Royal Ontario Museum Blog

Monthly Archive: December

Age Before Beauty: The Acasta Gneiss and Jack Hills Conglomerate

Posted: March 22, 2012 - 13:11 , by royal
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Submitted by Vincent Vertolli, Assistant Curator Geology

The Jack Hills Conglomerate, a 3,000 million year old sedimentary rock from which the oldest, at 4,200 million years, terrestrial minerals have been found. The Jack Hills Conglomerate occurs in the Mt. Narryer and Jack Hills area of Western Australia.

Dr. A. P. Coleman (1852-1939)

Posted: March 19, 2012 - 11:25 , by royal
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Geological Map of Toronto

Submitted by Vincent Vertolli, Assistant Curator Geology

Jade-Foolery: How to Recognize Minerals Disguised as Jade

Posted: March 16, 2012 - 11:57 , by royal

A girl looks at a mineral through a magnifying glass.

March Break visitors inspect the minerals before deciding if they are jade.

Profile of a ROM Conservator

Posted: March 14, 2012 - 13:18 , by royal
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Working tirelessly behind the scenes, ROM Conservators help protect our collections from damage and restore objects to their previous splendor. Ok. Maybe we’re generalizing a bit, so we went right to the source and asked Cathy Stewart, Manager of Conservation, a few questions to help uncover what Conservators really do at the ROM.

Bobdownsite; an honour to honour

Posted: March 12, 2012 - 16:41 , by royal
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A close up of the mineral on a black background.

Bobdownsite.

School’s Out! (A March Break Guide for Parents)

Posted: March 9, 2012 - 12:57 , by royal

Maya-inspired activities take over the ROM from March 10 to 18

Students are counting down the minutes, anxiously awaiting the start of March Break…and quite frankly, so are we!

We know that this time of year can be stressful for parents, so we’ve put together some suggestions to help you make the most of your visit to the ROM this March Break (March 10 – 18).

6 March Break at the ROM Tips

ROM History Wars – Heavyweights Battle Over Canadian Identity

Posted: March 9, 2012 - 12:13 , by David McKay

It was another full house in Samuel Hall/Currelly Gallery on the Wednesday evening March 7 as the ROM History Wars debate centred on the place of French language, culture and people in Canadian society and governance. As the format allows a straw poll of hands up in the air, the measure of the audience was taken at the beginning of the debate and after to see if our speakers had moved anyone on their views of a bilingual Canada.  The results of both votes showed a significant number of people who were and remained undecided.  Not surprising when considering such a complex issue.

Who is Dr. ROMulous?

Posted: March 8, 2012 - 09:22 , by royal
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Yesterday, we introduced you to, Dr. ROMulous,  the host of the ROM’s March Break activitity, The Game Show at the End of the World.  Not to leave you in the dark, we are pleased to give you the back story on our superhero of science and history!

Dr. ROMulous was born in the back seat of his parent’s broken down lollipop orange Volkswagen.

The Game Show at the End of the World

Posted: March 7, 2012 - 09:34 , by royal
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Having laid awake for nights on end, the fabulous Dr. ROMulous and the ROM team have devised a new game show for March Break at the ROM (March 10 – 18). Inspired by Maya: Secrets of their Ancient World and Dr. ROMulous’s recent trip to Palenque, Mexico, The Game Show at the End of the World is a contest that will challenge your wits and tickle your funny bone!

Tales from the Synchrotron

Posted: March 6, 2012 - 09:41 , by royal
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I’m currently at the Argonne National Laboratory just outside of Chicago, Illinois at the Advanced Photon Source (APS). This is a research facility funded by the U.S. Department of Energy that over 3,500 scientists from all over the world comes to use the instruments here for their research each year.