Geology and Earth Science News and Information


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Diamonds
Earthquakes
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Gemstones
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Oil and Gas
Plate Tectonics
Rocks
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Teacher Resources
U.S. Maps
Volcanoes
World Maps
World Records

Obsidian
Obsidian
Obsidian - the volcanic rock that cools so quickly that it becomes a natural glass.
Types of Maps
Types of Maps
Types of Maps - Explore some of the most popular types of maps that have been made.
Minerals
Minerals
Minerals - Descriptions, photos, articles, properties and uses for common minerals.
What is a Maar?
What is a Maar?
What is a Maar? The second most common volcanic landscape feature on Earth.
Turquoise
Turquoise
Turquoise - A bluish-green gem material that has been used for over 6000 years.
Diamonds
Diamonds
Diamonds - Learn about the properties of diamond, its many uses, and diamond discoveries.
Underwater Volcano
Lo'ihi Seamount
Hawaii*s Next Island could be growing in the Pacific Ocean right now. Its name is Lo*ihi.
Hawaiian Hot Spot
Hawaiian Hot Spot
How did the Hawaiian Islands Form? The power of a moving plate over a stationary hot spot.
Ethiopian Opal
Ethiopian opal
Ethiopian Opal - The new opal heavyweight that might give Australia a run.
Tallest Mountain
Tallest Mountain
Tallest Mountain - Everest has rivals in tallness, altitude and distance to the center of Earth.
Rock Art
Rock Art
Rock Art - People have been marking on rocks for thousands of years.
Uses of Gold
Uses of Gold
The Many Uses of Gold - Unique properties make gold one of the most useful metals.
Chalk
chalk
Chalk is a variety of limestone formed from fine-grained marine sediment known as ooze.
Geodes
Geodes
Geodes look like ordinary rocks on the outside but can be spectacular inside!
Granite
Granite
Granite - The intrusive igneous rock that underlies continents and countertops.
Emerald
Emerald
Emerald is the most popular green gemstone in the United States and most of the world.
Canadian Diamonds
Canadian Diamonds
Canadian Diamond Mines produce some of the largest and highest quality diamonds!
Largest Volcanoes
Largest Volcanoes
Largest Volcano - That title is shared by Tamu Massif, Mauna Kea and Ojos del Salado.
Andalusite
Andalusite
Andalusite is a metamorphic mineral and a strongly pleochroic gem material.
Olivine
Olivine
Olivine - Abundant in Earth*s mantle. A constituent of meteorites. The gem peridot.
Rock and Mineral Kits
Rock Kits
Rock & Mineral Kits The best way to learn about rocks and minerals is with specimens!
Fluorescent Minerals
Fluorescent Minerals
Fluorescent Minerals and rocks glow with spectacular colors under ultraviolet light.
Mineral Hardness
Mohs Hardness Test
Mohs Hardness Scale is a set of reference minerals used for classroom hardness testing.
Rocks
Rocks
Rocks - Galleries of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock photos with descriptions.
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli - a metamorphic rock and the most popular blue opaque gemstone in history.
Rock Salt
Rock Salt
Rock Salt is a sedimentary rock composed of the mineral halite. It has many uses!
Geology News
news about geology
Geology News including: Earth science, mining, gemology, maps, metals, archaeology, and more.
Largest Diamonds
world's largest diamonds
World*s Largest Diamonds Records for the largest rough, faceted and carbonado diamond.
Don*t Go To Jail
Don't Go To Jail
Know the Rules before removing rocks, fossils or minerals from public or private property.
Fossils
fossil
Fossils are remains, traces or imprints of ancient life. They reveal Earth's biological history.
Grape Agate
Grape Agate
Grape Agate is a popular mineral specimen with the color and the shape of a bunch of grapes.
Google Earth - Free
Download Google Earth Free
Free Google Earth software allows you to browse seamless world satellite images. Free.
Horizontal Drilling
Horizontal Drilling
Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.
Gemstones
Gemstones
Gemstones - Colorful images and articles about diamonds and colored stones.
San Andreas Fault
What is the San Andreas Fault?
What is the San Andreas Fault? Map, photos and description of the fault.
