Exhibitions of the Natural Science Museum of the Ilmen Nature Reserve

About exhibition

The Mineralogy Hall of ore deposits displays thematic collections of minerals and rocks from many deposits around the world. In addition, separate display cases contain exhibits dedicated to Ural jasper, cave minerals, meteorites, synthetic minerals, and recent acquisitions. More than 700 mineral specimens are exhibited in this hall. The Systematic Mineral Collection Hall exhibits 1,750 specimens representing 750 mineral species. The realm of minerals is truly diverse: currently more than 5,500 species are known, and scientists continue to discover new ones every year. The specimens in the hall's cases are arranged according to A. A. Godovikov's chemical classification of minerals. The Ilmen Hall features a systematic collection of Ilmen minerals, with species organized according to the generally accepted crystallochemical classification based on chemical composition and crystal structure (native elements and intermetallics, sulfides, sulfosalts, fluorides, oxides, hydroxides, carbonates, silicates, sulfates, phosphates, vanadates, molybdates, tungstates). You can also see collections of minerals grouped by pegmatite types from the Ilmen Mountains. The S. L. Ushkov Biological Hall demonstrates the diversity of the plant and animal life of the Ilmen Reserve and the Chelyabinsk Region. The hall is named after the well-known Ural naturalist who worked in Ilmen for many years. A significant part of the exhibition consists of taxidermy prepared by S. L. Ushkov between 1941 and 1951.