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. Seven regions online now 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. Image showing a cartoon snail and a banner that announces the Earth@Home Science Roadtrip Join Gilbert 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

September 19, 2023

Five new videos related to the study mass extinction events, especially those that took place at the end of the Devonian Period.

Explore

Grasses

September 13, 2023

A large module about grasses, their evolution, and importance to human life as crop plants like corn, wheat, and rice has been added to the Evolution part of Earth@Home.

Explore
Photograph of wheat growing in a field in North Dakota.

Earth Science of the Midwestern United States

August 29, 2023

Explore the Earth science of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Explore
Map showing the major physiographic regions of the midwestern United States.

More online chapters of The Teacher-Friendly Guide to Climate Change added

July 12, 2023

Two updated chapters with content to help you understand social science aspects of teaching and communicating about climate change are now live. Find them on both the Digital Encyclopedia of Earth Science and the Climate section of Earth@Home.


Image

Obstacles to Addressing Climate Change

How do we talk about climate change with our students, families, colleagues, and friends? How do we help the people we interact with become more comfortable having meaningful dialogues about climate change? How can we begin to productively relate to, and talk with people with diverse and different views? How do people change their minds and envision new systems? This chapter addresses these questions.

Explore
Image

Perspective

This chapter addresses perspectives that go into teaching and talking about climate change—our own perspectives and emotional responses as well as those of the people we're communicating with, cultural and historical perspectives, and the balancing act between hope and fear.


Explore

All-Star Fossils

Episode 2: Baculites

Episode 1: Archimedes

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

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.


Map showing the major physiographic regions of the contiguous United States.

Regions of Here on Earth that are currently in development include:

  • Northeastern United States

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