Research and Course Guides: +Geology Resources: Searching for sources: Online Sources

Finding credible information online

A lot of geologic information is shared online, it's up to you to determine whether that information is credible. A few things to think about include:

Who is responsible for the information on the site? What is their background?
- Be wary of sites that are not up front about who is creating their content and what their background is.
Where did the information come from? Was is created by the owners of the website? Did it come from elsewhere?
- If the information comes from other sources, can you get to the original source?

A few good places to start are federal and state government sites, professional geological societies, and university geology labs.

Helpful tools and resources

National Geologic Map Database
Search a large database of geologic maps by many different criteria. Many include GIS data that you can download.
Geolex Search
The U.S. Geologic Names Lexicon ("Geolex"), a National compilation of names and descriptions of geologic units. Search for the name of a geologic unit and get all sorts of helpful information about it, including other names, subunits, geologic name, type location, and significant publications about it.
Geographic Names Information System - Domestic Name Search
Search for the name of any geographic feature (lake, river, basin, etc). The report will give you the coordinates, elevation, and county as well as other names used for that feature.

Government Sources

United States Geological Survey
The US Geological Survey studies the landscape of the United States. A good place to start exploring is the "Science" menu along the top of the site. You can explore topics from biology to energy to water and more.
State Geological Surveys
State geological surveys are good places to look for location-specific geology. The Associate of America State Geologists links to the geological surveys of all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Soils - USDA
From the USDA, a site with information about soils, soil surveys, and soil health.
Environmental Protection Agency
The EPA provides information about environmental topics in the United States.
US Forest Service
The US Forest Service manages our national forests and grasslands. This includes water, soil, and natural resources on those lands.
Department of Energy
The US Department of Energy provides information on all energy sources in the US.
Search all the US Government Science sites at once
Not sure which site to search? Science.gov will search all the US federal science agencies. It is a slow search, make sure you give it time to finish. The number of results can be overwhelming, so start with a specific search.
Directory of Geoscience Organizations of the World
This list is maintained by the Geological Survey of Japan. It has links to major governmental organizations around the world relating to geology and earth science.

Geoscience Organizations

Geological Society of America
An international scientific society, GSA focuses on geoscience research. Archives of past conference proceedings are available on their website.
American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union (AGU), which was established in 1919 by the National Research Council and for more than 50 years operated as an unincorporated affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences, is now a nonprofit corporation chartered under the laws of the District of Columbia. The Union is dedicated to the furtherance of the geophysical sciences through the individual efforts of its members and in cooperation with other national and international scientific organizations.
American Geological Institute
AGI is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists. It provides information services, serves as a voice of shared interests in our profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public understanding of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resilience to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.
American Institute of Professional Geologists
The American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG)is the largest association dedicated to promoting geology as a profession. It presently has more than 5,500 members in the U.S. and abroad, organized into 36 regional Sections.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists
Founded in 1917, the AAPG's purpose is to advance the science of geology.
Soil Science Society of America
Based in Madison, WI, the SSSA is an international society of 6000+ members that practices to sustain global soils. The Society provides information about soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem sustainability, bioremediation, waste management, recycling, and wise land use.

University geology departments

Geology and Earth Science departments at universities often have great information on their websites. You will sometimes come across student papers, so remember to pay attention to who is responsible for the content you are reading.

It would be too much to link to every geology department and lab. For some countries, you can search for geology information only at universities by doing a google search and adding site: and then the top-level domain for universities to the end of your search. Not all countries have a specific domain for colleges and universities.

Domains for universities in selected countries (see the second-level domain .edu and .ac lists on Wikipedia for more):

Australia: site:.edu.au
China: site:.edu.cn (for educational institutions); site:.ac.cn (for research institutions)
Mexico: site:.edu.mx
New Zealand: site:.ac.nz
Spain: site:edu.es
UK: site:.ac.uk
US: site:.edu

Example Google search:

earthquake site:.ac.nz

will find websites at New Zealand universities about earthquakes

US Universities and Colleges with geology departments