Come face to face with erupting geysers, crumbling mountains, and wind driven waves at the Fleet’s biggest exhibition of the year, “Earth Exposed.” At this exhibition, you’ll discover the science behind weather patterns, ocean currents, and all of the forces of nature that form our landscape, seascape and even cloudscape.
Nature is a work in progress, and this collection of more than 30 exhibits will allow you to get up-close and hands-on with many of the fundamental forces that continually shape and re-shape the planet. Take the sand found along the shores of one of San Diego’s beaches. It could be tiny remnants of far off mountains, slowly weathered away over millions of years, transported hundreds of miles and deposited on the beach today. Just grains of sand now, the tiny fragments of sand may become a part of another mountain millions of years in the future.
“Earth Exposed” is a traveling exhibition that transforms the patterns, forces and phenomena unfolding across the planet, often over time and distances too large to fully grasp, into interactive exhibits of a size and scale comprehensible to all ages. Through this exhibition, you will witness the chaotic power of earth’s natural forces and see how time records these changes.
During a visit to "Earth Exposed" don't miss the opportunity to:
Get lost in a storm at Confused Sea. Air blowing over the surface of water inside a large plastic hemisphere mimics the action of wind over the ocean by generating waves. The waves slowly change and build until the entire volume of water is circling as one wave.
Mimic a volcano’s activity with Rift Zone. Air bubbling up through fine sand suggests a small-scale geothermal landscape. By manipulating a knob, visitors can change the pressure of the air rising through the sand and alter the shapes and patterns of the landscape.
Experience the exploding eruption of a Geyser. A large bowl of water is supported over a long, thin tube which runs down to a glass chamber filled with heated water. As the water in the chamber begins to boil, air and water are shot up into the air. Cool water drains back down the pipe filling the chamber and the cycle begins again.
At Magnetic Globe, visitors pour magnetic sand over an earth model and observe the particles lining up, demonstrating the earth’s magnetic fields. A compass can be held against different points on the globe, showing the relationship between the earth’s magnetic field and the navigational properties of compasses.
Discover beautiful sand and water mixtures at Springbox. As water percolates up through a bed of sand, the ground may become much more unsteady than it appears.
Enter an exploration zone for deeper investigations into the mysteries of the chaotic nature of the planet at Earth Lab. Visitors will encounter tools, materials, props and multi-media displays that support further exploration of the planet.
Visit the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center to experience swirling sandstorms, rippling waves, and rumbling quakes at
“Earth Exposed.”
