Earth Sciences Museum

Happy National Volunteer Week! We are so thankful for our many passionate volunteers who have helped make the Earth Sciences Museum what it is today. This year's 2024 Waterloo Wellington Children's Groundwater Festival is looking for volunteers; more info will come early May.

It is time for our #GeoJoke of the month! Why did the geologist struggle with time management? They consider a million years ago to be recent! (mya = million years ago) #AprilFools #UWaterloo

Here's our #GeoJoke of the month! Why was the sedimentary rock so cheap? It was on shale!

It's National Fun at Work Day! Here is some of our staff having a blast. Come join the fun by visiting the Earth Sciences Museum! Use the link below to learn about some of our upcoming events: uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences… #UWaterloo #NationalFunAtWorkDay @MuseumofNature

It's our last #Geopark for 2023 - Discovery, Newfoundland! Located on the upper half of the Bonavista Peninsula, this Geopark's rocks date back to the Ediacaran Period and contain evidence of the earliest complex life. Its coastline is full of caves, arches, and sea stacks.

Counting down until the holiday break? Here's this months #GeoJoke! What's a geologists favourite holiday song? Jingle Bell Rock! #UWaterloo #Rock

Happy #InternationalVolunteerDay!! Shout out to all of our amazing and passionate volunteers, we couldn't do it without you. Interested in joining the Earth Sciences Museum volunteer team here at the University of Waterloo? Visit us at: uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences…

Happy #MineralMonday! Today we have beautiful purple, blue, and white, zoned celestine crystals on mafic aphanitic volcanic rock. Celestine is a mineral composed of strontium sulfate with it's name referring to the word "celestial" because of its delicate sky-blue colour.

Happy #UniversalChildrensDay! At the Earth Sciences Museum we offer group programs and classroom field trip opportunities for ages K-12 free of charge. If you're interested visit us at: uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences…

It's time for our #GeoJoke of the month! What did one tectonic plate say after it bumped into another? Sorry! My fault. Bonus Fun Fact: Still a topic of debate, the main theory of how tectonic plates move is by convection currents (driven by heat) in the mantle. #UWaterloo

New rock alert! Thanks to Kropf Family Dino Trucking Incorporated and Ghent Landscaping, our Peter Russell Rock Garden will gain three new rocks to honour the late Dr. Paul F. Karrow. Once placed in the garden, Ghent Landscaping will transform them into a bench for all who visit.

Featured is the door prize winner with the fossilized squid - Congratulations Zach!! #UWaterloo #Squid #GemandMineralShow2023

Drumroll please... Here's a video of Asia picking the winner of our 2023 Gem and Mineral Show door prize which was the fossilized squid! #UWaterloo #Squid #GemandMineralShow2023

Our #Geopark of the month is the Cliffs of Fundy Geopark in Nova Scotia! This geological hotspot hosts some of the oldest fossils, exposures of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, some of the largest lava flows, and is also known for having the highest tides around the globe!

Happy #NationalSTEAMDay! We encourage everyone to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math! Did you know the Earth Sciences Museum offers year round, STEAM oriented, group programs for ages K-12 that are free of charge? uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences…

Happy Halloween! We thought we'd save our #GeoJoke of the month for the very last day... Why don't fossils fight? They don't have the guts! #UWaterloo

With Halloween tomorrow, we have a dark purple cluster of fluorite crystals for #MineralMonday! This mineral is from the Ohio Valley Fluorspar District in Kentucky. Under UV light, fluorite can glow a blue-violet colour. This phenomenon was named "fluorescence".

Our gem show starts today at 12:00pm! Visit the Earth Sciences Museum today and tomorrow for all of your fossil and mineral needs or interests.

By visiting this years UW Gem and Mineral Show (Oct 27-28), you'll be entered for a chance to win our Fossilized Squid door prize! This Orthoceras, from the Devonian period, is approximately 390 million years old. It was found in the Atlas Mountain Range in Morocco. #UWaterloo

Our Gem and Mineral Show is one week away! Whether you're interested in adding more fossils or minerals to your collection or just want to check out the specimens visit us October 27th - 28th! #UWaterloo #Gems #Minerals uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences…