Science & Nature

An erupting volcano can have significant impact on civilization. Consider the lava flow from the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington. Yet, without geological disturbances, lava rock such as...

Making crystals from rock salt, also called halite or table salt, is a simple and fun experiment that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. The process rests on the concepts of evaporation and...

Weathering is one of the major processes of denudation, the wearing away of rock. While some of its constituent phenomena may be subtle and hard to see, all mountains are being worked upon by...

Fossils are a record of Earth's history imprinted within rocks. Fossils form when a creature dies and its remains are then buried or preserved by environmental conditions. Over time, the creature...

Rock crystals are the second most abundant mineral in the earth's crust. Made of silicon and oxygen, the mineral is commonly known as quartz around the world. There are a variety of different...

To find fossils you need to know where to look.The best places to find fossils are in canyons and washes.These types of geological formations serve as natural collection bins. Erosion washes the...

These are instructions for mapping the geology of a local neighborhood. It's possible to get geological maps of most of the world now, but depending on the location, the resolution may not be...

Borax is a powder substance created from the mineral boron, which is made mostly from long-decomposed sea creatures like plankton, trapped in limestone substrate. Boron is mixed with oxygen and...

Slate is the finest grained of the metamorphic rocks. Characteristics such as strength, color, density and absorbency vary by geographic location because of varying geologic forces, like heat and...

There are many different types of rocks, minerals and stones out there. Each falls into a particular category and is used for certain purposes. One of the more popularly used rocks out there,...

In many cold regions, people apply salt to icy roads and surfaces in an attempt to rapidly melt and clear the slippery ice. This works, up to a point, because the salt dissolves into the liquid...

The search for diamonds can be an addictive pastime. Some rock hounds prefer to visit known diamond sites such as the Treasure Mountain Diamond Mine in New York. Others like to explore the...

Slate is a metamorphic rock. Metamorphic rocks are rocks that change form from one type of rock into another because of time, pressure, heat and other factors. Diamonds are the most famous of...

A geode is a beauty of the natural world, consisting of a round rock that contains crystallized minerals on the inside. Before opening a geode, it is impossible to know exactly what if anything is...

Weathering refers to the erosion of rock by mechanical or chemical means through the weather. Mechanical erosion refers to fracturing and abrasion. Chemical weathering is distinguished by its...

Rock crawlers are a small insect that lives in the Northern hemisphere, including the United States. They are slender, ranging in length from 15 to 30 mm, with long antennae. Larger males are...

Weathering refers to mechanical or chemical erosion of rocks due to weather. Fracturing and abrasion are the two broad types of mechanical erosion. Chemical methods include hydrolysis,...

Sea cliffs receive constant battering from the ocean waves. Over time, these waves take advantage of any weakness in the rock. Harder rock creates headlands which jut out into the ocean as natural...

Plant and animal remains that have been preserved in or imprinted onto rock are called fossils; they can be a few thousand to hundreds of millions of years old.

Rockhounds are amateur geologists. Rockhounds go into the field to collect gems, rocks, and minerals. In order to be equipped for a prospecting trip, collectors must carefully prepare for any...

The main types of geological weathering are mechanical and chemical. Sometimes, "biological" is included as a third category. Mechanical weathering can be divided into two types: fracturing and...

Geodes are rock formations found in sedimentary or volcanic rock all over the world. A geode looks like a regular spherical rock from the outside, perhaps a bit lumpy, but inside it contains...

Fossil excavation captures the imaginations of children and adults around the world. Finding a fossil and actually seeing a living organism encased in rock creates a sense of wonder at the natural...

Rock formations are created through tectonic activity and weathering of rocks. Their structure adds character to the landscape, often creating dynamic vistas.

Finding impressive rocks is just part of the draw of rock collecting. Most rock hounds own a rock tumbler of some kind, designed to wear down the rough edges of a rock so that it becomes smooth...

So you are camping or out on a fun outdoor excursion when nature calls. No, the great outdoors is not really calling, but you've found yourself needing to relieve yourself and go to the bathroom....

Construction on Red Rock Dam began in 1960. Though it cost 88 million dollars and nine years to construct, the dam helps control flood damage on the banks of the Des Moines and the Mississippi...

Describing a geological process like mechanical weathering can be a challenge, particularly when your audience has seen the effects of mechanical weathering and has "some idea" of how it works....

Pumice is a unique rock, noted for its light weight and low density (dry pumice can float in water). It is commonly used in cement, concrete and breeze blocks and as an abrasive in polishes,...

Quartzite is a smooth, metamorphic rock that comes from sandstone, which itself is a rock formed from sediments of quartz. When sandstone becomes buried underground, heat and pressure join with...

Sapphires are made of corundum, an aluminum oxide. Corundum is the second hardest natural material, second only to diamonds. It forms in igneous rock (cooled magma) or metamorphic rock (rock...

Gold mining is a dangerous and environmentally dubious practice for several reasons. Mining is destructive to the natural environment around mines, creates waste rock disposal problems, and uses...

Ice, and by association the water that is around ice, isn't as static or as simplistic as it may first appear. When the temperature of water is at the freezing point--0 degrees Celsius for the...

Agates are semiprecious stones in the chalcedony category of minerals, a type of complicated quartz structure made from different fibrous bands of color that can range from white and gray to...

The International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of 2008 lists the black footed rock wallaby as a near threatened species. However, the rock wallaby is a sensitive species because of...

There are a few ways that plant fossils can be formed, but the odds are against it actually happening. Most vegetation breaks down quickly when it dies and never gets the opportunity to be...

Dating fossils can be an exciting process. The most important steps involve recording the rocks from which the fossil was harvested with as much detail and accuracy as possible. Using the...

As a young child, my Daddy too me to the river bank or water' s edge and taught me how to skip a rock. I can teach you how to do that too.

Fossils are the remains of once-living organisms, and most fossils are remnants of extinct species. Since life on Earth has changed through time, the kinds of fossils found in rocks of different...

The appearance of white "snowflakes" on smooth, black obsidian has fascinated many people. Snowflake obsidian's appearance has caused many people to collect it or use it for metaphysical...

Fossils are the remains of prehistoric plants or animals that are embedded in rock. These fossils provide scientists with information about each layer of rock where the fossils were found. This...

Rock crystal is a general term given to a large variety of clear and/or colorless rock formations. These formations grow on or in a variety of rock types and come in many colors and an abundance...

Among all the rock and mineral formations found in the earth's crust, granite stands in the happy intersection of materials that are both highly desirable and widely abundant. Found throughout...

Understanding the rate of weathering on rocks requires comprehension of the variables involved in weathering, then looking at which variables are found in the environment. Weathering on rocks can...

Fire agate is a type of chalcedony, or quartz, prized for its iridescent rainbow of colors that seem to glow from deep within the stone. Fire agate forms in layers when hot water containing...

Rock salt has several household uses, such as melting ice from a driveway and making homemade ice cream. If you need some in a pinch but don't have any on hand or you can't find it at your local...

Salt rock is a rock made up of a mixture of salt and other sediments and impurities from the earth. Like the salt from sea water, the salt from salt rock can be removed and used as table salt...

Hematite is a mineral that is a dull red color when it is in the Earth. Like all minerals, they can form into crystals, and hematite crystals are a metallic grayish blue. In countries such as...

The Rock Beauty fish is identified as a member of the Angelfish family and has a very distinct appearance. Learn to recognize Rock Beauty fish with tips from a Caribbean scuba instructor in this...

Fossils form when the remains of animals are trapped between rock layers and become a part of the rock sequence. Discover how scientists can tell how old a fossil is with information from a...