Geology and Earth Science News and Information

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Geology Dictionary - contains thousands of geological terms with their definitions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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