ROCK & MINERAL LINKS

Geology/Rockhounding Links

42 Explore - Rock and mineral facts for kids and lesson plans.

Agates Australia - Gorgeous agates from Agate Creek, North Queensland, Australia, plus information on the different types and localities of agates.
 
Alkali-Nuts - Info on the minerals and environments surrounding Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec.
 
All About Rocks - Excellent information from the Reno Gem & Mineral Society.

Athena Mineralogy - Mineral reference lists and excellent images of (mostly uncommon) minerals.

Bashrox - Features a handy mineral identification guide and information on mineral properties.

John Betts Fine Minerals - A terrific selection of upscale mineral samples, with the best mineral photography we've seen online -- plus useful educational articles. A rockhound's paradise!

Bob's Rock Shop - A comprehensive rockhound's resource and home-away-from-home.

The Canadian Rockhound - Canada's free online earth science magazine.

Concretions, Thunder Eggs and Geodes - An informative fact sheet from the Australian Museum.

Desert USA's Geodes - Good, basic information on geodes and how they form.

Digital Microphotography - Stunning photos of tiny crystals in this image gallery.
 
Earth Science Week - Prepare to celebrate our holiday -- October 9-15, 2005.

Eclectic Lapidary - A free publication written for and by rockhounds, mineralogists, gemologists, and lapidary enthusiasts.

Educational Technology Center- KSU - A wide variety of research and informational sites on rocks and minerals.

Enerdynet - Petoskey stones and petoskey stone jewelry, plus a terrific selection of Science and Nature "Playthinks" -- educational toys from chemistry sets to Flower Fairies.

Enigmas in Stone - In-depth information on different types of geodes and their parts.

Geodes: A Look at Iowa's State Rock - An article reprinted from Iowa Geology, the newsletter of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Geology Link - Neat current geology events links, including The Earth Today and Geology in the News; plus tons of excellent resources.

Georgia Mineral Society - Useful articles by members of the society on a variety of topics.

Great South Gems & Minerals - A great mineral and fossil site started and run by rockhound Ray Hill.
 
Homemade Lapidary Equipment - A very cool site about DIY lapidary equipment!

Hop-Scotch Minerals - Dig your own gems at this mine in Portland, Maine -- a great list of links, too.
 
How Do Agates Form? - Insight into the wonderful world of agates from Penn State.

Kreigh's Web Resources Collection for Rockhounds - An extensive list of rock-related links.
 
Kristalle - A terrific rockhound's resource -- click the flag to translate to English.
 
Lapidary Journal - A plethora of information for anyone interested in rocks, gems, beading, polymer clay, cabbing, cutting, and much more.

Leaverite News Articles by Dr. Bill Cordua - One-page articles on a variety of fascinating geological topics.

Mindat.org - An excellent resource - search minerals by property, chemistry, association, and more.
 
MineralCollecting.org - Interesting and useful resources for rockhound newbies.
 
Mineral Collectors Page - Gorgeous mineral photos, education links, and a fluorescent minerals screensaver.

Mineralogy Database - Our favorite online resource for geology research -- highly recommended!

The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom - A useful information guide to rocks, gems, and minerals.

Mineral Spelling Dictionary - If you write about minerals as much as we do, you'll need this dictionary for your word processor that will tell you how to spell everything from abswurmbachite to zvyagintsevite!

Mineral and Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic Region USA - Where to look and what you'll find.
 
Mineral Identification Project - Determine the minerals in that rock you found!
 
The Mineralogical Record - Get back issues of this fantastic periodical reference.

Minerals of Scotland - Photo galleries of many Scottish minerals.
 
Minerals of the United States - Bob & Susan Weaver's impressive mineral collection, with nice photos and locations, classified by state.

National Agricultural Laboratory - Old photos of natural geological phenomena.

New Zealand Ruby Rock - All about the history of the elusive Goodletite, or New Zealand Ruby Rock.
 
Periodic Table of the Elements - An interactive list with links to details about each element.

Rob's Granite Page - Why granite is like ice cream, minerals and fire trucks, and more odd (and informative) stuff.
 
Rock&Gem Magazine - The magazine dedicated to rock and gem hobbyists.

The Rock, Mineral, & Fossil Reference - Contains many informative charts, including a handy online Geologic Time Scale, and a photo gallery.

Rocks for Kids - Formation, identification, uses, and more -- all written for kids.
 
Rockhounding Arkansas - One of the most comprehensive resources on quartz you will find, plus much much more!
 
Rocks and Minerals Magazine - Search the archive of Rocks and Minerals articles from July 1998 to present.

RockWare - The source for serious earth science software.

Rockwoman's Page - Geology links from Rockwoman.

Salt Made the World Go Round - An incredible resource with everything you need to know about Sodium Chloride (NaCl) -- a.k.a. salt.

Skarns and Skarn Deposits - Do you know what a skarn is? If so, check this site for photos and info. If not, visit and find out!

Spheres To You - Featuring a bewildering array of rock and mineral spheres.

The Sunnywood Collection - Truly stunning professionally mounted minerals and gems, with hi-res photos.

UK Journal of Mines and Minerals - Contents and abstracts, and some great photos!

Unconventional Lapidarist - Mineralogical and metaphysical information (as well as beautiful pictures) for a variety of stones.

University of Waterloo: Quartz - Detailed information on quartz and products made from quartz.

Virtual Field Trips - Click any region in the U.S. and choose from many informative geology "virtual field trips".

Warsaw University - A listing of mineral and fossil shows all over the world.

Wilensky Minerals - Gorgeous specimen photos, some with interactive videos, from an East Coast mineral dealer.

Ultraviolet Mineral Links

Fluorescent Mineral Society - The website for this international organization of fluorescent rockhounds.

Franklin Minerals - Breathtaking photos of fluorescent minerals from Franklin and Sterling Hill, New Jersey (and information, too)!

Ken's Fluorescent Minerals - Pictures of fluorescent minerals photographed under long wave or short wave ultraviolet light.

Properties of Fluorescent Minerals - A great primer on mineral fluorescence, phosphorescence, thermoluminescence, and triboluminescence, plus neat rollover photos!

Tozour Family's Fluorescent Rocks - A HUGE collection of fluorescent mineral photos, including some in stereo!

Gemstone Links

Adamas Geological Laboratory - Articles and useful info for gemologists.

Gemwow - Gorgeous gemstone specimens and carvings from Southeast Asia, especially Thailand and Myanmar (Burma).

Gram Faceting - Faceting equipment answers.

Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries - Very detailed information from the FTC.

JewelInfo4U.com - History, buying information, and care tips for a wide array of gemstones, from amethyst to zircon.

Olibri Gems and Jewelry - Cut gemstones from around the world, as well as gemstones set in 14k gold jewelry and a beautiful selection of lockets.

Opals Guaranteed - Cut opals, rough opals, and opal jewelry -- black, grey, white, fire, boulder, crystal, Yowah, more.

OpalShop - Features information about opals and an amazing selection of cut opals.

Trigon Holding Company - Cut and cabbed gemstones from gemologists.

Tyler Adam Corp. - The history of the diamond, and more.