TellUs - from stardust to modern technology
Permanent exhibitionJoin us on a trip through time and space. TellUs is the geological exhibition at the Arctic University Museum of Norway.
Have you ever marvelled at the landscape around you, the clues to understanding our planets history and future? Learn to read the archive found in the rock record. Earth is remarkably old, the amount of time so large it defies our imagination. In Earth’s own archive modern humans merely fill the last sheet of paper out of 22 700 sheets.
Since its formation, Earth has constantly changed and still does so. The global processes controlling the changes leave traces in the rock archive around us. Hike four stunning peaks around Tromsø, each with its own geological theme, indoors in the museum or outdoors. Study the same peaks in our high-resolution panorama indoors.
Or read about them here;
Trace the shifting positions of continents through time; where was Tromsø located 500 million years ago?
Life is shaped by Earth but also shapes Earth as a geological force. Through the activity of bacterial lifeforms, one of the most fundamental changes in the history of Earth took place. Filling the atmosphere with oxygen and nearly wiping out life in the same process.
The traces of this massive change are found in Banded Iron Formations, the source of nearly all the iron used by humans today. Our ability to use oxygen, in fact we depend on it, connects us with bacteria surviving this oxygenation event, meaning that the genes in us governing our oxygen consumption have a history stretching back thousands of millions of years. Life today is in every sense a product of Earth’s history.
Our world today is only the last page in 45 400 pages long archive, consider the impact we have on Earth and our use of resources that are older than time itself. How are we managing this heritage today?
In the exhibition we are showing unique finds from our collections. You can touch many of them, but some are too fragile. look at fossils of early life on Earth, as well as oil, coal, and dinosaurs. Take some time to think about how your everyday life depends on geology. Dive into geological phenomena on our big screen or explore interactive monitors.
Last changed: 30.06.2021 14.48