The tectonic collection at the Institute of Geosciences currently contains about 200 hand specimens of naturally deformed rocks from various parts of the world. The specimens illustrate a wide range of deformation fabricsExternal link that develop under high stresses and temperatures acting upon rocks at different depths within earth. The collection thus portrays a large variety of tectonic processes, which are incessantly at work to alter the appearance of our planet since its formation, but which are normally too slow for humans to be perceived.
The tectonic collection has become an integral part in the education of earth science students at the University Jena. Specimens are regularly included in various practical courses to better illustrate both terminological aspects as well as physical processes. Microscopic thin sections of numerous objects also exist, enabling students to better understand deformation processes across spatial scales.Apart from serving academic purposes, the tectonic collection also provides interested laymen with an opportunity of getting a glimpse into the perhaps surprising aesthetics of natural deformation processes that incessantly take place underneath our feet, but at which few people ever take a closer look.
3D objects were created from selected hand specimens. These allow inspecting rock fabrics in a virtual environment within a web browser. Some of these 3D objectsExternal link are presented in the following.
