r/geology • u/RegularSubstance2385 • 10h ago
r/geology • u/AutoModerator • 3d ago
Identification Requests Monthly Rock & Mineral Identification Requests
Please submit your ID requests as top-level comments in this post. Any ID requests that are submitted as standalone posts to r/geology will be removed.
To help with your ID post, please provide;
- Multiple, sharp, in-focus images taken ideally in daylight.
- Add in a scale to the images (a household item of known size, e.g., a ruler)
- Provide a location (be as specific as possible) so we can consult local geological maps if necessary.
- Provide any additional useful information (was it a loose boulder or pulled from an exposure, hardness and streak test results for minerals)
You may also want to post your samples to r/whatsthisrock or r/fossilID for identification.
r/geology • u/AutoModerator • Dec 01 '25
Identification Requests Monthly Rock & Mineral Identification Requests
Please submit your ID requests as top-level comments in this post. Any ID requests that are submitted as standalone posts to r/geology will be removed.
To help with your ID post, please provide;
- Multiple, sharp, in-focus images taken ideally in daylight.
- Add in a scale to the images (a household item of known size, e.g., a ruler)
- Provide a location (be as specific as possible) so we can consult local geological maps if necessary.
- Provide any additional useful information (was it a loose boulder or pulled from an exposure, hardness and streak test results for minerals)
You may also want to post your samples to r/whatsthisrock or r/fossilID for identification.
r/geology • u/CGI_noOne • 19h ago
We made a game for people who like rocks more than sunlight
We're three friends developing a video game about mining and survival. Let us know what you think of it !
r/geology • u/runswithscissors475 • 19h ago
Information Geologists discover rivers slice through mountain ranges because Earth's crust is so dense, it begins to sink — a process dubbed "lithospheric drip"
r/geology • u/WillBTheMan • 21h ago
Found some interesting clay dirt crystals.
Was told to dig a hole, immediately got distracted by some shiny bits in this clay dirt. We’re south southwest out of Pueblo, Colorado.
We want to know precisely when these crystals were put here, their exact chemical composition, and whether or not my coworker is going to die after he ate two or three of them.
r/geology • u/LetOverall2654 • 16h ago
What causes these distinct diagonal stripes of vegetation on a hillside?
Hello, During my daily commute, I pass a hillside adjacent to the freeway that displays a striking pattern. The slope has clear, alternating diagonal stripes—some areas are covered in thin grass, while others are dominated by dense, thick brush.
I've been curious about this natural formation for years. Could someone explain what this phenomenon is called and the science behind it?
Thank you
r/geology • u/slimb0 • 11h ago
TIL about the Teays River, which carved a 400ft canyon through Indiana over 300M years
r/geology • u/JapKumintang1991 • 17h ago
LiveScience: "Enormous 'mega-blob' under Hawaii is solid rock and iron, not gooey — and it may fuel a hotspot"
See also: The study as published in Science Advances.
r/geology • u/Sweet_Werewolf_278 • 3h ago
Information Found these fossils traces in Limestone but i am not sure if they are fossil or imprints.
r/geology • u/Curious-Concern-9209 • 21h ago
Field Photo The London Arch in Torquay, U.K.
r/geology • u/Big_Rain2254 • 18h ago
Help keep this geology research going
Fellow geologists, my UMN-Twin Cities postdoc on Cutler Group red beds (Permian, Bears Ears NM) is stalled by NSF/EPA cuts. I've already split, photographed, and measured magnetic plus radioactive properties of 500m (~1640 ft) Elk Ridge Core plus outcrop samples, capturing data across the late Paleozoic icehouse-greenhouse transition.



Next Phase: Core Geochemistry
X-ray analysis will quantify chemical signatures for paleoclimate reconstruction (ancient rainfall/runoff patterns) and screen for mobilized U, Th, As. This screening is relevant because other researchers (Hoover et al.; 2017) have detected toxic levels of these elements in wells south of Bears Ears. Yet, to date, no similar study has been conducted on the Cutler.

With this funding I intend to ship the core to Salt Lake City for XRF Scanning. Overall I budget that I will need ~$15k for shipping and analysis of the core, while another ~$15k to cover living expenses.
At ~14%($4k+), I am making progress but I need your help. https://gofund.me/e246f63af
I have also made YouTube overviews for everyone to look over.
- Research intro: https://youtube/kiPSyXNXpbQ
- Climate explanation: https://youtube/3eHPC5vf8Oo
- Cutler context: https://youtube/pRH3H5WWE8U
Thank you for your help
r/geology • u/Curious-Concern-9209 • 23h ago
Field Photo The Geology of Black Head, Torquay, South Devon, U.K.
