11-6-13

Even though I have lived in Madison almost 30 years, I keep discovering more places to explore.  The Geology Museum is free to visit, but parking can be tricky. Nearby is 2-hr parking, or you can go to a ramp and walk a bit longer, or bike.  Outside is a rock garden in an atrium.

Just inside the door is large turning globe and a stained glass window.

We went in and looked at the first set of exhibits, rocks and minerals. We learned minerals are the building blocks of rocks, which are a mixture of at least two minerals. We didn’t know that! The state rock is Red Granite. In fact, we have been to a town called Redgranite  to scuba dive in their former quarry, now a park.

Also a meteorite fragment from Winslow, Arizona.

Lots of sparkling going on here 🙂

The also had a big slab of Rhodochrosite, the same mineral that is in my engagement ring.

Also on display was an example of the rippled rock that used to be the bottom of the shallow ocean that once covered Wisconsin. The same that we saw in Rock Springs.

The next room was spotlighting  phosphorescent rocks.

Saving the best for last, the main reason why we came. The Boaz Mastadon display.  When we went to Richland Center, we also found the Boaz historic marker, where the Mastadon bones were found. The bones were purchased by the University of Wisconsin (UW) and have been on display since 1915.  It is their oldest exhibit.

Here is a Mastadon tooth and the spear point found at the site.

An artist’s portrayal of the hunt, painting by Gregg Klees, 1978.

We had a great visit here. the museum is not large, but well worth the time if you have a couple of hours to spare in Madison.

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