• Photographs of Rocks & Minerals  

• Minerals of Ontario & Canada   

• Museums

• Rockhounding Sites in North America

• Organizations involved with Rocks & Minerals

• Online Rock & Mineral Stores

• Other Great Web Sites

• Sites about Geology & Rocks & Minerals with Lists of Web Sites

• Careers Related to Rocks & Minerals

• Geology Websites for the Working Professional

Rock & Mineral Photos

• Amethyst Gallery Inc. is a mineral dealer. This site has many photographs of minerals.

  • Minerals by Name Shows a Photo and has a full description of Physical Characteristics

  • Gemstones http://www.galleries.com/minerals/gemstone/class.htm

  • Birthstones http://www.galleries.com/minerals/birthsto.htm

  • Minerals by their Chemical Composition or Class http://www.galleries.com/minerals/by_class.htm
     

• 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.
   

• 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.
   
• 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.
   

• Dakota Matrix Minerals www.dakotamatrix.com This site has a Mineral Photo Database and Identification Guide called Mineralpedia http://www.dakotamatrix.com/mineralpedia

• 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.
   

• 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.
   

• International Colored Gemstone Association   This site has a lot of information and pictures of gemstones.
   

• John Betts Fine Minerals is a mineral dealer. John is an avid rockhound. This site is very informative. 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.
   

• Ken's Fluorescent Minerals  Superb photos. Photos of minerals taken when they are under fluorescent lights. Maintained by Kenneth Colosky, fluorescent mineral collector
  
   
• This is a fabulous web site with information contributed by real live rockhounds - even some people we know!;-) It may seem too technical for some but is fantastic for finding out what minerals & site locations are within our collecting area (GTA based) because rockhounds from here are posting articles.
   
• Mineralogy Database Check out their Mineral Pictures. This site has a lot information - probably too much for the amateur.
   
• 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
     
• Rocks For Kids - Alpha Listing of some Rock & Mineral pictures & Locations http://www.rocksforkids.com/RFK/Rocks&Minerals.html These are pictures taken by an amateur rockhound.
   
• Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, visit the Teck Suite of Galleries to see fabulous minerals in person.
   
• 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.
   

• The Image Gallery has many pictures and information on the physical properties of minerals & gemstones.
   Just go to a gallery & click on a name.

  • Mineral Gallery http://www.theimage.com/mineral/index.htm

  • Gemstone Gallery http://www.theimage.com/gemstone/gemstone.html
     

• The Personal Collection of Alan Guisewite is inspirational.
   
• 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.
   
• Yup ... Rocks   http://www.yuprocks.com/ This web site has many photographs of minerals, fossils & earthquakes.

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

• MinDat Mindat.org is a mineral database and mineralogy reference website on the internet. This site contains worldwide data on minerals, mineral collecting, mineral localities and other mineralogical information.  http://www.mindat.org/
   
• Geology in Michigan Michigan USA - Department Of Environmental Quality

Professional Organizations involved with Rocks & Minerals / Potential Careers

• APGO  Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario
• CGA  Canadian Gemmological Association
• Jewellery & Metals Georgian College http://jewelleryschool.ca/
  MAC  Mineralocial Association of Canada
• OMA  Ontario Mining Association
• OSSGA  Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association
• PDAC  Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada
• PDAC Students - Exploration & Mining Career Resources for Students
• Association of Engineering Geologists http://www.engineeringdegree.net/jobs-and-careers/engineering-geologists/

Online Rock & Mineral Stores

• David K. Joyce Minerals http://www.davidkjoyceminerals.com/ This site is owned by a Canadian mineral dealer who is also an avid rockhound living in the GTA.
• Geology.com - This site has a store and sells items like tumblers but its best feature is its extensive information and the many great photos it has to show what geology is all about. The home page is a great directory which allows you to hop into areas that interest you.
• LapisGems.com  - Lapisgems Gem Company specializes in cutting gemstone material such as Tanzinite, Tsavorite and other East African gemstone. The pictures on this web site are beautiful and the background information on the gemstones makes for interesting reading. There is information on the process of turning a rough piece of mineral into a gemstone, geology related to the minerals and gemological history. Although geared towards adults, anyone fascinated with gems wishing more detailed information would find the site worth a visit.
• Mama’s Minerals, Inc. - from Mother Earth to You http://www.MamasMinerals.com Albuquerque, New Mexico
• THE-VUG.COM All Things Mineralogical Online http://www.the-vug.com/  This site is a jumping board to other well described mineral dealers online as well as many other online information.

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.
• The Fascinating World of Minerals - The young people site of the Mineralogical Association of Canada
• 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.
• Garden BuildingsDirect - This British site has good information on Rocks & Minerals for kids. It has sections on igneous, sedimentary & metamorphic rocks as well as minerals.
• Learning About the Rock Cycle - This Australian site seems to be well written and has lots of good information. What it has to do with Starting Local we are not sure, but the rock information would be of interest to people elsewhere as well as Australia.

Sites about Geology & Rocks & Minerals & with Lists of Web Sites

• Geology.com  An interesting web site with lots and lots of great information. http://geology.com/
• Online Education Resources: Geology for Kids http://oedb.org/articles/online-education-resources-geology-for-kids.htmlThe list compiled by this organization looks good although some of the sites have ads around the information that can be distracting. The organization itself does not have an About Us page which makes it slightly less than a great page, but others who have used it recommend it. Let us know if you have issues with this link.

Careers Related to Rocks & Minerals - Canadian focus

• Earth Sciences Canada  http://www.earthsciencescanada.com/careers/
• Ontario Mining Association http://www.oma.on.ca/en/ontariomining/Careers.asp
• Mining Industry Human Resources Council http://www.acareerinmining.ca/en/careers/careerpaths.asp
• Geology careers http://www.saddleback.edu/faculty/jrepka/career.html
• Geology.com http://geology.com/jobs.htm
• American Geosciences Institute http://www.agiweb.org/workforce/brochure.html
• Science Kids http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/careers/geologist.html

Geology Websites for the Working Professional

• Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences  http://earthsciencescanada.com/cfes/
• CanGeoRef - The ultimate Canadian Geosicence Literature Database http://www.agiweb.org/georef/cangeoref/index.html