The Carolina Geological Society has been publishing Guidebooks since 1952. Between 1937 and 1951, no formal guidebooks were produced—only short road logs with brief descriptions of local sites. While some copies are available through the Society’s headquarters, most guidebooks over the years have been printed and distributed by outside organizations or individuals. We also provide access to third-party publications by Carolina Geologists on this page.
All CGS guidebooks are available on this website as downloadable PDF files. Because the quality of many older originals was too poor for scanning or optical character recognition, they were carefully retyped and reformatted. As a result, the pagination in these online versions may differ from the originals. When citing pages or figures, please be sure to reference the CGS website version specifically.
DISCLAIMER: All figures have been scanned and placed near their first citation in the text. In some cases, figures have been reduced in size or rearranged on the page. Photographs were the most challenging to reproduce, so their quality may not match that of the original guidebooks. Many tables have also been reformatted from their original layouts. While all guidebooks have been spell-checked, occasional errors in proper names or non-dictionary words may still occur. Minor spelling mistakes found in the originals have been corrected.
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2020s
2025 – States: NC
River and Topographic Evolution in Western NC: Evidence from Linville Gorge, Hurricane Helene and the Laurel Creek Lineament, Spruce Pine, NC.
Trip leaders: Jack Garihan, Scott Brame, and Bill Ranson
This 2025 guidebook examines river and topographic evolution in western North Carolina through two linked themes: the geomorphic effects of stream capture and escarpment development in the Linville Gorge-Wilson Creek area, and the role of the Laurel Creek Lineament in Cenozoic topographic rejuvenation near Spruce Pine. The field trip combines bedrock and surficial geology, using evidence from the Grandfather Mountain Window, river terraces, drainage reorganization, Hurricane Helene flooding, landslides, logjams, and quarry-scale structural observations to show how tectonics, erosion, and extreme storms continue to shape the Blue Ridge landscape.
2024
Field trip was canceled—apparently hurricane Helene preferred faster rates than uniformitarianism allowed.
2023 – State: NC
The Geology of the Carolina Terrane in Chatham County, NC – Results of New Geologic Mapping by the NC Geological Survey
By Philip J. Bradley and the NC Geological Survey
2023 marks the 200th Anniversary of the North Carolina Geological Survey (NCGS). As part of the Survey’s anniversary celebration activities, the NCGS hosted the 2023 Carolina Geological Society field trip. The geology of Chatham County was the theme of the trip with the main focus being the results of new mapping in the Carolina terrane portion of the county. In late 2022, a newly compiled geologic map of Chatham County was released. The field trip visited multiple outcrops throughout the County.
Contributions to the field trip also included two large supplemental papers:
Supplemental Papers 1 include:
Moye, R.J., 2023, The Albemarle Sequence of the Carolina Terrane in Central North Carolina: Geologic and metallogenic analysis with an alternative model, in Supplemental Papers 1, Carolina Geological Society Annual Meeting 2023, p. 1-82.
and
Moye, R.J., 2023, A geologic analysis of the Charlotte terrane from a metallogenic perspective and a proposed first-order stratigraphy, in Supplemental Papers 1, Carolina Geological Society Annual Meeting 2023, p. 83-165.
Supplemental Papers 2 include:
McDaniel, R.D., Stoddard, E.F., Lumpkin, B.L., Powers, J.A., Capps, R.C., 2023, Is a large complex impact crater hiding in plain sight in central North Carolina?, in Supplemental Papers 2, Carolina Geological Society Annual Meeting 2023, 40p.
2022 – State: NC
Geology and Viticulture across the Blue Ridge Escarpment, from
the Inner Piedmont to the Blue Ridge Plateau: How Rocks and
Landforms Play a Critical Role in the Cultivation of Winegrapes
in Polk, Henderson and Buncombe Counties, NC
By Joseph Forrest, Rick Wooten, Bart Cattanach
Viticulture, the art and science of wine-grape cultivation, is one of the fastest growing agricultural ventures in North Carolina, accounting for one of the state’s most important fruit crops and one of its riskiest. The field trip explores how geology and geomorphology play a critical role in determining the natural environment, or ‘terroir’, of three quite different, but adjacent, physiographic settings in western North Carolina in which wine-grapes are being cultivated. The excursion follows a transect from the inner Piedmont in Polk County, across the Blue Ridge escarpment in Polk and Henderson Counties, into the Blue Ridge plateau in Henderson and Buncombe Counties, all of which have active vineyard/winery operations that are producing excellent wines. 249 pages.
2021
Our field trip experienced an abrupt shift from outcrops to indoor facies thanks to the COVID pandemic.