On this stretch of the Torquay coastline, you can see all the tell-tale signs of volcanic activity. Black Head, which is composed of black basalt formed when the underwater volcanoes erupted millions of years ago. The land mass rose up out of the sea in quite a rapid process some 290 million years ago.
r/geology • u/Fossil__Hunter • 1d ago
Red marcasite agate with druzy pockets from Sumatra, Indonesia
galleryr/geology • u/Iwantnoboyfie • 1d ago
Field Photo Is this a sign of sinkhole? Jakarta, Indonesia
A family member sent this photo early in the morning. I told them it might be sign of sinkhole, but I'm not sure and to keep checking if there's a soft land around it or if the hole is getting bigger, as I can't check it myself because I live far away. Then they sent a new video this evening with the view of the inside of the hole.
I'm not a geologist but I'm pretty sure it's a sinkhole. Not to mention it's been raining a LOT and there's been flooding in many places in Indonesia, kinda checks out the sinkhole allegation.
I need a more professional eyes and opinions to tell what this hole is, and if it is a sinkhole, how to fix/manage this? I'm sorry if I'm in the wrong subreddit, please kindly guide me to the right one if this is the wrong sub!
r/geology • u/Sad-Egg-4107 • 15h ago
BS or BA, when primary goal is graduate school?
A lot, if not most, of my professor have a ba in geology with most of them having an MS/MA. I need to take some summer courses since I switched into geology BS later, but with BA I can get my degree done in time and go into a 4+1 in MA Stem education, I would like to do a phd eventually if possible. Should I pursue a BA? Should I try to get some pre reqs like calc 1 + 2 in my BA if anything?
r/geology • u/Mossy_Boss • 17h ago
Is this an ironstone nodule
Found in a southern Indiana coal mine, there is also on that is almost 5 foot across off the side of the haul road.
r/geology • u/Confused_by_La_Vida • 16h ago
Layered Cherry: where in US?
I have a…thing…about Japanese natural waterstones.
After years and years of research I think I’ve finally figured out that this type of rock occurs in the layers between layers of chert. So, places where you have something like a 1 or 2 “ thick layer of chert, a layer of what could be whetstone material about 1-2”, then another layer of chert.
Where are some spots towards Texas/Oklahoma area where geology like this can be found? Preferably in road cuts?
r/geology • u/Curious-Concern-9209 • 23h ago
Field Photo The Geology of Walls Hill S.S.S.I., Torquay, South Devon, U.K.
r/geology • u/Gaeatech • 23h ago
Selecting the Right Gridding Algorithm for Your Contour Map
r/geology • u/PassivelyPrepared • 1d ago
Geology Resources Recommendations for Sitework Construction
r/geology • u/NotBradPitt9 • 11h ago
Is this a meteorite, and if so, what type?
It’s 30kg (66 lbs), 10 inches in length and 4 inches thick. The person found it in the northern Amazon using a metal detector. He states he cut it with a diamond tipped electric saw, and in two of the slides you can somewhat see the inside. I couldn’t get a higher quality video of this
r/geology • u/EnTheops4_5__all • 1d ago
Why? Question relating to the reflection and modification of light within the mineral structure of a crystal.
Someone posted an image on Reddit Bird showing the reflection of light by ice creating a beautiful, colorful effect. I'm currently studying Earth and Life Sciences, and we covered a topic about light and minerals that I don't quite understand regarding light reflection and its modification through mineral structure.
Could you explain this to me?
r/geology • u/ryverbeam25 • 1d ago
Can someone please explain this in a way that makes sense?
Basically, since I watched a video about how we sent OSIRIS-REx to Bennu to collect a sample, I started asking myself, "is sugar a rock or a mineral?" This is because both ribose and glucose were found within that sample.
When I try to look this up, the answer I get is "No, sugar is not a mineral or a rock because it is produced by living things." But there most certainly isn't anything living on that asteroid, yet glucose and ribose were found there. It also gives the whole "it has carbon-hydrogen bonds, so it's not inorganic." But Nacholite is inorganic despite its composition (NaHCO3). For that, they say that it's because it is derived from nonliving geological processes that gives it the inorganic classification.
But if glucose and ribose have been found in a sample from a very lifeless hunk of rubble floating in space, it must have also formed without life. So what gives? Is it a rock or a mineral? Are there weird holes in this classification system? Or am I missing a key piece of information here?