Coal Close Up
Coal Through a Microscope
Coal Through a Microscope - Coal is more than a black rock. It is THE most interesting rock.
Gifts That Rock
Gifts That Rock
Gifts That Rock - What are the most popular gift items in the Geology.com store?
Plate Tectonics
Plate Tectonics
Plate Tectonics - Articles and maps about plate tectonics and the interior of Earth.
Fire Opal
Fire Opal
Fire Opal is a transparent to translucent opal with a yellow, orange or red background color.
Quartzite
quartzite
Quartzite is metamorphic rock formed when sandstone is subjected to heat and pressure.
Darvaza Gas Crater
Darvaza Gas Crater
The Doorway to Hell is a flaming sinkhole seeping natural gas that has been burning for decades.
Hardness Picks
hardness picks
Hardness Picks - Test for hardness with precise and easy-to-use hardness picks.
Rhyolite
Rhyolite
Rhyolite An extrusive igneous rock with a high silica content, produced from granitic magma.
DeLorme Atlas
DeLorme Atlas
Topo Maps - The DeLorme Atlas is an entire state of topo maps in one convenient book.
Rhodochrosite
Rhodochrosite
Rhodochrosite - a manganese mineral used as an ore, a pink gem and an ornamental stone.
Lab-Grown Diamonds
Lab-Grown Diamonds
Lab-Grown Diamonds? What are they? Can people really make diamonds? Are they real?
Meteorites
Meteorites
Meteorites - Rocks that were once parts of planets or large asteroids.
Ilmenite
Ilmenite
Ilmenite - The primary ore of titanium and source of most titanium dioxide.
Labradorite
Labradorite
Labradorite is a feldspar mineral that sometimes exhibits an iridescent play-of-color.
Wall Maps
Wall Maps
Wall Maps - Wall maps of the world, continents, states and the USA.
Debris Flows
Debris Flows
Debris Flows are moving masses of loose mud, sand, soil, rock and water.
Cave of the Hands
Cave of the Hands
Cave of the Hands is a cave where ancient people painted hands about 9000 years ago.
Ruby and Sapphire
ruby and sapphire
Ruby and Sapphire are the 2nd and 3rd most popular colored stones in the United States.
Birthstones
Birthstones
Birthstones are gems assigned to the month of a person*s birth. They are popular gifts in the U.S.
Types Of Eruptions
Types Of Eruptions
Types of Volcanic Eruptions - A description of the most common eruption types.
Strawberry Quartz
Strawberry Quartz
Strawberry Quartz is a red to pink quartz with inclusions that look like strawberry seeds.
Chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite - The most important ore of copper for over five thousand years.
Great Lakes
Great Lakes Map
Great Lakes : Map of the Great Lakes with surrounding states and provinces.
Crushed Stone
Crushed Stone
The Unsung Mineral Hero - and the commodity upon which almost everything is built.
Volcanoes
Volcanoes
Volcanoes - Articles about volcanoes, volcanic hazards and eruptions past and present.
Fool*s Gold
Fool*s Gold
Fool*s Gold is a name used for pyrite when its brassy color fools people looking for gold.
The Brewery Rock ?
diatomite
The Rock Used to Make Beer - Geologists are beer experts and should know about this rock.
Hand Lens
Hand Lens
Hand Lens A 10-power folding magnifier in a metal case. A frequently used lab and field tool.
Largest Hurricanes
Largest Hurricanes
Largest Hurricanes Are they determined by wind speed, value of damage, most deaths?
Where is Israel?
where is israel
Where is Israel? On the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In the Middle East.
Teacher Resources
Teacher Resources
Teacher Resources - K-12 resources for teaching about earth science.
Shale
Shale
Shale - The rock that has quickly transformed the oil and gas industry.
Blue Flames
Blue Flames
Blue Flames and the largest highly acidic lake in the world at Kawah Ijen Volcano.
Field Courses
Field Camps
Field Courses - Over 80 field courses for undergraduate geology students.
Corundum
Corundum
Corundum is the third hardest mineral. It is also the mineral of ruby and sapphire.
Bear Attacks
Bear Attacks
Bear Attacks - Knowing how to react to a bear encounter or attack could save your life.
Rocks on Mars
Rocks on Mars
Rocks on Mars Many of the rocks found on Mars are not very different from Earth rocks.
