The Tate Geological Museum was founded in 1980 through a gift from Marion and Inez Tate. It was originally designated as the Tate Earth Science Center and Mineralogical Museum. Because ‘geological' encompasses earth science, mineralogy and paleontology, the name was changed to the Tate Geological Museum in 2001.

Located on the Casper College campus, the museum is a great resource to the community. Many local schools and groups come to the museum to add to their students learning experience.

One of a minute number of geology and paleontology museums in Wyoming, the Tate houses a collection of over 3000 fossil and mineral specimens. Museum staff are always on hand to answer questions, help identify items visitors bring in, and make your visit to the museum an enjoyable experience. The Tate is certainly a great addition to anyone's list of 'must see sites' when traveling through Wyoming.

Deanna K. Schaff
Tate Geological Museum Director
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Sue Easton
Tate Geological Museum Assistant
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Russell Hawley
Education Specialist
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(307) 268-2447
(800) 442-2963 ext. 2447

Russell graduated from the University of Colorado in 1991 with a degree in fine art. His artwork has appeared in the America's Smithsonian anniversary traveling exhibition, numerous games, t-shirts and coffee mugs, and several issues of Prehistoric Times magazine. Aside from being the Tate Geological Museum's Educational Specialist, Russels also gives tours, writes articles for the museum newsletter, and produces illustrations for the museum displays.

J.P. Cavigelli
Field/Prep Coordinator
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(307) 268-2447
(800) 442-2963 ext. 2447

J.P. is one of the men behind the scenes and in the field. He is the Field Operations Specialist as well as the Prep Lab Manager for the museum.

JP came to Casper two years ago from Laramie. IThere he worked off and on in paleontology for 14 years, doing field work as well as a two year post as the collections manager for the University of Wyoming Department of Geology and Geophysics. He has had the good fortune of having been invited to join international paleontological expeditions to Mongolia, Niger (twice) and North Dakota.

Dr. Kent Sundell
Tate Geological Museum Curator
Geology Instructor
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(307) 268-2498
(800) 442-2963 ext. 2498

Geology allows Dr. Sundell to be outdoors and apply a broad knowledge of science (chemistry, physics, biology, math) towards a better understanding of our Earth. From the historical and esoteric (paleontology, plate tectonics, paleomagnetism, climate change) to the practical application of finding a high paying job (oil, gas, and mineral exploration, geophysics, geochemistry, geohydrology, environmental geology), geology makes life fun and mentally stimulating.

Albert "Al" E. Allen
Tate Geological Museum Curator - Stratigraphy & Historical Geology
University of Oklahoma
Phillips University
Geology Instructor / Emeritus
(307) 268-3008
(800) 442-2963 ext. 3008

Volunteers often represent a large portion of any museums work force. Here at the Tate Geological Museum, we offer a variety of activities for those that are interested in taking part.

Many of our current volunteers assist with display construction, helping out in the gift shop, giving tours, and also working in the fossil preparation lab--just to name a few. Come on up and see if the Tate might be the place for you.

• Fill out your Tate Museum Application for Volunteer Service today!

All members to the Tate Museum receive the bi-monthly Tate Museum newsletter, Tate Museum Geological Times, and a membership gift card that is good for a 10% discount at the museum gift shop during their membership.

Members may sign-up on an individual or business basis.

• Click here to download a PDF of the Membership Application.

The Tate puts out a bi-monthly newsletter called the Tate Museum Geological Times.  It's chock full of news, information and fun facts. 

As a member of the Tate Museum you receive this newsletter for free.  Please see the Membership Information above for details on how to join the Tate Museum family.

Tate Museum Geological Times

• 2010
  • July/August 2010
  • May/June 2010
  • March/April 2010
  • January/February 2010
• 2009
  • November/December 2009
  • September/October 2009
  • July/August 2009
  • March/April 2009
  • January/February 2009
• 2008
• November/December 2008
• September/October 2008
• March/April 2008
• January/February 2008
• 2007
• November/December 2007

Four weeks of Summer Paleontology Field Trips are planned for 2010.
Details can be found below under the gray "Tate Summer Digs" tab.

The Annual Tate Conference is scheduled for June 4-6, 2010.
Full details including registration forms can be found under the gray "Annual Summer Conference" tab below.

Tired of the same old Saturday morning cartoons?

