Ideas for exhibit about geology

[DinoToyForum]

I'm seeking creative input for a museum exhibit I'm working on about geology. In particular, the theme will be about change: life evolves, bones fossilise, rocks cycle, climate and environments fluctuate, etc. I'm trying to come up with a snappy original title. I'm also considering creative and/or interactive ways to tell these stories. I'm open to any and all ideas if anyone has any suggestions? Also, if you know of any similar museum galleries that might provide inspiration - ones that you've been to and were impressed with - please let me know. Thanks for your help!

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

There's a nearby museum which used to have an immersive dinosaur exhibit, with plants and trees, however it still kept true to being a museum. I don't know what kind of budget the exhibit's on, but a good interior design would make the exhibit more attractive IMO.  Perhaps faux rockwork for a volcano effect? Or for the life part I would imagine plants, and models would spice it up, while not letting take center stage away from the actual specimens and information of course. The first thing other thing that comes to mind would be something like Rainforest/T. rex cafe for inspiration, though of course the design should be toned down a lot from those if that's the approach you want to take.
A personal preference of mine is to not use screens or videos in a museum exhibit.

[DinoToyForum]

Thanks for the thoughts! I like the idea of having plants and rocks to set the scene and provide an
immersive feeling.

[Crackington]

Many museums have a time travel effect so as you walk through the exhibits you travel through different eras. I quite like this, but perhaps you want something a bit more original? Perhaps your exhibition could focus more on specific examples of change, you could show some sequences such as tiny creatures with shells dying and creating a bed on the sea floor, then fossilisation and creation of chalk, followed by geological processes and pressure in the earth leading to marble. The last stage might show a Greek temple or something thus bringing things to the human age.

As for a title, how about something snazzy like "Earth Rocks! Changes in Life, the Environment and Geology" - the tag line might need some work!

[DinoToyForum]

We will almost certainly include some kind of prehistoric timeline. It isn't original but I can't think of a better way to get the message across. Good idea to bring it to the present day though, by covering fossilisation and building stones.

That title goes straight onto the shortlist, thanks for the suggestion! More of that sort of thing is very welcome!

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Sedimental about Sediments ! The story of stone.....

pshish boom bah......

One method our rock and mineral group use in this dialogue is to begin with defining and/or demonstrating the differences between indigenous rock and other types...fossiliferous for instance. That helps establish a starting point that can then branch through your timeline and follow various changes and ways rocks become building blocks for temples today.
  Once you establish the base premise that their are basal types of rock and those with a more recent history, you can walk people along two seperate paths, each one demonstrating what the story of those types is....

[Halichoeres]

The Field Museum has an exhibit called "Evolving Planet" that walks you through the Phanerozoic with specimens of animals, plants, etc. all along the way. Yours sounds like it will be less about life specifically, so honestly the title would be even more apt. The overall organization of Evolving Planet is good, I think. It's chronological, and that might be the easiest way to grasp things like this. I don't have any title suggestions, but it might be an exhibit worth looking at for ideas on presentation of specific concepts.

[DinoLord]

The Extinct Monsters blog discusses the topic of museum exhibit design pretty extensively.

[DinoToyForum]

Thanks for the great additional suggestions and links @Dinolord, @Halichoeres, @Amargasaurus.

"Evolving Planet" has a nice ring to it.

[Newt]

I always like museum exhibits that tie into the local area. I think it would be nice to have a representation of a slice through the local strata, with markers at various strata that direct you to some information on how that particular stone formed, and a larger discussion of what was going on Earth at that time. Sort of a more elaborate version of the exhibits you see with a slice of a particularly old tree trunk, with markers pointing to particular tree rings saying "this ring formed the year Columbus reached the New World", etc.