as well as academic programs throughout the University.

What is the significance of the collections to the Museum's communities and constituents?

The Museum's collections were initially developed and managed independently by the academic Departments of Geology, Biology, and Anthropology at the University of Utah. After decades of growth within the individual departments, the collections were consolidated at the Museum to improve their management and care and to increase their availability to a wider variety of users.

The Museum's collections reflect a region of North America that is an important center of diversity for all fields of natural history. They constitute a primary research resource for scholars, Native American communities, avocational organizations (e.g., amateur archaeology and paleontology organizations), students, artists, and the general public.