Penn Library

Geology and Earth Sciences

This guide lists publications and other resources basic to identifying information on geology and related earth sciences.

Materials concerning geology and related earth sciences can be found in several Penn Libraries. Van Pelt Library, the largest Penn Library, is the principal collector in geology and in the history of geology. In addition, the The Science and Engineering Libraries and Fisher Fine Arts Library collect materials concerning environmental engineering and landscape architecture, respectively. Lippincott Library collects materials pertaining to the economic aspects of geology and minerals. Penn's Map Library, which contains federal depository copies of U.S. Geological Survey maps, is located in the High Density Storage facility at 3001 Market Street. For assistance in locating and using the resources listed in this special bibliography, contact a reference librarian.

The Penn Library Web links to many useful internet resources:

CONTENTS

  1. Guides to the literature
  2. Encyclopedias
  3. Dictionaries
  4. Bibliographies, serial
  5. Stratigraphic nomenclature
  6. Handbooks and Manuals
  7. Yearbooks
  8. Guidebooks and Field guides
  9. History of geology
  10. Directories
  11. Style guides

GUIDES TO THE LITERATURE
Wood, David N., Joan E. Hardy, and Anthony P. Harvey (eds.). 1989. Information sources in the earth sciences. 2nd edition. London/New York: Bowker-Saur.
[Van Pelt Reference Desk: QE 26.2 .I55 1989]
An excellent guide, describing printed and electronic resources, as well as organizations and institutions. Twenty bibliographic essays on information formats [e.g., "Earth science libraries", "Reference and review publications", "Geological databases ..."] and research fields provide critical evaluations as well as unannotated resource bibliographies.

Ward, Dederick C., Marjorie W. Wheeler, and Robert A. Bier, Jr. 1981. Geologic reference sources: a subject and regional bibliography of publications and maps in the geological sciences. 2nd edition. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 26.2 .W37 1981]
"A bibliographic guide to the significant current reference literature in the field of geoscience and its sub-disciplines," covering the international literature but with Anglophone and North American biases. 4324 entries with minimal annotations, arranged in three sections, each subdivided: "General," describing bibliographic and other basic research tools; "Subject," with subdivisions for specific research fields; and "Regional," subdivided geographically by continent, region, country, and (sometimes) state or province. Includes subject and geographic indexes.

ENCYCLOPEDIAS
McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of the geological sciences. 1988. 2nd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 5 .M29 1988]
"The material in this volume has been published previously in the McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of science and technology, 6th edition, 1987." Contains 520 brief entries, with bibliographies, on geology, geochemistry, mineralogy, petrology, and geophysics. A subject index is included.

Encyclopedia of earth system science. 1992. 4 volumes. San Diego: Academic Press.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 5 .E514 1992]
Contains more than 200 article-length entries, with cross-referencing, in various subject areas, including geology, environmental studies, and meteorology. Each entry includes a glossary and brief bibliography. A more detailed cross-reference index and a subject index are included.

Encyclopedia of earth sciences. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold / Stroudsburg, Pa.: Hutchinson Ross Pub. Co. 1966-present.
An excellent series, although somewhat dated. Each title has its own call number. Lengthy entries include bibliographies.
The encyclopedia of oceanography. [Volume 1.] 1966.
[Van Pelt Reference: GC 9 .F3]
The encyclopedia of geomorphology. [Volume 3.] 1968.
[Van Pelt Reference and Van Pelt: GB 10 .F3]
The encyclopedia of geochemistry and environmental sciences. [Volume 4A.] 1972.
[Towne Reference: QE 515 .F24]
The encyclopedia of mineralogy. [Volume 4B.] 1981.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 355 .E49]
The encyclopedia of sedimentology. [Volume 6.] 1978.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 471 .E49]
The encyclopedia of paleontology. [Volume 7.] 1979.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 703 .E52]
The encyclopedia of world regional geology. Part 1. Western Hemisphere including Antarctica and Australia. [Volume 8.] 1975.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 5 .F33]
The encyclopedia of structural geology and plate tectonics. [Volume 10.] 1987.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 601 .E53 1987]
The encyclopedia of climatology. [Volume 11.] 1987.
[Van Pelt Reference: QC 854 .E525 1987]
The encyclopedia of soil science. Part 1. Physics, chemistry, biology, fertility, and technology. [Volume 12.] 1979.
[Fine Arts: S 592 .E52]
The encyclopedia of applied geology. [Volume 13.] 1984.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 5 .E5 1984]
The encyclopedia of field and general geology. [Volume 14.] 1988.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 5 .E515 1988]
The encyclopedia of beaches and coastal environments. [Volume 15.] 1982.
[Van Pelt Reference: GB 450.4 .E53 1982]

