Regional Museum, Hyderabad
The Geological Survey of India started its Southern Regional Office at Hyderabad during 1961. In the formative stages, a Geological Museum was established for housing specimens of rocks, minerals and fossils of geological importance, collected by the field officers.
In the year 1990, when GSI shifted to its own premises at Bandlaguda a Geological Museum was set up in the GSI Complex of Southern Region, Hyderabad. The museum was named after Dr. William King, a pioneering worker of GSI in 2004. In March 2017, the renovation work of Dr. William King Museum, which included both (civil and electrical) was initiated. It is housed in a quite elegant 14m x 23m single, 13m-high big hall.
The museum has three sections, one dedicated to rocks, minerals and ores and other to fossils. One room is specially decorated with geodes and zeolites mostly donated by Mr. Muhammad F. Makki, Pune. The museum houses over 315 rocks and 235 mineral specimens collected from different parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala, which are under the jurisdiction of the Southern Region representing the entire geological column. It includes 64 economic minerals, 20 samples of geodes, 21 international samples, 04 samples collected from Antartica, 11 kimberlite samples, 63 gemstones samples, 44 Stromatolites & plant fossils, 28 vertebrate & 45 invertebrate specimens, 07 Dinosaur models, 35 Geodes & Zeolites samples (donated by Mr. Makki.), 27 Igneous rocks samples, 16 Metamorphic rocks samples, 23 Sedimentary rocks samples, 07 refractory minerals, 12 samples are from Kurnool & Cuddapah basin, Rocks of the Bhima basin, 12 samples are from Prakasam-Nellore, 03 samples shows folds and 10 samples are of the structures. Approximately 103 specimens of dimensional stones/building stones are displayed as cut and polished slabs/blocks. Rocks are displayed genesis wise. Minerals are displayed separately as per mode of occurrence and industrial use.
The Palaeontology section houses various plant and animal fossils. It contains vertebrate fossils, mainly of dinosaurs, collected from Pranhita –Godavari valley, Telangana and invertebrate fossils, most importantly Ammonites, etc. A total of more than 163 vertebrate and invertebrate fossils along with 14 reptile models of different sizes are stored in the museum. Special mention may be made of the full-sized fossilized skeleton of Rhyncosaurus discovered from Maleri Formation, Pranhita-Godavari valley Telangana, it is showcased alongwith its life sized fiber glass model. GSI, SR has reconstructed a full sized dinosaur skeleton and donated to Birla Science Museum, which is located in the Central part of Hyderabad and is visited by many people including tourists. This dinosaur was discovered in Yamanpalli area of Jayashankar Bhupalpalli district, Telangana.
The museum exhibits 29 paintings on the important events of the evolution and morphological features of earth and evolution of life, 17 maps and one globe. The major share of exhibits belongs to the characteristic rocks and minerals of the southern states (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Goa. Some samples from other states and a few from foreign states are also housed. GSI, SR has a rock garden named after CH. Narsimha Rao. CH. Narsimha Rao Rock Garden is designed as a miniature of the geological map of Southern India. It is showing the geology of all the states of South India, major rivers, state boundaries of India. The big sized rocks, ores and fossils collected from different field areas are displayed in a respective position as they are in field. The complete lithostratigraphy of Cuddapah basin, Andhra Pradesh is also showcased here.