Photograph of West Mitten Butte and East Mitten Butte, Monument Valley, Utah and Arizona.

Introductions to Earth Science Topics

Quick overviews of the Earth science topics that are explored in greater detail in each individual region of the United States, along with other related Earth@Home resources.

Minerals

Introduction to minerals, how they form, their classification, and their uses.


Introduction
Image showing a variety of different kinds of minerals.

Dig deeper

Rocks

Overview of the three major groups of rocks (sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic), examples of each, and introduction to the rock cycle.


Introduction
Photograph of rocks in Hawaii, including pieces of black basalt and white limestone made by corals.

Plate tectonics

Introduction to the plate tectonics, with an emphasis on types of plate boundaries.


Introduction
Photo of Mount St. Helens with smoke emerging from its crater.

Energy

Introduction to energy, including definition of energy, fossil fuel types and their extraction, renewable energy, and the future of energy.


Introduction
Photo of a coal-fired power plant in Kentucky.

Earth Hazards

Introduction to major types of Earth hazards, including natural disasters like earthquakes, tornados, and floods.

Introduction
Photograph showing damage resulting from the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.

Topography

Overviews of topography and landforms in the U.S.

Photograph of the Blue Ridge Mountains taken in North Carolina.

Dig deeper

Geologic History

Overviews of the geologic histories of different regions of the U.S.

Geologic map of the northeastern U.S.

Resources

Quick overviews of the Earth science topics that are explored in greater detail in each individual region of the United States, along with other related Earth@Home resources.


Resources
Nineteenth century drawings of mastodon teeth collected from Big Bone Lick in Kentucky.