1 Cosmology and the Earth
2 Journey to the Center of the Earth
3 Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas
4 The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics
5 Patterns in Nature: Minerals
6 Up from the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks
7 A Surface Veneer: Sediments, Soils, and Sedimentary Rocks
8 Metamorphism: A Process of Change
9 The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions
10 A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes
11 Crags, Cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformations and Mountain Building
12 Deep Time: How Old Is Old?
13 A Biography of Earth
14 Squeezing Power from a Stone: Energy Resources
15 Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources
16 Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements
17 Streams and Floods: The Geology of Running Water
18 Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts
19 A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater
20 An Envelope of Gas: Earth’s Atmosphere and Climate
21 Dry Regions: The Geology of Deserts
22 Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages
23 Global Change in the Earth System

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Earth: Portrait of a Planet

Geology in the News

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USGS Real-Time Earthquake and Plate Boundary Mapping in Google Earth™

Earthquakes happen all the time! Government agencies, such as the U.S. Geological Survey, catalog these earthquakes and provide data that can be viewed in a variety of ways, including on a Google Earth™ globe.

Follow this link and simply click on one of the KML feeds to open it in Google Earth™. The maps will display earthquakes and plate boundaries, showing the latitude and longitude of the epicenter by a dot. The dot color indicates the depth of the hypocenter, while its size represents the magnitude of the event. Watch as the earthquakes of the last week pop up as dots on the map. Even though the map shows only a week's worth of data, you can easily spot the seismic belts that delineate plate boundaries, as well as the particularly active intracratonic seismic zones. Note that at lower elevations, your map will show a grid on the Earth's surface; the grid will disappear if you zoom out to a distance of over 9,500 km.

 

Science Daily NY Times

Seafloor Fossils Provide Clues To Climate Change - Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST
Deep under the sea, a fossil the size of a sand grain is nestled among a billion of its closest dead relatives. Known as foraminifera, these complex little shells of calcium carbonate can tell you the sea level, temperature, and ocean conditions of Earth millions of years ago. That is, if you know what to look for.

 

Pathogen Protection And Virulence: Dark Side Of Fungal Membrane Protein Revealed - Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST
Researchers have discovered a fungal protein that plays a key role in causing disease in plants and animals and which also shields the pathogen from oxidative stress.

 

Higher Incidence Of Thyroid Cancer In Volcanic Area Of Sicily - Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST
People living in volcanic areas may be at a higher risk for thyroid cancer, according to a new study.

 

Air Pollution Increases Infants' Risk Of Bronchiolitis - Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST
Infants who are exposed to higher levels of air pollution are at increased risk for bronchiolitis, according to a new study.

 

Boosting Coastal Economics With Crustacean Molting On Demand - Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST
Researchers are close to unraveling intricate cellular pathways that control molting in blue crabs. The discoveries could revolutionize the soft-shell crab industry, generating new jobs and additional profits for the US fishing industry along the coastal Southeast.

 

 

Ecosystem in Peru Is Losing a Key Ally - Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:09:37 GMT
Peruvians pose what might be a final challenge to the ecosystem supported by the giant huarango tree, which is coveted as a source of charcoal and firewood.

 

Creating a Landfill to Have Cleaner Air - Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:52:04 GMT
Smokestack scrubbers will eliminate most of the sulfur emissions from the coal-fired Kingston Fossil Plant, but they will also produce a new waste stream.

 

Goma Journal: Deadly Gas Flows Add to a Lake’s List of Perils - Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:39:24 GMT
The city of Goma and the surrounding area of eastern Congo hold many dangers, including rebellions, famine and a more mysterious threat: methane and carbon dioxide beneath Lake Kivu’s surface and along its shores.

 

Rules on Modified Corn Skirted, Study Says - Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:27:40 GMT
As many as 25 percent of the American farmers growing genetically engineered corn are no longer complying with federal rules intended to maintain the resistance of the crops to damage from insects.

 

Democrats Push Climate Bill Through Panel Without G.O.P. Debate - Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:49:38 GMT
The move suggested that President Obama and Democratic supporters of the bill will have serious problems assembling the votes needed to enact it when it comes to the Senate floor.