Geology and Earth Science News and Information

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phytoplankton Blooms - Satellite images of explosive marine plankton blooms.

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

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

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

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

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