~ Early Web Links ~

NAGS (Norske Amatørgeologers Sammenslutning) is the Norwegian association for amateur geologists, offering a comprehensive lexicon of Norwegian minerals, an index of articles from their geology magazine STEIN dating back to 1973, and listings of geology clubs across Norway. Visitors interested in rocks and minerals as a hobby will find this a rich hub for Norwegian earth science resources and community.

Le Regne Mineral is a French bimonthly mineralogy magazine covering earth sciences with original articles and high-quality mineral photography from renowned specialists like Jeff Scovil and Mick Cooper. Considered one of the top five mineral magazines in the world after four years of publication, it serves collectors, rockhounds, and mineralogy enthusiasts across Europe and beyond.

Rocks and Minerals 4U is a comprehensive educational resource covering geology topics including rock formation, mineral identification, plate tectonics, and the rock cycle, with dedicated pages for igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Designed for collectors, students, homeschoolers, and teachers, the site offers lesson plans, crossword puzzles, photo galleries, and even a shop for rock and mineral specimens.

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.

John Betts built this extraordinary virtual mineral museum housing over 194,000 photographs of more than 63,000 mineral specimens from localities around the world. With educational articles, field trip guides, searchable species and locality databases, and decades of collector expertise behind it, this site is an unparalleled reference for mineralogy enthusiasts.

Webmineral is a comprehensive mineralogy database created by David Barthelmy, cataloging 4,714 individual mineral species with detailed descriptions, crystal structure viewers, X-ray data, chemical formulas, and an extensive image library. Its interactive Java-powered crystal viewers, searchable indexes across dozens of physical and optical properties, and multi-language support make it an invaluable reference for geologists, collectors, and mineral enthusiasts alike.

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.

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.