"A National Volcano Early Warning System-NVEWS-is being formulated by the Consortium of U.S. Volcano Observatories (CUSVO) to establish a proactive, fully integrated, national-scale monitoring effort that ensures the most threatening volcanoes in the United States are properly monitored in advance of the onset of unrest and at levels commensurate with the threats posed." At this website, users can...

Most people are familiar with Shel Silverstein's poem "Where the Sidewalk Ends", but do they know where and why sidewalks crack? It's a valid and worthy question, and this handy educational activity from Charles Onasch of Bowling Green State University explains just that. Here, students will learn to use fractures in sidewalks as an analog for natural outcrops and also learn how to make systematic...

Over the past few years, organizations like National Geographic and the National Academy of Sciences have been offering up interactive features on their websites. Many print newspapers have entered this arena as of late, including the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. Recently, the Tribune offered up this tremendously interesting and visually engaging portrait of the effects of global...

The Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) was created in 1988 with the goal of facilitating discussion of important arctic research initiatives, and also producing science reports with research community recommendations for arctic science priorities. Visitors to the site can learn more about their work by clicking on the "About ARCUS" section. After that, visitors should look through some...

Approximately 12 million years ago, a massive volcano in the southwestern corner of Idaho erupted and spread a tremendous blanket of ash over a large area. Much of this ash settled over the grasslands of northeastern Nebraska. Animals consumed the ash-covered grasses, and eventually they began to perish as a result of consuming this abrasive powder. Eventually these animals and their skeletons...

As a follow-up to a recent television broadcast, the BBC offers fascinating articles and interactive modules about supervolcanoes. Students and educators can learn about the supervolcano in Yellowstone that erupted 2.1 million years ago and produced 2,500 times more ash than Mount St. Helens. Users can play an interactive game to learn how they should respond to a disaster. The website describes...

Are you fascinated by fascia? Might you find silica scintillating? Look no further gentle reader as Bentham Open Access can provide information about these topics. Bentham Publishers recently launched over 200 peer-reviewed open access journals, and visitors should feel free to browse around at their leisure. Visitors can browse titles by discipline, and everything from agriculture to virology...

The British Geological Survey (BGS) has a wealth of information about the earth sciences, and they are quite willing to share it with others. This page contains information and resources for anyone interested in geology for educational or leisure purposes, and it is contained with four sections. First up is "Popular geology", which includes "Britain beneath our feet", an interactive atlas of...

The Bryant Creek Watershed Project created this online atlas filled with a wealth of information on every aspect of this Missouri watershed -- even for those who do not live near the site. Teachers can find interactive, fun lesson plans for kindergarten through twelfth grade dealing with many aspects of the physical environment. Students will find an abundance of games, quizzes, and interactive...

The California Institute of Technology created this website to provide valuable information about the color in minerals and data on mineral absorption spectra and Raman spectra. The modest site features additional information on silica polymorphs, desert varnish, ametrine, and manganese dendrite. Students can discover the technology used to collect the spectra data including the diode-array...