LINKS

Educational

 

All About Rocks and Rock Collecting. This is a great source of links for rock collecting ideas, how to start rock collections, puzzles and quizzes, and interesting modules about how rocks are formed. This is a good basic introduction for all ages. Many of the links connect to other sites. The Rocks Gallery at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History web site provides a variety of materials that can help you and your students. Check it out at this link to see how it can best help you.

Home Hobbies: Rock Collecting
http://www.homeadvisor.com/r/rock-collecting

Collecting rocks is an opportunity to learn about different kinds of rocks, something about geology, and how different minerals are used in daily life. Lots of information about how rocks are formed and how to organize a collection are found on this page.

 

The Mineral Maniacs and the Magic Hardhat
http://www.TheMineralManiacs.com
This is the first book of a series targeted to 8-12 year olds. Three best friends with the guidance of their detention teacher, Ms Pebbles, uncover the magical underground world of the Paxterras, a people made entirely of stone. The magic hardhat takes each of the three young heros—Marabel, Victor, and Herbie—to many parts of the world to prevent a rogue stone named Sulfur from trying to steal a mystery mineral from the human and Paxterra worlds.

Rock Odyssey. In our opinion, this is the greatest rocks & minerals video available for grades 2 to 4 or 5. An excellent presentation of the three types of rocks. This is the video your students will ask to see again at the end of the school year. Order from Minerals Education Coalition
A version is also found on YouTube.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography EarthGuide: This educational site for K-12 teachers and students was developed by their Earthguide Production Team. If you ever wondered what whale vomit smells like, this is the place to find out.
American Geological Institute - Education Page Earth Science Week
Northwest Mining Association American Coal Foundation Free information for teachers
Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc. (SME) Women in Mining - Women In Mining is dedicated to educating students, teachers and the general public about the importance of minerals. Activities, games, links.
Colorado Mining Association Minerals mined in Colorado, economic contributions, Toxic Release Inventory information. Environmental Literacy. This web site is intended to help students and teachers study environmental issues by guiding them to the best resources available on the Internet.
National Energy Foundation - Extensive information about how energy is produced and used in the United States. Includes classroom materials for download. Global Change - An excellent teacher resource containing scientific information about global change.
Why Files Science - This site offers more depth and information to help you apply reason to what you hear from the media. Michigan Tech Earth Science Institute - for Middle and High School Science Teachers Classroom Applications of Mineral Exploration, Mining, Mineral Recovery, and Use
Nevada Mining Association - dedicated to the better education of our nation's youth. Learn how mining is important in our everyday lives. ASARCO Mineral Discovery Center
Arizona's Mining Association's ~ Education Programs  

 

Mining Museums and Historical Mining Information

(Great places for field trips! Some have fun activities like gold panning.)

 

Arizona Ghost Towns 
Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum 
Activities, Special Events, Displays
Australian Mining History 
Australia's Northern Territory - Mining History
Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum
Butte, Montana World Museum of Mining
Cobalt's Northern Ontario Mining Museum
Interesting, mainly text site, not many pictures. Parts are still under construction.
Colorado - Lafayette Coal Miners' Museum

Dahlonega, Georgia Courthouse Gold Museum 
A little about the history of gold mining in Georgia. This is an old mining town, but there isn’t much about the mining. Some history about the town itself.
Eckley Miner's Village
Eckley Miners' Village was an original anthracite mining town that is now a museum devoted to the everyday lives of the anthracite miners and their families. It is located nine miles east of Hazleton, Pa., off Route 940. Eckley Miners' Village is part of the Anthracite Museum Complex
Kentucky Coal Heritage 
Site includes lots of info about coal mining in Kentucky. Lesson plans, including classroom activities. Nice site!
Kentucky Coal Mining Museum 
Looks like a good place to visit if you live in the area.
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Marshall Gold Discovery California State Historic Park 
MaCaw School of Mines - Industry, Education and KidsStudents learn Nevada history, geology, and mining through hands-on experience. Located in Henderson Nevada.  Michigan - Keweenaw Peninsula Copper Mining
Mining Engineering at Michigan Tech: Michigan Mining History Pages 
Mine Shafts of Michigan
Michigan Mining History
Michigan Historical Museum System
Iron Industry Museum - Interesting information about iron ore and copper mining in Michigan from Michigan Historical Museum. 
Mining History Association  
Links to mining museums and tours, archival collections of mining photos and artifacts.
Minnesota: Iron World Discovery Center
Museum displays Minnesota's iron mining history including several indoor and outdoor displays, mineral and science exhibits, trolley ride, genealogy library
Minnesota: Soudan Underground Mine State Park
State park in Minnesota's Vermillion Iron Range is based on the oldest underground iron ore mine in Minnesota offers guided tours of former underground mine and surface facilities, gift shop 
Minnesota Museum of Mining
Open Labor Day to Memorial Day, includes displays of vintage and more recent mining equipment, simulated underground mine, indoor museum displays, group tours by appointment
Minnesota: Hill Annex Mine State Park  
Features tour of former open pit iron ore mine and facilities on Minnesota's Mesabi Iron Range, museum, overlook, fossil hunt, gift shop
Mining History Network 
Mines of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield (UK).

