Geology and Earth Science News and Information

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tourmaline - an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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