The museum houses a well-preserved mastodon skeleton discovered in 1897 near Boaz, Wisconsin.
It maintains a collection of fluorescent minerals that are displayed in a specialized darkened room.
The museum holds meteorite fragments, including some identified as having originated from the asteroid belt.
It contains a representative collection of fossils from the Silurian period, documenting life when Wisconsin was covered by shallow seas.
The museum serves as the official state repository for geological specimens collected during Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey research.
Some specimens on display date back over 1.6 billion years, representing the Precambrian basement rock of the region.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Geology Museum, located within Weeks Hall, houses an extensive collection of rocks, minerals, and fossils native to Wisconsin and beyond. It is the primary repository for the state's geological record, featuring rare specimens like a Baraboo quartzite sample and extensive mineral displays. The museum serves as a research center for the UW-Madison Department of Geoscience while remaining open to the public. Visitors can view a diverse array of vertebrate fossils, including a mastodon skeleton recovered from Boaz, Wisconsin. The facility provides context for the regional landscape's formation through tectonic and glacial history. Its collections include systematic mineral displays categorized by chemical composition and physical properties. Educational exhibits explain the development of the Great Lakes and the driftless area of Wisconsin.
Beside the reconstructed mastodon skeleton in the main exhibit hall.
Use the self-guided scavenger hunt forms often available at the entrance to engage younger visitors.
Check the museum website for 'Ask a Geologist' events or special lecture series before your visit.
Take advantage of the educational signage that explains the specific geological history of the Madison area.
Do not mistake the museum for the larger state historical museum downtown; this location focuses strictly on earth sciences.
Closed on Sundays and major university holidays.
Maintain a quiet volume and do not touch the specimens unless exhibits explicitly invite interaction.