 

Minnesota: Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area
Features Croft Mine historical park in Minnesota's Cuyuna Iron Range, historic buildings, simulated underground mine tour, fishing and canoeing opportunities nearby, gift shop
Morwellham Quay Museum - England
National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, Leadville, Colorado 
Excellent museum for metal mining history of Colorado as well as other areas in the U.S.
New Mexico - Old Coal Mine Museum
North Georgia's Gold Rush 
North Carolina Gold Mining 
North Carolina Gold Rush and the Bechtler Mint 
Nova Scotia Coal Mining History
Quincy, Michigan Mine Hoist Association 
San Francisco City Museum 
Sterling Hill is a mining museum at an actual old underground zinc mine location in New Jersey. The area has a 200+ year-old mining history. Tours are available at the mine. The museum has mineral samples for sale that can be picked up on site or shipped.  
Tombstone, Arizona
Virginia - Pocahontus Exhibition Coal Mine and Museum Western Museum of Mining and Industry
World Museum of Mining in Butte Montana  
The Kansas Underground Salt Museum is a facility unlike any other in the United States; nowhere else in the Western Hemisphere is there a museum located in a working salt mine. Visitors to the salt museum enjoy a trip 650 feet below ground where they board a tram that takes them on The Dark Ride, an area of the underground mine. After The Dark Ride, visitors exit the tram and are then able to explore the museum exhibit areas at their leisure. Crystal Gold Mine 
Guided underground tours are provided of the authentic 1880's gold mine, with informative demonstrations. The tours have been well received by many school groups; both public and private, and offer an educational and entertaining look at early day mining. They have a nice variety of ore cars and equipment used in mining, all of which came from local area mines, in an outdoor museum display, as well as an assortment of mining artifacts inside. Although the mine is an underground hardrock mine, free gold panning demonstrations and instruction are offered outside for beginners and school groups. The Mine is open all year, and special rates are offered to school groups, because they believe in the importance of sharing our mining heritage with today's young people.

State Geological Surveys

(Many of these offer educational materials)

 

Alabama Donald F. Oltz
www.gsa.tuscaloosa.al.us/  

Alaska Milton A. Wiltse
www.dggs.dnr.state.ak.us/

Arizona Dr. Larry D. Fellows
www.azgs.state.az.us 

Arkansas William V. Bush
501-296-1877. Fax: 501-663-7360
http://www.state.ar.us/agc/agc.htm 

California James F. Daviswww.consrv.ca.gov/dmg/ 

ColoradoVince Matthewshttp://geosurvey.state.co.us/

Connecticut Allan Williamshttp://dep.state.ct.us.nrc/prgactiv.htm  

Delaware Robert R. Jordan
www.udel.edu/dgs/dgs.html 

Florida Dr. Walter Schmidt
www.dep.state.fl.us/geo/

Georgia Dr. William H. McLemore
404-656-3214  Fax: 404-657-8379
http://www.gaepd.org/

