geology

Geology News
Teaching Science Current Events


Female Enrollment in the Geosciences
May 23, 2012 | American Geosciences Institute

The American Geosciences Institute features “Female Enrollments and Degrees in U.S. Geoscience Programs” for their May, 2012 issue of Geoscience Currents.

RockTumbler.com and Geology.com
are both GeoShops websites.
Rock Tumbling Bible
May 23, 2012 | RockTumbler.com

Modern Rock Tumbling by Steve Hart is the most up-to-date book on the rock tumbling hobby. It explains the tumbling process completely and provides enough detail that you should produce excellent results if you follow his instructions.

GeoCorps Internships and Short-Term Positions
May 7, 2012 | Geological Society of America

Start planning now to submit an application for the GeoCorps Program. Applications are due on July 2, 2012. Consult with your academic advisor on how a GeoCorps experience might contribute to your educational program.

Geoscience Enrollments Fall in 2011
May 3, 2012 | American Geosciences Institute

The American Geosciences Institute reports that geoscience enrollment at the undergraduate level dropped 8% in 2011 and 3% at the graduate level.

Teaching Climate Change
May 2, 2012 | PBS NewsHour

PBS NewsHour examines the challenge of teaching climate change in K-12 schools. In this blog post several teachers share their perspective and approach.

USGS Internships, Employment, Research Grants
March 22, 2012 | USGS

This publication summarizes some of the many opportunities that USGS offers to undergraduate and graduate students and university faculty.

Earth Science Week Newsletter
March 22, 2012 | Earth Science Week

The Earth Science Week newsletter for March 2012 is available. Topics include:

* Earth Science Teaching Award Winner Announced
* Earth Science Week at NSTA 2012 Conference
* Offshore Energy Center Offers Career Resources
* Find K-12 Earth Science Workshop Resources Online

The College of William and Mary Receives Mineral Collection
March 5, 2012 | William and Mary

“The William & Mary Department of Geology has acquired a world-class mineral collection that geologists say will be a valuable resource in the department for many years. [...] It contains more than 500 specimens, and is appraised at $514,000.” Quote from the William and Mary press release.

USGS Education Resources
February 24, 2012 |

The United States Geological Survey has an “Education Resources” area on their website that can be used by teachers and students to find information about biology, geology. geography, water and more.

Roadside Geology of Yellowstone Country
February 21, 2012 | Geology.com Store

William Fritz and Robert Thomas have completed a second edition of the popular Roadside Geology of Yellowstone Country. This 6″x9″ paperback has 311 pages that are packed with detailed information about Yellowstone Geology.

New Life for Undergraduate Energy Education
February 8, 2012 | Chronicle of Higher Education

“Today, for the most part, higher education for students interested in energy lacks the cross-disciplinary curriculum that they critically need, and so we propose the adoption of energy departments on college campuses, departments that would tie seemingly disconnected fields of the sector together.” Quoted from the article.

Geology Field Camp Listings
February 1, 2012 | Geology.com

Some summer field camps are already filled for the 2012 season. If you have not registered for field camp yet check out our list of over 100 camps.

GeoCorps Intern Report
January 20, 2012 | GSA Foundation

This video provides a summary of work done by Katie Loughner, who served as a GeoCorps Intern at the C & O Canal National Historical Park. You can learn more about working at a GeoCorps Intern at the GSA Foundation website.

From USGS Intern to USGS Employee
January 5, 2012 |

A short article about Josh Latimore who served as a USGS intern in 2009. Now he is a hydrological technician with USGS managing real-time surface water gaging stations.

Dig It! The Secrets of Soil
December 15, 2011 | Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History

If you didn’t get to see the Dig It! The Secrets of Soil exhibit at the Smithsonian, you can see videos and other information from the exhibit on the Smithsonian website.

Pictured at right are two of the interactive topics.

Astronomy Puzzles
December 14, 2011 | NASA

NASA has a nice collection of “Planetary Puzzles” for you to assemble online. Each of these interactive webpuzzles is based upon a famous NASA image and is rated for its difficulty.

Go Star Gaze – Free iPhone App
December 13, 2011 | Astronomical Society of the Pacific

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific has released a free iPhone App that will help you find stargazing events and astronomy clubs.

Ground Water Adventures Website
December 13, 2011 | National Ground Water Association

The National Ground Water Association has a website where teachers can find a collection of classroom experiments and activities that are age appropriate for grades K-3, 4-8 and 9-12.

Why Study Geosciences?
November 29, 2011 | The College of William and Mary

An article on The College of William and Mary news blog highlights a recent lecture titled: “Why do we study geosciences?” given by Heather Macdonald, Chancellor Professor of Geology.

Teacher’s Field Course: Geology of Utah
November 21, 2011 | Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech has a “Geology of Utah’s National Parks” course that runs from June 14th to July 1, 2012. This course is for teachers and consists of fourteen days of field-based activities conducted in and around the national parks and monuments of eastern Utah–areas internationally recognized for their outstanding geology.

