This is a list of important publicationsingeology, organized by field. A number of authors have published lists of influential or notable publications in geology, with an emphasis on papers published before 1950.[1][2][3][4]
Some reasons why a particular publication might be regarded as important:
Topic creator – A publication that created a new topic
Breakthrough – A publication that changed scientific knowledge significantly
Influence – A publication which has significantly influenced the world or has had a massive impact on the teaching of geology.
First publication to clearly articulate the principle of deep time, and to recognize that rocks record the evidence of the past action of processes which still operate today. These ideas were to grow into the idea of uniformitarianism. Hutton is widely regarded as the "Father of Modern Geology".[6]
— (1833). . Vol. 3. London: John Murray.[1]: 263–273 [8]
The work's subtitle was "An Attempt to Explain the Former Changes of the Earth's Surface by Reference to Causes now in Operation", and this explains Lyell's impact on science: he was, along with the earlier John Playfair, a major advocate of the then-controversial idea of uniformitarianism; that is, that the Earth was shaped entirely by slow-moving forces acting over a very long period of time. This was in contrast to the antiquated geologic idea of catastrophism, which went hand-in-hand with the age of the Earth suggested by biblical chronology. In various revised editions (twelve in all, through 1872), Principles of Geology was the most influential geological work in the middle of the 19th century, and did much to put geology on a modern footing. Charles Darwin frequently acknowledged his deep debt to this book.[9]
Pohl, W.L., 2011. Economic Geology, Principles and Practice: Metals, Minerals, Coal and Hydrocarbons – an Introduction to Formation and Sustainable Exploitation of Mineral Deposits. 663 Pages, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford. ISBN978-1444336627
A highly cited guide to the use of isotope geochemistry in solving geological problems, and the methods involved. Has been cited more than 3200 times. A second edition was published in 1986. A third edition, with Teresa M. Mensing, was published in 2005, under the title Isotopes: Principles and Applications.
Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, William (1899). "The age of the Earth as an abode fitted for life". Journal of the Transactions of the Victoria Institute. 31: 11–38.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
The speech recorded by this volume of Transactions represents the final version of the theory of the age of the Earth which Thomson had been refining since 1862. In it, he proposed that the age of the Earth was "more than 20 and less than 40 million year old, and probably much nearer 20 than 40".[12] His analysis was based on the time it would take the Earth to cool from a completely molten state, and his estimate was consistent with a number of other physical estimates from, amongst others, George Darwin, Hermann von Helmholtz, and Simon Newcomb. This strikingly young age put Thomson in direct conflict with both Uniformitarian geologists and evolutionary biologists, both of whose theories required much longer spans of time to take effect.[13] This paradox of the age of the Earth was resolved only by fuller understanding of the roles of convection and radioactivity in the planet's interior in the early 20th century, and it required understanding of thermonuclear fusion in the Sun developed only in the 1930s to fully explain the stability of the whole solar system over multi-billion year timescales.[14]
With this work based on his thesis Holmes describes the first accurate uranium–leadradiometric dating (specifically designed to measure the age of a rock), assigning an age of 370 Ma to a Devonian rock from Norway, improving on the work of Boltwood who published nothing more on the subject.
De Geer, G. (1912). A geochronology of the last 12,000 years. Congr. Géol. Int. Stockholm 1910, C.R., 241–253.
In the 1910 International Geological Congress held in Stockholm Gerard De Geer presented to international community his research on glacial lakevarves showing that they represented annual layers and were useful in the study of deglaciation.
In 1837, Agassiz was the first to scientifically propose that the Earth had been subject to a past ice age.[15] This book lays out his theories in print. It represents his theories that vast areas of northern Europe had in the past been covered in ice, extending down to the Caspian and Mediterranean seas. The book represents the birth of the fields of glaciology and glacial geomorphology.[16]
Gilbert, Grove Karl (1877). Report on the Geology of the Henry Mountains (Report). United States Geological Survey Professional Paper.[1]: 586–596
G. K. Gilbert lays the groundwork for many ideas in modern geomorphology, such as the diffusive profiles of hillslopes and the formation of pediments. In addition to its geomorphic significance, it is a description of the last major mountain range to be mapped by Europeans in the contiguous United States.[17] (the Henry Mountains being located in a remote part of Utah) and a description of its formation as a laccolith.
Cvijić, Jovan (1893). Das Karstphänomen (PhD) (in German).
