Geology and Earth Science News and Information

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Geology News including: Earth science, mining, gemology, maps, metals, archaeology, and more.

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

Great Lakes : Map of the Great Lakes with surrounding states and provinces.

Cinder Cones are the smallest, simplest, and most common type of volcano.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Teaching Plate Tectonics with easy-to-draw illustrations is fun and effective.

Crystal Habit is the external shape displayed by a crystal or an aggregate of crystals.

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

Novarupta - The most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th century occurred in the U.S.A.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Strawberry Quartz is a red to pink quartz with inclusions that look like strawberry seeds.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fossils are remains, traces or imprints of ancient life. They reveal Earth's biological history.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hawaii*s Next Island could be growing in the Pacific Ocean right now. Its name is Lo*ihi.

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

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

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

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

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

Grape Agate is a popular mineral specimen with the color and the shape of a bunch of grapes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Map of the Oceans - showing the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans.

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

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

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

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

What Is Luster? Luster is the light-reflecting characteristics of a mineral specimen.

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

Rock Salt is a sedimentary rock composed of the mineral halite. It has many uses!

Mars Meteorites Mars rovers have found dozens of meteorites while exploring the red planet.

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

Andalusite is a metamorphic mineral and a strongly pleochroic gem material.

The Green River Formation is one of the most famous rock units in the world for its fossils.

Sand from Around the World . A photo gallery showing the diversity of the material we call "sand".

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

Lab-Grown Diamonds? What are they? Can people really make diamonds? Are they real?

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

The Doorway to Hell is a flaming sinkhole seeping natural gas that has been burning for decades.

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

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

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

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

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

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

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

Rocks on Mars Many of the rocks found on Mars are not very different from Earth rocks.

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

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

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

13 Gemmy Facts About Spinel - Is spinel the world*s most overlooked gem?

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

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

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

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

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

Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest waterfall in the world - it is 3212 feet tall.