5 best geology apps for Android!
5 best geology apps for Android!
Geology is the study of the earth’s structure, the various processes
that act on it, and its history. That’s a lot of ground to cover since
the planet is so large with tons of different rock structures and plenty
of changes throughout history. Geology on mobile is a bit of a
hit-or-miss endeavor. Most apps give you information through books,
reference guides, etc. Others let you experience or measure geological
events with your smartphone. We’ll have a little bit of both on this
list. Here are the best geology apps for Android.
Andrei Ionut Apopei
Price: Free / Up to $4.99
Andrei Ionut Apopei is a developer on the Google Play Store with
several decent geology apps. The first and biggest one is Geology
Toolkit. It functions as a reference guide of sorts with tons of basic
information about geology, including rock types, fossils, various
crystals, and a bunch of other stuff. The database is actually pretty
big and completely searchable. Plus, it has some fun stuff like quotes
and other information. The developer has individual apps for fossils,
rocks, insects, and minerals, but you can get basically all the features
in the toolkit. Hit the button below to check out the developer’s app
collection.
Flyover Country
Price: Free
Flyover Country is one of the most unique geology apps. Here’s how it works. You define a trajectory when you travel. The app shows you various geological maps, fossil locales, Wikipedia articles, offline maps, and various other stuff. It’s almost like taking a tour of the geology of the area you’re traveling through. The app is really only usable while traveling, but you can find neat stuff even while sitting around the house. This one has a lot of local info. It’s also completely free and uses tons of geology websites as its source.
My Earthquake Alerts
Price: Free / $1.99
There are actually several decent earthquake alert apps in the Play Store. My Earthquake Alerts is one of the most popular. It shows you where all the earthquakes are, their strength on the Richter scale, and their distance to your location. It also includes alerts for earthquakes close to you, Material Design, and a database of earthquakes from as far back as 1970. Some other excellent apps in this space include LastQuake, Earthquake Network, eQuake, and GeoTremor Earthquake Alert. They all work more or less the same way.
Rockd
Price: Free
Rockd is a geology app for people who actually want to get involved. It helps you document your geologic surroundings, check out what else is around you, and you can check out over 140 geologic maps. You can also find elevation data from SRTM, GMTED, NED, and ETOPO1. There is even a log of other data that people add. It’s a neat way to learn about geography while also exploring your area. The app is entirely free.
YouTube
Price: Free / $12.99 per month
YouTube is an excellent source of geology information. You can find all kinds of videos on the topic. That includes explainers, tutorials, guides, and some people just post videos of gorgeous rocks, stones, and gems. There are also some documentaries on the topic that are full-length videos. There is just a ton of information from beginner’s stuff to more advanced topics. YouTube is free with advertising. There is also an optional YouTube Red subscription that removes ads, enables background play, and more.
Bonus: Google Play Books (or Amazon Kindle)
Price: Free / Book prices vary
Geology is still very much a book-heavy subject. There are a ton of books about geology, including mineral identification books, general geology topics, trivia, history, and more. Google Play Books has a ton of them as does Amazon Kindle. They’re usually not too expensive. Both apps let you download and read books offline and include a variety of customization features. They also both have a night mode, various font sizes, and previews of books before purchase. You can’t go wrong either way and it’s a great way to get a lot of geology knowledge very quickly.