Features

Since early 2006 Rio Tinto has supported the restoration of the Rotunda Museum in North Yorkshire, England. The Museum is one of the oldest surviving purpose-built museums in the world.

The museum is home to the work of geologist William Smith (1769-1839). Known as "the father of English geology", Smith is the first person on record to use fossil remains in identifying geological strata. His discovery formed the basis for all mineral and oil exploration today - the foundation of the science of geology.

The Rotunda Museum not only displays some of William Smith's own collection of fossils (on loan from the Natural History Museum, London) but also maintains replicas of his maps. The building itself is constructed with local Hackness Stone to a design specified by Smith himself.

Preserving cultural heritage and encouraging young people to study science

The Rotunda Museum celebrates Smith's vision of how rocks can be ordered according to the fossils they contain. It also demonstrates the significant contribution geology has made to modern day life and society. As a world leader in the resources industry, Rio Tinto aims to encourage young people to study science and consider geology as a career option so supporting the Museum was a natural step.

The Rotunda is expected to reopen in early 2008 - a gateway to English Jurassic and Cretaceous geology. Scarborough, where the museum is located, is considered one of the best areas in the world to study Jurassic rocks. The surrounding area has been recognised as a global reference site for a specific geological stage. It remains of interest to professional geologists as the same geological strata can be observed on the coast as found under the North Sea.