Geology and Earth Science News and Information

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phytoplankton Blooms - Satellite images of explosive marine plankton blooms.