The earth sciences include geology, weather and environment, paleontology, and plate tectonics.

Brooks/Cole Earth Science Resource Center

This is a textbook publisher's site. For free web resources, click on "Surf the Earth."

EarthEd: Earth Science Education Resources

This page presents a wide variety of earth science sites on the web, categorized by discipline. At the bottom of the page, you can also link to pages with links for other science studies.

U.S. EPA Student Center

This site is produced for students in middle school and high school by the Environmental Protection Agency.  Research careers, environmental law, and get homework help on air, water, ecosystems, recycling, and conservation. There is also a dictionary of 'terms of the environment.'

U.S. Geological Survey

This agency of the Department of the Interior provides information on floods, volcanoes, severe storms, earthquakes, and of course, many maps.  Click on the "National Atlas" link to explore the amazing variety of maps included in this project, which has been in the works since 1997. Some of the maps require Shockwave. Click on the "Students and Teachers" link for articles and resources in a variety of the subject areas that the USGS covers.

USGS Learning Web

This is the Geological Survey's site that is devoted to K-12 education. 'Scientists in Action' has career information for the sciences. 'Living in the Web' has links to articles on topics in the earth sciences that affect our daily lives.

Middle School Earth Science Explorer

Take the student entrance to exhibits on dinosaurs and other earth science topics. Developed by Wheeling Jesuit University and NASA.

The Nine Planets

Everything you'd need for a report on any planetary body in the solar system. The articles have many imbedded links for more information on related topics.  Beautiful images. The site consists of 100 pages--one for each major body in the solar system, and includes a glossary, some audio clips and some movies.  Nine Planets has been around since 1994, and is frequently updated.

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

The 'Specially for students' section is divided into categories of weather; climate change; oceans and coasts; and satellites and space. Many of the resources are for younger students. Also check the 'Cool sites for everyone' section.

Volcanoes Online

This beautiful and informative site was developed by three high school students for a ThinkQuest competition (they came in 1st).  Categories include plate tectonics, volcanoes, a volcanic database, games, and links to the sites they used to develop this site.

Volcano World

You can search for volcanoes here by region, country, name of volcano. Images illustrate the differences in size, shape, and structure of various volcanoes. The section on Mt. St. Helens is very complete and includes many photographs and some movies.  This is probably the most complete site for information on volcanoes on the web. If you need a specific question answered, check the index.

Virtual Earthquake

"Virtual Earthquake is an interactive Web-based program designed to introduce you to the concepts of how an earthquake EPICENTER is located and how the RICHTER MAGNITUDE of an earthquake is determined. The Virtual Earthquake computer program is running on a Web Server at California State University at Los Angeles." The point of the program is to locate the epicenter of an earthquake by making simple measurements on three seismograms that will be sent to you by the Virtual Earthquake program. This is a good group or classroom project.

National Earthquake Information Center

This site us from the U.S. Geological Survey. It reports on al earthquake activity and research.  A good place to start if you need info. for a report is the "frequently asked questions" section.

Seismosurfing the Internet for Earthquake Data

This is a long list of links to institutions around the world that do earthquake reporting and research. Toward the end of the list are links to more general earthquake information resources.

Plate Tectonics

This is a guide to the history, mechanism, and theories of plate tectonics. Many (slow loading) animations are included. The site is sponsored by the Museum of Paleontology of the university of California at Berkeley.

The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake [and tsunami]

This article, from Wikipedia, gives a simple explanation and links to much more in-depth information on the devastating tsunami of December, 2004.

Mineral Gallery and Gemstone Gallery

You'll find images and information on 300+ gems and minerals here. The minerals gallery has been recently expanded, and there's also a new close-up gallery, a section on digital photography, and an introduction to faceting. 

Dive and Discover

This is an "interactive distance learning Web site designed to immerse you in the excitement of discovery and exploration of the deep seafloor. Dive and Discover brings you right on board a series of research cruises to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and gives you access to the latest oceanographic and deep submergence research." From the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

The Museum of Paleontology

This is a great example of an online museum.  It's informative, interesting, and beautiful. Includes links to other recommended natural history and paleontology sites.

Midwest U.S. 16,000 Years Ago

"This reconstruction is based on the work of many different types of scientists who study various aspects of past environments. You can wander through the exhibit to find out more about the environments, plants and animals of the Midwestern US at that time, or You can start from a page with a list of the topics covered in the the exhibit."

One Sky, Many Voices

This link goes to the "Links" section of this project-oriented site from the University of Michigan. Try this for good animal and weather-related resources.

National Hurricane Center

During hurricane season you can track tropical storm systems in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Eastern Pacific. There is also a lot of general and historical information on hurricanes; including a glossary, forecasting methods, and aerial reconnaissance. 

Tornado Project Online

This is the home site of "a small company that gathers, compiles, and makes tornado information available to weather enthusiasts, the meteorological community and emergency management officials in the form of tornado books, posters, and videos. There are many sites with tornado data, so we are giving the subject a little different twist, with tornado myths, tornado oddities, personal experiences, tornado chasing, tornado safety, and tornadoes in the past as well as more recent tornadoes."