Best Popular Geology Books on Goodreads (65 books)

This list is for the most well known Geology books on Goodreads.

For purposes of this list, only include books with over 500 ratings and shelved at least 10 times as geology.

Anything with less than 500 ratings or shelved less than 10 times as geology will be removed and without comment.

See also
Best Geology Books
The Natural World Natural Science and Natural History for Adults
History of the Universe and Earth
Best of Natural History
Best Less Popular Geology Books on Goodreads

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1	A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 4.22 avg rating — 420,512 ratings score: 410, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Origins: How Earth's History Shaped Human History by Lewis Dartnell 4.17 avg rating — 4,122 ratings score: 318, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World by Andrea Wulf 4.33 avg rating — 29,510 ratings score: 264, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters by Donald R. Prothero 4.13 avg rating — 3,173 ratings score: 263, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Life: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth by Richard Fortey 4.08 avg rating — 3,344 ratings score: 246, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth's Extinct Worlds by Thomas Halliday (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating — 6,671 ratings score: 246, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by David R. Montgomery (Goodreads Author) 4.05 avg rating — 1,592 ratings score: 243, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 78,985 ratings score: 241, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution by Richard Fortey 4.11 avg rating — 2,396 ratings score: 239, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Full Rip 9.0: The Next Big Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest by Sandi Doughton 4.24 avg rating — 843 ratings score: 239, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The Dinosaur Hunters by Deborah Cadbury 4.17 avg rating — 1,074 ratings score: 235, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	T. Rex and the Crater of Doom by Walter Álvarez 4.05 avg rating — 2,028 ratings score: 234, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne 3.85 avg rating — 223,832 ratings score: 229, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner 4.28 avg rating — 11,869 ratings score: 223, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Your Inner Fish: a Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 28,733 ratings score: 219, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane (Goodreads Author) 4.23 avg rating — 20,959 ratings score: 210, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World by Marcia Bjornerud 4.08 avg rating — 1,742 ratings score: 210, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Steve Brusatte 4.21 avg rating — 39,995 ratings score: 208, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History by Stephen Jay Gould 4.14 avg rating — 10,249 ratings score: 201, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Basin and Range (Annals of the Former World, 1) by John McPhee 4.19 avg rating — 4,132 ratings score: 190, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen (Goodreads Author) 4.29 avg rating — 6,072 ratings score: 184, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	The Story of Earth: The First 4.5 Billion Years, from Stardust to Living Planet by Robert M. Hazen 4.24 avg rating — 3,161 ratings score: 181, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Grand Canyon by Jason Chin (Goodreads Author) 4.34 avg rating — 2,682 ratings score: 177, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock That Shaped the World by Tom Zoellner (Goodreads Author) 3.87 avg rating — 2,429 ratings score: 177, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	The Universe Within: Discovering the Common History of Rocks, Planets, and People by Neil Shubin (Goodreads Author) 3.87 avg rating — 2,934 ratings score: 177, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens by Steve Olson (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 3,900 ratings score: 175, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Earth: An Intimate History by Richard Fortey 3.90 avg rating — 1,346 ratings score: 173, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Rising from the Plains (Annals of the Former World, 3) by John McPhee 4.23 avg rating — 1,965 ratings score: 173, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Assembling California (Annals of the Former World, 4) by John McPhee 4.17 avg rating — 2,285 ratings score: 171, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	Coal: A Human History by Barbara Freese 3.73 avg rating — 2,266 ratings score: 169, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded [August 27, 1883] by Simon Winchester 3.88 avg rating — 21,805 ratings score: 167, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology by Simon Winchester 3.82 avg rating — 14,101 ratings score: 163, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet by Henry Fountain 3.92 avg rating — 2,025 ratings score: 163, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	A Rock Is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston 4.28 avg rating — 1,621 ratings score: 162, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time by Michael J. Benton 4.10 avg rating — 1,537 ratings score: 160, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin 4.02 avg rating — 8,408 ratings score: 159, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester 3.79 avg rating — 7,240 ratings score: 157, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	In Suspect Terrain (Annals of the Former World, 2) by John McPhee 4.12 avg rating — 1,271 ratings score: 155, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Coming Into the Country by John McPhee 4.21 avg rating — 7,585 ratings score: 155, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	The Big Ones: How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us and What We Can Do about Them by Lucy Jones (Goodreads Author) 4.13 avg rating — 1,754 ratings score: 154, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Atlas of a Lost World: Travels in Ice Age America by Craig Childs 3.89 avg rating — 1,872 ratings score: 154, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples by Tim Flannery 4.10 avg rating — 938 ratings score: 154, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Tambora: The Eruption That Changed the World by Gillen D'Arcy Wood 3.71 avg rating — 704 ratings score: 154, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin 4.01 avg rating — 121,662 ratings score: 154, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	The Seashell on the Mountaintop: A Story of Science, Sainthood, and the Humble Genius who Discovered a New History of the Earth by Alan Cutler 3.86 avg rating — 981 ratings score: 153, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms & a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories by Simon Winchester 3.76 avg rating — 5,254 ratings score: 153, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	The Control of Nature by John McPhee 4.25 avg rating — 4,925 ratings score: 150, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons by John Wesley Powell 3.91 avg rating — 2,023 ratings score: 150, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Annals of the Former World by John McPhee 4.37 avg rating — 4,340 ratings score: 148, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth #1) by N.K. Jemisin (Goodreads Author) 4.29 avg rating — 330,517 ratings score: 148, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky 3.75 avg rating — 76,422 ratings score: 148, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Island on Fire by Alexandra Witze 3.86 avg rating — 855 ratings score: 147, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Earthquake Storms by John Dvorak 3.94 avg rating — 564 ratings score: 147, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Quakeland: On the Road to America's Next Devastating Earthquake by Kathryn Miles (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 800 ratings score: 146, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Life on a Young Planet: The First Three Billion Years of Evolution on Earth by Andrew H. Knoll 3.98 avg rating — 788 ratings score: 146, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	Cascadia's Fault: The Coming Earthquake and Tsunami That Could Devastate North America by Jerry Thompson 4.18 avg rating — 748 ratings score: 145, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	Super Volcanoes: What They Reveal about Earth and the Worlds Beyond by Robin George Andrews 4.03 avg rating — 1,015 ratings score: 145, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton and the Discovery of Earth's Antiquity by Jack Repcheck 3.89 avg rating — 620 ratings score: 143, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth by James M. Tabor 3.72 avg rating — 4,106 ratings score: 143, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters by Andrew H. Knoll 3.94 avg rating — 4,482 ratings score: 143, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth (The Magic School Bus #2) by Joanna Cole 4.23 avg rating — 4,275 ratings score: 141, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	Old Rock [is not boring] by Deb Pilutti (Goodreads Author) 4.23 avg rating — 1,020 ratings score: 137, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	Apocalyptic Planet: Field Guide to the Ever-Ending Earth by Craig Childs 4.05 avg rating — 858 ratings score: 127, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Rocks and Minerals (Smithsonian Handbooks) by Chris Pellant 4.13 avg rating — 665 ratings score: 125, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks by Marcia Bjornerud 4.26 avg rating — 642 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars