After four years of construction, the Geological New Museum of Anhui Province (previously known as the ancient extinct life fossils museum) will open to visitors on Oct 10 and begin trial operation from Oct 1, according to sources yesterday.

The new museum was planned as a high-visibility leading domestic natural science museum. The museum has nearly $400 million in investment and required four years of construction. According to the introduction, the museum has a total construction area of 26,500 square meters and an exhibition area of 16,500 square meters. The new museum is by far the largest professional geological museum in China. It has a collection of nearly 50,000 minerals, fossils and other specimens; its size and scale are larger than the Geological Museum of China.

The Geological New Museum of Anhui Province is located at Wenbo Garden, south of Swan Lake, Zhengwu district. It contains six exhibition halls, namely the Preface Hall, Earth Hall, Life Evolution Hall, Dinosaur Hall, Resources and Environment Hall, and Mineral Rock Hall.

After the trial run, the museum will open daily, except Monday, from 9 am to 5 pm, and it is for free. Groups should make reservations in advance by calling 055-1383-1766.