Revisiting the Galathea II expedition (1950–1952): Historical Significance and the Foraminiferal Collection at the Natural History Museum Denmark

Abstract

The Danish Galathea II expedition (1950–1952) was a major milestone in deep-sea exploration, but much of its micropaleontological material has remained unstudied. This paper provides an overview of the expedition and reviews the foraminiferal collection housed at the Natural History Museum Denmark (NHMD), focusing on its composition, curation history, and future research potential. The curated material is organized into four main components: (1) unprocessed and partly sorted sediment residues, (2) large, agglutinated foraminifera (i.e. Xenophyophorea, Komokiacea), (3) taxonomic slide sets prepared by Aksel Nørvang, and (4) assemblage slides mounted by Keith B. Lewis. Together, these include over 3 000 slides from around 200 sampling stations worldwide, spanning a wide range of marine environments from shallow coastal sites to deep-sea settings. Despite being stored for decades without further study, the collection remains in good condition and offers valuable data on foraminiferal diversity from the mid-20th century. This work aims to reintroduce this overlooked archive to the scientific community and highlight its relevance for taxonomy, paleoecology, and historical comparisons.