Geology and Earth Science News and Information


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Diamonds
Earthquakes
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Rocks
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Teacher Resources
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Volcanoes
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World Records

Minerals
Minerals
Minerals - Descriptions, photos, articles, properties and uses for common minerals.
Gifts That Rock
Gifts That Rock
Gifts That Rock - What are the most popular gift items in the Geology.com store?
Fossils
fossil
Fossils are remains, traces or imprints of ancient life. They reveal Earth's biological history.
San Andreas Fault
What is the San Andreas Fault?
What is the San Andreas Fault? Map, photos and description of the fault.
Fire Opal
Fire Opal
Fire Opal is a transparent to translucent opal with a yellow, orange or red background color.
Granite
Granite
Granite - The intrusive igneous rock that underlies continents and countertops.
Debris Flows
Debris Flows
Debris Flows are moving masses of loose mud, sand, soil, rock and water.
Lab-Grown Diamonds
Lab-Grown Diamonds
Lab-Grown Diamonds? What are they? Can people really make diamonds? Are they real?
Crushed Stone
Crushed Stone
The Unsung Mineral Hero - and the commodity upon which almost everything is built.
Types of Maps
Types of Maps
Types of Maps - Explore some of the most popular types of maps that have been made.
Rhyolite
Rhyolite
Rhyolite An extrusive igneous rock with a high silica content, produced from granitic magma.
Volcanoes
Volcanoes
Volcanoes - Articles about volcanoes, volcanic hazards and eruptions past and present.
Cave of the Hands
Cave of the Hands
Cave of the Hands is a cave where ancient people painted hands about 9000 years ago.
Plate Tectonics
Plate Tectonics
Plate Tectonics - Articles and maps about plate tectonics and the interior of Earth.
Chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite - The most important ore of copper for over five thousand years.
Ilmenite
Ilmenite
Ilmenite - The primary ore of titanium and source of most titanium dioxide.
Gemstones
Gemstones
Gemstones - Colorful images and articles about diamonds and colored stones.
Where is Israel?
where is israel
Where is Israel? On the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In the Middle East.
Types Of Eruptions
Types Of Eruptions
Types of Volcanic Eruptions - A description of the most common eruption types.
Rocks on Mars
Rocks on Mars
Rocks on Mars Many of the rocks found on Mars are not very different from Earth rocks.
Rhodochrosite
Rhodochrosite
Rhodochrosite - a manganese mineral used as an ore, a pink gem and an ornamental stone.
Rock and Mineral Kits
Rock Kits
Rock & Mineral Kits The best way to learn about rocks and minerals is with specimens!
Green River Fossils
Green River Fossils
The Green River Formation is one of the most famous rock units in the world for its fossils.
Life on Europa?
Life on Europa
Life on Europa (a moon of Jupiter) could exist in a salty ocean below its frozen surface.
Quartzite
quartzite
Quartzite is metamorphic rock formed when sandstone is subjected to heat and pressure.
Google Earth - Free
Download Google Earth Free
Free Google Earth software allows you to browse seamless world satellite images. Free.
Tallest Waterfall
Tallest Waterfall
Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest waterfall in the world - it is 3212 feet tall.
Geology News
news about geology
Geology News including: Earth science, mining, gemology, maps, metals, archaeology, and more.
Spatter Cones
Spatter Cones
Spatter Cones are small, steep, volcanic cones built of welded basaltic lava.
The Brewery Rock ?
diatomite
The Rock Used to Make Beer - Geologists are beer experts and should know about this rock.
Meteorites
Meteorites
Meteorites - Rocks that were once parts of planets or large asteroids.
Uses of Talc
uses of talc
Talc is a soft mineral used in cosmetics, paper, paint, ceramics and many other products.
Copper
Copper
Copper is a metal used in coins, electronics, pipes, wiring, motors, alloys and many other products.
Rocks
Rocks
Rocks - Galleries of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock photos with descriptions.
Largest Hurricanes
Largest Hurricanes
Largest Hurricanes Are they determined by wind speed, value of damage, most deaths?
Charoite
Charoite
Charoite is a purple silicate mineral, found only in Russia, used as a gem material.
Hawaii Topo Maps
Hawaii topo maps
Hawaii Delorme Atlas - Get detailed topo maps in the new Second Edition (2023).
