Museum of Geology

Founded in in 1975, the Museum of Geology in it’s new home in Waggoner Hall on the campus of Westen Illinois University, is open to the public and houses more than forty displays and exhibits covering Earth History and processes as well as Earth materials and resources throughout the building.

Touring the Museum you will be introduced to the fascinating world of rocks, minerals and their economic uses. You may wish to learn about the origin and occurrence of coal, oil and gas, or find out about how glaciers of the Ice Age formed the soils, landscape and drainage systems of Illinois. You can see how Earth materials are naturally recycled and discover how rocks and fossils provide clues to the Earth’s past. You may wish to learn how the continents move, where ocean basins come from, and how mountain ranges form. Or you may step back into time for a fascinating tour of the animals, plants and environments of the past; introduce yourself to the world of dinosaurs, or learn about the seaways and coal swamps which covered Illinois in ancient times.

The Museum welcomes groups of all kinds; school groups of all ages, church and youth groups, senior citizens and others. The Museum of Geology is open to the public from 9:00am-Noon and 1:00-4:30am Monday – Friday