Geology and Earth Science News and Information

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phytoplankton Blooms - Satellite images of explosive marine plankton blooms.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is LNG? The use of LNG as an energy source is growing rapidly. Learn more about LNG.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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