Research Guides: Geology & Earth Sciences: Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, etc.

Hints:

If you are unfamiliar with a topic, it is often best to start with an encyclopedia, reference book or review article to gain a basic understaning of your topic as well as terminology used in the field.

Current Reviews from Annual Reveiw of Earth & Planetary Sciences

Note: the first several in the list may be prepublication notices--if you view the RSS feed or view the website, you will be able to see the full text of those already published.

Encyclopedias. Handbooks, etc.

Encyclopedia of Earth
Great place to begin research.
Encyclopedia of Geology (Elsevier)
Five-volume reference work covers all aspects of geology including earth history, earth materials, surface processes, regional geology, economic geology, engineering geology, petroleum geology, geochemical and mineral exploration, and the history of geology.
Dictionary of Earth Sciences
Provides "coverage of topics including climatology, economic geology, geochemistry, oceanography, palaeontology, petrology, and volcanology. There are entries on planetary science, remote sensing, statistics, and sequence stratigraphy, wind strength scales, material, temporal, and chronostratigraphic units, geologic, lunar, and Martian time scales."
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Click on the Oxford Reference Premium Collection o open the ebook
Earth Science
Expands and updates Magill's survey of science: earth science series. v. 1. The physics and chemistry of earth -- v. 2. The earth's surface and history -- v. 3. Earth materials and earth resources -- v. 4. Weather, water, and the atmosphere -- v. 5. Planetology and earth from space.
2 North Ref QE 28 .E12 2001 v.1-4
Earth Science on File
Old, but still a great resource for teachers--freely reproducible visual aids to teach earth sciences.
2 NORTH Reference QE 43 .E27 1988

Glossaries & Dictionaries

General Geology

Glossary of Geology 2N Ref QE 5 .B38 2005

Geologic Glossary - a glossary of general terms related to geology from the U.S. Geological Survey's Geology of the National Parks web site.

Earthquakes

Earthquake Glossary - an illustrated glossary of earthquake-related terms from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Glaciers

Glossary of Glacier Terminology - an illustrated glossary of terms related to glacial geology, from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Mining

Glossary of Mining Terms - a glossary of terms related to mining developed by the Kentucky Mining Institute.

Oil & Gas

Oilfield Glossary - a detailed glossary of terms related to the oil and gas industry developed by Schlumberger.

Paleontology

Paleontological Glossary - a technical glossary from the University of California Museum of Paleontology.

Volcanoes

Glossary of Volcano Related Terms - a glossary of terms related to volcanoes and volcanism from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Water & Water Resources

Water Science Glossary - a generalized water dictionary from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Thanks to Linda Zellmer, Western Illinois Univeristy Libraries for the content of this box.

Last Updated: Jan 23, 2024 1:52 PM