The Vault is Slate’s history blog. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @slatevault, and find us on Tumblr. Find out more about what this space is all about here. This stunning geological map of ...

Coal. It powered the industrial revolution and fueled the early development of the science of geology. When the geologic time periods were being named, mainly in Great Britain, the time during which ...

The German mining engineer Georgius Agricola (1494-1555) dedicated in his textbook "De re metallica" (1556) an entire chapter to the distribution of valuable rocks in earth's crust. The written ...

But, as their periods change in time due to chaos, these short cycles can no longer be used to calibrate the older geological periods. The period of the cycle of 405 000 yrs is much more stable in ...

According to ancient historians, gold was as common as sand in the kingdom of Egypt. By 3,200 BC public officers, called 'sementi', prospected for deposits and veins of gold to meet the demand of the ...

Holly has a degree in Medical Biochemistry from the University of Leicester. Her scientific interests include genomics, personalized medicine, and bioethics.View full profile Holly has a degree in ...

Geologic maps are used to locate natural resources, such as water or oil, or the best place to hunt for fossils, but they can also be eye catching works of art. Sharon Purdy A low-lying topographic ...

Ever wanted to know more about the ground beneath your feet? Well, thanks to a new geologic map of the lower 48 states of the USA, now you can – and in more detail than ever before. Geologic maps are ...