Rocks & Minerals (National Geographic Kids: Absolute Expert)

RUTH STROTHER is an experienced author and editor who has developed dozens of books about home improvement, pet care, cooking, and children's literature.

DR. SARAH STAMPS is a geophysicist at Virginia Tech's Geodesy and Tectonophysics Laboratory in the department of geosciences. She uses technology to understand the physical processes that drive Earth's volcanoes and earthquakes. Dr. Stamps and her team are working to answer questions such as: How and why does the Earth move? and Why do continents break apart? She also works to help advance geoscience in developing countries. She is an active member of National Science Foundation's EarthCube Science Committee, a group of geoscientists working to improve geoscience research by developing data systems, and is a member of the NSF UNAVCO Education and Community Engagement Committee, a nonprofit consortium that facilitates geoscience research and education using geodesy (the study of Earth's shape, gravity field, and rotation).