Geology and Earth Science News and Information

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

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

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

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.

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

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

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

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

Phytoplankton Blooms - Satellite images of explosive marine plankton blooms.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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