Geology and Earth Science News and Information

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

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

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

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

Kilaeua Lava Hits Kapoho Bay after traveling down stream channels from Fissure 8.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Homeowners Insurance usually does not cover the most common geologic hazards.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Asteroid Impact Map - Explore fifty of the most obvious asteroid impact craters on Earth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fossils - Learn about fossils and discoveries around the world.

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

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