EARTH Magazine sits down with Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell to discuss the role of geoscience at the Department of the Interior, including the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which oversees offshore development of both renewable and conventional energy resources.

The importance of minerals in our everyday lives cannot be underestimated. “The Consumer's Guide to Minerals” is a different take on them. Rather than focusing on visual and physical properties, this book explores minerals’ myriad uses in scientific research, manufacturing, medicine and many commercial applications some of which may even shock you. The Guide is available for $4.99 in digital format from AGI (epub), Amazon.com (Kindle), Apple iBookstore and the Google Play Store.

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) in coordination with the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) presents the second webinar as a part of the Geoscience Online Learning Initiative (GOLI). The webinar, entitled Critical and Strategic Minerals: Concepts and Status will air on February 1, 2012 at 2:00 pm EST.

Geologists carrying rock hammers and accompanied by Marines traverse the rugged expanse of the Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan, searching for untold mineral wealth. Although the nature of Afghanistan's mineral deposits is not unique in the world, the country's deposits are largely untouched. Will Afghanistan be able to utilize these minerals to rebuild the war-torn nation? Join EARTH Magazine in our January issue as we examine Afghanistan's mineral wealth and the implications it holds for the country's future.

What would you do without your cell phone and computer? How about your car? Could you function in modern society without these contemporary devices? All of these technological marvels require no fewer than 60 different elements to function, and these elements come from a finite supply of mineral commodities. These critical minerals are defined by their dollar value, the availability of substitutes, and their ever increasing demand. In a new EarthNote, the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) outlines what makes a "mineral critical" and how the sudden loss of these resources could impact both the U.S. and global economy.

China sent the high-tech industry and markets reeling last fall when it blocked exports of raw rare earth minerals to Japan, Europe and the U.S. The sudden severing of rare earths supply was a frightening prospect as the minerals are key ingredients in a broad range of high-tech products, from smartphones to wind turbines and hybrid cars. Although the bans have since been lifted, governments around the world saw the ban as a kind of wake-up call and started looking at ways to develop their own mineral resources - for rare earths as well as basic industry metals like copper and zinc.

The American Geological Institute (AGI) has posted the GeoConnection Webinar Geoscience Careers in Minerals Exploration" online for those who were not able to attend the original event on April 21, 2011."