Geology of North America Illustrated by Native American Stories
November 15, 2011 | Miami University

Geology of North America as Illustrated by Native American Stories is a teacher’s manual and classroom project workbook that deftly uses Native American stories to explain and illustrate the physical geography and the geology of North American continent to a wide range of audiences and age levels.

U.S. Field Camp Attendance
November 8, 2011 | American Geosciences Institute

The American Geosciences Institute has published a new Geoscience Currents that shows a nice growth in the number of students attending summer field camps in the United States.

Attracting Women to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Programs
November 7, 2011 | Daily Trojan

Although the number of women enrolled at most universities in the United States exceeds the number of men, the number of women enrolled in STEM programs remains relatively low. An article in the Daily Trojan explores STEM enrollment data and how women can be attracted to STEM programs.

Recruitment Packets for Geoscience Departments
November 1, 2011 | American Geosciences Institute

The American Geosciences Institute has recruitment packets that geoscience departments can give to prospective geoscience majors. These packets address career opportunities and encourage involvement in professional societies and conferences.

Schools Getting Grants and Starting New Programs to Train Shale Gas Workers
October 30, 2011 | Wall Street Journal

With shale gas plays rapidly developing in several parts of the United States a severe shortage of trained workers is a major problem. A Wall Street Journal article reports on several schools that have launched new programs or receive significant funding to train new workers.

Watching the Oceans: Free Online Educator Workshop
October 26, 2011 | COSEE West

COSEE West is offering a free 3-week online workshop on “Watching the Oceans” as a professional development event for classroom teachers.

Teaching about Earthquake Waves with a Slinky
October 18, 2011 | Smithsonian Institution

Catherine Sutera uses a “Slinky” toy to teach a brief lesson on the different types of earthquake waves.

Maps: Age of the Ocean Floor
October 17, 2011 | NOAA

NOAA has a webpage that links to a large number of maps, each showing the age of the ocean floor in a different format. A great resource for teaching, publishing and research.

Lesson Plans: Seamount Mapping and Models
October 16, 2011 | Sea Grant Alaska

Sea Grant Alaska has a collection of teaching and learning resources that can be used to create multiple lessons about seamounts for middle school students.

Activities include: learning how seamounts form, mapping seamounts and building a seamount model from a topographic map.

Gold Mining Internship Experience Report
October 13, 2011 | Watertown Daily Times

An article on the Watertown Daily Times website reviews the internship experiences of three geology students who spent last summer working at gold mines in Alaska and Nevada.

USGS Summer Internships and Employment
October 9, 2011 | USGS

It’s not too early for undergraduate and graduate students to start thinking about an internship or employment for next summer. USGS has a fact sheet that describes a number of diverse opportunities.

Earth Science Week: October 9th – 15th!
October 6, 2011 | Earth Science Week

Earth Science Week begins on Sunday! Visit their website to learn all about Earth Science Week activities that will interest you.

Student Learning: Feathers in Amber
October 3, 2011 | SciNEWS

The SciNEWS website has a new collection of resources that guide teachers in preparing learning activities for students that feature new research findings about some of the oldest-know feathers. These are based in part on an assemblage of Late Cretaceous dinosaur and bird feathers discovered in Canadian amber.

Job Growth in the Geosciences 2001-2011
September 29, 2011 | American Geological Instutute

The new issue of Geoscience Currents from the American Geological Institute reveals how employment in the geosciences has risen steadily through the past decade. Employment opportunities for petroleum engineers, geographers and environmental scientists have grown the most.

AGI Webinar: Geoscience Salaries and Employment Projections
September 29, 2011 | American Geological Institute

“Join us to listen to Leila Gonzales from AGI’s Workforce Program discuss salary trends and employment projections for geoscience occupations, including comparisons to other science and engineering occupations.” Quoted from the AGI announcemenet.

When? Monday, October 3, 2011 at 1:00 PM EDT

Geoscience Salaries by Occupation
September 23, 2011 | American Geological Institute

Petroleum engineers, hydrologists, mining engineers and geologists can earn significantly different amounts of money. A new survey by the American Geological Institute reports on “2010 Salaries for Geoscience-related Occupations by Industry“.

Earth Science Week Newsletter for September
September 22, 2011 | Earth Science Week

The new Earth Science Week newsletter is ready. It can help you get ready for the celebration on October 9-15, 2011. It includes the topics below and more….

