Find yourself on campus with some free time? Visit Gearhart Hall to view a geology exhibition!

In partnership with the Geosciences Department, the University of Arkansas Museum installed a long-term exhibition within Gearhart Hall. Four display cases feature a wide variety of specimens donated by the Geosciences Department.

The display cases were manufactured by Thomas Moser Handmade American Furniture and made possible by funding from Geosciences alumni. Project management was provided by U of A Facilities Management representatives Mike Johnson, Heiko Mueller, Todd Furgason and Jay Huneycutt. These display cases are reminiscent of previous hallway displays in Ozark Hall before the building was renovated in 2014 and renamed Gearhart Hall.

Cabinet design elements include a free-standing form, glass front, side and back, and adjustable heavy gauge glass shelves. The cabinets are unpowered to allow specimen viewing by ambient light. Cabinetry and manufacture match the 2018 Gearhart installation of a six foot cephalopod fossil that was also prepared for display by Museum staff.

Found on each floor, the cases are located in the hallway near stairwells in the middle of the building. Featuring rocks, minerals, and paleontological specimens from Arkansas and beyond, there is something to interest everyone! Here is a summary of the cases to plan your visit:

• Two display cases in the basement contain fossils. One of the cases features invertebrate and plant fossils from the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras. The second case in the basement highlights vertebrate fossils from the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras. Both feature paleontological specimens from Arkansas.
• On view in the second-floor display case are different quartz varieties and formations, a nod to the state's well-known association with quartz.
• The third-floor display case highlights economic geology. Economic geology is the field of scientific research into rock and mineral resources that can be used for industrial and commercial purposes. The case contains a variety of rocks and minerals including dolomite, obsidian, and copper.

Stop by Gearhart Hall to check out these exhibits!