Home to the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences and the Department of Computer Science, Heller Hall (HH) is filled with interesting displays and maps. The floor maps are 3-dimensional and can be viewed with special glasses from the Welcome Desk in the Kirby Student Center.
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Heller Hall was originally the Science Building addition, then Mathematics-Geology Building before being named after Chancellor Emeritus Robert L. Heller on September 30, 1988.
Formal circle of rocks in front of Heller Hall:
- The large block of banded Morton Gneiss, about 3-3.5 billion years old, is from the Minnesota River Valley. It is a gift to the Geology Department from Scott Gooler of Minnesota Valley Minerals, Inc. and is one of the oldest rock bodies in Minnesota.
- The folded, metamorphosed, banded iron formation is from the Atlantic City mine in Wyoming. It is a gift from U.S. Steel to the late Professor Ralph Marsden and the Geology Department.
- The Stromatolitic iron-formation is made of fossil algae, from the Mary Ellen Mine on the Mesabi Range, a Biwabik Iron-formation. It is 1.85 billion years old.
- Rock information is from John Green, former Professor of Geological Sciences at UMD.