Geological Journals

Geological Journals

 

special periodical publications dealing with the problems of geology. They are published by scientific societies, academies, institutions of higher learning, and state and private firms. Ulrich’s International Periodicals Directory, the most complete guide to the world’s scientific and technical periodicals, lists about 220 journals on geology as a whole and its separate parts. Every year geological journals publish more than half of all geological publications.

The oldest geological journals that are published today began to appear in the first half of the 19th century. In Russia these include Biulleten’ Moskovskogo ob-va ispytatelei prirody: Otdel geologicheskii (Bulletin of the Moscow Society of Naturalists: Geological Section; published since 1829) and Zapiski Vsesoiuznogo mineralogicheskogo obshchestva (Notes of the All-Union Mineralogical Society), formerly published under the title Zapiski Mineralogicheskogo obshchestva (Notes of the Mineralogical Society; published since 1830). The most important Soviet journals dealing with geology as a whole are Izvestiia AN SSSR: Seriia geologicheskaia (Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR: Geological Series; published since 1936), Sovetskaia geologiia (Soviet Geology; published since 1958), and Geologiia i geofizika (Geology and Geophysics; published in Novosibirsk since 1960). The USSR also publishes journals in individual geological fields, for example, Razvedka i okhrana nedr (Prospecting and the Protection of Mineral Resources; published since 1931), Geologiia nefti i gaza (Geology of Oil and Gas; published since 1959), Geologiia rudnykh mestorozhdenii (The Geology of Ore Deposits; published since 1959), Litologiia i poleznye iskopaemye (Lithology and Minerals; published since 1963), and Geotektonika (Geotectonics; published since 1965).

Some of the oldest foreign geological journals include the German Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geologic, und Paläontologie: Abhandlungen (New Yearbook for Mineralogy, Geology, and Paleontology: Proceedings; published in Stuttgart since 1888), the French Société Geologique de France: Bulletin (Geological Society of France: Bulletin; published in Paris since 1830), and the British Geological Society of London: Quarterly Journal (published in London since 1845). The best known international geological journals in English, French, and German are Chemical Geology (published in Amsterdam since 1966), Marine Geology (published in Amsterdam since 1964), Modern Geology (published in London since 1969), and Kansas: State Geological Survey: Computer Contribution (published in Lawrence since 1966).

Publications on geology may be found not only in geological journals proper but also in journals of other disciplines, such as Fizika tverdogo tela (Solid State Physics; published since 1959), Inorganic Chemistry (published in Easton since 1962), and Geographical Magazine (published in London since 1935) and also in general scientific journals, such as Priroda (Nature; published since 1912), American Journal of Science (published in New Haven since 1818), and New Scientist (published in London since 1956).

Geological abstract journals help one to follow all current geological literature and to locate articles in back issues. The first such journal—Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geognosie, Geologic und Petrefaktenkunde (Yearbook for Mineralogy, Geognosy, Geology, and Paleontology)—appeared in Germany in 1830. The first Russian abstract journal—Ezhegodnik po geologii i mineralogii Rossii (Yearbook on the Geology and Mineralogy of Russia)—was published from 1897 to 1917.

Geological abstract journals are divided into two groups—those that cover the national geological literature of individual countries and those that cover world literature on geology. Each journal deals with one, several, or the entire range of geological disciplines. Among the second group the most important journals are Referativnyi zhurnal: Geologiia (Abstract Journal: Geology; published by the Institute of Scientific Information of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR since 1954; it covers about 38,000 publications a year), Bulletin Signalétique: Sciences de la terre (Descriptive Bulletin: Earth Sciences; published in Paris since 1940; covers about 27,000 publications), Zentralblatt für Geologic und Paläontologie (Central Journal for Geology and Paleontology; published in Stuttgart since 1950), Zentralblatt für Mineralogie (Central Journal for Mineralogy; published in Stuttgart since 1830; covers about 14,000 publications), Abstracts of North American Geology (published in Washington since 1966; covers about 8,000 publications), Montanwissenschaftliche Literaturberichte: Geowissenschaften (Mining Abstracts: The Earth Sciences; published in Berlin since 1955; covers about 5,000 publications), Mineralogical Abstracts (published in London since 1920; covers about 4,000 publications on geochemistry, petrology, mineralogy, and ore deposits).

REFERENCES

Hawkes, H. E. “The Literature of Geology.” Geotimes, 1966, vol. 10, no. 9.
Kristal’nyi, B. V., and Z. S. Ustinova. Pervichnye dokumental’nye istochniki opublikovannoi geologicheskoi informatsii. Moscow, 1971.
Zakharov, E. E., and B. V. Kristal’nyi. “Razvitie v SSSR nauchnotekhnicheskoi informatsii po geologii.” Izv. AN SSSR: Ser. geologich., 1969, no. 4.
Zakharov, E. E. “Glavneishie referativnye zhurnaly po geologii.” Nauchnye i tekhnicheskie biblioteki SSSR, 1970, no. 8.
Beliaevskii, N. A., and S. P. Volkova. “Iz istorii izdaniia geologicheskoi literatury v SSSR.” Sovetskaia geologiia, 1964, no. 4.
“Referativnyi zhurnal.” Geologiia, 1968, no. 7; 1969, no. 1; 1970, no. 1. (Contains lists of periodical and continuing publications abstracted in the digest volume of Geologiia.)
Ulrich’s International Periodicals Directory, 13th ed., vols. 1-2. New York-London, 1969-70.

E. E. ZAKHAROV and B. V. KRISTAL’NYI