~ Early Web Links ~

Mineralienatlas is a comprehensive German-language encyclopedia and community platform covering mineralogy, geology, paleontology, and mining, supported by thousands of members worldwide. Visitors can search minerals by chemical properties, browse fossil and mineral portraits, explore collecting locations, and dive into crystallography and systematic mineralogy.

Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery, self-proclaimed 'The First Internet Rock Shop,' is a comprehensive reference covering minerals, rocks, crystals, gemstones, and birthstones organized by chemical class and physical properties. With detailed explanations of mineralogy, crystal formation, and browsable indexes by name and category, it has been an authoritative online mineral encyclopedia since 1995.

Fossils Facts and Finds is a comprehensive educational resource covering everything from fossil formation and identification to detailed pages on hundreds of specific species including trilobites, ammonites, dinosaurs, and megalodon. Aimed at kids, teachers, and homeschoolers, the site also spans the full geologic time scale, offers lesson plans, coloring pages, and even sells fossils and educational materials.

The PALEOMAP Project, run by Christopher Scotese, is a comprehensive scientific resource illustrating the plate tectonic development of Earth's ocean basins and continents over the past 1.1 billion years. Visitors can explore full-color paleogeographic maps, interactive 3D PaleoGlobes, animations of ancient Earth configurations like Pangea, and download materials for geology education.

Hosted at Michigan Tech since 1993, this long-running volcano resource page gathers links to educational tools, research sites, webcams, and cultural materials related to volcanology from around the world. Visitors can explore active volcano feeds, teaching resources, folklore, myths, and interviews with real volcanologists, making it a rich hub for both students and enthusiasts.

The Mineral Gallery is a comprehensive online reference dedicated to minerals, featuring detailed descriptions, chemical formulas, physical properties, and photographs of hundreds of mineral specimens. It serves as an invaluable resource for collectors, geology students, and enthusiasts seeking in-depth information on everything from common quartz varieties to rare sulfosalts.

The Maryland Geological Society is a non-profit club founded in 1991 for amateur and professional fossil and mineral collectors, open to all who share a passion for the geological sciences. Visitors will find meeting schedules, field trip announcements, fossil and mineral FAQs, a gallery, newsletter archives, and articles by contributing scientists.

An educational exhibit from the Illinois State Museum exploring the famous Mazon Creek fossil deposits, dating back approximately 300 million years to the Pennsylvanian Period. Visitors can browse detailed pages on specific plant and animal fossils found in ironstone concretions, learn about the Francis Creek Shale formation, and explore why this site is considered one of the world's premier Lagerstätten.

Webmineral presents a comprehensive classification of mineral species based on Dana's New Mineralogy, organizing over 78 mineral classes from Native Elements to Unclassified Silicates. This detailed reference resource covers the full spectrum of mineralogy including sulfides, oxides, halides, carbonates, and silicates, making it an invaluable tool for geologists, mineralogists, and earth science enthusiasts.

Wasser-Wissen is a German-language internet portal dedicated to water and wastewater topics, featuring an A-Z encyclopedia, news, link directories, legal references, and resources on water management and environmental systems. The site covers everything from chemical elements relevant to water chemistry to sewage treatment plants, court rulings, dissertations, and international water management organizations.