Hawaii kumu.icsd.hawaii.gov/dlnr/Welcome.html  

Idaho Dr. Earl H. Bennett
208-885-7991 Fax: 208-885-5826
www.idahogeology.org/

Illinois Dr. E. Donald McKay
www.isgs.illinois.edu 

Indiana John C. Steinmetz
igs.indiana.edu

Iowa Donald L. Koch
www.igsb.uiowa.edu/

Kansas Dr. Lee C. Gerhard
www.kgs.ukans.edu

Kentucky Dr. Donald C. Haney
www.uky.edu/KGS/home.htm 

Louisiana Chacko J. John
www.dnr.state.la.us/min/geosur.htm

Maine Robert G. Marviney
www.state.me.us/doc/nrimc/nrimc.htm

Maryland Emery T. Cleaves
www.mgs.dnr.md.gov/

Massachusetts Richard N. Fosterwww.magnet.state.ma.us/envir/eoea.htm 

Michigan
www.deq.state.mi.us/gsd/

Minnesota Dr. David L. Southwick
www.geo.unm.edu/mgs/index.html

Mississippi S. Cragin Knox
www.deq.state.ms.us

Missouri Dr. James H. Williams
www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/geosrv/index.html

Montana Edward G. Deal
http://www.mbmg.mtech.edu/

 

Nebraska
http://csd.unl.edu/

Nevada Dr. Jonathan G. Price
www.nbmg.unr.edu

New Hampshire Eugene L. Boudette http://www.des.state.nh.us/Geology/ 

New Jersey Haig F. Kasabachwww.state.nj.us/dep/njgs/index.html 

New Mexico Dr. Charles E. Chapin
geoinfo.nmt.edu

New York Dr. Robert H. Fakundiny
518 474-5816 Fax: 518-486-3696
des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/gsu/index.htm

North Carolina Charles Garner
http://www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/

North Dakota John Q. Bluemle
www.state.nd/ndgs/NDGS/

Ohio Thomas Berg
http://www.ohiodnr.com/geosurvey/

Oklahoma Dr. Charles J. Mankin
www.ou.edu/special/ogs-pttc/

Oregon Dr. Donald A. Hull
sarvis.dogami.state.or.us/homepage/

 Pennsylvania Dr. Donald M. Hoskins
www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/

Puerto Rico Lisbeth Hyman
787-722-2526 Fax: 787-723-4255

Rhode Island John Boothroyd
www.uri.edu/cels/geo/GEO_risurvey.html

South Carolina William Clendenin
803-896-7700 Fax: 803-896-7695
www.dnr.sc.gov/geology/

South Dakota Derric L. Iles
www.sdgs.usd.edu/

Tennessee Ronald P. Zurawski
www.tn.gov/environment/section/geo-geology/ 

Texas Noel Tyler
www.beg.utexas.edu/

Utah Dr. M. Lee Allison
geology.utah.gov/

Vermont Laurence R. Becker
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/geo/vgs.htm

Virginia Dr. Stanley S. Johnson
804-293-5121 Fax: 804-293-2239
http://www.mme.state.va.us/Dmr/home.dmr.html

Washington Raymond Lasmanis
http://www.dnr.wa.gov/

West Virginia Larry D. Woodfork
www.wvgs.wvnet.edu/

Wisconsin Dr. James Robertson
www.uwex.edu/wgnhs/

Wyoming Gary B. Glass
www-wwrc.uwyo.edu/wrds/wsgs/wsgs

 

 

U. S. Government Resources

MSHA - Mine Safety and Health Administration.  - Kids page about mining and safety. U.S. Geological Survey - www.usgs.gov/education 

Office of Surface Mining - Educational Learning Network- educational activities for students about reclaiming abandoned mine lands and regulating coal mines.

 


Mining Schools

Dr. John Sturgul's Worldwide List of Mining Schools - Colleges and Universities Mining and Metallurgical Society of America lists universities in the United States
   

 

Statistics and Issues

 The Coalition for Affordable Reliable Energy (CARE)  is a broad coalition of organizations representing thousands of businesses and individuals that support the development of a sound energy policy for America.  Energy, The Master Resource (Book)
This book reaches a new and wide audience, including students, while offering the free-market community a reliable single source for information on a variety of topical energy issues-supply and price trends; resource development; air and water pollution; OPEC and oil “security;” electricity shortages and blackouts; and anthropogenic climate-change. The issues pertaining to the “master resource” have grown in recent decades and are regularly front-page news.
Download the book for free