Geology and Earth Science News and Information

Minerals - Descriptions, photos, articles, properties and uses for common minerals.

Sunstone - A gem feldspar with aventurescence caused by light reflecting from platy inclusions.

How Are Hurricanes Named? There is a plan for naming tropical storms.

Rock & Mineral Kits The best way to learn about rocks and minerals is with specimens!

Homeowners Insurance might not cover the types of damage that you think it should.

Geology.com News contains news about geology and earth science from around the world.

Lightning Strikes Map by NASA shows the worldwide distribution of lightning activity.

Wall Maps - Wall maps of the world, continents, states and the USA.

Rocks - Galleries of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock photos with descriptions.

Azurite Granite ? A white granite with blue orbs of azurite. A new material from Pakistan.

What Is Earth Science? The study of Earth and its neighbors in space. Learn more!

What is a Geyser? Photos and information about geysers in many parts of the world.

United States Gemstones Small mines in the U.S. produce a diversity of gemstones.

Storm Surge can be the most damaging and deadly aspect of a hurricane.

June 6, 1912 - The most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th century.

The Rock Used to Make Beer - Geologists are beer experts and should know about this rock.

Range of Bear Species - Where you might encounter different types of bears.

100+ Gems - Photos of over 100 beautiful gems ranging from the popular to the obscure.

Free Google Earth software allows you to browse seamless world satellite images. Free.

Diamonds - Learn about the properties of diamond, its many uses, and diamond discoveries.

What is Geology? The study of Earth materials, structures, processes and life over time.

Tallest Mountain - Everest has rivals in tallness, altitude and distance to the center of Earth.

Fool*s Gold is a name used for pyrite when its brassy color fools people looking for gold.

Tallest Tsunami - A wave with a run-up height of 1720 feet occurred in Lituya Bay, Alaska.

Geology Tools Rock hammers, field bags, hand lenses, maps, hardness picks, gold pans.

Hardness Picks - Mohs hardness testing with precise and easy-to-use hardness picks.

Types of Volcanic Eruptions - A description of the most common eruption types.

Know the Rules before removing rocks, fossils or minerals from public or private property.

Largest Volcano - That title is shared by Tamu Massif, Mauna Kea and Ojos del Salado.

The East Africa Rift System - The extensive fault system that is tearing Africa apart.

Geology Books - A variety of books for reference, field trips, reading and more.

Topo Maps - The DeLorme Atlas is an entire state of topo maps in one convenient book.

Volcanoes - Articles about volcanoes, volcanic hazards and eruptions past and present.

Obsidian - the volcanic rock that cools so quickly that it becomes a natural glass.

Bear Attacks - Knowing how to react to a bear encounter or attack could save your life.

What is a Maar? The second most common volcanic landscape feature on Earth.

Rock Art - People have been marking on rocks for thousands of years.

Rock-Forming Minerals - most of Earth*s crust is made-up of a small number of minerals.

Largest Earthquake ever recorded - Magnitude 9.5. Chile, 1960.

DonorsChoose.org is a website where K-12 teachers can ask for science teaching supplies.

Gemstones - Colorful images and articles about diamonds and colored stones.

What Is The Moho? The Mohorovicic Discontinuity is the mantle/crust boundary.

Rock Tumblers - All about rock tumblers and rock tumbling. Read before you buy a tumbler.

Mineraloids are amorphous naturally-occurring inorganic solids that lack crystallinity.

Blue Flames and the largest highly acidic lake in the world at Kawah Ijen Volcano.

Hematite - The most important ore of iron. A source of mineral pigment since prehistory.

Sand is a diverse material. This gallery includes photos of sand from around the world.

Dowsing is a method used to find underground water that is rejected by most geologists.

Incandescent Lava flows from Fissure 8 in the East Rift Zone of Kilauea Volcano.

Herkimer Diamonds Doubly-terminated quartz crystals used as specimens and gems.

Largest Hurricanes Are they determined by wind speed, value of damage, most deaths?

The Next Hawaiian Island could be growing in the Pacific Ocean right now. Its name is Lo'ihi.

What is LNG? The use of LNG as an energy source is growing rapidly. Learn more about LNG.

Volcanic Explosivity - Rating volcanic eruptions based upon the volume of tephra ejected.

Ethiopian Opal - The new opal heavyweight that might give Australia a run.

Mohs Hardness Scale is a set of reference minerals used for classroom hardness testing.

California Earthquake Maps - A collection of isoseismal maps for earthquakes in California.

Mount Etna - The most active volcano in Europe continues an eruption that started in 2001.

Sliding Rocks Mystery - What causes these rocks to slide across a playa in Death Valley?

Variscite is a yellowish green to bluish green mineral. It is similar to turquoise and cut as a gem.

Waterproof Paper - Don't take chances with your field notes and maps. Use waterproof paper.

Quartzite is metamorphic rock formed when sandstone is subjected to heat and pressure.

Labradorite is a feldspar mineral that sometimes exhibits an iridescent play-of-color.

Granite - The intrusive igneous rock that underlies continents and countertops.

Abandoned Mine Accidents kill several people every year. Education can prevent deaths.

Mineral Rights - Who owns the minerals under your land? Who wants to buy them?

Spectacular Diamonds have an exceptional size, color, clarity, crystal form or other property.

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

Rhyolite An extrusive igneous rock with a high silica content, produced from granitic magma.

World Record Lightning - this lake has more lightning than any other place in the world.

Geodes look like ordinary rocks on the outside but can be spectacular inside!

Facts About Copper - Information about copper uses, production, resources and more.

US Diamond Mines - Did you know that diamonds have been mined in the United States?

