A Visit to the Earth Galleries at The Natural History Museum, London, England
by Michael J. Passow, Earth Sciences Correspondent
Imagine riding up an escalator as the inside of a huge Earth sculpture rotates around you. Or standing in a replica of a Tokyo grocery store as the room shakes during the 1995 Kobe earthquake. Or looking at an auto covered by inches of ash released by Mt. Pinatubo. These are some of the exciting new exhibits in the Earth Galleries at the Natural History Museum in London, recently reopened after an eighteen month redevelopment program. Anyone visiting London should add this to the "must-see" list.
Although it is possible to enter from the adjoining Life Galleries, the most dramatic effect results from stepping through the Exhibition Road entrance, to be confronted with the massive rotating Earth sculpture through which the escalator waits to carry up and into the mysteries beyond. Constructed of copper, zinc, and iron, the sculpture is suspended around one of the highest escalators in Europe.
At the base of the escalator are six "icons" -- imposing statues arranged in pairs to form an avenue leading to the escalator. Each statue is surrounded by items relating to the major themes or "Visions" -- Earth's beginnings, Earth's shape and place, Earth's past, Earth processes, Earth's order, and Earth's future.
The entire room lies within 15-meter tall slate walls that have been etched with representations of major constellations. Set into the walls are twenty-two windows displaying outstanding examples of rocks, minerals, and fossils. These stimulate appreciation of the Earth's biology, chemistry, and physics through the beauty of natural patterns and colors and the passage of time through change evident in fossils.
At the top of the escalator lies "The Power Within" exhibit. Quality specimens, videos, sound and interactive displays present a dramatic glimpse of the forces continually operating beneath the Earth's surface. The first section deals with "Earth monitoring." Visitors look at basalt and granite samples evocative of the great heat and pressure inside the crust, then pass through interactive displays that raise questions about volcanoes and earthquakes. Walking through the exhibits, the visitor learns much more about volcanoes, rocks of the sea floor, plate tectonics, earthquakes, and the hidden layers of the Earth's interior.
"Restless Surface" is the theme of the other major set of exhibits. Some of the theme questions here are: "How is our planet different from others?" "What forces can wash a whole mountain into the sea?" "Why do we have such an amazing variety of landforms?" Walking through these exhibits, the visitor encounters displays about "Time and Change," "Breaking up, breaking down," "On the move," and "Nothing is certain." Renovation of the Earth Galleries is being accomplished through sponsorship grants, self-generated income, and national Lottery funding. Additional exhibitions will be opened by 1998.
Companion galleries in the National History Museum also deserve visits. They include sections dealing with British natural history, "Our place in evolution," "Origin of species," "Dinosaurs," "Mammals," "Marine invertebrates," "Creepy-crawlies," and many others. One of the finest is a two-level exhibition about Britain's offshore oil and gas. Alcoves deal with the origins of gas and oil, exploration, production, working offshore, and future considerations. The Leman gas field has been used as an example of how discovery and recovery has transformed national and local economies.
The Museum has an excellent Teachers Resource Room. Educators can find many useful curriculum materials on the shelves and in the cabinets. Helpful "Teacher's Guides" for every exhibit hall provide suggestions for what to try to accomplish during class trips. These have been closely connected with the new National Curriculum that controls much of what is taught in England today. Of special interest is a packet about the offshore oil industry that includes a 36-page booklet with many classroom-ready illustrations, plus a cardboard game board designed to demonstrate the potential for success or failure in the oil industry.
The National History Museum is open every day except 23-26 December. Behind the scenes, hundreds of curators, research scientists, and support staff continue to make this one of the world's premier institutions.
Home Winter 97 Full Screen
Winter 97 - Articles: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27The TEACHERS CLEARINGHOUSE FOR SCIENCE AND SOCIETY EDUCATION