Museum of Geology, Rapid City, SD

Rapid City South Dakota is the second largest city of the state. It is well known for its location near sites like Mount Rushmore or the Little Big Horn. The population of Rapid City is estimated at 63, 997. The climate of Rapid City can be filled with rain or snow depending on the season. Temperatures tend to remain in the 60's for most months of the year, but summer can see 80 degree weather, with below zero weather in the winter. Rapid City has a few colleges to attend. One of those colleges is the School of Mines and Technology which houses the Museum of Geology.

The school was founded in 1885 offering mining degree programs. The museum was built later as a way to house the fossils that were found on mining sites and other archaeological digs. The museum exhibits offer fossils, minerals, and rocks native to South Dakota. The fossil collection is mostly that of dinosaurs such as Triceratops, Edmontosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus, and a Mosasaurus. The Mosasaurus is a marine lizard. There is also a fossil of an Alzadasaurus which was a marine animal. Saber-toothed cats, turtles, rhinoceroses, horses, pigs, alligators, and Brontotheres fossils are also available to see at the Museum of Geology. The Oredonts fossil actually shows unborn twins.

Plants, invertebrates and vertebrate fossils still in rock formations are also on display at the museum. The minerals include Fairburn Agate and Rose Quartz. Other minerals such as granite rocks from the Custer and Keystone area of South Dakota are on display. The museum boasts of 1000 different specimens of mineral from North America that are available to see. Some of the minerals have been placed under ultraviolet light to show other special properties of the minerals.

The museum as part of the school is able to obtain more specimens to research, display, and preserve. There is a participation program for the public to take advantage of. The Museum is also a partner to the Journey Museum of Rapid City which also has their own display of geological era artifacts.

The Geology Museum of Rapid City is open daily throughout the year, even during the summer. Admission to the museum is free. Since the museum is part of the school students are able to use the museum for their studies including getting credit for paleontology courses which are hosted in the spring and summer months. Hours of operation are between 9am to 5pm during the week. Saturday the museum opens at 10 am and on Sunday the museum opens at noon.

The museum offers a number of summer programs even for younger children who may have an interest in geology. The camp is open to grades 6 through 8 in which the students can learn how archaeologists and paleontologists work. They also get to try digging at sites which are currently active. Other camps are also available for the interested children. The Geology Museum of Rapid City South Dakota allows anyone to explore what the region used to be like and what it is like now.