Best Geology Books

1.
A Short History of Nearly Everything
A Short History of Nearly Everything 4.22 avg rating — 412,861 ratings
2.
The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology
The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology 3.82 avg rating — 13,927 ratings
3.
Annals of the Former World
Annals of the Former World 4.36 avg rating — 4,300 ratings
4.
Basin and Range (Annals of the Former World, 1)
Basin and Range (Annals of the Former World, 1) 4.19 avg rating — 4,060 ratings
5.
Earth: An Intimate History
Earth: An Intimate History 3.90 avg rating — 1,334 ratings
6.
When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time
When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time 4.11 avg rating — 1,505 ratings
7.
The Seashell on the Mountaintop: A Story of Science, Sainthood, and the Humble Genius who Discovered a New History of the Earth
The Seashell on the Mountaintop: A Story of Science, Sainthood, and the Humble Genius who Discovered a New History of the Earth 3.86 avg rating — 974 ratings
8.
Oxygen: The Molecule that Made the World
Oxygen: The Molecule that Made the World
by: Nick Lane
4.14 avg rating — 2,835 ratings
9.
The Control of Nature
The Control of Nature 4.26 avg rating — 4,840 ratings
10.
Reading The Rocks: The Autobiography of the Earth
Reading The Rocks: The Autobiography of the Earth 3.98 avg rating — 582 ratings
11.
Coming Into the Country
Coming Into the Country 4.21 avg rating — 7,472 ratings
11.
Snowball Earth: The Story of the Great Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know It
Snowball Earth: The Story of the Great Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know It 3.99 avg rating — 415 ratings
13.
Your Inner Fish: a Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body
Your Inner Fish: a Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body 4.04 avg rating — 28,102 ratings
14.
Why Geology Matters: Decoding the Past, Anticipating the Future
Why Geology Matters: Decoding the Past, Anticipating the Future 4.13 avg rating — 142 ratings
15.
A Crack in the Edge of the World
A Crack in the Edge of the World 3.79 avg rating — 7,187 ratings
16.
The Mountains of Saint Francis
The Mountains of Saint Francis 4.13 avg rating — 113 ratings
17.
Out of Thin Air: Dinosaurs, Birds, and Earth's Ancient Atmosphere
Out of Thin Air: Dinosaurs, Birds, and Earth's Ancient Atmosphere 3.90 avg rating — 147 ratings
17.
The Granite Landscape: A Natural History of America's Mountain Domes, from Acadia to Yosemite
The Granite Landscape: A Natural History of America's Mountain Domes, from Acadia to Yosemite 4.20 avg rating — 51 ratings
19.
Nature's Clocks: How Scientists Measure the Age of Almost Everything
Nature's Clocks: How Scientists Measure the Age of Almost Everything 4.05 avg rating — 127 ratings
20.
Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water
Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water 4.28 avg rating — 11,661 ratings
21.
Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock That Shaped the World
Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock That Shaped the World 3.87 avg rating — 2,401 ratings
22.
The Earth After Us: What Legacy Will Humans Leave in the Rocks?
The Earth After Us: What Legacy Will Humans Leave in the Rocks? 3.78 avg rating — 187 ratings
23.
Groundwater for the 21st Century: A Primer for Citizens of Planet Earth
Groundwater for the 21st Century: A Primer for Citizens of Planet Earth it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
23.
The Planet in a Pebble: A Journey into Earth's Deep History
The Planet in a Pebble: A Journey into Earth's Deep History 3.80 avg rating — 245 ratings
25.
Frozen Earth: The Once and Future Story of Ice Ages
Frozen Earth: The Once and Future Story of Ice Ages 4.09 avg rating — 186 ratings
26.
The Making of a Mining District: Keweenaw Native Copper 1500-1870 (Great Lakes Books)
The Making of a Mining District: Keweenaw Native Copper 1500-1870 (Great Lakes Books) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings
27.
Barren Lands: An Epic Search For Diamonds in the North American Arctic
Barren Lands: An Epic Search For Diamonds in the North American Arctic 4.39 avg rating — 84 ratings
28.
The Rocks Don't Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah's Flood
The Rocks Don't Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah's Flood 3.97 avg rating — 514 ratings
29.
The Big Splat, or How Our Moon Came to Be
The Big Splat, or How Our Moon Came to Be 3.91 avg rating — 100 ratings
30.
Bedrock: Writers on the Wonders of Geology
Bedrock: Writers on the Wonders of Geology 4.15 avg rating — 40 ratings
31.
Hard Road West: History and Geology along the Gold Rush Trail
Hard Road West: History and Geology along the Gold Rush Trail 4.36 avg rating — 245 ratings
32.
Lake Michigan Rock Picker's Guide
Lake Michigan Rock Picker's Guide 4.34 avg rating — 59 ratings
33.
The Geology of Australia
The Geology of Australia 3.72 avg rating — 29 ratings
34.
A World Without Ice
A World Without Ice 3.86 avg rating — 416 ratings
35.
Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History
Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History 4.14 avg rating — 10,151 ratings
36.