* Earth Science Week 2011 Coming Soon: Get Ready!
* Under a Month Left to Enter Earth Science Week Contests
* Change Education With an Earth Science Week Toolkit
* More Geoscience Resources in Spanish and English
* ‘No Child Left Inside’ Day Comes to Your Area
* Visit DC’s National Mall for National Fossil Day Event
* Women in the Geosciences Day Coming in October
* Shine a Media Spotlight on Your Great Activities
* NGWA Webinar Targets Women in Geoscience
* SMILE for Activities Online for Science Teachers
* London Event Marks Earth Science Week 2011
* How to Put Your Event on the Map – Online

First Geology Graduates from the University of Southeastern Philippines
September 18, 2011 | Philippine Information Agency

A new geology program at the University of Southeastern Philippines has produced its first graduates. There is a strong demand for geologists in the Philippines but only a few schools have programs.

Salary Comparison: Geoscience vs Other Sciences
September 15, 2011 | American Geological Instutute

The American Geological Institute has published a new edition of Geoscience Currents. The topic is: Salaries for Geoscience-related Occupations vs. Other Science Occupations.

AGI Geoscience Salary Report
September 12, 2011 | American Geological Institute

The September edition of Geoscience Currents by the American Geological Institute graphs the salary trends of geoscience professionals between 1999 and 2010. Salaries in the geosciences are higher and increasing faster than salaries in most other science professions.

Teachers: Interactive Experiments from Earth Observatory
September 11, 2011 | NASA Earth Observatory

NASA’s Earth Observatory has a collection of… “interactive experiments that can be used to teach all ages about the art and science of space-based remote sensing. The experiments focus on how NASA uses remote sensing to study how and why the Earth changes.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory website.

Teaching About Salt
September 8, 2011 | NASA

Help students learn about the mysteries of salt with NASA’s “Nature of Salt” investigation.

“Did you ever wonder why the oceans are filled with salt water instead of fresh? Just where did the salt come from?” Quoted from the NASA investigation.

What is a Dwarf Planet?
September 7, 2011 | NASA.gov

The terms “planet” and “dwarf planet” continue to confuse and trigger debate since the International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006. NASA has a collection of resources to help teachers present this material. It includes: a teacher’s guide, a student activity, a podcast, poster, video lecture and more.

Geology Field Camp in New Zealand?
September 6, 2011 | Massey University

An opportunity to attend a December-February field camp located on the Indian-Australian/Pacific plate boundary. The course provides training in basic through to more advanced field geological methods, with applications to geological problems in the varied structural and geomorphic settings of New Zealand. Many students from the USA have completed the course.

EPA Climate Education Website
September 5, 2011 | EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an Earth Science Week partner, has a climate education website with content for students, teaching ideas for educators, and school program information for administrators.

From the Earth Science Week Newsletter.

Free Earthquake Publications From FEMA
September 4, 2011 | FEMA

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency recently released several free earthquake education resources for all ages.

From the Earth Science Week Newsletter.

Teacher Materials for Hurricane Irene
September 1, 2011 | SCINEWS

SCINEWS has a collection of teacher resources for Hurricane Irene. Content and links include: educator background materials from NOAA, hurricane tracking data, satellite images, damage photos, videos and more.

Earth Science Week Newsletter
August 31, 2011 | Earth Science Week

The Earth Science Week Newsletter is available on the web. Topics for this month include:

– Bulk Order Your Earth Science Week Toolkits
– Earth Science Week 2011 Contests
– National Fossil Day Contest
– How to Protect Your Groundwater
– FEMA Resources on Earthquake Education
– NSTA’s Free Webinars
– EPA Climate Resources

National Fossil Day Art and Photography Contests
August 31, 2011 | National Park Service

As part of Earth Science Week, the National Park Service is running art and photography contests on National Fossil Day, October 12, 2011. The contests are open to any U.S. resident. This contest emphasizes the scientific and educational values of fossils to the public.

5th Anniversary of Pluto’s Demotion
August 24, 2011 | MSNBC

Five years ago today Pluto, a planet since its discovery in 1930, was demoted to the status of “dwarf planet”. An article on the MSN website reviews the controversy over this demotion and how some astronomers would like to honor tradition while others want to apply a better understanding of the solar system.

Every day you can find links to several earth science news topics right here. Bookmark this page and visit often. You can also receive our news for free by RSS feed or in a daily email message.

Earn a Master of Education in Earth Science


marcellus shale gasMarcellus Shale: The most overlooked resource in the eastern United States!
Diamond formationDiamonds from Coal? Diamonds form under a variety of conditions that rarely involve coal as a source of carbon.
Mineral RightsMineral Rights / Oil & Gas: Who owns the minerals under your land? Have they been sold? Can someone mine without permission?
uses of gold The Many Uses of Gold: Learn how the unique properties of gold make it extremely suited for a large number of industrial uses.
download google earth Download Google Earth Free! High resolution 3D satellite views of Earth. Download it Free.
meteorites Meteorites: Learn about meteorites from meteorite hunter, Geoffrey Notkin. What are meteorites? irons, stones, stony-irons.

News content contributed by
© 2005-2011 Geology.com. All Rights Reserved.
Images, code and content of this website are property of Geology.com. Use without permission is prohibited. Pages on this site are protected by Copyscape.