Types of Maps
Types of Maps
- Explore some of the most popular types of maps that have been made.
Obsidian
Obsidian
- the volcanic rock that cools so quickly that it becomes a natural glass.
Minerals
Minerals
- Descriptions, photos, articles, properties and uses for common minerals.
Diamonds
Diamonds
- Learn about the properties of diamond, its many uses, and diamond discoveries.
Turquoise
Turquoise
- A bluish-green gem material that has been used for over 6000 years.
What is a Maar?
What is a Maar?
The second most common volcanic landscape feature on Earth.
Rocks
Rocks
- Galleries of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock photos with descriptions.
Ethiopian Opal
Ethiopian Opal
- The new opal heavyweight that might give Australia a run.
Rock and Mineral Kits
Rock & Mineral Kits
The best way to learn about rocks and minerals is with specimens!
Underwater Volcano
Hawaii*s Next Island
could be growing in the Pacific Ocean right now. Its name is Lo*ihi.
Rock Art
Rock Art
- People have been marking on rocks for thousands of years.
Geodes
Geodes
look like ordinary rocks on the outside but can be spectacular inside!
Tallest Mountain
Tallest Mountain
- Everest has rivals in tallness, altitude and distance to the center of Earth.
Granite
Granite
- The intrusive igneous rock that underlies continents and countertops.
Chalk
Chalk
is a variety of limestone formed from fine-grained marine sediment known as ooze.
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.
Emerald
Emerald
is the most popular green gemstone in the United States and most of the world.
Olivine
Olivine
- Abundant in Earth*s mantle. A constituent of meteorites. The gem peridot.
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.
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli
- a metamorphic rock and the most popular blue opaque gemstone in history.
Fossils
Fossils
are remains, traces or imprints of ancient life. They reveal Earth's biological history.
Andalusite
Andalusite
is a metamorphic mineral and a strongly pleochroic gem material.
Plate Tectonics
Plate Tectonics
- Articles and maps about plate tectonics and the interior of Earth.
Gemstones
Gemstones
- Colorful images and articles about diamonds and colored stones.
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.
Rock Salt
Rock Salt
is a sedimentary rock composed of the mineral halite. It has many uses!
Wall Maps
Wall Maps
- Wall maps of the world, continents, states and the USA.
Birthstones
Birthstones
are gems assigned to the month of a person*s birth. They are popular gifts in the U.S.
Meteorites
Meteorites
- Rocks that were once parts of planets or large asteroids.
Hardness Picks
Hardness Picks
- Test for hardness with precise and easy-to-use hardness picks.
Quartzite
Quartzite
is metamorphic rock formed when sandstone is subjected to heat and pressure.
Labradorite
Labradorite
is a feldspar mineral that sometimes exhibits an iridescent play-of-color.
Horizontal Drilling
Horizontal Drilling
has opened new resources and significantly improved productivity.
Darvaza Gas Crater
The Doorway to Hell
is a flaming sinkhole seeping natural gas that has been burning for decades.
Fire Opal
Fire Opal
is a transparent to translucent opal with a yellow, orange or red background color.
Gifts That Rock
Gifts That Rock
- What are the most popular gift items in the Geology.com store?
Rhyolite
Rhyolite
An extrusive igneous rock with a high silica content, produced from granitic magma.
Ilmenite
Ilmenite
- The primary ore of titanium and source of most titanium dioxide.
Great Lakes
Great Lakes
: Map of the Great Lakes with surrounding states and provinces.
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.
Debris Flows
Debris Flows
are moving masses of loose mud, sand, soil, rock and water.
Fool*s Gold
Fool*s Gold
is a name used for pyrite when its brassy color fools people looking for gold.
Cave of the Hands
Cave of the Hands
is a cave where ancient people painted hands about 9000 years ago.
Strawberry Quartz
Strawberry Quartz
is a red to pink quartz with inclusions that look like strawberry seeds.
Bear Attacks
Bear Attacks
- Knowing how to react to a bear encounter or attack could save your life.
Chalcopyrite
Chalcopyrite
- The most important ore of copper for over five thousand years.
Shale
Shale
- The rock that has quickly transformed the oil and gas industry.
Blue Flames
Blue Flames
and the largest highly acidic lake in the world at Kawah Ijen Volcano.
DeLorme Atlas
Topo Maps
- The DeLorme Atlas is an entire state of topo maps in one convenient book.
Field Courses
Field Courses
- Over 80 field courses for undergraduate geology students.
Volcanoes
Volcanoes
- Articles about volcanoes, volcanic hazards and eruptions past and present.
Where is Israel?
Where is Israel?
On the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In the Middle East.
Corundum
Corundum
is the third hardest mineral. It is also the mineral of ruby and sapphire.
Hand Lens
Hand Lens
A 10-power folding magnifier in a metal case. A frequently used lab and field tool.
Gem Silica
Gem Silica
is a blue chalcedony colored by copper. It is the rarest and most valuable chalcedony.
Teacher Resources
Teacher Resources
- K-12 resources for teaching about earth science.
