URUMQI, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Xinjiang Geology and Minerals Museum in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region officially opened to the public on Tuesday, showcasing over 12,000 specimens, including minerals, rocks, and fossilized plants and animals.

The museum's collection covers multiple fields, including Earth system science, paleontological origins, the evolution of Xinjiang's geology and landforms, and the region's distinctive geological heritage, according to the museum.

A major highlight is the museum's smart core storage facility -- the first automated core repository in northwest China, which is equipped with an internationally advanced automated storage management system.

Among the standout exhibits is a 33-tonne iron meteorite. Discovered in 1898 in the region's Qinghe County, it is composed mainly of iron and nickel, along with six cosmic minerals.

Another notable exhibit is the "dog-head gold" -- a natural gold nugget weighing 51.2 grams and shaped like a small dog's head. It was discovered by a farmer in the Altun Mountains in 1984 and has a purity between 80 percent and 85 percent, with minor quartz impurities.

Yu Jianning, deputy director of Xinjiang's natural resources department, said that the museum will serve not only as a professional venue for the display of Xinjiang's mineral resources and geological achievements, but also as an important platform for scientific education and international exchange. ■