The Geological Museum stands at the eastern end of Yangrou (Mutton) Alley in the Xisi section. The museum was built in 1958 and its total area of 10,000 square meters is divided into five exhibition halls: Mineral Resources; Earth History; Stratigraphy and Paleontology; Rocks and Minerals; and Mineral Deposits of China. The museum is responsible for collecting and storing geological specimens from both China and abroad and for disseminating geological knowledge. It also carries out scientific and technological exchanges, geological research, and the exchange and supply of specimens to scientific entities at home and abroad.
The Mineral Resources Hall displays a rich collection of specimens from various parts of China. Of the standard 150 useful minerals, China has verified deposits of 132, including important deposits of coal, tungsten, tin, lead, zinc, mercury and antimony. There is an extensive display of iron ore specimens, which includes magnetite, hematite and siderite, as well as dozens of nonferrous metals. In addition to specimens of coal, shale and petroleum, there are more than 80 examples of non-metals, such as diamonds, crystal, Iceland spar and mica.
The exhibits in the Earth History Hall depict, by means of various working models and dioramas, the origin and development of the earth, its internal structure and the characteristics of the earth’ s surface. In addition, many geological phenomena unique to China are displayed here, for example, the karst of Guilin and the Stone Forest in Yunnan; the Wudalianchi Volcanoes in northeast China; and the Rongbu Glacier, the Highest glacier in the world.
The Stratigraphy and Paleontology Hall displays in chronological order a collection of fossils representing each of the geological eras beginning from the late Precambrian period in China.
The Rocks and Minerals Hall exhibits typical specimens arranged according to their chemical composition and genesis. Among these specimens are a replica of the Changlin diamond (the biggest discovered so far in China), perfect cinnabar crystals, antimony and wolframite crystal druses, large crystals of topaz, as well as the recently discovered hsianghualite and baolite.
The Mineral Deposits of China Hall displays specimens and geological maps and models, which illustrate the geological conditions for the formation of China’ s major ore deposits and the distribution of each mineral type.
