ALEXANDRIA,VA — Imagine your life in a world without minerals, a world without computers, phones, cars, planes, buildings...or even food. From silicon in microchips to mineral-based construction materials and fertilizers, our daily lives depend on Earth’s rock and mineral resources. The new poster, “Minerals — Foundations of Society”, vividly illustrates the growing use of these resources from the dawn of human history to the present.
        Released in March, the poster is the most recent educational resource produced by the American Geological Institute (AGI). Starting with an image of the Earth as the source of mineral resources, the poster creates a visual time line progressing through the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Industrial Revolution into our modern stone age. The reverse side of the 17" x 22" poster contains two educational activities with clues for identifying rock and mineral resources by their properties and uses. The poster also provides information on the uses of the 12 rock and mineral resources for which the United States depends entirely on imports as well as a list of rock and mineral resources that the United States exports.
        Nearly 50,000 middle- and high-school science teachers will receive copies of the poster in the May issues of Science Scope and The Science Teacher, two professional journals published by the National Science Teachers Association. In addition, more than 70,000 copies will be distributed to geoscientists and to the general public in the next few months. Members of the AGI Federation distributing the poster include the American Institute of Professional Geologists, Association for Women Geoscientists, Friends of Mineralogy, National Association of Geoscience Teachers, and National Earth Science Teachers Association. Subscribers to Geotimes,  AGI’s monthly news magazine, will receive the poster in May, and it will also be included in Earth Science Week 2000 information kits.
        The minerals poster was designed as a companion to a nontechnical book by the same title. The book, Minerals — Foundations of Society, covers the world of mineral resources. AGI will publish the 3rd edition of Minerals — Foundations of Society, by Ann Dorr and Alma Paty, later this year. Each copy of the book will contain a poster.
        For bulk order pricing, please contact Publications Center, American Geological Institute, 4220 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22302,    Tel. (703) 379-2480, ext. 0, E-mail: pubs@agiweb.org.