Best Popular Geology Books on Goodreads (66 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	From the Erzgebirge to Potosi: A History of Geology and Mining Since the 1500's by Sean Daly (Goodreads Author) 4.94 avg rating — 34 ratings score: 800, and 8 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	A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 4.22 avg rating — 424,239 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
3	Origins: How Earth's History Shaped Human History by Lewis Dartnell 4.17 avg rating — 4,153 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
4	The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World by Andrea Wulf 4.33 avg rating — 29,862 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
5	Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters by Donald R. Prothero 4.13 avg rating — 3,172 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
6	Life: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth by Richard Fortey 4.08 avg rating — 3,348 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
6	Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth's Extinct Worlds by Thomas Halliday (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating — 6,871 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
8	Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by David R. Montgomery (Goodreads Author) 4.05 avg rating — 1,609 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
9	The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 79,676 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
10	Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution by Richard Fortey 4.11 avg rating — 2,399 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
10	Full Rip 9.0: The Next Big Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest by Sandi Doughton 4.24 avg rating — 848 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
12	The Dinosaur Hunters by Deborah Cadbury 4.17 avg rating — 1,078 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
13	T. Rex and the Crater of Doom by Walter Álvarez 4.05 avg rating — 2,048 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
14	Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne 3.85 avg rating — 226,218 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
15	Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner 4.28 avg rating — 11,951 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
16	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 — 28,950 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
17	Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane (Goodreads Author) 4.23 avg rating — 21,239 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
17	Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World by Marcia Bjornerud 4.07 avg rating — 1,772 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
19	The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Steve Brusatte 4.21 avg rating — 40,803 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
20	Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History by Stephen Jay Gould 4.14 avg rating — 10,277 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
21	Basin and Range (Annals of the Former World, 1) by John McPhee 4.18 avg rating — 4,158 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
22	The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen (Goodreads Author) 4.29 avg rating — 6,151 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
23	The Story of Earth: The First 4.5 Billion Years, from Stardust to Living Planet by Robert M. Hazen 4.24 avg rating — 3,185 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
24	Grand Canyon by Jason Chin (Goodreads Author) 4.34 avg rating — 2,696 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
24	Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock That Shaped the World by Tom Zoellner (Goodreads Author) 3.87 avg rating — 2,444 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
24	The Universe Within: Discovering the Common History of Rocks, Planets, and People by Neil Shubin (Goodreads Author) 3.88 avg rating — 2,944 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
27	Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens by Steve Olson (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 3,934 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
28	Earth: An Intimate History by Richard Fortey 3.90 avg rating — 1,354 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
28	Rising from the Plains (Annals of the Former World, 3) by John McPhee 4.23 avg rating — 1,971 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
30	Assembling California (Annals of the Former World, 4) by John McPhee 4.17 avg rating — 2,293 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
31	Coal: A Human History by Barbara Freese 3.73 avg rating — 2,272 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
32	Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded [August 27, 1883] by Simon Winchester 3.88 avg rating — 21,932 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
33	The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology by Simon Winchester 3.81 avg rating — 14,147 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
33	The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet by Henry Fountain 3.92 avg rating — 2,043 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
35	A Rock Is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston 4.28 avg rating — 1,624 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
36	When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time by Michael J. Benton 4.10 avg rating — 1,542 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
37	Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin 4.02 avg rating — 8,473 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
38	A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester 3.79 avg rating — 7,258 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
39	In Suspect Terrain (Annals of the Former World, 2) by John McPhee 4.12 avg rating — 1,281 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
39	Coming Into the Country by John McPhee 4.21 avg rating — 7,628 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
41	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 — 1,772 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
41	Atlas of a Lost World: Travels in Ice Age America by Craig Childs 3.89 avg rating — 1,903 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
41	The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples by Tim Flannery 4.11 avg rating — 937 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
41	Tambora: The Eruption That Changed the World by Gillen D'Arcy Wood 3.70 avg rating — 709 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
41	The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin 4.01 avg rating — 122,352 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
46	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
46	Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms & a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories by Simon Winchester 3.76 avg rating — 5,278 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
48	The Control of Nature by John McPhee 4.25 avg rating — 4,959 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
48	The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons by John Wesley Powell 3.91 avg rating — 2,042 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
50	Annals of the Former World by John McPhee 4.37 avg rating — 4,373 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
50	The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1) by N.K. Jemisin (Goodreads Author) 4.28 avg rating — 336,279 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
50	Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky 3.75 avg rating — 77,065 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
53	Island on Fire by Alexandra Witze 3.86 avg rating — 861 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
53	Earthquake Storms by John Dvorak 3.94 avg rating — 565 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
55	Quakeland: On the Road to America's Next Devastating Earthquake by Kathryn Miles (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 804 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
55	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
57	Cascadia's Fault: The Coming Earthquake and Tsunami That Could Devastate North America by Jerry Thompson 4.18 avg rating — 756 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
57	Super Volcanoes: What They Reveal about Earth and the Worlds Beyond by Robin George Andrews 4.03 avg rating — 1,034 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
59	The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton and the Discovery of Earth's Antiquity by Jack Repcheck 3.89 avg rating — 625 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
59	Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth by James M. Tabor 3.72 avg rating — 4,126 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
59	A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters by Andrew H. Knoll 3.94 avg rating — 4,599 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
62	The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth (The Magic School Bus #2) by Joanna Cole 4.23 avg rating — 4,281 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
63	Old Rock [is not boring] by Deb Pilutti (Goodreads Author) 4.23 avg rating — 1,022 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
64	Apocalyptic Planet: Field Guide to the Ever-Ending Earth by Craig Childs 4.05 avg rating — 860 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
65	Rocks and Minerals (Smithsonian Handbooks) by Chris Pellant 4.13 avg rating — 672 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
66	Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks by Marcia Bjornerud 4.26 avg rating — 700 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