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Fryxell Geology Museum

One of the largest and finest collections of rocks, minerals and fossils in the Midwest.

Schedule a free field trip
Dr. William Hammer
Visitors are greeted by a 22-foot-long skeleton of a Cryolophosaurus, a large carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Antarctica in 1991 by Dr. William Hammer.

Fryxell Geology Museum

William Hammer

Open house on Nov. 9

Please join us for extended open hours and activities during a FREE evening of telescope viewing, fossil and mineral marveling and a planetarium showing on Saturday, Nov. 9, 7-8:30 p.m. at 中国体彩网's John Deere Planetarium and Fryxell Geology Museum Open House.

There will be hands-on activities in the Fryxell Geology Museum and indoor and outdoor programs in the planetarium, the Carl Gamble Observatory, and the building's grounds.


The museum will be closed Saturday, Oct. 19 through Monday, Oct. 21 for fall break. The museum will reopen at 8 a.m. on Tues., Oct. 22.

Regular hours: The museum welcomes visitors from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday,  and 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday when classes are in session.

School group tours are now available. Please email Susan Wolf for information.

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The collection

The museum is named after Dr. Fritiof Fryxell, professor of geology from 1929-1973. It began in the late 1880s with a modest natural history collection. Today, the collection holds over 20,000 rock, mineral and fossil specimens, with 1,500 on display.

Highlights include a wall of glowing, fluorescent rocks, a cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull, and a complete 22-foot long skeleton of Cryolophosaurus, a large crested carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Antarctica.

Hours

The museum will be closed Saturday, Oct. 19 through Monday, Oct. 21 for fall break. The museum will reopen at 8 a.m. on Tues., Oct. 22.

Regular hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday when classes are in session.

Location

820 38th St.
Rock Island, IL 61201
United States

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