The Cambridge encyclopedia of earth sciences. 1981. New York, N.Y.: Crown.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 26.2 .C35 1981]
Contains 27 article-length entries arranged under six headings: "Earth sciences in perspective", "Physics and chemistry of the earth", "Crustal processes and evolution", "Surface processes and environment", "Evaluation of earth resources and hazards," and "Extraterrestrial geology". Includes glossary, reading list, and index.

DICTIONARIES
Bates, Robert L. and Julia A. Jackson (eds.). 1987. Glossary of geology. 3rd edition. Alexandria, Va.: American Geological Institute.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 5 .B38 1987]
36,000 terms that "have appeared in English-language publications, and reflect North American usage unless otherwise noted". Includes foreign-language terms used by English writers, and some obsolete terms. Some entries provide information on original usage or historical development of terms. Includes 38-page list of references cited.

Nederlands Geologisch Mijnbouwkundig Genootschap. 1980. Geological nomenclature. The Hague/Boston: M. Nijhoff. [Van Pelt Reference: QE 5 .N413 1980]
Polyglot classified dictionary listing more than 10,000 terms, with indexing in English, Dutch, French, German, and Spanish languages.

Thrush, Paul W. et al. (comps., eds.). 1968. A dictionary of mining, mineral, and related terms. Washington: U.S. Bureau of Mines.
[Towne Reference: TN 9 .T5]
150,000 terms, mostly English-language, defined in 55,000 entries.

BIBLIOGRAPHIES, SERIAL
GeoRef. 1785-present. Alexandria, Va.: American Geological Institute.
The principal tool for identifying books, articles, conference reports, and other publications in geology and the geosciences. GeoRef has more than 1.9 million bibliographic records, with coverage of North America beginning in 1785; for other areas of the world, coverage begins in 1933.
GeoRef corresponds to these printed serial bibliographies:

Science Citation Index.. 1988-present. Weekly updates.
ISI Citation Indexes index periodical literature for all academic subjects and covers 5,300 science journals. Indexing is comprehensive for all periodicals indexed: letters, notes, and book reviews are included. Search for specific articles by subject, author, journal, and/or author address, as well as for articles that cite a known author or work. The Biomedical Library [Z 7401 .S365] holds the print equivalent Science Citation Index for 1955 through 1994.

Geographical abstracts: Physical geography. 1989-present. Monthly. Norwich, U.K.: Elsevier/Geo Abstracts.
[Van Pelt Reference: G 1 .G3455]
Bibliographic citations with abstracts arranged by topic. Annual author and subject indexes. Formed by the union of Geographical abstracts: A. Land forms and the quaternary; Geographical abstracts: B. Climatology and hydrology ; Geographical abstracts: E. Sedimentology; and Geographical abstracts: G. Remote sensing, photogrammetry, and cartography [All in Van Pelt Reference].

Mineralogical abstracts. 1920-present. Quarterly. London: Mineralogical Society of Great Britain.
[Van Pelt: QE 351 .M35]
Bibliographic citations with abstracts arranged by topic: "Age determination," "Apparatus and techniques," "Book notices," "Clay minerals," "Crystal structure," "Economic minerals and ore deposits," "Environmental studies," "Experimental mineralogy," "Gemstones", "Geochemistry," "Lunar and planetary studies", "Meteorites and tektites", "Mineral data," "New minerals", "Petrology", "Physical properties of rocks and minerals," "Topographical mineralogy," "Various topics." Annual author and subject indexes.

