Geology and Earth Science News and Information

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kilauea Eruption - photos of the 2018 eruption in the East Rift Zone of Kilauea Volcano.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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