Zircon
Zircon
Zircon is the primary ore of zirconium and a gemstone that is available in many colors.
Ruby and Sapphire
ruby and sapphire
Ruby and Sapphire are the 2nd and 3rd most popular colored stones in the United States.
Bear Attacks
Bear Attacks
Bear Attacks - Knowing how to react to a bear encounter or attack could save your life.
Mount Etna
Mount Etna
Mount Etna - The most active volcano in Europe continues an eruption that started in 2001.
DeLorme Atlas
DeLorme Atlas
Topo Maps - The DeLorme Atlas is an entire state of topo maps in one convenient book.
Helium
Helium
Helium is a byproduct of the natural gas industry. Its most important use is in MRI.
The Acid Test
The Acid Test
The Acid Test - Geologists use dilute hydrochloric acid to identify carbonate minerals.
Obsidian
Obsidian
Obsidian - the volcanic rock that cools so quickly that it becomes a natural glass.
E.T. Volcanoes
Solar System Volcanoes
Solar System Volcanoes - Earth is not the only location of volcanic activity.
Colored Diamonds
Colored Diamonds
Colored Diamonds are diamonds with a noticeable body color. They can sell for over $1M/carat.
Underwater Volcano
Lo'ihi Seamount
Hawaii*s Next Island could be growing in the Pacific Ocean right now. Its name is Lo*ihi.
Coquina
Coquina
Coquina - A porous limestone composed almost entirely of fossil debris.
Teacher Resources
Teacher Resources
Teacher Resources - K-12 resources for teaching about earth science.
Mineral Luster
luster
What Is Luster? Luster is the light-reflecting characteristics of a mineral specimen.
Mineral Hardness
Mohs Hardness Test
Mohs Hardness Scale is a set of reference minerals used for classroom hardness testing.
What is Geology?
What is Geology?
What is Geology? The study of Earth materials, structures, processes and life over time.
Wall Maps
Wall Maps
Wall Maps - Wall maps of the world, continents, states and the USA.
Volcanic Explosivity
Volcanic Explosivity
Volcanic Explosivity - Rating volcanic eruptions based upon the volume of tephra ejected.
American Gemstones
U.S. Gemstones
Mined in America - Small mines in the United States produce a diversity of beautiful gemstones.
Rare Earth Elements
Rare Earth Elements
Rare Earths - Special materials used in electronics, defense, medical & many other products.
Geology Books
Geology Books
Geology Books - A variety of books for reference, field trips, reading and more.
Spinel
Spinel
13 Gemmy Facts About Spinel - Is spinel the world*s most overlooked gem?
Corundum
Corundum
Corundum is the third hardest mineral. It is also the mineral of ruby and sapphire.
Great Lakes
Great Lakes Map
Great Lakes : Map of the Great Lakes with surrounding states and provinces.
Tallest Tsunami
Tallest Tsunami
Tallest Tsunami - A wave with a run-up height of 1720 feet occurred in Lituya Bay, Alaska.
Labradorite
Labradorite
Labradorite is a feldspar mineral that sometimes exhibits an iridescent play-of-color.
Blue Flames
Blue Flames
Blue Flames and the largest highly acidic lake in the world at Kawah Ijen Volcano.
Morganite
Morganite
Morganite is an orange to pink gemstone, a variety of beryl, that is growing rapidly in popularity.
Fool*s Gold
Fool*s Gold
Fool*s Gold is a name used for pyrite when its brassy color fools people looking for gold.
Ethiopian Opal
Ethiopian opal
Ethiopian Opal - The new opal heavyweight that might give Australia a run.
Ant Hill Garnets
Ant Hill Garnets
Ant Hill Garnets - tiny gems that ants haul to the surface and discard on their anthill. Honest!
Record Lightning
Lake Maracaibo Lightning
World Record Lightning - this lake has more lightning than any other place in the world.
Sand Photo Collection
Sand
Sand from Around the World . A photo gallery showing the diversity of the material we call "sand".
Watch out for Ticks!
Ticks
Ticks are a problem for geologists in some areas. Learn to recognize and avoid them.
Birthstones
Birthstones
Birthstones are gems assigned to the month of a person*s birth. They are popular gifts in the U.S.