100+ Gemstones
100+ Gems
- Photos of over 100 beautiful gems ranging from the popular to the obscure.
Tanzanite
Tanzanite
was unknown until a few decades ago but it has erupted into wide popularity.
Largest Hurricanes
Largest Hurricanes
Are they determined by wind speed, value of damage, most deaths?
Mineraloids
Mineraloids
are amorphous naturally-occurring inorganic solids that lack crystallinity.
Soapstone
Soapstone
is a metamorphic rock with properties that make it suitable for a variety of projects.
Rare Earth Elements
Rare Earths
- Special materials used in electronics, defense, medical & many other products.
Geology Books
Geology Books
- A variety of books for reference, field trips, reading and more.
Peridotite
Peridotite
is a chromite host rock, a source of diamonds and a possible carbon dioxide sink.
Colored Diamonds
Colored Diamonds
are diamonds with a noticeable body color. They can sell for over $1M/carat.
Rocks on Mars
Rocks on Mars
Many of the rocks found on Mars are not very different from Earth rocks.
What Is The Moho?
What Is The Moho?
The Mohorovicic Discontinuity is the mantle/crust boundary.
Coquina
Coquina
- A porous limestone composed almost entirely of fossil debris.
Zircon
Zircon
is the primary ore of zirconium and a gemstone that is available in many colors.
Petrified Wood
Petrified Wood
is a fossil that forms when silica replaces and infills the cavities of wood.
Spatter Cones
Spatter Cones
are small, steep, volcanic cones built of welded basaltic lava.
Copper
Copper
is a metal used in coins, electronics, pipes, wiring, motors, alloys and many other products.
US Diamond Mines
US Diamond Mines
- Did you know that diamonds have been mined in the United States?
Tourmaline
Tourmaline
- an extremely colorful mineral and gem material.
Cinnabar
Cinnabar
- the only important ore of mercury. Used in pigments until its toxicity was realized.
American Gemstones
Mined in America
- Small mines in the United States produce a diversity of beautiful gemstones.
Geology Tools
Geology Tools
- Rock hammers, field bags, hand lenses, maps, hardness picks, gold pans.
Expansive Soil
Expansive Soil
causes more damage than floods, hurricanes & tornadoes combined.
Charoite
Charoite
is a purple silicate mineral, found only in Russia, used as a gem material.
Ant Hill Garnets
Ant Hill Garnets
- tiny gems that ants haul to the surface and discard on their anthill. Honest!
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.
Mineral Rights
Mineral Rights
- Who owns the minerals under your land? Who wants to buy them?
Hematite
Hematite
- The most important ore of iron. A source of mineral pigment since prehistory.
Mars Meteorites
Mars Meteorites
Mars rovers have found dozens of meteorites while exploring the red planet.
Tallest Tsunami
Tallest Tsunami
- A wave with a run-up height of 1720 feet occurred in Lituya Bay, Alaska.
Uses of Talc
Talc
is a soft mineral used in cosmetics, paper, paint, ceramics and many other products.
Mineral Luster
What Is Luster?
Luster is the light-reflecting characteristics of a mineral specimen.
Watch out for Ticks!
Ticks
are a problem for geologists in some areas. Learn to recognize and avoid them.
Life on Europa?
Life on Europa
(a moon of Jupiter) could exist in a salty ocean below its frozen surface.
June 6th 1912
Novarupta
- The most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th century occurred in the U.S.A.
What is Geology?
What is Geology?
The study of Earth materials, structures, processes and life over time.
Opals
Pictures of Opal
- A collection of different types of opal from all around the world and Mars too!
Crystal Habit
Crystal Habit
is the external shape displayed by a crystal or an aggregate of crystals.
Helium
Helium
is a byproduct of the natural gas industry. Its most important use is in MRI.
Crater of Diamonds
Crater of Diamonds
- The only diamond mine in the world where you can be the miner.
Mount Etna
Mount Etna
- The most active volcano in Europe continues an eruption that started in 2001.
Lightning Strikes Map
Lightning Strikes Map
by NASA shows the worldwide distribution of lightning activity.
Waterproof Paper
Waterproof Paper
- Don't take chances with your field notes and maps. Use waterproof paper.
The Acid Test
The Acid Test
- Geologists use dilute hydrochloric acid to identify carbonate minerals.
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.
Herkimer Diamonds
Herkimer Diamonds
Doubly-terminated quartz crystals used as specimens and gems.
Map of the Oceans
Map of the Oceans
- showing the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans.
What is a Geyser?
What is a Geyser?
Photos and information about geysers in many parts of the world.
What is LNG?
What is LNG?
Liquefied Natural Gas. The gas is condensed into a liquid for efficient transport.
Cinder Cones
Cinder Cones
are the smallest, simplest, and most common type of volcano.
Azurite
Azurite
- Used as an ore of copper, a pigment, ornamental stone and gem material.
Morganite
Morganite
is an orange to pink gemstone, a variety of beryl, that is growing rapidly in popularity.
Storm Surge
Storm Surge
can be the most damaging and deadly aspect of a hurricane.
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius
- geology, history, maps, facts and more about the Vesuvius eruptions.