Geoscience

• Geoscience main site
• Earth home

Earth in its surroundings

• The universe
• The solar system

What is the Earth?

• Structure and composition
• Dating the Earth

Shaping the Earth

• Plate tectonics
• Classification of igneous rocks
• Magmatic processes and igneous intrusions
• Volcanic processes and rocks
• Sedimentary processes and rocks
• Caves
• Metamorphic processes and rocks
• Concretions, thunder eggs and geodes
• The Sydney Basin

Geological Deposits and Resources

• Geological ore deposits
• Gem deposits
• Building materials
• Chemicals, foods and medicines
• Terms
• Building stones of Sydney

Australian Landforms

• The Bungle Bungles
• Cradle Mountain
• Glass House Mountains
• Gosses Bluff
• Great Barrier Reef
• Jenolan Caves
• Kata Tjuta (The Olgas)
• Lord Howe Island
• Mt Augustus
• Mt Kosciuszko
• Mt Warning
• Nullarbor Plain
• The Three Sisters
• Uluru
• Undara Lava Tubes
• Warrumbungles
• Wave Rock
• Wilpena Pound
• Australian Landforms Links

Geoscience - the earth

Chemicals, foods and medicines

Many minerals are refined for pure chemicals for use in the chemical, manufacturing, food and medical industries. Examples include:

• sulfur - medicine, sulfuric acid, match heads
• magnesium - metal alloys, medicines
• phosphorous - super phosphate for agriculture
• barium - medicine
• fluorine - toothpaste, smelting ores
• sodium chloride - food additive
• short-lived radioactive isotopes of barium and cesium - used in the treatment of various cancers.

Copyright © Australian Museum, 2004