Earth Science Week Open House
Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019
6:00–7:30 p.m.
The Kentucky Geological Survey at the University of Kentucky hosts an annual open house during national Earth Science Week. This event features exhibits and activities about earth science, and is designed to be fun for all ages. Interactive exhibits are set up within and outside of the Mining and Mineral Resources Building on the University of Kentucky campus to showcase and explain a variety of earth-science concepts. All are invited and the event is free to the public.
This year’s national theme: Geoscience is for everyone!
For more about national Earth Science Week, including tool kits for teachers go to http://www.earthsciweek.org/
Some exhibits and activities at our open-house:
- Crystals—Beautiful crystals from Kentucky and around the world in our lobby
- Dinosaur fossils—Fossil bones and learn how scientists interpret them
- Earthquake room—Interactive shake table, seismographs, and earthquake information
- Fluorescent minerals—See fluorescent minerals with and without black light
- Fossils from Kentucky—See and touch fossils from around the state
- Fossil casts and molds—Make clay casts from actual fossils
- Fossil tree stump—See our giant fossil tree stump from eastern Kentucky (outside)
- Landslides—Learn about detecting, mapping, and assessing landslides
- Meteorites—See pieces of meteorites from around the world and Kentucky
- Mineral displays—See our display of Kentucky minerals
- Petrography—View minerals through microscopes
- Radon display—Learn about radon and how it is detected and measured
- Rock core—See and handle rock core and learn what rock cores are used for
- Scanning electron microscope—View minerals under a powerful microscope
- Shark fossils—See shark fossils and learn about ancient sharks from Kentucky
- Stormwater model—Learn about stormwater runoff
- Stream table—Interactive display of stream sedimentation and erosion
- Useful rocks and minerals—Learn about rocks and minerals you use every day
- Virtual sand box—Interactive surface contour activity using colorful lights
- Volcano demonstration—Watch an exciting explosive volcano model (outside)
You can also bring in your own rocks, minerals, and fossils for identification
- Parking: DO NOT PARK in the Boone Center surface parking lot directly behind the Mining and Mineral Resources Building. This lot has a gate and tokens are required from the Boone Center to get out. The Kentucky Geological Survey does not have tokens for this lot.
WHERE YOU CAN PARK FOR FREE:
- Parking Structure No. 2 will be open to the public (gates will be up for the event). This is the parking structure next to (southwest of) KGS on Rose Street. Access to the structure is from Hilltop Avenue. Hilltop Avenue can be accessed from University Drive or Woodland Avenue.
- Columbia Street surface lots will also be open. These are the two surface lots behind (southeast of) the Boone Center parking lot that are accessed from Columbia Avenue. The lots are located on the northeast side of the William T. Young Library. The lots have signs posted for University E parking passes only, but we have permission from UK to use them for the event, so cars without E permits will not be ticketed for the event.
