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Museum of Natural History Updates "This is Idaho" Exhibit

January 23, 2025

Updated “This is Idaho” exhibit at the Idaho Museum of Natural History, with more sharks
Updated “This is Idaho” exhibit with more sharks.

The Idaho Museum of Natural History (IMNH) on Idaho State University’s Pocatello campus recently made updates to their "This is Idaho" exhibit, which includes more sharks.

“This is Idaho” explores the wild mosaic of mountains, rivers, and plains offering majestic beauty and scattered resources that shape all who live here. What makes Idaho's land unique? Answer: the Helicoprion shark fossils recovered from phosphoria mining. 

The IMNH houses over a hundred Helicoprion fossils. Step into the world of Idaho’s Ancient Phosphoria Sea, stunning fossils, and especially the Helicoprion. This exhibit takes you on a captivating journey through a Phosphoria Sea 270 million years ago that today is a resource for modern agriculture.

The Western Phosphate Patch in Idaho is one of the world’s largest deposits of this precious resource, critical in making fertilizer for modern agriculture. Thanks to our mining partners, like Simplot, the Museum houses the largest collection of buzzsaw shark fossils in the world. The phosphate ore, mined from the ancient seafloor sediments, is processed at the Simplot Don Plant in Pocatello. In celebration of the Don Plant’s 80 years, the This is Idaho exhibit highlights this important industry in SE Idaho. 

Additionally, Simplot has donated to the IMNH vehicle fleet to help conduct additional research and to go further with our educational outreach. Look for us on the road!

The IMNH has served Idaho since 1934. To learn more or to sign up for classes please visit isu.edu/imnh or call (208) 282-3168.


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