rock discovery center educationl event at sterling hill mining museum

Tour the sterling hill mining museum

Galena Lead Sulifide mineral from shmm

Galena Lead Sulfide

Rock Discovery Center

The Rock Discovery Center is a large outdoor area where visitors learn about the various rock types that are quarried in the northeastern United States. 

people discovering rocks at rock discovery center in Sterling Hill Mining Museum

Rock Samples to Take Home

Each visitor collects six specimens to take home.  For each rock type we provide instruction in how to recognize it, where it is obtained, and how it is used in society today.  Participants are given a partitioned cardboard box in which to place their samples.  In this way, school students and others acquire an "instant rock collection" while having an enjoyable, participatory, and educational experience.  Participation in the Rock Discovery Center also fulfills many of the requirements for scout badges in geology.

Take a Mine Tour, Too

The Rock Discovery Center is an add-on option to the mine tour and is open to all visitors, provided a minimum of 10 people elect to participate.  This option adds only $3.50 to the cost per person and about 20 minutes to the length of your stay at the mine.  The rocks are already broken to sizes that fit in the boxes provided, so no tools are necessary.