Australia and Its Gold Fields: A Historical Sketch of the Progress of the Australian Colonies, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day; with a ... On the Present Aspect of the Land Questio
Australia and Its Gold Fields: A Historical Sketch of the Progress of the Australian Colonies, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day; with a ... On the Present Aspect of the Land Questio it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
37.
Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks
Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks 4.26 avg rating — 470 ratings
38.
Life on a Young Planet: The First Three Billion Years of Evolution on Earth
Life on a Young Planet: The First Three Billion Years of Evolution on Earth 3.99 avg rating — 753 ratings
39.
The Big Score: Robert Friedland, INCO, And The Voisey's Bay Hustle
The Big Score: Robert Friedland, INCO, And The Voisey's Bay Hustle 4.38 avg rating — 119 ratings
40.
Stories in Stone: Travels Through Urban Geology
Stories in Stone: Travels Through Urban Geology 3.84 avg rating — 110 ratings
41.
The Story of Earth: The First 4.5 Billion Years, from Stardust to Living Planet
The Story of Earth: The First 4.5 Billion Years, from Stardust to Living Planet 4.24 avg rating — 3,071 ratings
42.
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History 4.15 avg rating — 77,301 ratings
43.
The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton and the Discovery of Earth's Antiquity
The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton and the Discovery of Earth's Antiquity 3.88 avg rating — 610 ratings
44.
Odyssey of a Desert Prospector
Odyssey of a Desert Prospector 4.25 avg rating — 8 ratings
44.
Supercontinent: Ten Billion Years in the Life of Our Planet
Supercontinent: Ten Billion Years in the Life of Our Planet
by: Ted Nield
3.86 avg rating — 268 ratings
44.
The Ends of the World
The Ends of the World 4.29 avg rating — 5,875 ratings
47.
Principles of Geology
Principles of Geology 3.91 avg rating — 355 ratings
48.
The Romance of Mining
The Romance of Mining 4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings
48.
Gold: A Field Guide for Prospectors and Geologists
Gold: A Field Guide for Prospectors and Geologists it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
48.
Fire Into Ice: Charles Fipke & the Great Diamond Hunt
Fire Into Ice: Charles Fipke & the Great Diamond Hunt 4.28 avg rating — 43 ratings
48.
Granite and Grit: A Walker's Guide to the Geology of British Mountains
Granite and Grit: A Walker's Guide to the Geology of British Mountains 4.15 avg rating — 27 ratings
48.
A trip through death valley's geologic past : The magnificent rocks of Death Valley
A trip through death valley's geologic past : The magnificent rocks of Death Valley 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings
48.
Geology Illustrated
Geology Illustrated 4.38 avg rating — 24 ratings
48.
After the Ice Age: The Return of Life to Glaciated North America
After the Ice Age: The Return of Life to Glaciated North America 4.17 avg rating — 240 ratings
48.
Quakeland: On the Road to America's Next Devastating Earthquake
Quakeland: On the Road to America's Next Devastating Earthquake 3.90 avg rating — 788 ratings
48.
Structural Geology
Structural Geology 4.31 avg rating — 86 ratings
48.
Groundbreaking! America's New Quest for Mineral Independence
Groundbreaking! America's New Quest for Mineral Independence it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
48.
The Mountains of California
The Mountains of California
by: John Muir
4.11 avg rating — 1,209 ratings
48.
Strata: Stories from Deep Time
Strata: Stories from Deep Time 4.61 avg rating — 18 ratings
60.
A History of American Mining
A History of American Mining 4.29 avg rating — 7 ratings
60.
Roadside Geology of Georgia
Roadside Geology of Georgia 4.55 avg rating — 31 ratings
60.
Roadside History of New Mexico (Roadside History Series)
Roadside History of New Mexico (Roadside History Series) 4.09 avg rating — 22 ratings
60.
The Lost History of the New Madrid Earthquakes
The Lost History of the New Madrid Earthquakes 4.09 avg rating — 46 ratings
60.
Earth: Portrait of a Planet
Earth: Portrait of a Planet 3.89 avg rating — 286 ratings
60.
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon 4.34 avg rating — 2,651 ratings
60.
Written in Stone: A Geological and Natural History of the Northeastern United States
Written in Stone: A Geological and Natural History of the Northeastern United States 4.10 avg rating — 100 ratings
67.
Going for Gold: The History of Newmont Mining Corporation
Going for Gold: The History of Newmont Mining Corporation 3.64 avg rating — 14 ratings
67.
The New View of the Earth: Moving Continents and Moving Oceans
The New View of the Earth: Moving Continents and Moving Oceans 4.17 avg rating — 6 ratings
67.
Children of the Ice: Climate and Human Origins
Children of the Ice: Climate and Human Origins 3.80 avg rating — 10 ratings
67.
Roadside Geology of Florida (Roadside Geology, #30)
Roadside Geology of Florida (Roadside Geology, #30) 4.41 avg rating — 34 ratings
67.
