• Geology Information: Overview
• Help: Using Geology Literature
  • Research Tips
• Library Resources for Geology
  • Library Home Page: Catalyst, etc.
  • Databases
  • Browsing Locations in LC
• Selected Web Resources for Geology
• More Resources on...
  • Regional Geology (Colorado)
  • Regional Geology (Golden)

Geology is the study of the Earth and of the materials and processes that shape it. Geology is an interdisciplinary subject that overlaps and interacts with many other disciplines, including chemistry, physics, biology, oceanography and atmospheric sciences. The study of geology has also been expanded to other planets as extraterrestrial geology. There are numerous sub-disciplines in geology, such as mineralogy, sedimentology, structural geology, paleontology and economic geology.

Observation of the physical world plays a key role in geology; older research often retains its value. However, geological research that depends on current analytical techniques or new technology may lose value over time as new data supercedes it. Government agencies and professional earth science societies are a source of many geological publications.

Tips on using geology literature:

• Research based on specific rock formations, geologic provinces or time periods is common. Use keywords such as:
  • Formation names. Examples: Fountain Formation; Pierre Shale; Silver Plume Granite
  • Broader categories, group or province names. Examples: Paradox Basin; Dakota Group; Canadian Shield
  • Geographic areas. Examples: Jefferson County; Golden Quadrangle; Wyoming
  • Geologic time periods. Examples: Upper Cretaceous; Precambrian; Tertia7ry
• Some field observations and lab studies have value even after decades. Don't ignore older works.
• Federal and state government agencies and professional societies are major geoscience publishers. Include them in your search.
• Maps are very important in geology; they can be especially useful when studying the geology of a specific geographic area.
• Geology has many subdisciplines and cross-disciplinary applications; consider searching the literature of chemistry, engineering, environmental science, geophysics, mining.

• Check with your librarian to find out about new resources and electronic databases. Come to the library or use Ask A Librarian.
• Look for library guides in related disciplines.
• Use your library’s classification system to browse. The CSM Library uses Library of Congress (LC). Most geology materials in our Library are located in the QE's.
• Become familiar with core works in your field. Use these as a base to start your search.
• Keyword choices are important. Add keywords to your search from publications you've already identified and from thesari and indexes.
• Evaluate your sources--especially Internet sources. Check for updating, type and date of coverage, publisher and/or author.

The CSM Library has a strong collection in geology. Reflecting CSM's curriculum and research, our greatest strengths are in:

• Economic geology
• Regional geology
• Applied geology
• Geologic maps

• Petroleum geology
• Petrology & mineralogy
• Sedimentology and stratigraphy
• Geochemistry
• U.S. geology

The CSM Library Home Page includes links to:

• Catalyst (CSM Web catalog): Materials owned by the CSM Library, including books, maps, CSM theses and dissertations, conference proceedings and professional society publications.
• Prospector (Colorado's Unified Catalog): Includes the geology collections of Univ. of Colorado-Boulder and Colorado State University.
• Databases & E-Pubs. We subscribe to over 200 databases, including GeoRef, Water Resources Abstracts, and Petroleum Abstracts. We have thousands of e-publications in the geosciences, including publications from GSA, AGI, AGU, AAPG and others.
• Help

• US Geological Survey
• Colorado Geological Survey
• Yahoo's Geology & Geophysics Page
• American Geological Institute (AGI)
• Geology Libraries in the US
• Reference Shelf
  • Geologic Time Line
  • Tectonic Time Line (Illustrated)
  • Illustrated Glossary of Geologic Terms
  • US Tapestry: Combined Geologic and Topographic Map
  • Atlas of Igneous & Metamorphic Rocks, Minerals & Textures
  • Mineralogy Database