GeoTimes - The American Geological Institute has crafted a news magazine for the earth sciences but the site is a lot more than that. Providing Society information, careers advice, news (there's more on the web than in the print edition), an education section, environmental information, and materials concerning government affairs. As with many professional societies, the site has a slightly staid look, but that is often more attractive than a cluttered or flashy site that one might expect from a more popular webzine. News items and feature articles are contributed by expert staff and freelance writers as well as the Society's summer intern Salma Monani, a prolific and professional addition to the Geotimes wordsmiths. At the time of writing this review, Geotimes was covering Alaska's melting glaciers, how the US Senate has voted in favour of Yucca Mountain and the "newest" face in human evolution. While some of the stories, such as the human evolution findings have been well covered by the popular press others are rarer and with an obvious rocky bent. Rating: 9 out of 10 (6 January 2003) DB
http://www.geotimes.org/current/
Mindat.org - Whether you are a weekend rock hound, taking a university geology course, or a professional mineralogist, the Mindat.org website has something you need to know. Constantly updated by the mineralogical community, the heart of the website is a database of over 4,000 minerals, over 7,000 locations around the world where minerals are found, and more than 4,000 mineral specimen photographs. Starting from the home page, searching options are clear and offer alternative ways to search for items, including the use of keywords and alphabetical listings, as well as an element search feature. Typical mineral listings include the chemical equation, elements, IMA status, Strunz and CIM IDs, crystal structure, hardness, density, synonyms, and common locations where the mineral can be found. To increase the community aspect of the site, a chatroom allows registered users to post and answer questions, and links provide direct access to other pertinent mineral sites. An outstanding resource, this website is well organized, easy to use, and provides rich content. Rating: 9 out of 10 (30 October 2002) CK
http://www.mindat.org/
Impact Craters - Want to know the locations of impact craters around the world? Then 'Terrestrial Impact Craters and their Environmental Effects' is for you. Part of the NASA/University of Arizona Space Imagery Center's Impact Cratering Series, the interactive global map is undoubtably the highlight of the website. Click on a continent or a dot representing a crater, and discover details on the location, age and size of the impact crater. The aim of the user-friendly website is to explore the environmental effects of impact cratering and their biological consequences. The Chicxulub impact crater, and its coincident link with one of the largest mass extinction events 65 million years ago, is examined in detail. Pages exploring the general environmental effects, as well as the effects of several specific impact events, are under construction. The origins of life on Earth and impact cratering on the Moon are also examined. It is stated that 'ideas will be explored and explained as they appear in the scientific literature' and new sections will be added over time. In that case, the date when the website was last updated would be helpful, along with a reference list of appropriate literature for visitors who wish to explore the topics further. Rating: 6 out of 10 (16 October 2002) KM
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/SIC/impact_crateri...
All About Glaciers - In an easy-to-access fashion, glacier information is organized by the National Snow and Ice Data Center of the University of Colorado. A quick facts section gives some basics, and the question-and-answer portion covers such topics as the reasons glaciers move and their usefulness to people (source of drinking and irrigation water). The terms cold glacier, sun cups, and chatter marks, might pique the curiosity of non-specialists, and are all found in the glossary, which also explains the use of the word penitentsin the world of glaciology. There are some 10,000 photos in their database, with samples offered. The latest glacier news, descriptions of glacier books, research projects, pertinent publications, and a feature on the cryosphere are included. And if you find yourself in glacier country, watch out for the jökulhlaup! Rating: 10 out of 10 (24 September 2002) AD
http://nsidc.org/glaciers/
SpaceWeather.com - Simply laid out and quick to load, this site is all about maximising the access to information. A clean and uncluttered look enables easy access to news and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids. At first glance the site can seem confusing and, for the beginner, overwhelming. The approach is technical and exacting with data being fed in regularly throughout the day and night. For the less technically inclined the site offers a large glossary, useful tips, explanations and pointers throughout the narrative. A large gallery is also a welcome addition to the site. Hidden away on the homepage at the very bottom of the screen is an opportunity to tune in to NASA's forward scatter meteor radar system. Although it only covers meteoroid activity above the southeastern United States it is still worth a quick listen. The best results seemed to be had using Real Player. Mostly aimed at the serious hobbyist, this site still manages to cater to the dabblers amongst us. Rating: 10 out of 10 (18 September 2002) ALD
http://www.spaceweather.com/index.html
National Archive of Geological Photographs - The British Geological Survey photographic unit is home to the National Archive of Geological Photographs over 100,000 images, the earliest taken in 1891. With the help of grant-in-aid some 6000 photographs have now been digitized and appear on the archive's online searchable database. Though the site is aimed at specialists, it is easy to turn up surprising and striking images with broader appeal including spectacular shots of Britain's coastlines and mountains, and beautiful images of fossils. My favourite is an image packed with polished Welsh pebbles that could easily grace the wall of an art gallery or an interior design store. The collection has scenes from all over the globe from icebergs in Antarctica to the dramatic recent eruptions on Monserrat. Historians need not feel neglected, there's an intriguing glimpse into the lives of wartime women at work in the mineral industry and a wealth of early 20th century photographs. The site is well designed, clear and easy to navigate one can either browse the featured themed galleries or use a keyword search option. There's even the chance to make a detailed search by district or BGS map reference. The results appear as decent-sized thumbnails, accompanied by informative explanatory blurb. Of course, the usual copyright laws apply but it is free to download images for personal use, other freebies include a fossil montage screensaver. In due course, the site promises that the entire collection will make it online. Rating: 7 out of 10. (31 August 2002) JS
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/photoarchive/home.html