Green River Fossils
Green River Fossils
The Green River Formation is one of the most famous rock units in the world for its fossils.
Spatter Cones
Spatter Cones
Spatter Cones are small, steep, volcanic cones built of welded basaltic lava.
Colored Diamonds
Colored Diamonds
Colored Diamonds are diamonds with a noticeable body color. They can sell for over $1M/carat.
Charoite
Charoite
Charoite is a purple silicate mineral, found only in Russia, used as a gem material.
100+ Gemstones
colored stones
100+ Gems - Photos of over 100 beautiful gems ranging from the popular to the obscure.
Copper
Copper
Copper is a metal used in coins, electronics, pipes, wiring, motors, alloys and many other products.
Zircon
Zircon
Zircon is the primary ore of zirconium and a gemstone that is available in many colors.
Gem Silica
Gem Silica
Gem Silica is a blue chalcedony colored by copper. It is the rarest and most valuable chalcedony.
Mineraloids
Mineraloids
Mineraloids are amorphous naturally-occurring inorganic solids that lack crystallinity.
Gold Pans
Gold Pans
Gold Pans and Panning Kits - classifiers, snuffer bottles. Learn how to pan for Gold.
Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The East Africa Rift System - The extensive fault system that is tearing Africa apart.
Soapstone
Soapstone
Soapstone is a metamorphic rock with properties that make it suitable for a variety of projects.
What Is The Moho?
What Is The Moho?
What Is The Moho? The Mohorovicic Discontinuity is the mantle/crust boundary.
Peridotite
Peridotite
Peridotite is a chromite host rock, a source of diamonds and a possible carbon dioxide sink.
Life on Europa?
Life on Europa
Life on Europa (a moon of Jupiter) could exist in a salty ocean below its frozen surface.
Uses of Talc
uses of talc
Talc is a soft mineral used in cosmetics, paper, paint, ceramics and many other products.
Tallest Waterfall
Tallest Waterfall
Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest waterfall in the world - it is 3212 feet tall.
Geology Books
Geology Books
Geology Books - A variety of books for reference, field trips, reading and more.
Coquina
Coquina
Coquina - A porous limestone composed almost entirely of fossil debris.
Sand Photo Collection
Sand
Sand from Around the World . A photo gallery showing the diversity of the material we call "sand".
Rare Earth Elements
Rare Earth Elements
Rare Earths - Special materials used in electronics, defense, medical & many other products.
Sliding Rocks
Sliding Rocks
Sliding Rocks Mystery - What causes these rocks to slide across a playa in Death Valley?
US Diamond Mines
US Diamond Mines
US Diamond Mines - Did you know that diamonds have been mined in the United States?
Opals
Opal
Pictures of Opal - A collection of different types of opal from all around the world and Mars too!
Tanzanite
tanzanite
Tanzanite was unknown until a few decades ago but it has erupted into wide popularity.
Mineral Luster
luster
What Is Luster? Luster is the light-reflecting characteristics of a mineral specimen.
Volcanic Explosivity
Volcanic Explosivity
Volcanic Explosivity - Rating volcanic eruptions based upon the volume of tephra ejected.
Mount Etna
Mount Etna
Mount Etna - The most active volcano in Europe continues an eruption that started in 2001.
Cinnabar
Cinnabar
Cinnabar - the only important ore of mercury. Used in pigments until its toxicity was realized.
What is Geology?
What is Geology?
What is Geology? The study of Earth materials, structures, processes and life over time.
Expansive Soil
Expansive Soil
Expansive Soil causes more damage than floods, hurricanes & tornadoes combined.
American Gemstones
U.S. Gemstones
Mined in America - Small mines in the United States produce a diversity of beautiful gemstones.
Mineral Rights
Mineral Rights
Mineral Rights - Who owns the minerals under your land? Who wants to buy them?
Waterproof Paper
Waterproof Paper
Waterproof Paper - Don't take chances with your field notes and maps. Use waterproof paper.
Map of the Oceans
Map of the Oceans
Map of the Oceans - showing the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans.
Helium
Helium
Helium is a byproduct of the natural gas industry. Its most important use is in MRI.
