Earthsciences is a very broad spectrum science including the disciplines of Geography, Geology, Biology, Engineering, Meteorology, Oceanography and all their sub-disciplines. Since Geology is the more encompassing study of the earth, this page will focus upon those products dealing with mineralogy, fossils, geologic tools, GPS devices and similarly related projects.

Geology is the study of the Earth and the materials  it is made of.  It is also the study of the structure and processes  forming those materials.  Geologist examine these materials and processes in order to determine how processes acting in the past might influence the future.  The geological science of studying the past is often referred to as historical geology.  A large part of this study is paleontology, which is the study of fossil plants and animals.  As important is mineralogy and structural geology.  Mineralogy is the study of minerals and their associations with various rock types.  Geologist generally recognize three main groupings of rocks,( igneous, metamorphic and sedimendary).  Igneous rocks include those which formed from magma deep in the Earth's crust and also those associated with volcanic activity through time, both past and present.  Metamorphic rocks are those formed by varying degrees of heat and pressure.  Both of these types of rocks have different mineral characteistics.  The Sedimentary rocks form from near surface processes such as erosion.  These rocks occur in layers, as rivers and streams carry sediment and deposit them.  Oceans, past and present, have vast amounts of sediment.  Some deposits are wind blown.  Sedimentary rocks may be either consolidated, (rock) or unconsolidated.  Fossils are found in only sedimendary rocks or weakly metamorphosed metamorphic rocks.  The associations of  these rocks through time is referred to as the rock record, which is crucial to historical geologist in determining relative age dates (geologic time table) as well as fossil evidence.  Structural Geology  is the study of the forces and processes which shape the rocks, such as faulting and folding.  The global study of the Earth's structure is called tectonics, which is the study of different structural associations.  Tectonics is important because processes acting upon the Earth cause hazards such as landslides, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Geologist study the earth by many means.  The fundamental activity is mapping the rock associations and structural associations in creating a geologic map, which are useful in land use studies and the location of mineral deposits, as well as the location of oil deposits.

Amateur geologist generally participate in mineral collections and fossil collections.  Some like to collect small rocks and polish them using vibratory tumblers.  Others like to do field work using geologic and topographic maps to find minerals and fossils.  The use of GPS systems, available to amateurs, are often useful in field exploration.

Below you will find a search bar for the Sean affiliate web pages.  By use of the drop down arrow, you can select from a list of categories and choose item listed for Geology.  By clicking GO, you will find thumbnails (small pictures), which display the chosen items at the bottom of the page.  By clicking the thumbnails, you will be redirected to the particular affiliates product page, were you can detailed descriptions. Should you wish to purchase an item you can do so directly on that page, or continue shopping the entire web site.  When you exit out of the affiliates page, you will be redirected back to Starscape Scientific and continue shopping.

Geology