Geology and Earth Science News and Information
Categories
Underwater Volcano
Hawaii*s Next Island could be growing in the Pacific Ocean right now. Its name is Lo*ihi.
Hawaiian Hot Spot
How did the Hawaiian Islands Form? The power of a moving plate over a stationary hot spot.
Rock and Mineral Kits
Rock & Mineral Kits The best way to learn about rocks and minerals is with specimens!
Tallest Mountain
Tallest Mountain - Everest has rivals in tallness, altitude and distance to the center of Earth.
Google Earth - Free
Free Google Earth software allows you to browse seamless world satellite images. Free.
Geology News
Geology News including: Earth science, mining, gemology, maps, metals, archaeology, and more.
Largest Volcanoes
Largest Volcano - That title is shared by Tamu Massif, Mauna Kea and Ojos del Salado.
Fluorescent Minerals
Fluorescent Minerals and rocks glow with spectacular colors under ultraviolet light.
Fossils
Fossils are remains, traces or imprints of ancient life. They reveal Earth's biological history.
Mineral Hardness
Mohs Hardness Scale is a set of reference minerals used for classroom hardness testing.
Grape Agate
Grape Agate is a popular mineral specimen with the color and the shape of a bunch of grapes.
Don*t Go To Jail
Know the Rules before removing rocks, fossils or minerals from public or private property.
Largest Diamonds
World*s Largest Diamonds Records for the largest rough, faceted and carbonado diamond.
Birthstones
Birthstones are gems assigned to the month of a person*s birth. They are popular gifts in the U.S.
Horizontal Drilling
Horizontal Drilling has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.
Fire Opal
Fire Opal is a transparent to translucent opal with a yellow, orange or red background color.
Darvaza Gas Crater
The Doorway to Hell is a flaming sinkhole seeping natural gas that has been burning for decades.
Coal Close Up
Coal Through a Microscope - Coal is more than a black rock. It is THE most interesting rock.
Rhyolite
Rhyolite An extrusive igneous rock with a high silica content, produced from granitic magma.
Rhodochrosite
Rhodochrosite - a manganese mineral used as an ore, a pink gem and an ornamental stone.
Lab-Grown Diamonds
Lab-Grown Diamonds? What are they? Can people really make diamonds? Are they real?
Ruby and Sapphire
Ruby and Sapphire are the 2nd and 3rd most popular colored stones in the United States.
The Brewery Rock ?
The Rock Used to Make Beer - Geologists are beer experts and should know about this rock.
Cave of the Hands
Cave of the Hands is a cave where ancient people painted hands about 9000 years ago.
Fool*s Gold
Fool*s Gold is a name used for pyrite when its brassy color fools people looking for gold.
Strawberry Quartz
Strawberry Quartz is a red to pink quartz with inclusions that look like strawberry seeds.
Gem Silica
Gem Silica is a blue chalcedony colored by copper. It is the rarest and most valuable chalcedony.
100+ Gemstones
100+ Gems - Photos of over 100 beautiful gems ranging from the popular to the obscure.
Largest Hurricanes
Largest Hurricanes Are they determined by wind speed, value of damage, most deaths?
Hand Lens
Hand Lens A 10-power folding magnifier in a metal case. A frequently used lab and field tool.
Soapstone
Soapstone is a metamorphic rock with properties that make it suitable for a variety of projects.
Sliding Rocks
Sliding Rocks Mystery - What causes these rocks to slide across a playa in Death Valley?
Peridotite
Peridotite is a chromite host rock, a source of diamonds and a possible carbon dioxide sink.
Rare Earth Elements
Rare Earths - Special materials used in electronics, defense, medical & many other products.
Green River Fossils
The Green River Formation is one of the most famous rock units in the world for its fossils.
Colored Diamonds
Colored Diamonds are diamonds with a noticeable body color. They can sell for over $1M/carat.
Great Rift Valley
The East Africa Rift System - The extensive fault system that is tearing Africa apart.
Petrified Wood
Petrified Wood is a fossil that forms when silica replaces and infills the cavities of wood.
Copper
Copper is a metal used in coins, electronics, pipes, wiring, motors, alloys and many other products.
Cinnabar
Cinnabar - the only important ore of mercury. Used in pigments until its toxicity was realized.
Geology Tools
Geology Tools - Rock hammers, field bags, hand lenses, maps, hardness picks, gold pans.
Ant Hill Garnets
Ant Hill Garnets - tiny gems that ants haul to the surface and discard on their anthill. Honest!
Sand Photo Collection
Sand from Around the World . A photo gallery showing the diversity of the material we call "sand".
American Gemstones
Mined in America - Small mines in the United States produce a diversity of beautiful gemstones.
Mars Meteorites
Mars Meteorites Mars rovers have found dozens of meteorites while exploring the red planet.
Tallest Waterfall
Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest waterfall in the world - it is 3212 feet tall.
Rock Tumblers
Rock Tumblers - All about rock tumblers and rock tumbling. Read before you buy a tumbler.
Life on Europa?
Life on Europa (a moon of Jupiter) could exist in a salty ocean below its frozen surface.
Tallest Tsunami
Tallest Tsunami - A wave with a run-up height of 1720 feet occurred in Lituya Bay, Alaska.
June 6th 1912
Novarupta - The most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th century occurred in the U.S.A.
Uses of Talc
Talc is a soft mineral used in cosmetics, paper, paint, ceramics and many other products.
The Acid Test
The Acid Test - Geologists use dilute hydrochloric acid to identify carbonate minerals.
Mount Etna
Mount Etna - The most active volcano in Europe continues an eruption that started in 2001.
Opals
Pictures of Opal - A collection of different types of opal from all around the world and Mars too!
Watch out for Ticks!
Ticks are a problem for geologists in some areas. Learn to recognize and avoid them.
Record Lightning
World Record Lightning - this lake has more lightning than any other place in the world.
Waterproof Paper
Waterproof Paper - Don't take chances with your field notes and maps. Use waterproof paper.
Crystal Habit
Crystal Habit is the external shape displayed by a crystal or an aggregate of crystals.
Volcanic Explosivity
Volcanic Explosivity - Rating volcanic eruptions based upon the volume of tephra ejected.
Troglobites
Troglobites are creatures that have adapted to a permanent life in the darkness of a cave.
Gems from Space
Extraterrestrial Gems - A number of materials from space are used as attractive gems.
Earthquake Maps
California Earthquake Maps - A collection of isoseismal maps for earthquakes in California.
What is Geology?
What is Geology? The study of Earth materials, structures, processes and life over time.
What Is Earth Science?
What Is Earth Science? The study of Earth and its neighbors in space. Learn more!
Map of the Oceans
Map of the Oceans - showing the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans.
What is LNG?
What is LNG? Liquefied Natural Gas. The gas is condensed into a liquid for efficient transport.
Crater of Diamonds
Crater of Diamonds - The only diamond mine in the world where you can be the miner.
Greatest Ocean Depth
Deepest Point in the Ocean The deepest point in the ocean is in the Mariana Trench.
Morganite
Morganite is an orange to pink gemstone, a variety of beryl, that is growing rapidly in popularity.
Lightning Strikes Map
Lightning Strikes Map by NASA shows the worldwide distribution of lightning activity.
The British Isles
Names Used for Great Britain, British Isles, United Kingdom, and Ireland. What they mean.