Looking for something different to entertain your brain?
Then look no further than Saturday Club here a the Tate. The first Saturday of every month, except where noted on holiday weekends and other events, we have fun educational activites for kids age 5 on up.

Due to the popularity of the Saturday Club program, it is best to reserve a spot ahead of time.

Please call 268-2447 for more information or to reserve a place in either class.

Saturday Club Junior Ages 5 - 7 Cost - $5.00/session 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Saturday Club Senior Ages 8 on up Cost - $10.00/session 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Upcoming Saturday Club topics for Senior Club

• September 4th, 2010: Geology Field Trip
  In this session we take a trip to a local outcrop to hunt for real minerals and fossils. Parent drivers may be needed!
  Time: 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
  Cost: $10.00
  
  

2010 Field Expeditions

The popular summer dinosaur digs will again be available for interested members of the public. Registration will be through the museum and CEU credit will be available upon request. The fee this year will be $800/person. This includes six nights of lodging, six dinners, five field lunches, four continental breakfasts at the hotel in Lusk, snacks and soft drinks/water, and all ground transportation.

A non-refundable deposit of $400 per person is required upon registration to hold your place. The balance of the fees is due no later than 60 days prior to the start of the dig.

The minimum age for participation is 16 (16 and 17-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult participant.)

The dates for the digs are: July 4-9, July 18-23, Aug. 22-27 and Sept. 12-17.

This year we will explore two different potential dinosaur skeletons in hard sandstone that were discovered several years ago. One shows a string of three or four vertebrae on the surface, the other shows only some ribs. There are a few other sites we may explore as well, including microsites (locally rich accumulations of small fossils) and a bone bed site.

For more information and registration form, click here to download the informational brochure.

Accommodations in Casper are included on the Sunday evening prior to the dig and the Friday evening after the dig at the Platte River Resort. The hotel offers a free shuttle to and from Casper-Natrona County International Airport. Complimentary transportation to the museum before and after the dig can also be arranged. The hotel in Lusk offers continental breakfast. The hotel’s indoor pool and hot tub are always welcome after a hard day in the field. All hotel accommodations are double occupancy. Roommates are assigned as necessary. Single occupancy, based on hotel availability, can be arranged at extra cost. Simple lunches in the field are provided daily, as are dinners each night in Lusk or Casper. Cost is $800.

Attendees are required to sign a Medical Release Form. Please print this off and send it in with your registration form and payment.

• Medical Release Form (PDF)

For more information please call 307-268-2447 or email J.P. Cavigelli.

• Hat
• Sunscreen
• Personal medications
• Gloves
• Pants and long sleeve light colored clothing
• Sturdy shoes/boots
• Sunglasses

• Backpack
• Refillable water bottle
• Field notebook
• Binoculars
• Camera
• Light jacket/rain gear
• Knee pads

Come and take a guided tour of the museum. Find out about dinosaurs, minerals, gems and check out our fantastic exhibits.

A group tour makes a great field trip for any class. Be it at the end of a unit, or as an introductory look into what students will be studying in class, a tour of the Tate Geological Museum is a wonderful addition to any lesson plan. We have a wealth of specimens and fossil casts that students can handle and examine during their visit. Open access at the Fossil Preparation Lab window gives students a chance to see some of the "behind the scenes" operations you don't always get to see at every museum. If you'd like a more interactive visit to the museum, we also have scavenger hunt questionnaires for students to fill out, giving them a chance to get more involved with their museum visit.

If you can't make it to the museum for a tour we also have a selection of Teaching Trunks filled with a great variety of specimens, fossil casts, books, posters and many other resources that can be checked out for use in the classroom.

It is best to schedule your tour or classroom visit as far in advance as possible to ensure you get the day and time that best fits your schedule.

Not sure if you will be able to attend a tour at the museum? We can bring the museum to you! Tate staff members have made presentations to local classrooms and community groups, as well as accompanied classes on field trips. Museum staff arrive with a number of materials, from fossil casts to the real thing, and always have plenty of hands-on items to be passed around the room.

Call today to make your appointment!
(307) 268-2447    ~    (800) 442-2963

Want to support the museum and have some fun at the same time? Come join us at one of our annual fund raising events!

Complete details coming soon.

