Fall 2021-Spring 2023
Visitors to Gateway Science Museum are welcomed by our saber-tooth cat and short-faced bear fossil replicas. These ancient California mammals guide us through our new paleontology exhibit! This exploration is a collaborative effort between Gateway Science Museum, the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at California State University, Chico, and designer Bart Hays.
Learn more about these exciting fossil finds and how you can pursue a career in paleontology on the Chico State GEOS website!(opens in new window)
Journey with us into the rich fossil record of this region!
Through fossil evidence, observe the transformation of California's landscapes over millions of years. Dive into deep waters from when California was submerged in an ancient sea and uncover whales, sharks and marine reptiles. As time passes the shoreline recedes, revealing shells and plants where freshwater rivers meet the sea. Millions of years later, California's shoreline is similar to today's and megafauna roam the state - camels, horses, and mammoths.
Visitors to “Fossils and Formations” experience a hands-on learning experience as we explore the evolutionary and geological history of the region. Interact with displays of fossil specimens from the Chico State Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences and participate in fossil preparation activities. We can look closer with our Micro-Eye to view tiny fossils and observe greater detail.
Photos by Jason Halley
Fossils & Formations T-Shirts!
Show your support for your favorite fossil friend with Gateway's new Fossils & Formations shirts! Are you team ammonite, ichthyosaur, mastodon, or short-faced bear? Available in small through x-large, also available in youth sizes.
MWOW Archive
Learn more about this discovery and the history of our region by watching this fall's Museum Without Walls Lecture series "Fossils, Formations & Extinctions" in our MWOW Archive.
Blue Dot Ep. 217 Presented by NSPR
A Conversation with Russel Shapiro
Dave talks to Russell Shapiro, a geology professor at California State University at Chico. Dr. Shapiro has a fascinating array of interests and adventures from seeking evidence for ancient life on Earth to helping NASA craft science goals searching for evidence of ancient life on Mars.
Shapiro is also a seasoned paleontologist who regularly works in the field and recently helped uncover one of the great fossil finds in California history, unearthing Miocene period mammals that dominated the California landscape sometime between 5 and 20 million years ago.
Show your fossil fascination by supporting this exhibit!
This exhibit is made possible through generous donations from our community. Consider supporting Gateway(opens in new window) as we develop this one-of-a-kind exhibit!
Mastodon: $10,000
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Smilodon: $2,500
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Ichthyosaur: $1,000
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Ammonite: $500
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Trilobite: $ 250
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Crinoid: $100
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As of October 2021