Founding work on karst geomorphology. The study focus on karst phenomena in the Balcans. Albrecht Penck was Cvijić's PhD advisor.
In his 1899 publication William Morris Davis outlines in detail the cycle of erosion model laying the foundations for the study of peneplains, relief development and denudation chronology.
Łozinski, W. (1912). Die periglaziale fazies der mechanischen Verwitterung (in German). Comptes Rendus, XI Congres Internationale Geologie, Stockholm 1910.
In this work Walery Łoziński publishes his presentation at the 1910 International Geological Congress held in Stockholm and establishes periglacial geomorphology as a new field of study.
Penck, Walther (1924). Die morphologische Analyse [Morphological Analysis of Landforms] (in German).
This work of Walther Penck challenges the cycle of erosion theory of Davis by proposing for the first time a comprehensive alternative model of landscape evolution. The work was published posthumously by his father Albrecht Penck.[18]
Hjulström, Filip (1935). Studies of the morphological activity of rivers as illustrated by the River Fyris (Inaugural Dissertation). Almqvist & Wiksell.
In this book King establishes for the first time the major landform of Africa namely the African Surface. Subsequently the concept would be expanded and modified. King did also argued for scarp retreat and pediplanation in the book.
With this publication Linton "stimulated discussion" on the origin of tors. In 1994 it was noted by John Gerrard that the article had been widely cited.[20]
Hack, John Tilton (1960). Interpretation of erosional topography in humid temperate regions. Bobbs-Merrill.
Rapp, A. (1960). "Recent development of mountain slopes in Kärkevagge and surroundings, northern Scandinavia". Geografiska Annaler. 42 (2): 65–200.
One of the first measurements of chemical erosion and one of the first quantitative assessments on the relative role of chemical and mechanical weathering in cold climates.
An article by Stoddart that proved "devastating" for the field of climatic geomorphology that has been credited as a contributing factor for the decline in the popularity in field the late 20th century.[22][23]
Varnes, David J. (1978). "Slope Movement Types and Processes". Special report. Vol. 176. pp. 11–33.
A classic reference on the Earth's magnetic field and related topics in meteorology, solar and lunar physics, the aurora, techniques of spherical harmonic analysis and treatment of periodicities in geophysical data.[24] Its comprehensive summaries made it the standard reference on geomagnetism and the ionosphere for at least 2 decades.[25]
Darcy, Henry (1856). The Public Fountains of the City of Dijon. English translation by Patricia Bobeck (reprint ed.). Kendall/Hunt. ISBN978-0-7575-0540-9.
The work contains the first determination of Darcy's law.
Inferred the fact that both "water and the porous structure" of an aquifer are "elastically compressible".[27][28]
Theis, Charles V. (1935). "The relation between the lowering of the piezometric surface and the rate and duration of discharge of a well using ground water storage". Transactions of the American Geophysical Union. 16 (2): 519–524. Bibcode:1935TrAGU..16..519T. doi:10.1029/TR016i002p00519. hdl:2027/uc1.31210024994400.
Agricola, Georgius (2004) [1546]. De Natura Fossilium [On the Nature of Fossils] (in Latin). Translated from the first Latin edition of 1546 by Mark Chance Bandy and Jean A. Bandy. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications. ISBN9780486495910.
Demonstrated experimentally that granite can crystallize from felsicmelt. Results are presented in a chemical-mineralogical ternary diagram.
Deer, W. A.; Howie, R. A.; Zussman, J. (1962). An Introduction to the Rock-forming Minerals. London: Longmans.
A condensation of Rock-Forming Minerals (1962), a 5-volume comprehensive treatise of the physical, chemical, mineralogical, petrological and optical properties of essentially all minerals with nontrivial abundances to be found in terrestrial rocks. Also presents information regarding common origins and associations of each mineral, as well as a practical commentary on how to distinguish each mineral from others which may appear similar.
Igneous Petrogenesis has long been a key reference and advanced introductory book to the science of igneous petrology.
Spear, Frank S. (1995) [1993]. Metamorphic phase equilibria and pressure-temperature-time paths (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Mineralogical Soc. of America. ISBN978-0-939950-34-8.
Originally published in 1993; presents the thermodynamic basis for modern, quantitative petrology and systematically reviews metamorphism for most rock types. Popularly also known as the "big blue book".
