Time lapse films of deterioration

The Canadian Museum of Nature and the Canadian Conservation
Institute, in a collaborative initiative, have produced time lapse
sequences of mineral specimens deteriorating as a result of exposure
to different risks.  Two sequences are now available for viewing as
video clips at the Canadian Museum of Nature web site at:
<URL:http://www.nature.ca/english/movies.htm>  One sequence depicts
the arsenic sulfide mineral, realgar, crumbling on exposure to
light, the result of a photo-induced phase transition.  The second
sequence depicts the highly soluble
calcium-magnesium-chloride-hydrate mineral, tachyhydrite, dissolving
at a relative humidity level above its deliquescence point.  We
believe that film sequences such as these can be powerful
educational tools for those who believe that collections, especially
geological collections, are quite stable and scarcely require
special care for preservation.  We would be interested in your
reactions to these sequences and your thoughts about disseminating
film sequences such as these as didactic tools.

Robert Waller
Chief, Conservation
Canadian Museum of Nature
Box 3443, Station D
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6P4
Canada
613-566-4797
Fax: 613-364-4022

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:29
                Distributed: Tuesday, September 22, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-12-29-013
                                  ***