Sofia University Museum of Paleontology and Historical Geology

{{Infobox museum

|name = Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” Museum of Paleontology and Historical Geology

|image = File:SUMPHG.jpg

|caption = Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” Museum of Paleontology and Historical Geology is located within the 5th floor of the North Wing of the Main Building of the University

|established = {{Start date|1897}}

|coordinates = {{Coord|42|41|36.2394|N|23|20|6.8274|E|display=inline}}

|location = 15 Tzar Osvoboditel Blvd.,
Sofia, Bulgaria

|type = Natural history museum,
University museum,
Evolutionary biology

|collection = vertebrate fossils, invertebrate fossils, trace fossils, micro-fossils, geologic maps
(estimated total specimens - 150,000;
estimated type specimens - 100)

|curator = Svetlozar Seferinov

|website = {{URL|https://gpff.gea.uni-sofia.bg/facilities/museum/}}

}}

The Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" Museum of Paleontology and Historical Geology (SUMPHG) ({{langx|bg|Музей по палеонтология и исторична геология към Софийския университет "Свети Климент Охридски"}}), is a paleontology museum located in the main building of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski", Sofia, Bulgaria.{{cite book |author= Pamouktchiev, Angel |title= The Museum of Paleontology and Historical Geology: A Guide |place=Sofia |publisher= Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" Press |year= 1995 |url= https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/720826433 |isbn = 954-07-0567-3 |oclc= 720826433 }} (In Bulgarian)

History

File:The Main Hall the SUMPHG.jpg

The museum is within the main building of Sofia University, designed by Jean Bréasson, re-designed by Yordan Milanov, and later by Ljuben Konstantinov. Its collections are primarily intended for research and are, thus, not accessible to the public. A limited number of fossils from the collection is on display in the SUMPHG, and is one of the primary localities for storing fossils collected in Bulgaria. The original fossils, around which the current collection has grown, were those gathered by the first Bulgarian state geologist Georgi Zlatarski (1854 - 1909) and those purchased from Dr. A. Krantz.{{cite journal |last1=Tchoumatchenco |first1=Platon |author2=Nikolov, Todor |journal= Review of the Bulgarian Geological Society |title=Compendium of Bulgarian Palaeontologists (1896-December 31, 2015). Part I. A-K |volume= 77 |issue= 1 |year=2016 |url=http://bgd.bg/REVIEW_BGS/REVIEW_BGD_2016/PDF/09_Kompendium_Review_2016-1.pdf |pages= 114–115}}(In Bulgarian with summary in English) Later specimens collected by doctoral students and as part of the Bulgarian geological surveys were added.

Faculty

Many notable Bulgarian paleontologists have worked at SUMPHG, including Peter Bakalov, Vassil Tzankov, Ivan Nikolov, Natalia Dimitrova, Milka Entcheva, Emilia Kojumdjieva, Nonka Motekova, Stoycho Breskovski, Angel Pamouktchiev et al.{{cite journal |last1=Tchoumatchenco |first1=Platon |author2=Nikolov, Todor |journal= Review of the Bulgarian Geological Society |title=Compendium of Bulgarian Palaeontologists (1896-December 31, 2015). Part I. A-K |volume= 77 |issue= 1 |year=2016 |url=http://bgd.bg/REVIEW_BGS/REVIEW_BGD_2016/PDF/09_Kompendium_Review_2016-1.pdf |pages= 114–115}}(In Bulgarian with summary in English){{cite journal |last1=Tchoumatchenco |first1=Platon |author2=Nikolov, Todor |journal= Review of the Bulgarian Geological Society |title=Compendium of Bulgarian Palaeontologists (1896-December 31, 2015). Part II. Л - Я (L - Ya) .|volume= 77 |issue= 2–3 |year=2016 |url=https://www.bgd.bg/REVIEW_BGS/REVIEW_BGD_2016_2-3/PDF/06_Compendium-II_Review_2016_2-3.pdf |pages=}}(In Bulgarian with summary in English)

Public access

Admission is free to the museum for all visitors. The museum is open 10 am - 12 am, 1 pm - 4 pm Monday to Friday. It is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. SUMPHG is an important venue for widening interest in paleontology, evolutionary biology and Earth sciences.

The museum logo is based on the Deinotherium skeleton displayed by the entrance.

Gallery

File:Deinotherium thraceiensis - SUMPHG.jpg|Deinotherium thraceiensis (Kovachev, 1964), Miocene, Ezerovo, Plovdiv District - The Entrance hall of the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" Museum of Paleontology and Historical Geology

File:Parapuzosia Doubreei (de Grossouvre, 1894), Santonian, Shumen - SUMPHG.jpg|Parapuzosia daubreei (de Grossouvre, 1894), Santonian, Shumen in the Main Hall of the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" Museum of Paleontology and Historical Geology

File:Samples of the Krantz paleontological collection of the Sofia University 'St. Kliment Ohridski' Museum of Paleontology and Historical Geology.jpg|Samples of the Krantz paleontological collection of the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" Museum of Paleontology and Historical Geology

= Exhibits of geologic eras and periods =

Image:The Neogene period at the SUMPHG.jpg|The Neogene period

Image: Paleogenе - SUMPHG.jpg|The Paleogene period

Image: The Upper Cretaceous period - SUMPHG.jpg|The Upper Cretaceous series/epoch - SUMPHG

Image: Lower Cretaceous period - SUMPHG.jpg|The Lower Cretaceous series/epoch - SUMPHG

Image: The Jurassic period - SUMPHG.jpg|The Jurassic period - SUMPHG

Image: The Triassic period - SUMPHG.jpg|The Triassic period - SUMPHG

Image: The Paleozoic era - SUMPHG.jpg|The Paleozoic era - SUMPHG

References

External links

{{cite web |url=https://gpff.gea.uni-sofia.bg/facilities/museum/|title= Official Website}}
{{cite web |url= http://www.paleoportal.org/ |title= The Paleontology Portal}}