Jana Horak

Contact Details

Dr Jana Horak
Mineralogy & Petrology
National Museum Cardiff

Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NP

Phone: +44 (0)29 2057 3353

Staff Name

Dr Jana Horak

Job Title

Co-Acting Head of Natural Sciences, Head of Mineralogy & Petrology

Areas of Responsibility:

Management, development of, and access to mineralogy and petrology collections, including building stones and meteorites. Petrological research, public engagement of science.

Qualifications, memberships and relevant positions

PhD (University of Wales), B.Sc.(Hons) Geology (University of Wales), Certificate in Management (Open University), Certificate in Gemmology (Gemmological Associaion), Honorary Lecturer Cardiff University, Chartered Geologist, Chartered Scientist (Science Council), Secretary of the Welsh Stone Forum, Chair of the Chartership Validation Committee (Mineralogical Society of GB & Ireland), Member of the Professional Committee (Geological Society of London).

Research Interests

My current research interests have a common theme of provenance. Continued research into the early geological evolution of Wales is includes the affinity of the Avalonian basement below Southern Britain, and source of Late Precambrian to Cambrian sediments in North West Wales. The later project is based on LA-ICPMS dating of detrital zircons (see Research Projects). Other projects include investigation of the trace element chemistry of Welsh gold, with application to both mineralogical and archaeology research. A range of other projects and contract research links to the provenencing of stone in the built environment from medieval times, provenancing stone in archaeological contexts and variations in lapis lazuli as a provnancing tool, and a synthesis on the ornamental stones of the British Isles. My musicological studies focus on effective collection management, in particular hazardous minerals and the accountability for specimens used in research.

Amgueddfa Cymru Research Projects

Provenancing Monian supergroup ( with Prof U. Linneman, Natural History Museum, Dresden, Dr D.Schofield, British Geological Survey).  Provenancing and dating of sandstone in the Gwna Melange to constrain the age of deposition.

Lapis Lazuli, a potential provenancing tool through non-destructive analysis. (with Cotterell. Compilation of data set of lapis lazuli mineralogy from various collections to establish differences in mineralogy between different sources. To test findings as a tool to province lapis lazuli in archaeological context.

Trace element analysis of Welsh gold as a provenancing tool. (with Prof N Pearce, Aberystwyth University and Dr R.E. Bevins). 

Keywords

Neoproterozoic, Welsh geology, provenance, isotopic analysis, LA-ICPMS, archeopetrology, building stone, hazardous minerals, Collection Management

Links

Selected Publications

Baars, C., Horak, J. 2018. Storage and conservation of geological collections—a research agenda. Journal of the Institute of Conservation 41: 154-168.

Schofield, David I., Potter, Joanna, Barr, Sandra M., Horák, Jana M., Millar, Ian L., Longstaffe, Frederick J. Reappraising the Neoproterozoic ‘East Avalonian’ terranes of southern Great Britain, Gondwana Research (2015), doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2015.06.001

Hughes, T., Horák, J., Lott, G. & Roberts, D. A Global Heritage Stone Resource from the United Kingdom. Episodes, Journal of International Geoscience.

Price, M., Horák, J. & Faithfull, J. 2013. Identifying and managing radioactive geological specimens. Journal of Natural History Collections, 1, 27-33.

Horák, J.M., & Evans, J.A., 2011. Early Neoproterozoic limestones from the Gwna Group, Anglesey. Geological Magazine, 148, 78-88.

Webster, P.V., Gwilt, A. & Horak, J. 2006. Iron Age Pottery, In Barber, A., Cox, S. & Hancocks, A., A Late Iron Age and Roman Farmstead at RAF St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan. Evaluation and Excavation 2002-03, Archaeologia Cambrensis, 155, 71-81. 

Mcllroy, D. & Horák, J.M. 2006. The Neoproterozoic of England & Wales. In: Brenchley, P. J. & Rawson, P.F. (eds) 2006 The Geology of England and Wales. The Geological Society of London, 9-24.

Carney, J.N., Horák, J.M., Pharaoh, T.C., Gibbons, W., Wilson, D., Barclay, W.J., Bevins, R.E., Cope, J.C.W. & Ford, T.D. 2000. Precambrian Rocks of England and Wales. Geological Review Series No. 20.  Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough