Page 47 - visitorGuide
P. 47
Second Floor Exhibits–West Wing
Passing the elevator on your left and heading up the staircase, you will come to a strik-
ing photo of Mount Everest.
■ Mount Everest Aerial Photo
This vertical photo of Mount Everest (8848 m [29,028 ft]) was taken on 22
December 1984 from an altitude of 11,700 m (39,000 ft), or 3000 m (10,000 ft)
above Mount Everest. A specially equipped Learjet 35 with a Wild RC-10 cam-
era and Aerocolor 2554 film was used to capture the image.This is one of 360
photos taken by Swissair Photo Surveys to create a map of Mount Everest for
Boston’s Museum of Science and the National Geographic Society.
Gift from Swissair Photo Surveys, Ltd.
■ The Valley of Mexico
Around the corner and to your left, you will see an oil painting, The Valley of
Mexico. Painted by Raul del Corral, the painting depicts the Valley of Mexico
in Velasco style. Two famous volcanoes, Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, form
the background.
Gift from Zoltan de Cserna, Universidad National Autónoma de México.
■ Fossil Fish
On the adjacent wall is a specimen of an ancient fossil fish from the Green Riv-
er Formation, similar to the ones displayed near the Society’s Council Room.
This fossil fish is Notogenus osculus Cope, a member of the family Gonorhyn-
chidae. It lived in an ancient lake that stretched across southwestern Wyoming
and northern Utah, 53 to 37 million years ago.
Gift from Edwin C. Buffington, Marine Geology Branch, Naval Undersea Center, San Diego, California.
Continue down the short hallway, turn left, and then follow the hallway until you
reach a pillar on the right. Turn right and proceed to the display case. Here you will
find a memorial to volcanologist David A. Johnston.
At 8:32 a.m. on 18 May 1980, the day that Mount St. Helens erupted, Johnston radioed
the famous “Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it” transmission to the U.S. Geological Survey
office where he was on staff. He was among 57 people who died in the massive eruption
that followed.
■ Mount St. Helens Volcanic Bomb
A volcanic bomb is a sticky chunk of magma ejected from a volcano that then
cools and becomes rounded in flight. This specimen was thrown about 1.6
km (1 mile) by an eruption on 22 July 1980. It was collected by helicopter by
Richard P. Hoblitt and Michael Montgomery from high on the northwest side
of Mount St. Helens.
The rock is composed of dacite; it probably came from a small, steep-sided
circular volcanic dome that formed at a vent inside the crater of the larger
volcano.The “bread crust” on the bomb formed while it flew through the air.
The cracks formed because the outer surface cooled into a crust while gases
were still being released from the hotter center.
Donated in memory of David A. Johnston by his friends and colleagues of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Also notice the framed views of Mount St. Helens to the left of the memorial.
37SECOND FLOOR EXHIBITS
