Current Events

  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

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    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.
  • Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley
    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Io...Read more

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    Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley

    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. On May 20th, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, devastating communities - destroying over 100 homes and hitting two elementary schools and a hospital - with many casualties and deaths. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues suffering from these storms. For more on the May 20th storms, see the NOAA Storm Prediction Center Storm Report.
  • Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education
    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of ...Read more

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    Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education

    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of sustainability. Here is a link to the one-page bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2366_00_0000.pdf. See report on Bloomberg News.

Geology

Geology means, literally, the study of the Earth. Explore this section to understand the structure of the Earth and its surface features, what causes earthquakes and tsunamis, and why volcanoes form and erupt. Learn about minerals, which form the building blocks of rocks, and how rocks are made and destroyed. Learn about Earth’s fascinating history, the variety of life forms which have roamed the surface over the millennia, and the dramatic changes that have happened over Earth’s long history.

You can get your own minerals and fossils, as well as the Fall 2010 issue of The Earth Scientist on Rocks and Minerals in our online store!

In the spring of 2010, the eruption of a <a href="/earth/interior/volcanos_general.html&edu=elem">volcano</a> called Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland cancelled many flights in Europe. Eyjafjallajökull is a glaciovolcano, which means it's a volcano that is covered by <a href="/earth/polar/cryosphere_glacier1.html&edu=elem">glaciers</a>. When these <a href="/earth/polar/cryosphere_intro.html&edu=elem">ice</a>-covered volcanoes <a href="/earth/interior/eruptions.html&edu=elem">erupt</a>, the interplay among molten <a href="/earth/interior/lava.html&edu=elem">magma</a>, ice and meltwater can have catastrophic results.<p><small><em>Image Courtesy of Marco Fulle</em></small></p>Scientists are still trying to learn how the <a href="/earth/interior/volcanism.html&edu=elem">volcanic</a> Hawaiian Islands formed. One theory is that they are made by upwelling plumes of <a href="/earth/interior/lava.html&edu=elem">lava</a> from the mantle inside the <a href="/earth/earth.html&edu=elem">Earth</a>. Scientists have obtained data that makes a strong case for the existence of a deep mantle plume below the Hawaiian islands.<p><small><em>Image Courtesy of Paul Johnson, University of Hawaii</em></small></p>Although we humans have never experienced fast <a href="/earth/climate/climate.html&edu=elem">global warming</a>, our planet has. And our planet keeps records of what happened. The oldest records that the <a href="/earth/earth.html&edu=elem">Earth</a> keeps are in its <a href="/earth/geology/sed_intro.html&edu=elem">rocks</a>. In this image, <a href="/headline_universe/olpa/methane_28may08.html&edu=elem">geologists Chris von der Borch and Dave Mrofka</a> collect sediment samples in South Australia. These rocks hold clues to help explain why climate changed abruptly 635 million years ago.<p><small><em> Courtesy of Martin Kennedy, UCR</em></small></p>Gold or Fool’s Gold? There are two easy ways to tell Fool’s Gold, the <a href="/earth/geology/min_intro.html&edu=elem">mineral</a> <a href="/earth/geology/min_pyrite.html&edu=elem">pyrite</a>, from real gold. First, pyrite leaves a black streak on a white tile whereas gold leaves, well, a gold streak. Also, pyrite is much harder than gold. Pyrite is made up of the <a href="/earth/geology/periodic_table.html&edu=elem">elements</a> iron (Fe) and sulfur (S).  Both of these two elements are among the <a href="/earth/geology/crust_elements.html&edu=elem">eight most abundant</a> in the <a href="/earth/interior/earths_crust.html&edu=elem">Earth’s crust</a>.<p><small><em> Courtesy of Corel</em></small></p>Sinkholes are <a href="/teacher_resources/main/frameworks/esl_bi8.html&edu=elem">natural hazards</a> in many places around the world. They are formed when water dissolves underlying <a href="/earth/Water/carbonates.html&edu=elem">limestone</a>, leading to collapse of the surface. Hydrologic conditions such as a lack of rainfall, lowered water levels, or excessive rainfall can all contribute to sinkhole development. On 2/28/2013, a sinkhole suddenly developed under the house outside of Tampa, Florida, leading to the tragic death of its occupant, Jeff Bush.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Southwest Florida Water Management District</em></small></p>An <a href="http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc000905e.php">8.6 magnitude earthquake</a> struck on 11 April 2012 off of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, followed by a strong aftershock. Earthquake motion was primarily horizontal. A tsunami warning was issued for the Indian Ocean, but was cancelled at 12:36 UTC. A tsunami was observed at 1 meter or less. Find out more about <a href="/earth/geology/quake_1.html&edu=elem">earthquake</a> and <a href="/earth/tsunami1.html&edu=elem">tsunami</a> processes. Check out the resources <a href="/teacher_resources/2011_AGU-NESTA_GIFT_Workshop.html&edu=elem">here</a>.<p><small><em>NOAA</em></small></p>

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Explore Geology

Earth's Interior and Surface

Earth, the largest rocky planet, was formed about 4.5 billion years ago. The Earth's interior ...Read more

Minerals (and the Stuff They Are Made Of!)

Minerals are the building blocks of rocks. There are many different types of minerals. All ...Read more

Rocks and the Rock Cycle

Click on the words in the picture to find out more about the three types of rocks: sedimentary ...Read more

Earth's Layers and Moving Plates

Many forces change the surface of the Earth over time. The largest force that changes our ...Read more

Earthquakes

The ground underfoot might seem like it’s not going anywhere but it is. It moves. If it moves ...Read more

Volcanoes

There are several ways in which a volcano can form, just as there are several different kinds ...Read more

Fossils and Earth History

The Earth has been around for approximately four and a half billion years! The geologic time ...Read more

Scientists Who Study Rocks

Geology is the study of rocks and geologists are the people who study them! There are many ...Read more

Rocks, Minerals, Fossils in Online Store

Available Now! Beautiful specimens that inspire curiosity and demonstrate the inherent beauty of our planet. ...Read more

Earth Science Literacy Framework

This Earth system science literacy guide identifies the Big Ideas and fundamental concepts ...Read more

Historical Events

5/22 ~7.9 magnitude earthquake hits near Xining, Tsinghai, China in 1927
5/24 Nicholas Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, died on this date in 1543 Details
5/30 7.5 magnitude quake hits Quetta, Pakistan in 1935

Full Earth and Space Science    History Calendar (Members only)

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Did you know?

Do you know why and where earthquakes happen? Check our our expanded content on earthquakes!

Do you know how to identify minerals?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Tide
xTide : A tide is the regular rising and falling of the ocean's surface caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun on the ocean and the Earth's rotation.

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

Pollution from Asia Circles Globe at Stratospheric Heights

Air pollution can get high in the atmosphere – high above most of the clouds you see in the sky. Scientists are finding air pollution more than 20 miles above the surface of the Earth. That’s in the stratosphere...Read more

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Ready, Set, SCIENCE!, by the National Research Council, focuses on K-8 science classsrooms. Check out the other publications in our online store, as well as classroom materials.

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation and NASA, our Founding Partners (the American Geophysical Union and American Geosciences Institute) as well as through Institutional, Contributing, and Affiliate Partners, individual memberships and generous donors. Thank you for your support! NASA AGU AGI NSF