For more information contact:
Tate Geological Museum
Casper College
125 College Drive
Casper, WY 82601
Phone: 307-268-2447

Museum Hours:
9 am - 5 pm Weekdays
10 am - 4 pm Saturdays
Closed Sundays and Major Holidays.

Location:
Southern most campus entrance off Casper Mountain Road

• Campus Map

Annual Tate Conference

Tate 2010 has come and gone... we are now planning next year's Tate Conference. More details to come.

Exciting hands-on learning for your students!

Each trunk contains various specimens, activities, replicas, videos, books, resource materials and a teachers guide.

Funded by the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (B.O.C.E.S.) and Classroom Wyoming

These trunks are available for teachers in Wyoming to check out for use in the classroom. Contents are targeted to enhance 2nd & 4th grade curricula and outcome criteria; however, they can be used for any grade level. The trunks have been designed and created by a cooperative team of Tate Museum staff and Natrona County School District teachers.

Teaching trunks can be checked out for a two week period, which can be extended if the trunk does not have a waiting list.

Trunks are available to teachers free of charge.
To reserve a trunk for a two week period, please contact the Tate reception desk (307) 268-2447

The Tate Teaching Trunks can help the teacher in the classroom in many ways. Not only do they have hands on samples of various rocks, minerals and fossils, but each trunk also comes with a great selection of posters, books, videos and activities that make the teaching of various aspects of Earth Science fun and easy. The trunks are great for grades 1,2,3,4 and 6 to reach the goals set in the Earth Science requirements.

• Check out the Trunks FAQ for lesson ideas and answers to questions you might have.

Rocks and Minerals [inside trunk]
Casper is a great place to learn about rocks and minerals. Investigate the properties: hardness, crystal shape, cleavage, color, magnetism, streak, acid reactions. Learn to sort and classify rocks. Find out about local sites.

• Curriculum Guide Preview

General Geology and Economic Geology in Wyoming [inside trunk]
Activities about volcanoes, earthquakes, erosion, deposition and more are contained within this trunk. Students can also learn about oil, coal, gas, uranium, trona, bentonite and other resources that are important to Wyoming.

• Curriculum Guide Preview

Fossils [inside trunk]
What is a fossil - and how is it formed? This trunk contains examples of fossils through geologic time and shows what they can teach us about ancient environments.

• Curriculum Guide Preview

Dinosaurs [inside trunk]
Students can learn about the different kinds of dinosaurs, what environments they lived in and also where they lived. Teacher's guide includes many worksheets and there are also many hands on activities aimed primarily at 2nd graders.

• Curriculum Guide Preview

Do you want to make your visit to the Tate Museum more interactive than just looking at displays?

Here is a list of questions to help you make a customized day of activities for your students.

Please note that displays in the museum are often changing and new ones are being constructed. This list may not always be as updated as our displays.

1. Which display includes a VW Bug?
2. What is the most common classification of meteorite?
3. Which of the two types of jade is found in Wyoming?
4. Who has a pi-shaped tooth?
5. What saber-tooth predator is not a cat?
6. What is the only living cat with extended canines?
7. What were the diamond shaped holes in a cycad for? (hint: look at the "pettable" specimen)
8. How many toes are there on a theropod?
9. Which pterosaur comes from Germany?
10. Give the chemical composition for strontianite.
11. What is aluminum ore called?
12. On the whale wheel, what kind of teeth does a whale need to eat a mixed diet?
13. What animal had the largest eye of any vertebrate? (hint: it's around the marine diorama cases)
14. What shape is a gar scale?
15. What did the plesiosaurs eat to supplement their diet of fish?
16. Name an Oligocene Rhinoceros from Wyoming.
17. Which case has a coin in it?
18. What is the difference between Ammonites and Nautiloids?
19. What kind of animal is "Twinkle Toes"?
20. Draw the Chinese character for jade.
21. Name two snack foods that contain mineral resources found here in Wyoming.
22. What was one of the largest predators of the White River badlands?
23. What fossil helped to support the hypothesis of continental drift?