What Is The Moho?
What Is The Moho?
What Is The Moho? The Mohorovicic Discontinuity is the mantle/crust boundary.
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius - geology, history, maps, facts and more about the Vesuvius eruptions.
Expansive Soil
Expansive Soil
Expansive Soil causes more damage than floods, hurricanes & tornadoes combined.
June 6th 1912
Novarupta
Novarupta - The most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th century occurred in the U.S.A.
Uses of Gold
Uses of Gold
The Many Uses of Gold - Unique properties make gold one of the most useful metals.
Hardness Picks
hardness picks
Hardness Picks - Test for hardness with precise and easy-to-use hardness picks.
Greatest Ocean Depth
Deepest Point in the Ocean
Deepest Point in the Ocean The deepest point in the ocean is in the Mariana Trench.
Azurite
Azurite
Azurite - Used as an ore of copper, a pigment, ornamental stone and gem material.
Hurricane Names
Hurricane Names
How Are Hurricanes Named? There is a plan for naming tropical storms.
Shale
Shale
Shale - The rock that has quickly transformed the oil and gas industry.
Geology Tools
Geology Tools
Geology Tools - Rock hammers, field bags, hand lenses, maps, hardness picks, gold pans.
Rock Tumblers
Rock Tumblers
Rock Tumblers - All about rock tumblers and rock tumbling. Read before you buy a tumbler.
Fluorescent Minerals
Fluorescent Minerals
Fluorescent Minerals and rocks glow with spectacular colors under ultraviolet light.
Turquoise
Turquoise
Turquoise - A bluish-green gem material that has been used for over 6000 years.
Mars Meteorites
Mars Meteorites
Mars Meteorites Mars rovers have found dozens of meteorites while exploring the red planet.
Lightning Strikes Map
Lightning Strikes Map
Lightning Strikes Map by NASA shows the worldwide distribution of lightning activity.
Diamonds
Diamonds
Diamonds - Learn about the properties of diamond, its many uses, and diamond discoveries.
Rock Art
Rock Art
Rock Art - People have been marking on rocks for thousands of years.
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli - a metamorphic rock and the most popular blue opaque gemstone in history.
Gem Silica
Gem Silica
Gem Silica is a blue chalcedony colored by copper. It is the rarest and most valuable chalcedony.
Petrified Wood
Petrified Wood
Petrified Wood is a fossil that forms when silica replaces and infills the cavities of wood.
Misconception
Diamonds from Coal
Diamond Misconception - Many people think that diamonds form from coal. Not True!
Strawberry Quartz
Strawberry Quartz
Strawberry Quartz is a red to pink quartz with inclusions that look like strawberry seeds.
Mineraloids
Mineraloids
Mineraloids are amorphous naturally-occurring inorganic solids that lack crystallinity.
What is a Geyser?
What is a Geyser?
What is a Geyser? Photos and information about geysers in many parts of the world.
Fee Mining
gem mining near me
Dig for Gems at dozens of sites across the United States. Keep what you find at most locations.
Crystal Habit
Crystal Habit
Crystal Habit is the external shape displayed by a crystal or an aggregate of crystals.
US Diamond Mines
US Diamond Mines
US Diamond Mines - Did you know that diamonds have been mined in the United States?
Grape Agate
Grape Agate
Grape Agate is a popular mineral specimen with the color and the shape of a bunch of grapes.
Rock Salt
Rock Salt
Rock Salt is a sedimentary rock composed of the mineral halite. It has many uses!
Sliding Rocks
Sliding Rocks
Sliding Rocks Mystery - What causes these rocks to slide across a playa in Death Valley?
Fireworks & Minerals
Minerals and Fireworks
The Science of Fireworks Learn how the colors and shapes are created.
Hand Lens
Hand Lens
Hand Lens A 10-power folding magnifier in a metal case. A frequently used lab and field tool.
Horizontal Drilling
Horizontal Drilling
Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.
Olivine
Olivine
Olivine - Abundant in Earth*s mantle. A constituent of meteorites. The gem peridot.
Soapstone
Soapstone
Soapstone is a metamorphic rock with properties that make it suitable for a variety of projects.
Mineral Rights
Mineral Rights
Mineral Rights - Who owns the minerals under your land? Who wants to buy them?