Vail, P. R.; Mitchum Jr., R. M.; Todd, R. G.; Widmier, J. M.; Thompson, S.; Sangree, J. B.; et al. (1977). "Seismic stratigraphy and global changes in sea level". In Payton, C. E. (ed.). Seismic Stratigraphy–Applications to hydrocarbon exploration, AAPG Memoir. Vol. 26. Tulsa: American Association of Petroleum Geologists. pp. 49–205.
First book to marshall considerable geological evidence that the continents are mobile relative to each other around the North Atlantic (mainly). It uses Evan Hopkins booklet (On the connection of geology with terrestrial magnetism, 1844), but adapts its data to a plutonist point-of-view.[citation needed]
First book to show geological evidence that some continents were linked with each other: Suess set out his belief that across geologic time, the rise and fall of sea levels were mappable across the earth—that is, that the periods of ocean transgression and regression were correlateable from one continent to another. His theory was based upon glossopteris fern fossils occurring in South America, Africa, and India. His explanation was that the three lands were once connected in a supercontinent, which he named Gondwána-Land (nowadays usually written Gondwanaland). However Suess mistakenly believed that the oceans flooded the spaces currently between those lands.
Moreover, Suess expressed views in this book on the connection between Africa and Europe. Eventually, he concluded that the Alps to the north were once at the bottom of an ocean, of which the Mediterranean was a remnant. Suess was not correct in his analysis, which was predicated upon the notion of "contractionism"—the idea that the Earth is cooling down and, therefore, contracting. Nevertheless, he is credited with postulating the earlier existence of the Tethys Ocean, which he named in 1893.
Wegener, Alfred (1915). The Origins of Continents and Oceans.
Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane was the second book to marshall considerable geological evidence that the continents are mobile relative to each other on the surface of the Earth. His theory was based upon numerous matches between the topography, paleontology and past climate of continents now separated by oceans. At the time of publication his ideas were not taken seriously by most of the geological community as he could not provide a mechanism for continental motion, but his ideas form the foundations of the modern theory of plate tectonics.
"[A] widely circulated report to the Office of Naval Research" [...] that "was the most referenced work in solid earth geophysics in the years 1966-1968". The "paper stimulated intense research and is part of what is the major advance in geologic science of this century."[40]
Steno, Nicolaus (1669). De solido intra solidum naturaliter contento dissertationis prodromus [Of Solids Naturally Contained Within Solids] (in Latin). Firenze.[1]: 33–44
A foundational work in biostratigraphy.[42] "...Cuvier and Brongniart integrated that enriched geognosy with the geohistorical perspective: the structural sequence of formations and their fossils was turned into a temporal sequence or narrative of ecologically distinctive periods punctuated by occasional sudden changes".[43]
Smith, William (1815). A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales, with part of Scotland.
The first geological map covering such a large area in detail,[44] and is one of the first stratigraphical analyses to utilize paleontological indices.[45] A rough sketch of the map was drawn in 1801[46] possibly influencing Alexandre Brongniart when he visited England in 1802.[43]
"one of the first reports of an attempt to scale deformation experiments on a rock-analogue material (clay) and to conduct detailed kinematic and strain analyses of the three end-member types of faulting (thrust, normal, and strike-slip)".[47]
Anderson, E.M. (1951) [1942]. The Dynamics of Faulting and Dyke Formation with Applications to Britain. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd.
Widely cited publication on the microstructure of mylonites. It is credited for contributing to a transition in tectonic structural geology towards a kinematic approach.[50]
Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. Geological Society of America and University of Kansas Press. 1953.
A definitive multi-authored work of some 50 volumes, written by more than 300 paleontologists, and still a work in progress. It covers every phylum, class, order, family, and genus of fossil and extant (still living) invertebrate animals. Raymond C. Moore was the founder and first editor.[51]
Graham, Maria (1824). "An account of some effects of the late Earthquakes in Chili". Transactions of the Geological Society. ser2 v1 (XXV).[1] The first scientific paper written by a woman and published in the Transactions of the Geological Society, London.
Defined a version of elastic anisotropy using transversely isotropic media that could be analyzed through the use of Thomsen parameters. Most cited paper in the history of geophysics.[citation needed]
Scholz, Christopher H. (1994). The mechanics of earthquakes and faulting. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. ISBN9780521407601.
