Near the Pudong International Airport, the newly opened Shanghai Museum of Geological Popular Science is easy to miss, but for local geological lovers, it is difficult to forget after a visit.
'The museum serves the general public and is dedicated to cultural enrichment and public understanding of Earth sciences,' said Lu Huangao, the museum's curator.
With a total exhibition area of 3,600 square meters, the museum is divided into seven exhibition halls representing the Earth's history, rocks and minerals, the Earth's crust, ancient biology, the Earth's surface, the land resources in Shanghai and precious gemstones.
Stepping into the museum and examining specimens through windows, one immediately enters a world of intriguing curiosities. One can see how Earth materials are naturally recycled and discover how rocks and fossils provide clues to the Earth's past.
The museum hosts a rich trove of exhibits, including some 30,000 geology-related specimens and samples elaborately arranged to give an overall view of our Earth.
The exhibits in the Earth History Hall depict - by means of a huge terrestrial globe and illustrations around the walls - the origin and development of the planet, its internal structure and the characteristics of the Earth's surface.
The stunningly beautiful mineral collections are exhibited according to the crystal chemical classification whereas geological processes form the basis of the rock and ore collections.
One of the highlights is a green fluorite crystal cluster from Hunan Province, which is 1.3 meters in diameter and worth some 3 million yuan (US$361,446). This natural fluorite crystal cluster consists of intergrown cubic fluorite crystals that have deep emerald green color and resinous luster.
Another highly valued exhibit is a 3.6-meter-tall plaster crystal that is reportedly the biggest sample of its kind in the world.
In the Gemstone Hall, an attractive collection of gemstones used for ornaments and jewelry promises to dazzle visitors. The collection contains a wide array of beautiful tumbled gemstones such as amethyst, green emeralds and agate.
However, perhaps the most exciting exhibit for many people includes a variety of samples of precious ancient fossils.
Two massive dinosaur skeletons form the centerpiece and capture the imagination powerfully. One of the exhibited dinosaurs was excavated in Zigong, Sichuan Province in 1996. It is a carnivorous dinosaur that roamed the planet about 140 million years ago. The dinosaur was 10 meters long and 5.3 meters tall.
The seven-meter-tall skeleton of the other dinosaur was excavated in Lufeng County, Yunnan Province in 1968. Lufeng County is called the homeland of dinosaurs in China and contains vertebrate fossils of the earliest Jurassic Origin. Lufeng Dinosaur is one of the earliest dinosaurs discovered, dating back to the late Triassic period of the Mesozoic era.
Dinosaurs, which are perhaps the most popular organisms of the Mesozoic, evolved in the Triassic period, but were not very diverse until the Jurassic period.
Seven articulated ichthyosaur skeletons excavated in Guizhou Province are perhaps of the greatest scientific importance among the museum collections.
One portion of the exhibit is solely dedicated to land resources in Shanghai. It explains to visitors how the city gradually came into being and the current geological situation of the city.
