Dear all,
The state of the palaeontological collections is still uncertain because we do not know what condition itâs all in the boxes. Orlando Grillo, one of the curators of the vertebrate palaeontology collections, said what he knows from the few people who have been able to go inside the department to assess the situation is that our compactor boxes are standing, with a lot of rubble on top (from the upper two floors that collapsed), but they are partially distorted by weight, partially burned out and some are tilted. The part that houses the holotypes is apparently also standing, but there is a part of the compactor boxes on the part of reptiles destroyed. Some other metal boxes housing examples of mesosaurs, turtles, and pterosaurs are also apparently entire. But that's all you can say for now. Let me insist: we do not know how the parts are inside boxes. It may be all sprayed and we will only know when we actually have access to the boxes. Keep in mind that the rubble that fell over the top contains collections of upper floors that need to be carefully removed before accessing the vertebrate palaeontology collections. In addition, some of the catalogue books are lost, but the curators have a digital collection database with information from the entire collection, including its location in the boxes. We are cheering for the best, but we have to waitâ keep calm and carry on.
Best,
Borja
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Borja Holgado, PhD student
Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates
Department of Geology and Paleontology
Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
Quinta da Boa Vista, s/n, SÃo CristÃvÃo, 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil