Image of the Earth. Meet Earth. Your Home. Discover, explore, and investigate our world and its over 4.5-billion-year history with Earth@Home. Photograph of Taughannock Falls in Tompkins County, New York. Explore the Earth science of the United States Get started Simple map showing the physiographic regions of the western United States. Simple map of Hawaii. Simple map showing the major physiographic regions of the northwest-central United States. Simple map showing the Central Lowland region of the midwestern United States. Simple map highlighting the different physiographic regions of the northeastern United States. All regions now online!! Simple map of the southeastern United States showing the boundaries of the Inland Basin, Coastal Plain, and Blue Ridge and Piedmont regions. Simple map of the south central United States showing the Coastal Plain, Interior Highlands, Central Lowland, Great Plains, and Basin and Range physiographic regions. Simple map of the southwest United States showing the Great Plains, Rock Mountains, Colorado Plateau, and Basin and Range physiographic regions. Photograph of a rocky beach in Door County, Wisconsin. Quick facts about the Earth science of each U.S. state Photograph of dinosaur skeletons on display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Geologic and topographic maps Image showing geologic and topographic map of Arizona. State fossils, rocks, minerals, and gems Photograph of Natural Bridge in Virginia. Places to visit and more Explore Digital Encyclopedia of Earth Science Discover more about your world with our free, open-access Earth science textbook. Discover now Photograph of two people on a beach. Why does this place look the way it does? Virtual fieldwork can help you find the answers. Investigate now Photograph of some rugose coral fossils. Use our Digital Atlas to identify fossils and explore paleontology. Online textbook, 3D virtual collection, and field guides. Digital Atlas logo. Dig in Photograph of a woman looking at mountains. Want more Earth science in your inbox? Subscribe for updates about the latest additions to Earth@Home. Subscribe now

What's New?

Devonian Extinction:  An Unsolved Mystery of Epic Proportions

 

October 21, 2024

You'll find a new video about the challenges and fun of doing field work from Dr. Diana Boyer and her team.

Find out more
Photo of two people cooking at a campsite

Climate Models

April 26, 2024

Learn how climate models work, what their inputs and outputs are, and the steps that scientists take to evaluate and verify their models.

Find out more
Picture of the earth in its systems, showing land, water, and clouds.

Plastic Pollution

April 19, 2024

Learn about plastic pollution and its impacts on nature and human health in a new section of the Digital Encyclopedia of Earth Science called "Humans and the Environment."

Find out more
Photo of discarded plastic washed ashore on the beach of Tamil Nadu, India.

American Paleontologist Newsletter!

April 2, 2024

Interested in learning more about paleontology and paleontologists? Become a member of the Paleontological Research Institution to receive the new electronic American Paleontologist Newsletter. The first issue is free for everyone.

American Paleontologist Newsletter
Image shows a the cover of issue 1 of the American Paleontologist Newsletter, trilobite cookies, and fossil shells from Florida.

United States Earth Science Quick Facts

January 29, 2024

Quick guides to the geology of all 50 United States are now online! Discover official state fossils, minerals, and rocks, as well as museums and natural places to visit to learn more. Geologic and topographic maps are also available for each state.

Explore
Geologic map of the United States.

All-Star Fossils

Episode 4: Gravicalymene

Episode 2: Baculites

Episode 1: Archimedes

Subscribe to PRI's YouTube channel for more fossil and Earth Science videos.

Popular pages

FAQ: Are orbital changes causing global warming?

FAQ: Why is carbon dioxide called a greenhouse gas?

Quick Guide to Common Fossils

Geologic Time Scale

FAQ: Are volcanoes causing global warming?

FAQ: Mammoth vs mastodon: What is the difference?

Geology of the Finger Lakes

Fossils of the Coastal Plain of the Southeastern United States

FAQ: What is karst topography

Here on Earth: Regional Guides to Earth Science

The goal of this part of the Earth@Home project is to explain the Earth science of every region of the United States and provide necessary background information. Each region is divided into physiographic provinces: regions that are naturally defined by their modern topography and geologic history. The map below shows the major physiographic regions of the contiguous United States that we are recognizing in Earth@Home.

Click on a region below to go to the corresponding section.

All regions of Here on Earth are now online!!

Regional Guides

Digital Encyclopedia of Earth Science

Free, open-access Earth science textbook. Over the next several years, the Digital Encyclopedia of Earth Science will grow to cover most Earth science topics. Initial subjects covered include big ideas, minerals, fossils, climate, and climate change (links below). "Quick Introductions" provide brief overviews of that will be expanded upon in later Digital Encyclopedia chapters.

Newest chapter: Climate Change Mitigation by Dr. Ingrid Zabel.

Digital Encyclopedia

Virtual Fieldwork Experiences (VFEs)

Background information about Virtual Fieldwork Experiences (VFEs), VFE catalog, and tips for creating your own VFEs.

Virtual Fieldwork

Virtual Collections

Interactive 3D models of rocks, minerals, and fossils

Virtual Collections

Additional Resources

Earth@Home Science Road Trip

Image showing a cartoon snail and a banner that announces the Earth@Home Science Roadtrip

Follow Professor Gilbert D. Snail on his tour of the Earth science of the United States.

Crawl along with Gilbert

Earth@Home Workshops

Photograph of the Grand Canyon with the Earth@Home logo superimposed upon it.

Workshops about the resources on Earth@Home tailored to each major region of the United States.

Workshops

Fossils of the United States

Photograph of a trilobite fossil.

Find out about the fossils that have been found near the place where you live.

Fossils of the U.S.

U.S. Earth Science Quick Facts

Photograph of a rocky beach in Door County, Wisconsin.

Find out about the official state fossils, rocks, minerals, gems, and highest and lowest elevation of each state in the U.S.

Quick Facts

Geologic Time Scale

Image showing the geologic time scale, including a pie chart that depicts the relative proportions of time represented by each geologic eon.

The geologic time scale, including major Earth and life history events.

Geologic Time Scale

Geologic and Topographic Maps

Image showing geologic and topographic map of Arizona.

Geologic and topographic maps of each U.S. state that are free to use for educational purposes (under development). 

Maps