Geology and Earth Science News and Information

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

The Science of Fireworks Learn how the colors and shapes are created.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Citrine is the transparent variety of quartz with a yellow to orange to reddish color.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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