Geotope Day at the "Window into the Earth's History"
Museum für Naturkunde: 18 September, 10 am to 5 pm, excavation tent, Glockenstraße 16
On Sunday, 18 September, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., interested parties are invited to take a look at the "window into the history of the earth" in the excavation tent at Glockenstraße 16 and watch the live recovery of a fossilised tree trunk. Participation is free of charge. Registration is not required.
A lot has happened on the excavation again this year: large parts of a fossilised tree trunk have been recovered and the underlying layers uncovered. The "Day of the Geotope" is a good opportunity to see for yourself the progress made during this year's excavation season.
Why is a petrified forest hidden beneath Chemnitz? What motivated the gemstone inspectors of the Saxon electors to travel to Chemnitz in the 18th century? And what exactly is Chemnitzion, which is suddenly on everyone's lips? The excavation team will answer these and other questions on site.
The young researchers among the visitors can search for fossils in a simulated excavation situation and experience for themselves how exciting the work of a palaeontologist is. It is also possible to explore the excavation on your own and solve a quiz. There is a prize for the correct solution.
On Geotope Day on 18 September, various institutions throughout Germany will be inviting visitors to experience geological history up close with experts. Various excursion destinations can be visited - quarries, mineral sites, mines and also the excavation at the "Window into Earth History" of the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History.
The Geotope Day is an initiative of the German Geological Society - Geologische Vereinigung e. V. and has been held on the third Sunday in September since 2002. The full programme can be viewed at http://www.tag-des-geotops.de.
The "Window into the Earth's History" project is subsidised by the European Social Fund.