E.T. Volcanoes
Solar System Volcanoes
Solar System Volcanoes - Earth is not the only location of volcanic activity.
Rock Tumblers
Rock Tumblers
Rock Tumblers - All about rock tumblers and rock tumbling. Read before you buy a tumbler.
Morganite
Morganite
Morganite is an orange to pink gemstone, a variety of beryl, that is growing rapidly in popularity.
Mars Meteorites
Mars Meteorites
Mars Meteorites Mars rovers have found dozens of meteorites while exploring the red planet.
What is a Geyser?
What is a Geyser?
What is a Geyser? Photos and information about geysers in many parts of the world.
The Acid Test
The Acid Test
The Acid Test - Geologists use dilute hydrochloric acid to identify carbonate minerals.
Greatest Ocean Depth
Deepest Point in the Ocean
Deepest Point in the Ocean The deepest point in the ocean is in the Mariana Trench.
June 6th 1912
Novarupta
Novarupta - The most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th century occurred in the U.S.A.
Petrified Wood
Petrified Wood
Petrified Wood is a fossil that forms when silica replaces and infills the cavities of wood.
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius - geology, history, maps, facts and more about the Vesuvius eruptions.
Herkimer Diamonds
Herkimer Diamonds
Herkimer Diamonds Doubly-terminated quartz crystals used as specimens and gems.
Azurite
Azurite
Azurite - Used as an ore of copper, a pigment, ornamental stone and gem material.
Gems from Space
Gems from Space
Extraterrestrial Gems - A number of materials from space are used as attractive gems.
Ant Hill Garnets
Ant Hill Garnets
Ant Hill Garnets - tiny gems that ants haul to the surface and discard on their anthill. Honest!
Record Lightning
Lake Maracaibo Lightning
World Record Lightning - this lake has more lightning than any other place in the world.
Misconception
Diamonds from Coal
Diamond Misconception - Many people think that diamonds form from coal. Not True!
Tallest Tsunami
Tallest Tsunami
Tallest Tsunami - A wave with a run-up height of 1720 feet occurred in Lituya Bay, Alaska.
Fireworks & Minerals
Minerals and Fireworks
The Science of Fireworks Learn how the colors and shapes are created.
What Is Earth Science?
What Is Earth Science?
What Is Earth Science? The study of Earth and its neighbors in space. Learn more!
Crater of Diamonds
Crater of Diamonds
Crater of Diamonds - The only diamond mine in the world where you can be the miner.
Bear Map
Bear Map
Range of Bear Species - Where you might encounter different types of bears.
Hematite
Hematite on Mars
Hematite - The most important ore of iron. A source of mineral pigment since prehistory.
Watch out for Ticks!
Ticks
Ticks are a problem for geologists in some areas. Learn to recognize and avoid them.
Largest Earthquake
Largest Earthquake
Largest Earthquake ever recorded - Magnitude 9.5. Chile, 1960.
Troglobites
Troglobites
Troglobites are creatures that have adapted to a permanent life in the darkness of a cave.
Geology Tools
Geology Tools
Geology Tools - Rock hammers, field bags, hand lenses, maps, hardness picks, gold pans.
Earthquake Maps
California Earthquake Maps
California Earthquake Maps - A collection of isoseismal maps for earthquakes in California.
Spinel
Spinel
13 Gemmy Facts About Spinel - Is spinel the world*s most overlooked gem?
Crystal Habit
Crystal Habit
Crystal Habit is the external shape displayed by a crystal or an aggregate of crystals.
Tourmaline
Tourmaline
Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.
Lightning Strikes Map
Lightning Strikes Map
Lightning Strikes Map by NASA shows the worldwide distribution of lightning activity.
The British Isles
British Isles
Names Used for Great Britain, British Isles, United Kingdom, and Ireland. What they mean.
Cinder Cones
Cinder Cones
Cinder Cones are the smallest, simplest, and most common type of volcano.
What is LNG?
What is LNG?
What is LNG? Liquefied Natural Gas. The gas is condensed into a liquid for efficient transport.
Hurricane Names
Hurricane Names
How Are Hurricanes Named? There is a plan for naming tropical storms.
Storm Surge
Storm Surge
Storm Surge can be the most damaging and deadly aspect of a hurricane.