"Constructed to aid undergraduate instruction at the Geology Department of the University of North Carolina," the Atlas of Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks, Minerals, and Textures Web site helps students learn to identify minerals in thin section. The Atlas contains dozens of examples with general descriptions and hints for distinguishing each, as well as information about the rock type and its...

Many people might know about the life cycle of a rock, but it can be a process that is hard to understand without a handy visual aid. Just such a series of aids can be found right here, courtesy of Mark Francek of Central Michigan University. These rock cycle animations display some of the most common rock-forming processes, including the crystallization of magma to form igneous rock, rock erosion...