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Geological Sciences

The following is a selected list of resources for starting research in the Geological Sciences. For further assistance, contact Dean Walton.

Starting Your Research

These sources can help you identify a topic for your research, provide an overview of a specific issue or topic, and suggest other materials which might be useful for your research. Many of the book sources are located in Science Reference, mostly in the QE section and some can be checked out for short period of time.

  • Handbooks and Guides
    • The Field Guide to Geology. [QE28 .L22 1998]
    • Geologic Time Periods from the Museum of Paleontology, UC Berkeley.
    • The Geoscience Handbook: AGI Data Sheets, 4th ed. [QE52 .G46 2006]
    • Ground Engineer's Reference Book. [TA705 .G73 1987]
    • Writing style guides:
      • Geowriting: A Guide to Writing, Editing, and Printing in Earth Science. QE48.85 .G46 1995 (2 copies, one in SCI REF)
      • Suggestions to Authors of the Reports of the United States Geological Survey (the USGS style guide.)
    • Geophysics and Structural Geology
      • Encyclopedia of Structural Geology and Plate Tectonics. [QE601 .E53 1987]
      • Global Earth Physics: A Handbook of Physical Constants. [QC808.8 .G56 1995]
      • Treatise on Geophysics [QC806 .T73 2007]
    • Paleontology
      • Encyclopedia of Paleontology. [QE703 . E58 1999]
      • Handbook of Oregon Plant and Animal Fossils. [QE747.O7 O77]
      • Handbook of Paleozoology. [QE761 .K8413 1986]
      • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Fossils. [QE711.2 .P5413 1990]
    • Mineralogy, Petrology, and Geochemistry
      • Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. [QE515 .E48 1999]
      • Handbook of Geochemistry. [QE515 .W42]
      • Handbook of Mineralogy. [QE366.8 .H36]
      • Practical Handbook of Physical Properties of Rocks and Minerals. [QE431.6 .P5 C73 1989]
      • Treatise on Geochemistry [QE515 .T69 2003]
    • Sedimentology
      • Encyclopedia of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks. [QE471.2 .E53 2003]
      • International Stratigraphic Guide: A Guide to Stratigraphic Classification, Terminology and Procedure. [QE645 .I57 1994]
    • Seismology and Volcanology
      • Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes. [QE521 .R58 2001]
      • Encyclopedia of Volcanoes. [QE522 .E53 2000]
      • Volcanoes of the World: a regional directory, gazetteer, and chronology of volcanism during the last 10,000 years. [QE522 .V92 1994]
    • Journals

      You might try browsing through recent issues of geology periodicals such as Eos, Geology Today, Earth Magazine (formerly GeoTimes), or Oregon Geology for current topics. You will find them on the Current Journals shelves in the Science Library, shelved alphabetically by title.

      Review articles provide a synopsis of the research in a particular area and can be good for getting an idea for a topic that's been thoroughly researched. While many research journals publish the occasional review article, there also are "review journals", which publish reviews exclusively. These articles have comprehensive bibliographies, so if an article interests you, you will have many potentially useful references to pursue. A good review journal to start with:

    Finding Articles

    To look for articles in journals, newspapers, or magazines, you will need to start with an index. An index will allow you to look by subject or a few keywords which describe your topic, or by author.

    • GeoRef
      The most comprehensive index available for geological and paleontological literature, covering from 1785 to the present for North American literature, and 1933 to the present for world literature. From within this database, you can check if UO owns the journal containing an article you want, and if not, request an interlibrary loan. You also can click on the button (found in the Full Record of a citation) to see if the UO has the article in electronic full-text.

    • GeoBase
      This database is more interdisciplinary than GeoRef, covering less geology, but including geography and environmental sciences. From within this database, you can check if UO owns the journal containing an article you want, and if not, request an interlibrary loan. You also can click on the button (found in the Full Record of a citation) to see if the UO has the article in electronic full-text.

    • Web of Science
      The web version of the Science Citation Index (as well as the Social Sciences Citation Index) from 1996 to the present. This interdisciplinary database allows you to find out who has cited a known reference, as well as searching for current research articles by author, topic, etc. Click on the button (found in the Full Record of a citation) to see if the UO has the article in electronic full-text. If not, you can check if the UO Libraries own a print copy of the journal containing an article you want, or request it from another library.

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    Finding Books

    • UO WorldCat
      UO WorldCat allows you to search with a single interface for more than 90 million resources, including books, journals, videos and DVDs, CDs, maps, government documents, and article citations. It integrates all of the resources found in Summit and the FirstSearch interface of Worldcat, allowing users to look for items or topics with a single search.  Entries for items owned by the UO Libraries will appear at the top of the list and will include information about location and availability.
    • UO Local Catalog
      The UO Local catalog is good for finding "local" information that may not be in UO WorldCat. Use it for finding course reserves, to limit by UO Libraries location (e.g., Science Library), to do a call number search, to see what volumes of a periodical we have on the shelf, or to see books that are on order or in process.
    • Summit: The Orbis Cascade Alliance Union Catalog
      A library catalog that combines information from Northwest academic libraries into a single unified database, putting millions of items at your fingertips. Look here first for books the UO does not own or that are not available for checkout. UO students and faculty may borrow books from Orbis-Cascade institutions by selecting the 'Request Item' option. Within 3 days the book requested should be on hold for you at Knight Library. You can request books and some other types of material, but not journal articles.

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    Finding USGS Publications


    USGS publications can be a bit frustrating to track down, here is a guide to where they are at the UO.


    Maps and Images


    Geology Photos from Marli Miller of the UO Geology Department

    • Photos are downloadable for personal, non-commercial use in Powerpoint presentations, etc. Also includes several geologic maps: Oregon and some National Parks.
    Guide to the UO Libraries Map Collection & Resources

    NOAA Marine Geology and Geophysics Images

    NOAA Satellite Data & Images Available from National Geophysical Data Center

    Oregon DOGAMI maps
    • Also data and other publications
    USGS Aerial Photographs and Satellite Images
    • Also includes LIDAR
    USGS Map site


    People and Organizations

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    Web Resources

    Dean Walton-Geology Subject Specialist
    (541) 346-2871 • dpwalton@uoregon.edu
    Last modified September 09, 2011 • VSM
    http://libweb.uoregon.edu/guides/geosciences/index.html