Geologic maps represent the physical forces which act upon the Earth, the chemistry of the materials of which the Earth is made, the shape of the surface of the Earth, and the biology of the past as evidenced by fossils. (Adapted from the definition of "geology," Glossary of the Mapping Sciences, p. 219, Maps Reference TA505.G57 1994.)
The Map Collection is the regional depository for all maps issued by the United States Federal Depository Program, which includes many USGS maps, Open File Reports (OFRs), and Miscellaneous Investigations Series Maps (MIS). The Collection has excellent geologic coverage of Washington state, very good coverage of the rest of the United States, and good coverage for most of the world.
Many geologic maps in the Map Collection are cataloged. To find geologic maps in the UW Libraries Catalog, go to our Tips for Searching the Catalog.
Once you find what you are looking for, please write down the call number and the location. The catalog shows that geologic maps can be found in the following Map Collection locations. Consult the floor plan of the Map Collection.
Digital geologic maps: 1:100,000 topographic quadrangles for Washington State are available in ArcInfo format at the Washington State Geospatial Data Archive (WAGDA)'s Washington geology page. For questions about these sets, please email us at gis@lib.washington.edu.
The Natural Sciences Library has a collection of USGS and other geologic maps on microfiche.
Yes, geologic maps circulate, except those considered historic (generally anything published before 1960). Review our policies under Checking Out and Handling Materials for details.
GeoRef
- UW restricted
This is an electronic database produced by the American Geological
Institute with references to information on geoscience topics. It contains
over 1.5 million citations to journal articles, books, reports, meeting
publications, dissertations, theses and maps. Coverage for North America
is from 1785 to present, coverage for other areas is from 1933 to present.
Maps/GIS Resource
Page (University of Washington Libraries)
This is a collection of websites for cartographic information, organized
by geography, which have been selected by UW librarians.
U.S. Geological Survey Publications Warehouse
Emphasis upon publications 1995 to present. For older materials, see the print version below.
Guide to USGS publications (Previous title: Guide to USGS
geologic and hydrologic maps)
Maps Reference Z6034.U49
G36 1997
Natural Sciences 1998 in Reference; Previous (1996 and earlier) in Stacks
Z6034.U49
G36
Ceased publication in 1998. For the latest publications, see the
website above.
Index to geologic and geophysical mapping of Washington,
1899-1983 / compiled by Connie J. Manson
Maps Reference Z6026.G3
M37 1992
Geologic and geophysical mapping of Washington, 1984 through 1997
... / compiled by Connie J. Manson
Maps Reference Z6026.G3 G46
Index to published geologic mapping in Washington, 1854-1970/ by William H. Reichert
Maps Reference Z6034.U5 W355
Digital bibliography of the geology and mineral resources of Washington
State
Covers 1798 through the present (updated monthly).
An index map to the Washington 1:100,000-scale geologic maps is posted on the end of the geologic map Vertical Files.