Emerald
Emerald
Emerald is the most popular green gemstone in the United States and most of the world.
Cinnabar
Cinnabar
Cinnabar - the only important ore of mercury. Used in pigments until its toxicity was realized.
Tallest Mountain
Tallest Mountain
Tallest Mountain - Everest has rivals in tallness, altitude and distance to the center of Earth.
Field Courses
Field Camps
Field Courses - Over 80 field courses for undergraduate geology students.
Hawaiian Hot Spot
Hawaiian Hot Spot
How did the Hawaiian Islands Form? The power of a moving plate over a stationary hot spot.
Geodes
Geodes
Geodes look like ordinary rocks on the outside but can be spectacular inside!
Andalusite
Andalusite
Andalusite is a metamorphic mineral and a strongly pleochroic gem material.
Largest Volcanoes
Largest Volcanoes
Largest Volcano - That title is shared by Tamu Massif, Mauna Kea and Ojos del Salado.
Waterproof Paper
Waterproof Paper
Waterproof Paper - Don't take chances with your field notes and maps. Use waterproof paper.
Hematite
Hematite on Mars
Hematite - The most important ore of iron. A source of mineral pigment since prehistory.
Darvaza Gas Crater
Darvaza Gas Crater
The Doorway to Hell is a flaming sinkhole seeping natural gas that has been burning for decades.
Map of the Oceans
Map of the Oceans
Map of the Oceans - showing the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans.
Herkimer Diamonds
Herkimer Diamonds
Herkimer Diamonds Doubly-terminated quartz crystals used as specimens and gems.
Troglobites
Troglobites
Troglobites are creatures that have adapted to a permanent life in the darkness of a cave.
What is LNG?
What is LNG?
What is LNG? Liquefied Natural Gas. The gas is condensed into a liquid for efficient transport.
Crater of Diamonds
Crater of Diamonds
Crater of Diamonds - The only diamond mine in the world where you can be the miner.
Don*t Go To Jail
Don't Go To Jail
Know the Rules before removing rocks, fossils or minerals from public or private property.
What Is Earth Science?
What Is Earth Science?
What Is Earth Science? The study of Earth and its neighbors in space. Learn more!
Largest Earthquake
Largest Earthquake
Largest Earthquake ever recorded - Magnitude 9.5. Chile, 1960.
Earthquake Maps
California Earthquake Maps
California Earthquake Maps - A collection of isoseismal maps for earthquakes in California.
Tanzanite
tanzanite
Tanzanite was unknown until a few decades ago but it has erupted into wide popularity.
Tourmaline
Tourmaline
Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.
Peridotite
Peridotite
Peridotite is a chromite host rock, a source of diamonds and a possible carbon dioxide sink.
Gems from Space
Gems from Space
Extraterrestrial Gems - A number of materials from space are used as attractive gems.
Bear Map
Bear Map
Range of Bear Species - Where you might encounter different types of bears.
Coal Close Up
Coal Through a Microscope
Coal Through a Microscope - Coal is more than a black rock. It is THE most interesting rock.
100+ Gemstones
colored stones
100+ Gems - Photos of over 100 beautiful gems ranging from the popular to the obscure.
Largest Diamonds
world's largest diamonds
World*s Largest Diamonds Records for the largest rough, faceted and carbonado diamond.
Chalk
chalk
Chalk is a variety of limestone formed from fine-grained marine sediment known as ooze.
Canadian Diamonds
Canadian Diamonds
Canadian Diamond Mines produce some of the largest and highest quality diamonds!
What is a Maar?
What is a Maar?
What is a Maar? The second most common volcanic landscape feature on Earth.
Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The East Africa Rift System - The extensive fault system that is tearing Africa apart.
Gold Pans
Gold Pans
Gold Pans and Panning Kits - classifiers, snuffer bottles. Learn how to pan for Gold.
Opals
Opal
Pictures of Opal - A collection of different types of opal from all around the world and Mars too!
The British Isles
British Isles
Names Used for Great Britain, British Isles, United Kingdom, and Ireland. What they mean.
Storm Surge
Storm Surge
Storm Surge can be the most damaging and deadly aspect of a hurricane.
Cinder Cones
Cinder Cones
Cinder Cones are the smallest, simplest, and most common type of volcano.