Scavenger Hunt Answer Key

Here are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions at the Tate Museum.
  If you have a question that isn't on this list, feel free to email it to:
Russell Hawley, Education Specialist

1. Was Tyrannosaurus rex a predator or a scavenger?
   Answer
2. Why did the dinosaurs become extinct?
   Answer
3. Did birds really evolve from dinosaurs?
   Answer
4. Were dinosaurs warm-blooded or cold-blooded?
   Answer
5. How fast was Velociraptor?
   Answer
6. How big was Velociraptor?
   Answer
7. How smart was Velociraptor?
   Answer
8. Is it true that if you don't move, a Tyrannosaurus can't see you?
   Answer
9. Why isn't a plesiosaur a dinosaur?
   Answer
10. So if a plesiosaur wasn't a dinosaur, what was it?
    Answer
11. What was the biggest dinosaur?
    Answer
12. Why did they change the name of Brontosaurus to Apatosaurus? Is it because they had attached the wrong head to the wrong skeleton?
    Answer
13. What's the difference between an ammonite and a nautiloid?
    Answer
14. How big was a pterodactyl?
    Answer
15. How can you tell real gold apart from fool's gold?
    Answer
16. What was the fastest dinosaur? It was Velociraptor, right?
    Answer
17. How can we tell what dinosaurs ate?
    Answer
18. What's the difference between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus?
    Answer
19. What kinds of sounds did dinosaurs make?
    Answer
    Listen to an example of a Parahorn
20. What color were dinosaurs?
    Answer
21. Wyoming used to be under the ocean, right? When was that?
    Answer
22. Where did the fossils in the Tate Museum come from? Are any of them from Wyoming?
    Answer
23. Did Dilophosaurus really spit poison?
    Answer
24. How can we tell how old dinosaur bones are?
    Answer
25. Why don't you have the real Tyrannosaurus rex skull on display?
    Answer
26. What was the smallest dinosaur?
    Answer
27. Which state has the most dinosaur fossils?
    Answer
28. Is it true that Spinosaurus was really bigger than Tyrannosaurus rex?
    Answer

• Wyoming Sites
  • Wyoming Dinosaur Center, Thermopolis
  • University of Wyoming Geology Museum, Laramie
  • Wyoming Mining Association
  • White River Mammals from Wyoming
    
    
• Dinosaur Sites
  • UC Berkeley, Museum of Paleontology
  • Prehistoric Times Magazine online
    
    
• Fossil Mammals Sites
  • Hot Springs South Dakota Mammoth Site
    
    
• Marine Reptile Sites
  • Oceans of Kansas - mosasaurs and more!
  • The Plesiosaur Directory
    
    
• Rock and Minueral Sites
  • Bob's Rock Shop 
    
    
• General Geology Sites
  • Ask A Geologist from the US Geological Survey
  • Museum of Natural History, London, England
  • The American Natural History Museum
  • Denver Museum of Natural History, Colorado
  • Black Hills Institute, Hill City, South Dakota
  • Museum of the Rockies, Montana
  • Paleo + Pelagica Museum and Science Center, Texas
  • Biosciences
    
    
• Membership Sites
  • Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
  • Geological Society of America
  • American Institute of Professional Geologists
  • Mineralogical Society of America
  • Western Interior Paleontological Society
  • New York Paleontological Society

Visit the world without leaving home!

• Alcova Lake in Wyoming (PDF)
• Alcova Lake in Wyoming (Complete Interactive Website)

The discovery was first made on March 8, 2006 by bulldozer operator Dee Zimmerschied while preparing the area for a drilling pad on a private ranch north of Casper.

Dr. Kent Sundell and a group of students and volunteers went out to examine the site over spring break, where they uncovered 28 bones. This initial exploration unearthed the rest of the pelvis, ribs and multiple vertebrae.

Of the 170 bones excavated through the month of June, 100 are mostly complete and identifiable, including a broken off tusk.

The specimen was named for the initial discoverer, and we all look forward to the day when "Dee" the mammoth can stand again with us in the museum. Getting the bones out of the ground is only the first step, they still need to be cleaned up and repaired in some cases, but it will certainly keep us all busy for a while.

The prep lab is where it all begins.

Here the specimans are cleaned and made ready for exhibit in the museum gallery.

Casper Museums

• Nicolaysen Art Museum

• Wyoming Science Adventure Center

• Fort Caspar

• Casper Planetarium

• Werner Wildlife Museum

• Mormon Handcart Historic Sites

Wyoming Sites

• Wyoming Dinosaur Center, Thermopolis

• University of Wyoming Geology Museum, Laramie

• Wyoming Mining Association