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Research Guides:  Geology on the Web

PHYSICAL GEOLOGY

Geology in the news Virtual Geology Books
Current articles on the latest geological discoveries.

USGS Home Page
Best starting point for geologic information from the United States Geological Survey available.

USGS Fact Sheets
Listed by theme, these fact sheets summarize research and investigations of the USGS.

University of Alaska Geophysical Institute
This renowned Geophysical Institute has volcanic and earthquake links related to Alaskan sites.

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GEMS AND MINERALS

Gem Gallery
Pictures from the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution - Gem Collection in Washington, D.C.

Mineral Data
Mindat.org is a large international database that can be used to view photographs, descriptions and the chemistry of  minerals.

Minerals
A commercial site that can be used to search for  photographs and descriptions of minerals.  Users can search by name, class or physical properties.

Mineral Statistics
Sources for mineral and mining statistics, mineral industries, value and pricing are available in Statistical Abstract of the United States (Ref HA202.A3) and United States Geological Services - Commodity Statistics and Information.

Mineral Gallery. Beautiful color pictures of minerals from the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.

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VOLCANISM AND EXTRUSIVE ROCKS

Volcano World
View current information and images of volcanic activity on this site created by the University of North Dakota.

MTU Volcanoes Page
Understand more about volcanic hazards from the links compiled by Michigan Tech University.

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ROCKS

The Rock Cycle
A visual look at the rock cycle and the different types of rocks, sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic.

Rock Classification 
A step-by-step guide to classifying common rock types from British Columbia's Ministry of Energy and Mines

Geological Time Line 
Schematic representation of geological time periods from the Geology Wing at Berkeley.

Mass Wasting
Course materials on mass wasting and the movement of rock.

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GROUND WATER

Ground Water Atlas of the United States
Regional information on the aquifers and hydrogeology of the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Glacier Story
A virtual tour of glaciers, what they are, and how they are affected by climate from the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Glacial Geology
Glacial images from the University of Cincinnati. 

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COASTLINES

Coastal Landforms
A supplementary lecture on beaches and how they erode and change.

Virtual Field Trips created by the textbook publisher Houghton Mifflin that can be used to  explore geological surveys and information from around the world.

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EARTHQUAKES

Earthquakes and Seismicity
USGS earthquake information; includes the link to seismicity maps.

Geological Hazards Team - Earthquakes/Geomagnetic/Landslides
Geological hazards compiled and displayed by the USGS.

Earth's Interior
Excellent overview of the earth's interior.

Earth's Interior
Graphical information on features of the earth's surface and interior from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research at the University of Michigan. Information is presented for beginner, intermediate, and advanced users.

Sea Floor Spread
Animated graphic of the sea floor spreading and plate tectonics.

The text and illustrations from the 77-page USGS publication This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics, can be viewed online or downloaded as a pdf file. 

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MAPS

Maps are a very important geologic resource. Scientists study such topics as deforestation, disasters, cities and towns, water resources and pollution. Information from historical and current satellite data play a key role in studying surface changes through time. The primary government map publishers are the USGS and the Defense Mapping Agency (topographic maps at various scales covering different geographic areas around the world). The USGS also manages the Landsat Earth-Observing Satellite Data from NASA. While most of the map sources are available for sale on the Internet, actual viewing is limited and specialized software may be required. Also of interest is the National Geologic Map Database which is now under construction. This database will be a searchable catalog of geological maps (not topographic). The following sites are key internet map resources:

EROS Data Center: Earthshots: Satellite Images
Uses remote sensing to detect environmental changes. Click on an area to see actual satellite photos.

Tiger Map Server Browser
U. S. Census Bureau's map service allows you to create your own map. Also has a gazetteer function, which you can use to look up a place and get its demographic statistics. 

Seismicity Maps
Viewable seismicity maps from the University of Utah.

Perry-Castañeda Map Library
From the University of Texas, 1, 500 maps online. Another busy site, but worth the wait.

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GOVERNMENT SEARCH ENGINES

Government geology sites are abundant on the Internet. The U. S. Geological Survey especially has detailed information about research publications, earthquake and volcano data, mineral resources and mapping programs. To locate various publications and data by subject, indexes are available online.

Firstgov
Search federal and state government sites using the U.S. government's official web portal.

GPO Access
Find a government publication with this index (includes the Monthly Catalog of Government Publications). Search using subject headings such as GEOLOGY, GEOMORPHOLOGY, GEOPHYSICS, GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES, MINES, MINERAL RESOURCES, MINERAL INDUSTRIES, HYDROLOGY, OR EARTHQUAKES.