An influential review of fault properties, dynamics and growth, how they fail, and how this links to seismology. Highly cited (>2700 citations).[citation needed]
The first paper to lay out the now widely accepted model for formation of sedimentary basins by tectonic stretching of the lithosphere (mechanical thinning), followed by lowering of the basin by the cooling of upwelled, hot asthenosphere at depth below it (isostatic deepening). Highly cited (>2200 citations).[citation needed]
Contains the first detailed description of a volcanic eruption in western culture – the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in what is now known as a plinian eruption in 79 CE.[54]
Lacroix, Alfred (1904). La montagne Pelée et ses éruptions (in French). Paris.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Lipman, Peter W.; Mullineaux, Donal R., eds. (1981). The 1980 Eruptions of Mount St. Helens, Washington. USGS Professional Paper 1250. Washington. D. C.: United States Geological Survey.
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state, USA, allowed volcanologists to document first hand a large number of volcanic processes which hitherto had been only inferred. It spurred a revitalization of the whole discipline of volcanology. This anthology of papers was amongst the first to present new data gained during the eruption.[citation needed]
^From the dedication in Voyage of the Beagle: To Charles Lyell, Esq., F.R.S.: This Second Edition Is Dedicated with Grateful Pleasure, As an Acknowledgment That the Chief Part of Whatever Scientific Merit This Journal and the Other Works of the Author May Possess, Has Been Derived from Studying the Well-Known and Admirable PRINCIPLES OF GEOLOGY."
^Hose, Thomas A. (2016). "Museums and Geoheritage in Britain and Europe". In Hose, Thomas A. (ed.). Geoheritage and Geotourism. The Boydell Press, Woodbridge. p. 73. ISBN978-1-78327-147-4.
^Young, Davis A. (2004). Mind over Magma: The Story of Igneous Petrology. Princeton University Press. pp. 153–154. ISBN978-0691102795.
^Yoder, Hatten Schuyler, ed. (2015). Evolution of the Igneous Rocks: Fiftieth Anniversary Perspectives. Princeton University Press. ISBN9781400868506.
^Dullo, Wolf-Christian (ed.). Milestones in Geoscience. pp. 123–133.
^Dullo, Wolf-Christian (ed.). Milestones in Geoscience. pp. 75–99.
^Roberts, David G.; Bally, A., eds. (2008). Principles of regional geology (1st ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier. p. 345. ISBN9780444530424.
^Emery, Dominic; Myers, Keith, eds. (2009). Sequence Stratigraphy. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 3, 6. ISBN9781444313703.
^Sengor, Thomas Hofman, Gunter Bloschl, Lois Lammerhuber, Werner E. Piller, A.M. Celal (2014). The face of the Earth : the legacy of Eduard Suess. Germany: European Geosciences Union. ISBN978-3901753695.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Dullo, Wolf-Christian (ed.). Milestones in Geoscience. pp. 43–50.
^Ludvigsen, Rolf; Westrop, Stephen R.; Pratt, Brian R.; Tuffnell, Pamela A.; Young, Graham A. (1986). "PALEOSCENE #3. Dual Biostratigraphy: Zones and biofacies". Geoscience Canada. 13 (3).
^Phillips, John (1844). Memoirs of William Smith (First ed.). London: John Murray. p. 54. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
^Handy, M. "On experimental tectonics (with 14 figures) v. Comparative analysis of three types of displacement". In Dullo, Wolf-Christian (ed.). Milestones in Geoscience. p. 118.
^Healy, David; Sibson, Richard H.; Shipton, Zoe; Butler, Robert (2012). "Stress, faulting, fracturing and seismicity: the legacy of Ernest Masson Anderson". In Healy, D.; Butler, R.W.H; Shipton, Z.K.; Sibson, R.H. (eds.). Faulting, Fracturing and Igneous Intrusion in the Earth's Crust. Geological Society, London, Special Publications. Vol. 367. pp. 1–6.
^Llana-Funez, S.; Marcos, A.; Bastida, F. (20 March 2014). "Deformation structures and processes within the continental crust: an introduction". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 394 (1): 1–6. Bibcode:2014GSLSP.394....1L. doi:10.1144/SP394.13. S2CID128907121.
^Pliny the Younger (2006). Complete Letters. Translated by P. G. Walsh. Oxford. pp. 142–146, 150–151. ISBN9780191604898.
^Jones, Nicholas F. (2001). "Pliny the Younger's Vesuvius "Letters" (6.16 and 6.20)". The Classical World. 95 (1): 31–48. doi:10.2307/4352621. JSTOR4352621.
