Geology and Earth Science News and Information
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| Novarupta Volcanic Eruption: June 6, 1912 |
Most Powerful Eruption of the 20th Century: The relative size of the Novarupta eruption compared to other volcanoes on the basis of cubic miles of magma ejected. Novarupta was rated VEI 6 on the volcanic explosivity index. USGS Image.
Ant Hill Garnets
Ant Hill Garnets - tiny gems that ants haul to the surface and discard on their anthill. Honest!
Lightning Strikes Map
Lightning Strikes Map by NASA shows the worldwide distribution of lightning activity.
Fee Mining
Dig for Gems at dozens of sites across the United States. Keep what you find at most locations.
Peridotite
Peridotite is a chromite host rock, a source of diamonds and a possible carbon dioxide sink.
Fool*s Gold
Fool*s Gold is a name used for pyrite when its brassy color fools people looking for gold.
Geology News
Geology News including: Earth science, mining, gemology, maps, metals, archaeology, and more.
Rock and Mineral Kits
Rock & Mineral Kits The best way to learn about rocks and minerals is with specimens!
Birthstones
Birthstones are gems assigned to the month of a person*s birth. They are popular gifts in the U.S.
Cinnabar
Cinnabar - the only important ore of mercury. Used in pigments until its toxicity was realized.
Watch out for Ticks!
Ticks are a problem for geologists in some areas. Learn to recognize and avoid them.
Strawberry Quartz
Strawberry Quartz is a red to pink quartz with inclusions that look like strawberry seeds.
Troglobites
Troglobites are creatures that have adapted to a permanent life in the darkness of a cave.
Opals
Pictures of Opal - A collection of different types of opal from all around the world and Mars too!
Gem Silica
Gem Silica is a blue chalcedony colored by copper. It is the rarest and most valuable chalcedony.
What Is Earth Science?
What Is Earth Science? The study of Earth and its neighbors in space. Learn more!
Google Earth - Free
Free Google Earth software allows you to browse seamless world satellite images. Free.
Where Is Belarus?
Belarus forms a 400-mile long border with northern Ukraine, about 50 miles north of Kyiv.
What is LNG?
What is LNG? Liquefied Natural Gas. The gas is condensed into a liquid for efficient transport.
Petrified Wood
Petrified Wood is a fossil that forms when silica replaces and infills the cavities of wood.
The British Isles
Names Used for Great Britain, British Isles, United Kingdom, and Ireland. What they mean.
Tallest Mountain
Tallest Mountain - Everest has rivals in tallness, altitude and distance to the center of Earth.
Hawaiian Hot Spot
How did the Hawaiian Islands Form? The power of a moving plate over a stationary hot spot.
100+ Gemstones
100+ Gems - Photos of over 100 beautiful gems ranging from the popular to the obscure.
Great Rift Valley
The East Africa Rift System - The extensive fault system that is tearing Africa apart.
Where Is Ukraine?
Ukraine is an independent state in eastern Europe that shares a border with Russia to its east.
Underwater Volcano
Hawaii*s Next Island could be growing in the Pacific Ocean right now. Its name is Lo*ihi.
Coal Close Up
Coal Through a Microscope - Coal is more than a black rock. It is THE most interesting rock.
Horizontal Drilling
Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.
Grape Agate
Grape Agate is a popular mineral specimen with the color and the shape of a bunch of grapes.
Fossils
Fossils are remains, traces or imprints of ancient life. They reveal Earth's biological history.
Fluorescent Minerals
Fluorescent Minerals and rocks glow with spectacular colors under ultraviolet light.
What is Geology?
What is Geology? The study of Earth materials, structures, processes and life over time.
Largest Diamonds
World*s Largest Diamonds Records for the largest rough, faceted and carbonado diamond.
Rock Tumblers
Rock Tumblers - All about rock tumblers and rock tumbling. Read before you buy a tumbler.
Darvaza Gas Crater
The Doorway to Hell is a flaming sinkhole seeping natural gas that has been burning for decades.
Ruby and Sapphire
Ruby and Sapphire are the 2nd and 3rd most popular colored stones in the United States.
Largest Volcanoes
Largest Volcano - That title is shared by Tamu Massif, Mauna Kea and Ojos del Salado.
Cave of the Hands
Cave of the Hands is a cave where ancient people painted hands about 9000 years ago.
Gems from Space
Extraterrestrial Gems - A number of materials from space are used as attractive gems.
Fire Opal
Fire Opal is a transparent to translucent opal with a yellow, orange or red background color.
Crater of Diamonds
Crater of Diamonds - The only diamond mine in the world where you can be the miner.
Don*t Go To Jail
Know the Rules before removing rocks, fossils or minerals from public or private property.
Mineral Hardness
Mohs Hardness Scale is a set of reference minerals used for classroom hardness testing.
Copper
Copper is a metal used in coins, electronics, pipes, wiring, motors, alloys and many other products.
Rare Earth Elements
Rare Earths - Special materials used in electronics, defense, medical & many other products.
Geology Tools
Geology Tools - Rock hammers, field bags, hand lenses, maps, hardness picks, gold pans.
Green River Fossils
The Green River Formation is one of the most famous rock units in the world for its fossils.
The Brewery Rock ?
The Rock Used to Make Beer - Geologists are beer experts and should know about this rock.
Rhyolite
Rhyolite An extrusive igneous rock with a high silica content, produced from granitic magma.
Sliding Rocks
Sliding Rocks Mystery - What causes these rocks to slide across a playa in Death Valley?
Waterproof Paper
Waterproof Paper - Don't take chances with your field notes and maps. Use waterproof paper.
Record Lightning
World Record Lightning - this lake has more lightning than any other place in the world.
Hand Lens
Hand Lens A 10-power folding magnifier in a metal case. A frequently used lab and field tool.
Earthquake Maps
California Earthquake Maps - A collection of isoseismal maps for earthquakes in California.
Volcanic Explosivity
Volcanic Explosivity - Rating volcanic eruptions based upon the volume of tephra ejected.
Map of the Oceans
Map of the Oceans - showing the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans.
Largest Hurricanes
Largest Hurricanes Are they determined by wind speed, value of damage, most deaths?
Pele's Hair
Pele's Hair and Pele's Tears are two unusual types of lava found at Kilauea and Mauna Loa.
Sand Photo Collection
Sand from Around the World . A photo gallery showing the diversity of the material we call "sand".
Tallest Tsunami
Tallest Tsunami - A wave with a run-up height of 1720 feet occurred in Lituya Bay, Alaska.
Soapstone
Soapstone is a metamorphic rock with properties that make it suitable for a variety of projects.
Crystal Habit
Crystal Habit is the external shape displayed by a crystal or an aggregate of crystals.
Lab-Grown Diamonds
Lab-Grown Diamonds? What are they? Can people really make diamonds? Are they real?
Canary Islands
Where Are the Canary Islands? Off the northwest coast of Africa, 60 miles west of Morocco.
June 6th 1912
Novarupta - The most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th century occurred in the U.S.A.
Uses of Talc
Talc is a soft mineral used in cosmetics, paper, paint, ceramics and many other products.
The Acid Test
The Acid Test - Geologists use dilute hydrochloric acid to identify carbonate minerals.
American Gemstones
Mined in America - Small mines in the United States produce a diversity of beautiful gemstones.
Colored Diamonds
Colored Diamonds are diamonds with a noticeable body color. They can sell for over $1M/carat.
Rhodochrosite
Rhodochrosite - a manganese mineral used as an ore, a pink gem and an ornamental stone.
Mars Meteorites
Mars Meteorites Mars rovers have found dozens of meteorites while exploring the red planet.
Morganite
Morganite is an orange to pink gemstone, a variety of beryl, that is growing rapidly in popularity.
Greatest Ocean Depth
Deepest Point in the Ocean The deepest point in the ocean is in the Mariana Trench.
Homeowners Insurance
Homeowners Insurance might not cover earthquake, hurricane and other geohazard damage.
Utica Shale
Utica Shale is a major source of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids in PA, OH and WV.
Tallest Waterfall
Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest waterfall in the world - it is 3212 feet tall.
Mount Etna
Mount Etna - The most active volcano in Europe continues an eruption that started in 2001.
Life on Europa?
Life on Europa (a moon of Jupiter) could exist in a salty ocean below its frozen surface.