Hypersea: Life on Land
Hypersea: Life on Land 4.32 avg rating — 28 ratings
67.
Geology Underfoot Along Colorado's Front Range
Geology Underfoot Along Colorado's Front Range 4.47 avg rating — 45 ratings
67.
Australia's Volcanoes
Australia's Volcanoes 3.60 avg rating — 10 ratings
67.
Geology and Plant Life: The Effects of Landforms and Rock Types on Plants
Geology and Plant Life: The Effects of Landforms and Rock Types on Plants 3.88 avg rating — 8 ratings
75.
A Hole in the Ground with a Liar at the Top: Fraud and Deceit in the Golden Age of American Mining
A Hole in the Ground with a Liar at the Top: Fraud and Deceit in the Golden Age of American Mining really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 5 ratings
75.
North Pole, South Pole: The Epic Quest to Solve the Great Mystery of Earth’s Magnetism
North Pole, South Pole: The Epic Quest to Solve the Great Mystery of Earth’s Magnetism 3.80 avg rating — 189 ratings
75.
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 3.88 avg rating — 21,503 ratings
75.
Hiking Grand Canyon's Geology
Hiking Grand Canyon's Geology 4.38 avg rating — 24 ratings
75.
Time’s Arrow, Time’s Cycle: Myth and Metaphor in the Discovery of Geological Time
Time’s Arrow, Time’s Cycle: Myth and Metaphor in the Discovery of Geological Time 3.90 avg rating — 457 ratings
75.
Adventures in Volcanoland: What Volcanoes Tell Us About the World and Ourselves
Adventures in Volcanoland: What Volcanoes Tell Us About the World and Ourselves 3.73 avg rating — 212 ratings
81.
Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World
Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World 4.07 avg rating — 1,658 ratings
82.
Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau
Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau 4.51 avg rating — 78 ratings
82.
Gorgon: The Monsters That Ruled the Planet Before Dinosaurs and How They Died in the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth's History
Gorgon: The Monsters That Ruled the Planet Before Dinosaurs and How They Died in the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth's History 3.76 avg rating — 391 ratings
82.
The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples
The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples 4.09 avg rating — 922 ratings
82.
The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks: Tales of Important Geological Puzzles and the People Who Solved Them
The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks: Tales of Important Geological Puzzles and the People Who Solved Them 4.21 avg rating — 315 ratings
86.
Grasberg: Mining the richest and most remote deposit of copper and gold in the world, in the mountains of Irian Jaya, Indonesia
Grasberg: Mining the richest and most remote deposit of copper and gold in the world, in the mountains of Irian Jaya, Indonesia 3.48 avg rating — 21 ratings
86.
Water, Peace, and War: Confronting the Global Water Crisis
Water, Peace, and War: Confronting the Global Water Crisis 4.17 avg rating — 46 ratings
86.
Waves and Beaches: The Dynamics of the Ocean Surface
Waves and Beaches: The Dynamics of the Ocean Surface 4.17 avg rating — 106 ratings
86.
A Rock and a Hard Place: An American Geologist's Adventures in Africa
A Rock and a Hard Place: An American Geologist's Adventures in Africa 3.84 avg rating — 68 ratings
90.
Bre-X: Gold Today, Gone Tomorrow, Anatomy of the Busang Swindle
Bre-X: Gold Today, Gone Tomorrow, Anatomy of the Busang Swindle really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 14 ratings
90.
Planet Earth: Cosmology, Geology, and the Evolution of Life and Environment
Planet Earth: Cosmology, Geology, and the Evolution of Life and Environment 4.20 avg rating — 30 ratings
90.
Gems and Minerals: Earth Treasures from the Royal Ontario Museum
Gems and Minerals: Earth Treasures from the Royal Ontario Museum 4.40 avg rating — 20 ratings
90.
Groundwater and Wells
Groundwater and Wells 4.52 avg rating — 27 ratings
90.
Gulf of Mexico Origin, Waters, and Biota: Volume 3, Geology (Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies Series, Sponsored by the Harte ... Studies, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
Gulf of Mexico Origin, Waters, and Biota: Volume 3, Geology (Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies Series, Sponsored by the Harte ... Studies, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi) 4.38 avg rating — 8 ratings
95.
Rising from the Plains (Annals of the Former World, 3)
Rising from the Plains (Annals of the Former World, 3) 4.24 avg rating — 1,933 ratings
95.
Conversation with the Earth
Conversation with the Earth really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
95.
Reading the Rocks: How Victorian Geologists Discovered the Secret of Life
Reading the Rocks: How Victorian Geologists Discovered the Secret of Life 3.68 avg rating — 194 ratings
98.
Assembling California (Annals of the Former World, 4)
Assembling California (Annals of the Former World, 4) 4.17 avg rating — 2,248 ratings
98.
Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World
Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World 4.07 avg rating — 1,658 ratings
98.
Mountains That Remade America: How Sierra Nevada Geology Impacts Modern Life
Mountains That Remade America: How Sierra Nevada Geology Impacts Modern Life 4.60 avg rating — 10 ratings
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