Zentralblatt für Geologie und Paläontologie. 1950-present. Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung.
[Van Pelt: QE 1 .Z45 (received through 1991)]
Provides detailed reviews of the literature and substantial abstracts.
Two concurrent series: "Teil I: Allgemeine, angewandte, regionale und historische Geologie"; "Teil II: Paläontologie".
Continues, in part: Zentralblatt für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie. 1900-1942. [Storage: 549.05 N39 Sup.2 (1900-1917, 1921-1933)]

Zentralblatt für Mineralogie. 1950-present. Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung.
[Van Pelt: QE 351 .Z45]
Provides detailed reviews of the literature and substantial abstracts.
Two concurrent series: "Teil I: Kristallographie und Mineralogie"; "Teil II: Petrographie, technische Mineralogie, Geochemie und Lagerstättenkunde".
Continues, in part: Zentralblatt für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie. 1900-1942. [Storage: 549.05 N39 Sup.2 (1900-1917, 1921-1933)]

International journal of rock mechanics and mining sciences and Geomechanics abstracts. 1974-1996. Bimonthly. Oxford / New York: Pergamon Press.
[Van Pelt: TA 710 .A1 I52]
Continued (in part) Geomechanics abstracts, 1973, formerly Rock mechanics abstracts.

European Union of Geosciences. Terra abstracts. 1989-present. Irregular. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications.
[Van Pelt: QE 1 .T4772]
Abstracts of earth sciences meetings, conferences, symposia within 3 months of event.

U.S. Geological Survey. Department of the Interior. Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey. 1879-present. Washington: U.S.G.P.O.
[Van Pelt (latest year in Reference): Z6034.U49 U53]
Slight variations ( List of Publications of the United States Geological Survey and
Publications of the Geological Survey) over time in the title. Lists publications of the most
important U.S. publisher in the field according to series. Also includes articles and reports by
USGS personnel in non-USGS publications.

STRATIGRAPHIC NOMENCLATURE
United States Geological Survey. 1996. Stratigraphic nomenclature databases for the United States, its possessions and territories [computer file]. U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series DDS-6.
[Van Pelt Information Desk: QE 645 .S777 1996]
[Online access is in progress via U.S. Geological Survey WWW site: http://www.usgs.gov/reports/digital_data_series/DDS-6/DDS-6.html]
This release of the USGS's complete geologic and stratigraphic nomenclature databases contains two files:
GNULEX, Geologic Names Unit Lexicon.
A database of more than 10,000 records containing all information pertinent to the definition, modification, and use of stratigraphic unit names. Searchable by geographic name, rank, geologic age, geologic province, State, author, lithology, and preselected keywords. Records include summaries of present-day usage and historical records [e.g., the unit's basic definition and all subsequent modifications], with bibliographic citations and relevant synopses.
Terminology derives from: North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature. 1983. "North American Stratigraphic Code". American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin LXVII, no. 5 (1983): 841-875.
Supersedes: Keroher, Grace C. et al. 1966. Lexicon of geologic names of the United States for 1936-1960: a compilation of the geologic names of the United States, its possessions, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and the Panama Canal Zone. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1200 [Van Pelt: QE 75 .B9] [Also published as: Union internationale des sciences geologiques, Commission de stratigraphie. Lexique stratigraphique international. Volume VII: Amérique du nord. Part 1: Etats-Unis. (Van Pelt: 551.703 .L598.7)] and periodic supplementary publications covering 1960-1985.
GEONAMES, Geologic Names of the United States.
An annotated index lexicon of formal geologic nomenclature of the United States, its territories and possessions. Data file contains more than 30,000 records relating to more than 20,000 names. Searchable by geologic name, State, geologic age, geologic province, or lithology. Includes bibliographic citations for first description in USGS lexicons.

International Union of Geological Sciences. International Subcommission on Stratigraphic Classification. 1976. International stratigraphic guide: a guide to stratigraphic classification, terminology, and procedure. New York: Wiley.
[Van Pelt: QE 651 .I57 1976]
An international scheme to replace national and regional stratigraphic codes. Includes bibliography and index.

