FocusTerra

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focusTerra, ETH Zurich

Established	2009
Location	Sonneggstrasse 5 8006 Zurich Switzerland
Coordinates	47.378485°N 8.547560°E / 47.378485; 8.547560 ⧼validator-fatal-error⧽
Type	Science museum
Director	Ulrike Kastrup
Website	www.focusterra.ethz.ch/en/

FocusTerra (proper spelling focusTerra) is the Earth & Science Discovery Center of ETH Zurich and aims to explain the background and complex processes of our planet.

The centre explains how earthquakes occur, what causes volcanoes to erupt, where precious stones come from, what fossils tell us about the origin of life, how the Alps were formed, whether the climate used to be so warm, and much more. focusTerra, also provides an insight into current research projects of the Department of Earth Sciences at ETH Zurich.

Current scientific and socially-relevant topics are shown in regular special exhibitions.

Location

focusTerra is located in the historic building of the Department of Earth Sciences at ETH Zurich.

It is about 50 metres from the tram stop ETH/Universitätsspital and can thus be reached by the tram lines 6, 9 and 10. Admission is free. The exhibitions (including special exhibitions) are wheelchair accessible.

Permanent exhibition

Embedded in a research institute, focusTerra builds a bridge between science and the public.

The tower-like structure of the permanent exhibition reflects a journey through the Earth and illustrates to visitors the geological processes from the Earth's interior to the surface.

The exhibition consists of the following areas:

Dynamics of the Earth

On the first exhibition level, the focus is on topics such as the inner structure of the Earth and processes such as earthquakes, geomagnetism, volcanic eruptions, mountain building and rock deformation.

Treasures of the Earth

On the second level, the focus is on the formation of crystals, the composition of gemstones and the origin of mineral raw materials. The most beautiful minerals from the Alps are on display from the Earth Science Collections of ETH Zurich.

Archives of the Earth

On the third level, the history of the Earth from the Precambrian to the present day is traced using plant fossils from the Earth Science Collections of ETH Zurich. Visitors can follow the development of life or study sediment formation.

The permanent exhibition also includes a collection of mountain models and geologically painted landscape reliefs, a two-metre interactive projection globe and media stations to provide further information about different topics in Earth sciences.

Earthquake simulator

focusTerra houses an earthquake simulator that can simulate ground motion from earthquakes up to magnitude 8. Visitors can safely experience the phenomenon of earthquakes on their own bodies by means of real recorded earthquake signals. The earthquake simulator is only accessible as part of a one-hour booked or public guided tour.

Special exhibitions

The permanent exhibition is regularly supplemented with special exhibitions on current scientific and socially relevant topics, which are shown in the atrium. A selection is listed below:

• since 24 August 2021: Waves - Dive in!
• 2018/19: Expedition Solar System - Join ETH Zurich on a journey into space
• 2017: Swiss Camp – Swiss polar research
• 2015/16: Earth's Treasures - How we use and value mineral resources
• 2013/14: Eyes on Earth
• 2012/13: Fossil Art – Experience prehistoric traces of life

The special exhibition Earth's Treasures - How we use and value mineral resources was shortlisted for the Prix Expo of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) in 2016.

Virtual exhibitions

• since 2020: TRAVEL STONES - An online exhibition to take part in
• since 2011: Wild Rocks

Publications

• Waves - Dive in!. Illustrated book to the special exhibition. U. Kastrup, S. Ballmer, K. Fankhauser, G. Grün. Edited by focusTerra, illustrations by Oculus Illustration, de/en, 2021.
• Expedition Solar System - Join ETH Zurich on a journey into space. Comic book to the special exhibition. U. Kastrup, K. Fankhauser, G. Grün, J. Kind, B. Gutbrodt, A. Dähler. Edited by focusTerra, illustrations by Astrid Nippoldt, de/en/fr/it, 2018.
• BodenSchätzeWerte – Unser Umgang mit Rohstoffen. Publication to the special exhibition. U. Kastrup, B. Gutbrodt, G. Grün, A. Dähler, M. Vernooij, I. Thurnherr. Edited by focusTerra, vdf Hochschulverlag AG, 2017.
• BodenSchätzeWerte – Unser Umgang mit Rohstoffen. U. Kastrup, R. Fischer. Edited by focusTerra, 2017.
• Fossil Art – Urzeitliche Lebensspuren zum Anfassen. Exhibition documentation of the implementation of a barrier-free exhibition. U. Kastrup, T. Klauser, G. Grün, B. Gutbrodt. Edited by focusTerra, 2014.

External links

• Official website
• focusTerra YouTube channel
• focusTerra on instagram
• focusTerra on facebook
• Earth Science Collections of ETH Zurich
• Zürcher Museen (museums in Zurich)
• museums.ch - The platform of Swiss museums
• ecsite - The European network of science centres and museums

This article "FocusTerra" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:FocusTerra. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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