The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) is an international

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

devoted to global cooperation in the field of

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

. As of 2023, it represents more than 1 million geoscientists around the world.

About

Founded in 1961, the IUGS was established to maintain collaboration between the International Geological Congresses, which have taken place every four years since 1875. It is a Scientific Union member of the

International Science Council The International Science Council (ISC) is an international non-governmental organization that unites scientific bodies at various levels across the social and natural sciences. The ISC was formed with its inaugural general assembly on 4 July 20 ...

(ISC), formerly the

International Council for Science The International Council for Science (ICSU, after its former name, International Council of Scientific Unions) was an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the advancement of science. Its members ...

(ICSU), which it recognizes as the co-ordinating body for the international organization of science. Currently, geologists from 121 countries (and regions) are represented in the IUGS. A broad range of scientific topics is covered by its commission, task groups, joint programmes and affiliated organizations. IUGS promotes and encourages the study of geological problems, especially those of worldwide significance, and supports and facilitates international and inter-disciplinary co-operation in the earth sciences. The Union's Secretariat is currently located at the

Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences The Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS; ) is an institution that engages in geoscience research in the People's Republic of China. The academy was established in 1956 and reorganized in 1999. Administratively it is under the PRC Ministr ...

in Beijing, China.

Activities

IUGS is a joint partner with

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

for the

International Geoscience Programme The International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme (IGCP) is a cooperative enterprise of UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and the International Union of Geological Sciences The International Union ...

(IGCP) and also participates in the

Global Geoparks Network UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) are geoparks certified by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council as meeting all the requirements for belonging to the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). The GGN is both a network of geoparks and the agency of the United Nati ...

(GGN). The

Geological Society of London The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe, with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

oversees the production and distribution of IUGS Publications. The Geological Society of India produces and distributes the Union's quarterly journal, entitled ''Episodes'', as well as providing editorial support. Interested parties can download the latest issues of ''Episodes'' free of charge. Other activities include: Resourcing Future Generations (RFG), Young Reporters, Deep-Time Digital Earth (DDE).

Commissions

IUGS runs nine international commissions, covering the following topics: *

Commission for the Management and Application of Geoscience Information The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to global cooperation in the field of geology. As of 2023, it represents more than 1 million geoscientists around the world. About Fo ...

(CGI) * Commission for Geoscience Education, Training, and Technology Transfer (COGE) *

Commission on Geoscience for Environmental Management In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

(GEM) *

International Commission on Stratigraphy The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), sometimes unofficially referred to as the International Stratigraphic Commission, is a daughter or major subcommittee grade scientific organization that concerns itself with stratigraphy, strati ...

(ICS) *

International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences The International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences (INHIGEO) promotes ongoing research into the history of the earth sciences, particularly the history of geology. It has 20 Honorary Senior Members and 301 members (2018) worldwide. ...

(INHIGEO) * Commission on Tectonics and Structural Geology (TECTASK) * Commission on Global Geochemical Baselines (CGGB) *

Commission on Geoethics In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

(CG) *

International Commission on Geoheritage International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(ICG)

International Geological Congress

The International Union of Geological Sciences is the main scientific sponsor of the International Geological Congress (IGC), which takes place every four years. The first congress was in France in 1878 where a few geoscientists gathered to share new finds and .tTm was to create a framework and a platform for geoscientists to meet at regular intervals. The event has been growing bigger with each congress.

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

hosted the 34th congress in August 2012 and

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

the 35th in 2016.

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

was to host the 36th in March 2020 as a collaborative effort by Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Because of Covid, the congress was postponed twice and developed online in 2021. The 37th was held in August 2024 in

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

. Canada won the bid to host the 38th IGC in

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

in 2028.

Lists of IUGS geological heritage sites

To celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of its establishment, in 2022, IUGS published a list of 100 sites around the world that it holds to be significant in the development of the earth sciences. In 2024, IUGS published a second list of another 100 geological heritage sites.

Awards

The IUGS Scientific Awards of Excellence: * IUGS –

Émile Argand Émile Argand (6 January 1879 – 14 September 1940) was a Swiss geologist. He founded the Geological Institute of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Argand is known for his study of the Alps, and was an early proponent of Alfred Wegener's theory of contin ...

Award * IUGS – James M. Harrison Award * IUGS – Award for Geoscience Information * IUGS – Award for Structural Geology *

Vladimir V. Tikhomirov History of Geology Medal Vladimir (, , pre-1918 orthography: ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, widespread throughout all Slavic nations in different forms and spellings. The earliest record of a person with the name is Vladimir of Bulgaria (). Etymology T ...

by the IUGS Commission on the History of Geology (

INHIGEO The International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences (INHIGEO) promotes ongoing research into the history of the earth sciences, particularly the history of geology. It has 20 Honorary Senior Members and 301 members (2018) worldwide. ...

). *

Digby McLaren Digby Johns McLaren, (11 December 1919 – 8 December 2004) was a Canadian geologist and palaeontologist. Born in Carrickfergus, Ireland, and educated at Sedbergh School, he received a Bachelor of Arts in geology from the University of Cam ...

Medal by the IUGS Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS).Special Issue on the IUGS Awards
, IUGS Science Excellence Awards for 2016.

References

External links

*
International Year of Planet Earth website

International Geoscience Programme website

International Chronostratigraphic Chart

International Stratigraphic Guide
A guide developed by the IUGS-ICS Subcommission on Stratigraphic Classification to promote international agreement on principles of stratigraphic classification and to develop an internationally acceptable stratigraphic terminology and rules of stratigraphic procedure.
List of IUGS-affiliated organizations

First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites

Second 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites

IUGS Commission on Geoethics
{{Authority control Geology organizations International scientific organizations Members of the International Council for Science Scientific organizations established in 1961 Members of the International Science Council