Cave of the Hands is a cave where ancient people painted hands about 9000 years ago.

Lapis Lazuli - a metamorphic rock and the most popular blue opaque gemstone in history.

Gold Pans and Panning Kits - classifiers, snuffer bottles. Learn how to pan for Gold.

Salt Domes - Salt structures that are often associated with oil and natural gas accumulations.

Hand Lens A 10-power folding magnifier in a metal case. A frequently used lab and field tool.

Diamond Production leaders include: Botswana, Russia, Angola and Canada.

Turquoise - A bluish-green gem material that has been used for over 6000 years.

Garnet is best known as a red gemstone. It occurs in any color and has many industrial uses.

The Richest Meteorite Field - More meteorites found here than anywhere else on Earth.

What are Glaciers? Learn how glaciers form, flow, advance, retreat, and change over time.

Extraterrestrial Gems - A number of materials from space are used as attractive gems.

Expansive Soil causes more damage than floods, hurricanes & tornadoes combined.

Fire Opal is a transparent to translucent opal with a yellow, orange or red background color.

Methane Hydrate deposits contain more fuel value than all other fossil fuels combined.

Gem Silica is a blue chalcedony colored by copper. It is the rarest and most valuable chalcedony.

Soapstone is a metamorphic rock with properties that make it suitable for a variety of projects.

Pele*s Hair and Pele*s Tears are two unusual types of lava found at Kilauea and other volcanoes.

Chalcopyrite - The most important ore of copper for over five thousand years.

Olivine - Abundant in Earth*s mantle. A constituent of meteorites. The gem peridot.

Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.

Corundum is the third hardest mineral. It is also the mineral of ruby and sapphire.

Rhodochrosite - a manganese mineral used as an ore, a pink gem and an ornamental stone.

Azurite - Used as an ore of copper, a pigment, ornamental stone and gem material.

Tanzanite was unknown until a few decades ago but it has erupted into wide popularity.

Emerald is the most popular green gemstone in the United States and most of the world.

Fluorescent Minerals and rocks glow with spectacular colors under ultraviolet light.

Field Courses - Over 80 field courses for undergraduate geology students.

Meteorites - Rocks that were once parts of planets or large asteroids.

Ruby and Sapphire are the 2nd and 3rd most popular colored stones in the United States.

Eagle Ford Shale - One of the most prolific oil and gas producers in the United States.

Landslides A USGS fact sheet about landslides and events that trigger them.

Rhodonite - a manganese silicate used as a minor ore of manganese and as a gemstone.

Green Diamonds - one of rarest and most valuable diamond colors.

Teacher Resources - K-12 resources for teaching about earth science.

Portable UV Lamp - Short and long wave UV for fluorescent mineral viewing.

How did the Hawaiian Islands Form? The power of a moving plate over a stationary hot spot.

Ticks are a problem for geologists in some areas. Learn to recognize and avoid them.

Peridotite is a chromite host rock, a source of diamonds and a possible carbon dioxide sink.

Diamond Misconception - Many people think that diamonds form from coal. Not True!

Troglobites are creatures that have adapted to a permanent life in the darkness of a cave.

Rare Earths - Special materials used in electronics, defense, medical & many other products.

Ametrine is a bicolor quartz (amethyst + citrine) and a gemstone of growing popularity.

Utica Shale is confirmed as a major source of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids.

Ilmenite - The primary ore of titanium and source of most titanium dioxide.

Debris Flows are moving masses of loose mud, sand, soil, rock and water.

Canadian Diamond Mines produce some of the largest and highest quality diamonds!

Pavlof Volcano - one of the most active volcanoes in North America and a threat to air traffic.

The Many Uses of Gold - Unique properties make gold one of the most useful metals.

Shale - The rock that has quickly transformed the oil and gas industry.

Zircon is the primary ore of zirconium and a gemstone that is available in many colors.

Crater of Diamonds - The only diamond mine in the world where you can be the miner.

Arctic Ocean Seafloor Map - The ridges, basins, shelves and rifts defining the Arctic seafloor.

Ammolite is a fossil and a gemstone. It is shell material from fossil ammonites.

The Acid Test - Geologists use dilute hydrochloric acid to identify carbonate minerals.

Plate Tectonics - Articles and maps about plate tectonics and the interior of Earth.

Mount Cleveland is an active volcano in the Aleutian Islands and a threat to air traffic.

The Uses of Marble are numerous and diverse. You will be surprised by how it is used.

Hydraulic Fracturing increases well yield by fracturing the reservoir rock with fluid injection.

Petrified Wood is a fossil that forms when silica replaces and infills the cavities of wood.

Coal Through a Microscope - Coal is more than a black rock. It is THE most interesting rock.

Kyanite is a metamorphic mineral used to make porcelain, abrasive products and gems.

Frac Sand - A specialty sand used to maintain porosity in hydraulic fracturing.

Mount Vesuvius - geology, history, maps, facts and more about the Vesuvius eruptions.

Ant Hill Garnets - tiny gems that ants haul to the surface and discard on their anthill. Honest!

Talc is a soft mineral used in cosmetics, paper, paint, ceramics and many other products.

Moldavite is a gem material born about 15 million years ago when a pair of asteroids struck Europe.

Pictures of Opal - A collection of different types of opal from all around the world and Mars too!

Oil and Gas - Articles about oil and natural gas in the US and around the world.

Fossils - Learn about fossils and discoveries around the world.

Oil Fields from Space - Night views of Earth show the distribution of oil field activity.

Crushed Stone - About four tons per person is used each year in the United States.

Helium is a byproduct of the natural gas industry. Its most important use is in MRI.

Steamboat Geyser - The world*s tallest geyser has erupted three times this year.