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Geology: Glossaries & Dictionaries

This guide contains links to resources for Western Illinois University students, faculty and staff looking for geoscience information. It contains links to library and other resources related to all aspects of the geosciences.

Glossaries & Dictionaries

General Geology

Geologic Glossary
A glossary of general terms related to geology from the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Geology of the National Parks web site.
Dictionary of Geological Terms
A dictionary of geology related terms from the geotech.org web site.

Earthquakes

Earthquake Glossary
An illustrated glossary of earthquake-related terms from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Glaciers

Glossary of Glacier Terminology
An illustrated glossary of terms related to glacial geology, from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Mining

Glossary of Mining Terms
A glossary of terms related to mining developed by the Kentucky Mining Institute.

Oil & Gas

Oilfield Glossary
A detailed glossary of terms related to the oil and gas industry developed by Schlumberger.

Paleontology

Paleontological Glossary
A technical glossary from the University of California Museum of Paleontology.

Sedimentology & Stratigraphy

Sequence Stratigraphy Dictionary
An illustrated dictionary of terms related to sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy provided by the Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM).

Volcanoes

Glossary of Volcano Related Terms
A glossary of terms related to volcanoes and volcanism from the U.S. Geological Survey's Volcano Hazards Program.

Water & Water Resources

Water Science Glossary
A generalized water dictionary from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Water Quality Glossary
A glossary related to water quality provided by the USGS National Water Quality Assessment program.
Water Words Dictionary
A detailed dictionary of terms related to water resources provided by the Nevada Division of Water Resources.