RocksForKids.com
Links to Photographs and other Sites
on the Web
All about Rocks & Minerals!
The best way to see rocks & minerals is up close and personal. Rocks are neat to have - so that you can look at them and touch them whenever you feel like it. But there are so many interesting rocks & minerals in the world that it is impossible to collect them all - your house just isn't big enough! That is why it is great to look at pictures of rocks & minerals. Many rock lovers have put pictures of rocks & minerals on their web sites. Here are a few you should check out.
Rock & Mineral Photos
- Cochise College Geology Home Page This educational site has thousands of stunning photographs of rocks & minerals. A very well organized site that is easy to use. Maintained by R. Weller - a geology instructor.
- Mineral Information
Institute is a national USA not-for-profit
organization dedicated to educating youth about the science of minerals and
other natural resources, and about their importance in our every day lives.
A super easy site to use. Click on the photo
and you will get to a page that shows you photos of the mineral, describes
it & tells you what the mineral is used for.
- Common Minerals and their Uses http://www.mii.org/commonminerals.html
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Amethyst Gallery Inc. is a mineral dealer. This site has many photographs of minerals.
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Minerals by Name Shows a Photo and has a full description of Physical Characteristics
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Gemstones http://www.galleries.com/minerals/gemstone/class.htm
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Birthstones http://www.galleries.com/minerals/birthsto.htm
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Minerals by their Chemical Composition or Class http://www.galleries.com/minerals/by_class.htm
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John Betts Fine Minerals is a mineral dealer. John is an avid rockhound. This site is very informative.
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The photographs are sorted by images so that you don't need to know what a mineral is called to find a mineral you like the look of. Just click on the image and you will find out what it is called.
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The Image Gallery has many pictures and information on the physical properties of minerals & gemstones. Just go to a gallery & click on a name.
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Mineral Gallery http://www.theimage.com/mineral/index.htm
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Gemstone Gallery http://www.theimage.com/gemstone/gemstone.html
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Atlas of Igneous & Metamorphic Rocks Superb photos of thin sections of rocks to demonstrate variety of textures. Maintained by University of North Carolina, USA as part of "Virtual Geology" project.
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International Colored Gemstone Association This site has a lot of information and pictures of gemstones.
- Mineralogy Database Check out their Mineral Pictures. This site has a lot information - probably too much for the amateur.
- Take A Gemstone Safari http://www.africagems.com/gemsafari.html This site sells gemstones from Africa. It has good photos about colored gemstone mining in Africa and has an article about processing gemstones.
- GemSelect is an online gemstone dealer based in Chanthaburi, Thailand, one of the world centers for colored stones. This site has large and detailed photos of more than 7,000 gemstones, with information pages on more than 60 gemstone varieties.
- Bob's Fluorite Gallery http://www.peaktopeak.com/fluorite/index.php3 Photos of different fluorites, organized by country of origin. Maintained by Bob Lavinsky, La Jolla, California, USA.
- Ken's Fluorescent Minerals Superb photos. Photos of minerals taken when they are under fluorescent lights. Maintained by Kenneth Colosky, fluorescent mineral collector
- 10xMinerals http://www.10xminerals.com is a web site run by rockhounds located in Nevada, USA selling minerals. The photos of minerals for sale are large and very pretty.
- Gemstone Jewellery http://www.shopgemstones.com/ This site is a commercial site that sells gemstone. Their photography and descriptions of their precious and semi-precious stones are very informative.
Minerals of Ontario & Canada
- Life of a Rock Star - The History of the Geological Survey of Canada brought to you by Library and Archives Canada
- Prospectors
and Developers Association of Canada This association is very interested in providing information about mining in
Ontario to students.
- Want to know how to do research on the web? Check out http://www.pdac.ca:80/miningmatters/students/index.html
- Ontario Minerals Lots of Photos. Welcome to ontariominerals.com, a website dedicated to the minerals of the Province of Ontario, Canada. Maintained by an Ontario Rockhound, Tim Jokela Jr.
- Saskatchewan Mining Association Check out the Photo Library. Has super pictures of what mining is all about.
- Ontario Geological Survey, OGS, Ministry of Northern Development & Mines - Ontario Information regarding, minerals, mining and resource development in Ontario.
- Natural Resources Canada - for kids & teachers http://www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/kids/index_e.html
- Minerals and Metals - A World To Discover Maintained by Natural Resources Canada
- Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec http://www.saint-hilaire.ca/ This quarry is world famous for the number and kind of micro specimens of many rare minerals.
Museums
Most museums have rocks & minerals on display. Some museums have photographs of their their rock & mineral galleries up on the web. Although we personally think you should go and visit every museum that you can, looking at pictures on the web can get you dreaming!
- Royal Ontario Museum Toronto, Ontario This museum has a fine collection of rocks & minerals. Currently they are hard to see in person because of the renovations going on.
- Stones 'N Bones Museum Sarnia, Ontario This is a fantastic private museum with many fluorescent minerals, fossils, mineral and gemstones in addition to other natural display specimens. The staff are knowledgeable and the specimens are world class. A great place to see minerals in Southern Ontario.
- Smithsonian Gem & Mineral Collection A world class mineral collection - well worth the visit in person. Shows gems & mineral crystals from the mineral gallery at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., USA Maintained by the museum.
- Mineral and Fossil Museums, Exhibits & Displays in the USA Maintained by OsoSoft Mineral Connection, USA.
- A.E.
Seaman Mineral Museum A super museum to visit.
Photos of copper & other minerals of the Lake Superior Copper District.
Maintained by the museum, Houghton, Michigan, USA - Creetown Gem Rock Museum, Scottland Learn about gemstones, crystals, rocks and minerals from this useful guide.
Rockhounding Sites in North America
- Geology in Michigan Michigan USA - Department Of Environmental Quality
Professional Organizations involved with Rocks & Minerals / Potential Careers
- APGO Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario
- OMA Ontario Mining Association
- OSSGA Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association
- PDAC Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada
- PDAC Students - Exploration & Mining Career Resources for Students
Other Great Web Sites
- Bob's Rock Shop: Gallery of Special Images The best web site for beginning Rockhounds! Maintained by Bob Keller, Bob's Rock Shop, USA.
- JuniorGeo - A World of Inspiration - A British Website for kids aged between 6 - 12 years. Well done & interesting. Makes you want to travel to Britain, meet fellow rockhounds & hunt for fossils.
- Your Planet Earth - A British site sponsored by The Geologists' Association and Shell with PowerPoint presentation on topics studied in school. These "talks" include topics such as volcanoes, dinosaurs, natural hazards, plate tectonics and climate change.
