Welcome to Coober Pedy, the town that lives underground. Originally a mining town, many of the residents of Australia's Coober Pedy live in dugouts to escape the heat. During the town's summer months, ...

Geologists were astounded to discover a rich, natural opal deposit almost 9,800 feet above sea level. The villagers in Wollo, Ethiopia, made the discovery almost 9,800 feet above sea level. Their ...

In the baked centre of the Australian outback a once-thriving - and wild - opal mining town stands abandoned in the red dirt, four years after it was forcibly shut down. Mintabie is about 1120km north ...

Few realize that the world’s most famous black fire opal – the official Nevada State Gem – was discovered in Nevada’s remote Virgin Valley in 1918. Col. W.A. Roebling, a civil engineer who helped ...

There’s nothing that says rustic Nevada like a good old-fashioned mine tour or DIY mine dig. Here are a few of our favorites. (Some mines are open seasonally, so check the dates before heading out.) ...

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in ...

Enchanting gem: The American Gem Society describes fine opal as an "enchanting gem" through which some believe "the mysteries of love can be exchanged." The Gemological Institute of America says opal ...