Union internationale des sciences geologiques, Commission de stratigraphie. 1956-1969. Lexique stratigraphique international. 8 volumes. Paris: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.
Volume 1. Europe.
[Van Pelt: 551.703 .L598]
Volume 2. U.R.S.S.
[Van Pelt: 551.703 .L598.2]
Volume 3. Asie.
[Van Pelt: 551.703 .L598.3]
Volume 4. Afrique.
[Van Pelt: 551.703 .L598.4]
Volume 5. Amerique latine.
[Van Pelt: 551.703 .L598.5]
Volume 6. Oceanie.
[Van Pelt: 551.703 .L598.6]
Volume 7. Amerique du nord.
[Van Pelt: 551.703 .L598.7]
Volume 8. Termes stratigraphiques majeurs.
[Van Pelt: 551.703 .L598.8]

Union internationale des sciences geologiques, Commission de stratigraphie. Lexique stratigraphique international. Nouvelle serie. 1984-present. Nombre 1. Afrique de l'ouest.
[Van Pelt: QE 645 .L5 1984]

HANDBOOKS AND MANUALS
Geologic Society of North America. 1982-present. The Decade of North American geology.
Five publications series to commemorate the centennial of the Geological Society of America:
Centennial special volumes.
[Van Pelt: various locations]
Includes: Geologists and ideas: a history of North American geology; Geomorphic systems of North America; The heritage of engineering geology; Archaeological geology of North America.
Geology of North America. 28 volumes planned.
[Van Pelt: QE 71 .G48 1986]
Synthesis volumes and regional volumes.
Centennial field guides. 6 volumes. [see below]
[Van Pelt: QE 77 .C46]
Centennial continent/ocean transect.
[Van Pelt: QE 71 .C46 1985]
Continent-scale maps of North America.
[Van Pelt: G 3301 .C...]
Includes: Gravity anomaly map ...; Magnetic anomaly map ...; Seismicity map ...; Stress map ...; Geothermal map ....

Geology of the conterminous United States at 1:2,500,000 scale [computer file]. Release 2. 1998. U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series DDS-11.
[High Density Storage: G3701.C5 1998 .S3]
[Image files via U.S. Geological Survey WWW site: http://www.usgs.gov/reports/digital_data_series/DDS-11/DDS-11.html]
"A digital representation of the 1974 P.B. King and H.M. Beikman map," Geologic Map of the conterminous United States.

Geology of the European countries. 1980. Four volumes. Paris: Dunod.
[Van Pelt: QE 260 .G46]

Harland, W. Brian et al. 1990. A geological time scale 1989. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 508 .G3956 1990]
Presents a "definitive" (as of 1989) chronology of "standard stratigraphic divisions based on rock sequences and calibrated in years".

Encyclopedia of minerals. 1990. 2nd edition. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 355 .R6 1990]
"A desktop encyclopedia containing pertinent information on almost every accepted mineral species". More than 4400 entries provide chemical formula, hardness, density, cleavage, habit, color-luster, mode of occurrence, crystal system, class, space gr oup, Z (the number of chemical formula units per unit cell), lattice constants, strongest diffraction lines, optical constants, reflected light properties, and selected references; photographs are included.

Carmichael, Robert S. (ed.). 1989. Practical handbook of physical properties of rocks and minerals. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 431.6 .P5 P73 1989]
Updated and abridged from Handbook of physical properties of rocks (CRC Press. 1982-1984. 3 volumes). Individual chapters are: "Mineral composition of rocks", "Densities of rocks and minerals", "Inelastic properties of rocks and miner als: strength and rheology", "Magnetic properties of minerals and rocks", "Electrical properties", "Seismic velocities", "Seismic attenuation", "Radioactivity properties of minerals and rocks", "Spectroscopic properties of rocks and minerals", "Engineeri ng properties of rock".

YEARBOOKS
USGS Minerals Information. Mineral Resource Surveys Program, U.S. Geological Survey.
[USGS Minerals Information, URL: http://minerals.er.usgs.gov/minerals/]
Online access to most recent annual Minerals yearbook, most recent annual Mineral commodity summaries, and 1993 Statistical Compendium, as well as periodicals Metal Industry Indicators and Mineral Industry Surveys.

U.S. Bureau of Mines. Minerals yearbook. 1932/1933-1995. Annual. Washington, D.C.: U.S. GPO.
[Van Pelt (latest year, with current preprints, in Reference) and Lippincott (latest two years in Reference): TN 23 .U612]
Several parts: "Metals and minerals", "Area reports: domestic" (by State), "Mineral industries of Africa", "Mineral industries of Asia and the Pacific", "Mineral industries of Latin America and Canada", "Mineral industries of Europe and the USSR", " Mineral industries of the Middle East", "Minerals in the world economy".
Publication has ceased with closing of the U.S. Bureau of Mines. U.S. Geological Survey has declared responsibility for publication.

