General Geology Articles and Information

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

What Does a Geologist Do? Information and two videos about the relevance of geology today.

Minerals are the building blocks of our society. We use items made with them every day.

Land Below Sea Level - Did you know that dozens of land locations are below sea level?

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

Divisions of Geologic Time USGS periodically revises rock unit names and age estimates.

Plate Tectonics Articles, theory, plate diagrams, plate maps and teaching ideas.

Sliding Rocks - How these rocks slide across a dry lake bed is a mystery.

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

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

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

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

Pangaea Maps A sequence of maps shows how a large supercontinent fragmented.

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

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

What is a Geyser? Photos of geysers from around the world. Causes, height and more.

REEs Special metals used in cell phones, DVDs, batteries, magnets & many other products.

How Old is the Grand Canyon? Wayne Ranney explores the Canyon*s age.

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

Gold A history of gold uses, mining and prospecting over thousands of years.

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

The East Africa Rift System Learn about the complex East Africa Rift Valley system.

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

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

Diamonds from Coal? They form under several conditions that rarely involve coal.

Roadside Geology Guides Explain the Geology of your state as seen from the road.

Rock Glaciers - Masses of ice, snow, rock, mud and water that slowly flow down slope.

Salt Glaciers are masses of salt that flow downslope under their own weight.

Spectacular Fossils of the Green River Formation. Some of the world\'s best fossil fish.

The Geology of Bottled Water It costs 1000x as much as tap water. What are you getting?

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

Take Great Cell Phone Photos - Low-cost, easy-to-use lenses will improve your photos.

Bubbles in Amber Cretaceous oxygen levels determed from air bubbles trapped in amber.

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

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

The Selenga River delivers most of the water to Lake Baikal, the largest lake in the world.

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

Yosemite Rock Fall Photos A photo sequence of a rockfall and debris avalanche by Herb Dunn.

What is a Hydrograph? Charts that display the change of a hydrologic variable over time.

Yosemite Glaciers There are two active glaciers in Yosemite - both slowly melting away.

Stream Gaging Stations Used by hydrologists to monitor streams or other water bodies.

Homeowners Insurance and Geologic Hazards Most policies do not cover geologic hazards.