Geology and Earth Science News and Information

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Geology Dictionary - contains thousands of geological terms with their definitions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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