It's All Mine at http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00461 will introduce you to marvelous minerals, the mystery of mining and more! Click on Rocks to learn how weather affects some tough substances and how rocks are harvested from the ground. Minerals are naturally occurring solid substances. Browse through Minerals, from asbestos to zinc, for a crash course in mineralogy. Beautiful gemstones can be collected or used to make jewelry. Which gemstone represents the month you were born? Mining Fun is full of great games, so dig deep for a great time today!

Feast your eyes upon some of the world's rarest treasures at The Splendor of Diamonds, www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/si-gems . Mouse around the diamonds, and click on one that tickles your fancy. Check out the Pumpkin Diamond to see which movie star wore this gorgeous gem when she accepted an Oscar. Put on rose-colored glasses for The Steinmetz Pink that took 20 months to cut into a perfect oval shape. Then plunge into The Ocean Dream and discover a diamond with a true blue hue. This site will leave a sparkle in your eyes without putting a dent in your wallet!

Feel the Earth move under your feet when you try Understanding Earthquakes, http://whyfiles.org/094quake . There is no doubt that earthquakes have left many places in ruins. Scroll down to Jam Session to learn all about friction, tectonic plates and stress to see how these elements play a role in earthquake creation. Among these fascinating pages is The Quake Next Door, full of info on why certain places seem more likely to suffer from quakes, such as California, while others, such as New York, seem to escape the devastation.

Discover the origins of our world and how it continues to change and evolve at the Smithsonian's Our Dynamic Earth, www.mnh.si.edu/earth . Powerful forces are at work deep underground in Plate Tectonics and Volcanoes, where you must be ready as the surface of our planet transforms at every moment. Solar System shows you how the Earth was born. Be sure also to check out Planetary Tour for an amazing look at our home and our neighbors. Finally, feast your eyes on some sparkling splendors in Gems and Minerals.

Can you imagine just how many ways the Earth has changed over time? Geologic Time: The Story of a Changing Earth, http://paleobiology.si.edu/geotime , is ready to show you. Begin with the Hadean eon, when the Earth was born, and then discover life on Earth as you move through the Archean period. Learn how mountains were formed during the Proterozoic eon, when glaciation caused large bodies of ice to advance over the ever-changing landscape. Then pop over to the Phanerozoic section of the timeline, which is where we find ourselves today.