Geoheritage
Geoheritage impacts our professional, public, and personal lives. Your voices and perspectives ARE important. Join us for awareness of the importance of Geoheritage to the ongoing health of our profession, and the empowerment to recognize, conserve, and sustain the landscapes that impact our lives.
Get involved with GSA's History, Philosophy, and Geoheritage Division, or continue your Geoheritage journey with Story Maps, Videos, K-12 Education Resources, and Additional Tools that can inspire and support you as you engage with Geoheritage activities as a geoscience professional.
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U.S. Geoheritage
The Geological Society of America (GSA) is excited to announce its new role as the official sponsor of the U.S. Geoheritage Committee! Recently approved by the GSA Council, this transition marks a major milestone as GSA takes the reins from the U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Geological Sciences (USNC/IUGS) to become the primary supporter of U.S. geoheritage efforts.
With GSA’s sponsorship, the U.S. Geoheritage Committee is poised to receive stronger backing in its mission to advance geoheritage conservation and educational initiatives. This partnership highlights GSA’s deep-rooted dedication to preserving vital geologic features, landforms, and landscapes. These geoheritage sites are treasured not just for their scientific and educational significance, but also for their cultural, aesthetic, recreational, and economic value.
Explore Geoheritage and Resource Extraction: Upcoming Webinars
Join GSA for two upcoming webinars exploring the connections between resource extraction, geoheritage, and sustainability. Hear from international experts about mining landscapes, UNESCO Global Geoparks, Indigenous and community perspectives, and approaches to geoconservation.
Continuing conversations from the GSA Connects 2026 Pardee Symposium, the webinars explore how geological and cultural heritage can inform the sustainable use and stewardship of Earth's resources.
Register now:
Advancing Geoheritage through Story Maps
Many organizations share their Geoheritage projects through virtual field trips or other map-based web services. We have assembled a few examples of these excellent on-the-ground resources for you to explore.
Celebrating Geoheritage Through Story Maps (arcgis.com)
Exploring Opportunities
Rising from the Plains project, submitted by Carol Frost, University of Wyoming
Successes in Geoheritage
Bridgeport Quarry
Submitted by Roy Plotnick, University of Illinois Chicago
Connecting Geoheritage with Curriculum Standards
Submitted by Rebecca Dodge, Midwestern State University
Kentucky’s Natural Sandstone Arches
Submitted by Steven Martin, Kentucky Geological Survey
Florissant Fossil Beds
Submitted by Herb Meyer, US National Park Service
Reflecting on Rock River
Submitted by Marvin Higgins, Geoheritage Enthusiast
The Beartooth Mountains
Submitted by David Mogk, Montana State University
Grand Caverns
Submitted by Austin Shank, City of Grottoes, Virginia, and Angel Garcia, James Madison University
Turner Falls
Submitted by Zachary Clowdus, University of Texas at Dallas
Mount Bonnell and the Balcones Escarpment
Submitted by Linda Ruiz McCall, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin
Tropical Seas in Ancient New York
A 490 Million Year-Old Sea Floor with Stromatolites at Lester Park, submitted by Dr. Ed Landing, New York State Paleontologist, emeritus, New York State Museum, and Dr. Alexander Bartholomew, Department of Geology, State University of New York-New Paltz
Ring of Fire’ in Ancient New York
Volcanic Edifice at Stark’s Knob, submitted by Dr. Ed Landing, New York State Paleontologist, emeritus, New York State Museum, and Dr. Alexander Bartholomew, Department of Geology, State University of New York-New Paltz
Other Resources
- GSA Today Geoheritage: Pittsburgh’s Geoheritage: A Legacy of Late Paleozoic and Pleistocene Glacial Events, by Lon Abbott and Terri Cook
- GSA Today Geoheritage: Mount Monadnock: A Geologic Type Locality, by Lon Abbott and Terri Cook
- GSA Today Geoheritage: The Drakensberg Mountains: Southern Africa’s Barrier of Spears, by Lon Abbott and Terri Cook
- GSA Today Geoheritage: Stark’s Knob: A New Plate Tectonics Model— First Volcano Described from a Subducting Plate Margin, by Ed Landing and Alexander J. Bartholomew
- GSA Today Geoheritage: Los Angeles: A Megacity of 12 Million People Living Over the World’s Richest Oil Field, by Lon D. Abbott and Daniel R. Tormey
- GSA Today Geoheritage: Lester Park: Global “Type Locality” for Stromatolite Fossils, by Ed Landing and Alexander J. Bartholomew
- GSA Today Geoheritage: Mount Kailas: Center of the Universe, by Lon D. Abbott and Terri L. Cook
- GSA Today Geoheritage: The Wasatch Fault: Geoheritage that Informs Society About Seismic Risk, by Lon D. Abbott and Terri L. Cook
- Geoheritage: Progress toward Preservation Linked Educational Resources
- GSA Today: Progress toward Preservation, by Renee Clary, William Andrews, and Tim Connors
- GSA Today Geoheritage: Geology of the Community, for the Community, by the Community, by William Andrews and Renee Clary
- GoogleEarth KMZ: Beartooth Mountains flyover, submitted by David Mogk, Montana State University
- America's Geoheritage II: Identifying, Developing, and Preserving America's Natural Legacy, workshop (2021) proceedings, by the National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine
- America’s Geoheritage II: Distinguished Speaker Webinar Series, workshop (2021) video recordings, by the National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine
- America's Geologic Heritage an Invitation to Leadership, a booklet by the National Park Service and the American Geosciences Institute (AGI)
- America's Geoheritage, by the National Park Service
- Appalachian Geopark, partnership with West Virginia University
- Geological Gems of California State Parks, by California Geological Survey and California State Parks
- Keweenaw (Michigan) Geoheritage, by Michigan Technological University
- Montana Geoheritage Project, by David Mogk, Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University
- Washington 100: Your Virtual Guide to Washington’s Geologic Wonders, by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources
- America’s Geoheritage, on GSA’s Speaking of Geoscience Blog, by Terri Cook
- Promoting Earth’s Legacy Delivers Local Economic Benefits, an Overview of Geoheritage Sessions at the 2019 GSA Annual Meeting
- GSA Position Statement on Geoheritage