Institute of Geological Sciences. Mineral Statistics and Economics Unit. World mineral statistics. 1970/1974-present. Irregular. London: HMSO.
[Lippincott (latest issue in Reference): HD 9506 .A1 G74]
Continues: Statistical summary of the mineral industry.

GUIDEBOOKS AND FIELD GUIDES
Geoscience Information Society, Guidebooks Committee. 1989. Union list of geologic field trip guidebooks of North America. Fifth edition. Alexandria, Va.: American Geological Institute.
[Van Pelt: Z 6034 .N65 U56 1989]
Bibliographic citations, with very incomplete holding libraries information, for field trip guidebooks containing road logs or other information allowing trip replication, for North America north of the Panama Canal and including Bermuda and the West Indies, published through1985. Arranged by main entry, usually sponsoring organization or author. Indexes for geographic area and for stratigraphic units (following GEOREF thesaurus and GNULEX).

Centennial field guide. 1986-present. 6 volumes. Boulder, Colo.: Geological Society of America.
[Van Pelt: QE 77 .C46]
"Prepared under the auspices of the regional sections of the Geological Society of America as a part of the Decade of North American Geology (DNAG) Project."

HISTORY OF GEOLOGY
Porter, Roy. 1983. The earth sciences: an annotated bibliography. Bibliographies of the history of science and technology volume 3 / Garland reference library of the humanities volume 315. New York: Garland Pub.
[Van Pelt Reference and Van Pelt Special Collections (Smith): QE 26.2 .P67 1983]
A "practical working guide" to the mainstream literature of the history of geology, emphasizing mid-eighteenth-century to the last third of the nineteenth-century English, French, German, Latin, Italian, and Spanish works in geology and related fields . Lists 808 items, arranged by broad disciplinary, subject, area, and institutional categories, with descriptive and analytic annotations. One index to authors, geologists, and major departments and themes in the history of geology.

Sarjeant, William A. S. 1980. Geologists and the history of geology: an international bibliography from the origins to 1978. Five volumes. New York: Arno Press.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 21 .S27]
Supplement for 1979-1984. Two volumes.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 21 .S28]
An authoritative bibliography of the Roman-alphabet secondary literature on the history of geology and related fields, and geologists. Sections on "General works", "Historical accounts of societes, museums and other institutions concerned with geolog y", "History of the petroleum industry", "Accounts of events significant in the history of geology", "Individual geologists" [arranged alphabetically], "Prospectors, diviners and mining engineers". Includes indexes of geologists by nationality, by countr ies in which they worked, and by speciality, and of authors, editors, and translators.

Three reprint series covering important primary works in geology are available at Van Pelt, with cataloging in FRANKLIN:
Benchmark papers in geology. Stroudsburg, Pa.: Hutchinson Ross
History of geology series. New York: Arno Press.
Landmarks of science [microfiche]. New York: Readex.

DIRECTORIES
Directory of geoscience departments, United States & Canada. 1960s-present. Falls Church, Va.: American Geological Institute. Annual.
[Van Pelt: QE 47 .A1 D57. Latest at Reference Desk.]

Directory of research in geosciences at primarily undergraduate institutions. 1994. 2nd ed. Asheville, N.C.: Council on Undergraduate Research.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 47 .A1 R47]

Education for the earth: a guide to top environmental studies programs. 1993. Princeton: Peterson's Guides.
[Van Pelt Reference Desk: GE 80 .E33 1993]

Curricula in the atmospheric, oceanic, hydrologic, and related sciences. 1992. Boston: American Meteorological Society.
[Van Pelt Reference: QC 869 .C877]

Organization, programs, and activities of the Geologic Division, U.S. Geological Survey. 1990. U.S. Geological Survey circular 1000.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 47 .A1 G45 1990]

STYLE GUIDES
Suggestions to authors of the reports of the United States Geological Survey. 1991. 7th edition. Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O.
[Van Pelt Reference: QE 48.85 .S84 1991]

Cochran, Wendell, Peter Fenner, and Mary Hill (eds.). 1984. Geowriting: a guide to writing, editing, and printing in earth science. 4th edition. Alexandria, Va.: American Geological Institute.
[Van Pelt Reference Desk: QE 48.85 .G44 1984]


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