Geologic Publications and Data
The Pennsylvania Geological Survey has been collecting and disseminating geologic and topographic data since the First Pennsylvania Geological Survey was formed during 1836.
Over the years, the Survey has published hundreds of reports and maps, many in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey. The current (fourth) series of publications includes printed and digital products, mostly technical, but also many popular and educational in scope.
Statewide Geologic Map and GIS Datasets
The Pennsylvania Geological Survey’s most popular group of datasets --
Bedrock Geology of Pennsylvania (ZIP) -- consists of 1:250,000-scale ArcGIS shapefiles for geologic units, geologic contacts, dikes, and faults that were created and slightly modified from the materials used to produce the 1980 printed
Geologic Map of Pennsylvania (ZIP).
Pennsylvania Geology Magazine
Pennsylvania Geology is the
Pennsylvania Geological Survey’s free online magazine. It includes articles about the geology of Pennsylvania, earth science education, topographic mapping, and announcements of new publications, conferences, and other geologic and topographic items of interest.
To receive a hyperlink to each new issue as it becomes available,
email the Pennsylvania Geological Survey. To view past editions of the magazine, use the hyperlinks provided in this
list of magazine volumes (PDF).
Obtaining Geological Publications
Online
The Fourth Pennsylvania Geological Survey assigns reports to different publication series according to their content, technical complexity, and intended audience. These publications are available as ZIP or PDF files.
Pennsylvania Geological Survey Publications (ZIP) contains descriptions of each series, individual report information, and hyperlinks to all publications. Publications can also be selected and downloaded through geographical searches on
PaGEODE.
The American Geosciences Institute maintains a
database of Geological Survey publications, and the U.S. Geological Survey's
National Geologic Map Database includes close to 700 of our publications. Both websites offer useful search options and link to the publication landing pages in PaGEODE for the downloading of our reports.
In Libraries
Almost all formal Pennsylvania Geological Survey publications can be borrowed from the
Survey library or through an interlibrary loan.
Free Publications
In addition to being available online or in libraries, free publications that are still in print may be ordered from the Survey by
email. These include most of the:
- Educational series booklets
- Park guides (now part of the trail of geology series)
- Page-size maps
- Poster maps
- Information circulars
When emailing your request, please include:
- The publication series and number
- The quantity you desire
- The ship-to address
- A telephone number where you can be reached if necessary
- The school affiliation if relevant
The Geology of Pennsylvania
Special Publication 1, The Geology of Pennsylvania, can be
purchased online from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
New Publications From the Survey
Check out these publications from the past six months:
May 2023
- Map 23–03.0 (ZIP), Karst-Feature Density Map of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania–Using Lidar-Derived Closed Depressions
April 2023
Map 23–02.0 (ZIP), Surficial Geologic Map of the Mesozoic Basin in the Ambler, Hatboro, and Langhorne 7.5-Minute Quadrangles, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
March 2023
-
Map 23–01.0 (ZIP), Bedrock Geologic Map of the Mesozoic Basin in the Ambler, Hatboro, and Langhorne 7.5-Minute Quadrangles, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
January 2023
-
Pennsylvania Geology (v. 52, no. 4) (PDF), featuring the articles “The Metals of Cornwall, Pennsylvania" and its addendum “Geologic Origin of the Iron Ores,” and "A Fossil New to Science Discovered in York County, Pennsylvania"
Databases and GIS Datasets
GIS datasets are included with many of the geologic maps and reports released since the year 2000.
Databases exist for the following:
PaGEODE Web-Mapping Application
PaGEODE stands for Pennsylvania GEOlogic Data Exploration. In addition to the publication-searching capability mentioned above, it can be used for geographical searches of Survey data.
With PaGEODE, GIS datasets related to bedrock or surficial geology, mineral resources, or geologic hazards can be viewed in your web browser and downloaded for specified areas.