Geology and Earth Science News and Information

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

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

The Science of Fireworks Learn how the colors and shapes are created.

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

Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest waterfall in the world - it is 3212 feet tall.

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

Grape Agate is a popular mineral specimen with the color and the shape of a bunch of grapes.

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

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

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

Colored Diamonds are diamonds with a noticeable body color. They can sell for over $1M/carat.

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

Geology News - News about geology, earth science, energy, and more. Updated daily.

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

Copper Kills COVID-19 and many other pathogens to limit the spread of disease.

Hardness Picks - Test for hardness with precise and easy-to-use hardness picks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Molybdenite is the primary ore of molybdenum which is used in superalloys and as a lubricant.

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

Types of Maps - Explore some of the most popular types of maps that have been made.

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

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

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

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

Homeowners Insurance might not cover earthquake, hurricane and other geohazard damage.

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

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

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

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

Names Used for Great Britain, British Isles, United Kingdom, and Ireland. What they mean.

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

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

Chalk is a variety of limestone formed from fine-grained marine sediment known as ooze.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mined in America - Small mines in the United States produce a diversity of beautiful gemstones.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mars Meteorites Mars rovers have found dozens of meteorites traveling around the red planet.

Birthstones are gems assigned to the month of a person*s birth. They are popular gifts in the U.S.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Solar System Volcanoes - Earth is not the only location of volcanic activity.

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

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

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

Coquina - A porous limestone composed almost entirely of fossil debris.

World*s Largest Diamonds Records for the largest rough, faceted and carbonado diamond.

Gifts That Rock - What are the most popular gift items in the Geology.com store?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Novarupta - The most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th century occurred in the U.S.A.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Diabase - the rock selected for Stonehenge and transported 240 miles in 2100 BC.

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

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

The Unsung Mineral Hero - and the commodity upon which almost everything is built.

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

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

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

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

Cinnabar - the only important ore of mercury. Used in pigments until its toxicity was realized.

Deepest Point in the Ocean The deepest point in the ocean is in the Mariana Trench.

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

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

Phytoplankton Blooms - Satellite images of explosive marine plankton blooms.

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

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

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

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

Charoite is a purple silicate mineral, found only in Russia, used as a gem material.

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

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

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

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

What is the San Andreas Fault? Map, photos and description of the fault.

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

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

Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.

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

Utica Shale is a major source of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids in PA, OH and WV.

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

Morganite is an orange to pink gemstone, a variety of beryl, that is growing rapidly in popularity.

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

Pyroxene Minerals are a group of chain silicate minerals found in igneous and metamorphic rocks.

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

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

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