Earth: Inside Out
Exhibit [Return to listing page]
Blue Wing, Lower Level
This exhibit is no longer at the Museum.
The ground that we see everyday may appear stable, but it is actually only a small part of our ever-changing planet. In this exhibit, take a journey from the outer Earth we know to explore the processes hidden beneath its crust.
Explore the mechanics of plate tectonics and discover that the surface of our planet is an evolving one. Glowing displays show how liquid magma lies beneath the Earth's crust, affecting plate movement and aiding in the creation of new land.
Learn more about the inside of the Earth and how the rocks that you see on the surface began their lives deep in the mantle as liquid magma that rose and solidified. Get an up-close view of a volcanic boulder formed at Mount Vesuvius after its 1931 eruption, and view various types of rocks, minerals, and gemstones from the Earth's surface. Stare into an amethyst geode, or examine the light refracted in a slice of mica.
