Open Geology Textbook
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A free, comprehensive open-access textbook covering the fundamentals of physical geology, including minerals, rocks, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, and surface processes. Suitable for introductory college-level coursework with figures, diagrams, and review questions throughout.
More resources on Physical Geology
Geology.com
A general-audience geology website offering articles, photo galleries, and interactive maps covering rocks, minerals, volcanoes, earthquakes, and geologic formations. Useful for building visual familiarity with common geological features and terminology.
USGS Geology Resources
Free government resources on physical geology topics like earthquakes, volcanoes, and rocks.
Physical Geology
A comprehensive introductory geology textbook by Charles C. Plummer and David McGeary covering minerals, rocks, plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes, and landscape processes. Readers build a systematic foundation in physical geology suitable for undergraduate coursework.
Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology
Long-running introductory college textbook on physical geology. Works through minerals and rocks, plate tectonics, surface processes, and Earth's interior, with heavy use of diagrams and photographs to build a working picture of how the planet operates.
Geology
An introductory physical geology textbook by Stanley Chernicoff and Ramesh Venkatakrishnan explaining plate tectonics, rock and mineral formation, volcanic and seismic activity, and surface processes. Readers gain a structured grounding in core geological principles for college-level study.
iris.edu/hq/inclass
IRIS InClass is a classroom-focused collection of seismology teaching modules and interactive labs for physical geology courses, offering ready-to-use activities, datasets, and demonstrations of earthquakes, seismic waves, and Earth’s interior.