"Constructed to aid undergraduate instruction at the Geology Department of the University of North Carolina," the Atlas of Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks, Minerals, and Textures Web site helps students learn to identify minerals in thin section. The Atlas contains dozens of examples with general descriptions and hints for distinguishing each, as well as information about the rock type and its...

The Louisiana Geological Survey, located at Louisiana State University, developed this website to promote its goal to provide geological and environmental data that will allow for environmentally sound natural resource development and economic decisions. Users can find general information about the Survey's mission, staff, plan, and history. The website features the research and publications of...

If you are having difficulty remembering the details of the Earth's geological structure or the nature of major minerals and rock types, you can consult this excellent introductory course offered as part of MIT's OpenCourseWare initiative. The materials are drawn from Professors Perron and Jagoutz's 2011 "Introduction to Geology" course, and they include a number of lecture notes, available for...

This rather remarkable website contains a great collection of resources for web-based instruction and demonstrations of geology concepts. The collection includes, under Classroom demonstration, the very useful SeisMac 3.0, which is an application for Mac OS X that turns a laptop computer into a " low-resolution strong-motion accelerometer," or a basic seismograph. It works by accessing the...

For any college student majoring in the geophysical sciences, getting out into the field can be a key academic experience. This novel initiative, created by Carleton College's Science Education Resource Center (SERC), is a pilot project designed to make the field guide literature more accessible and useful to geoscience educators, students, and researchers. This site features published field...

The Online Guide to Sequence Stratigraphy created by the University of Georgia addresses the relevance of sequence stratigraphy on outcrops. With a series of helpful figures and great images, students and educators can learn about parasequences, stacking patterns, chronostratigraphy, and much more. The glossary assists users with the terminology used within the materials. For those interested in...