Geology and Earth Science News and Information

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

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

Kilaeua Lava Hits Kapoho Bay after traveling down stream channels from Fissure 8.

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

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

Geology.com News contains news about geology and earth science from around the world.

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

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

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

Canadian Diamond Mines produce some of the largest and highest quality diamonds!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steamboat Geyser - The world*s tallest geyser has erupted three times this year.

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

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

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

Crushed Stone - About four tons per person is used each year in the United States.

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

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

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

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

Mineral Rights - Who owns the minerals under your land? Who wants to buy them?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hardness Picks - Mohs hardness testing with precise and easy-to-use hardness picks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Homeowners Insurance usually does not cover the most common geologic hazards.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ammolite is a fossil and a gemstone. It is shell material from fossil ammonites.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Asteroid Impact Map - Explore fifty of the most obvious asteroid impact craters on Earth.

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

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

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

Spectacular Diamonds have an exceptional size, color, clarity, crystal form or other property.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Dowsing is a method used to find underground water that is rejected by most geologists.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rhodonite - a manganese silicate used as a minor ore of manganese and as a gemstone.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Troglobites are creatures that have adapted to a permanent life in the darkness of a cave.

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

The Richest Meteorite Field - More meteorites found here than anywhere else on Earth.

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

Azurite Granite ? A white granite with blue orbs of azurite. A new material from Pakistan.

What are Glaciers? Learn how glaciers form, flow, advance, retreat, and change over time.

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

Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.

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

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pavlof Volcano - one of the most active volcanoes in North America and a threat to air traffic.

Ametrine is a bicolor quartz (amethyst + citrine) and a gemstone of growing popularity.

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

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

Utica Shale is confirmed as a major source of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids.

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

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

Oil and Gas - Articles about oil and natural gas in the US and around the world.

Fossils - Learn about fossils and discoveries around the world.

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