2020 – State: SC
CGS Virtual Coastal Geology Field Trip 2020
Long Bay’s Changing Coast
By Till J.J. Hanebuth- Associate Professor of Coastal and Marine Geology & Team: JT Durica, M. Fink, J. Long, E. Meyers, P. Silveira and others. Coastal Geosystems Research Lab Coastal Carolina University
2020 was a virtual meeting due to COVID pandemic. The 2020 meeting was hosted by Western Carolina University, at no cost to the Society. The event was held over three nights from December 1st through 3rd, and included the annual business meeting, a virtual field trip, and a panel discussion on careers in geology for students.
The slides and a recording from the presentation of the virtual coastal geology field trip to Long Bay’s Changing Coast in SC are below.
2010s
2019 – States: SC, NC
Gravitational collapse of the Paleozoic thrust stack and later hinterland-directed Alleghanian (?) back thrusting, Inner Piedmont, South Carolina & North Carolina
Trip leaders: Jack Garihan, Scott Brame, and Bill Ranson
This field trip centered on the Inner Piedmont of northwestern South Carolina and adjacent North Carolina and argues for a two-part tectonic history involving gravitational collapse of an older Paleozoic thrust stack followed by younger south-directed, hinterland-facing back thrusting, probably during the Alleghanian. The trip was designed to let participants evaluate field evidence for these interpretations in shear zones, thrust faults, and deformed gneisses across the Mountain Bridge area and nearby quadrangles.
2018 – State: NC
Old Wine in new Bottles: Active tectonics And Active Landscapes in an Ancient Orgen
Edited by Kevin Stewart Rick Wooten
The theme of this field trip is integrating basic and applied research, and the need for one to build upon the other. On this trip we will see how the geologic disciplines of structural geology and tectonics, geo- morphology, slope stability, and hydrogeology, all un- derpinned by basic geologic mapping, can be brought to bear on answering questions and solving problems.
2017 – State: NC
Ramping Through the Piedmont
by James Hibbard, Philip Bradley, and Brent Owens
The theme of the 2017 Carolina Geological Society Annual Meeting and Field Trip was the Hyco shear zone and associated rocks in the Appalachian Piedmont of north central North Carolina. The shear zone was first recognized by the North Carolina State University tectonics research group more than twenty-five years ago. Significant portions of the shear zone and surrounding geology were mapped and studied by Jim Hibbard and his students.
2016 – State: NC
Geology of the Mount Rogers area, revisited, Blue Ridge, VA–NC–TN
By Arthur J. Merschat, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Jamie Levine, Ryan J. McAleer, Scott Southworth, and Crystal G. Wilson
The 2016 CGS field trip was held to honor Douglas W. Rankin for his contributions to our understanding of the Mt. Rogers area and southern Appalachian tectonics.
2015 – State: SC
Tectonic History of the Eastern Piedmont in South Carolina
by Donald T. Secor,Jr., C. Scott Howard, and Robert H. Morrow IV
This field trip examined the eastern Piedmont of South Carolina as a collage of peri-Gondwanan terranes, including the Carolina, Charlotte, Silverstreet, and Dreher Shoals terranes, and uses their structural, metamorphic, fossil, and geochronologic records to interpret Appalachian tectonic history. The field trip highlights representative rocks and structures such as the Persimmon Fork and Richtex formations, the Oak Grove transfer zone, the Chappells shear zone, the Haile Gold Mine, and the Lake Murray Spillway.
2014 – States: SC, NC
Recognizing the Cambrian Rheic margin of Carolinia in the Kings Mountain terrane
By Allen Dennis
The field trip will focus on the characteristics of the Rheic passive margin of Carolinia as the terrane rifted from Amazonian Gondwana in the Cambrian, and will review recent geochronology completed in the Kings Mountain terrane. The trip will also include a stop across the central Piedmont shear zone in the Hallman-Beam spodumene pegmatite mine in Bessemer City, North Carolina.
2014 – States: SC, NC
The Geology of Crowders Mountain State Park, North Carolina – A Guide for the Non-Geologist
By Phil Bradley
Prepared in conjunction with the 2014 Carolina Geological Society’s Annual Field Trip, this document explains the Geology of the Crowders Mountain State Park area with terms and explanations geared towards those with little to no geologic knowledge. Contains two (2) pull-out 11” x 17” geologic maps.
2013 – State: NC
One Arc, Two Arcs, Old Arc, New Arc: The Carolina Terrane in Central North Carolina
Edited by James Hibbard and Jeff Pollock
This field trip focused on the Carolina terrane of central North Carolina and presents it as a geologically important peri-Gondwanan crustal block made up of two major magmatic arcs, the older Hyco arc and younger Albemarle arc. The field stops and associated papers emphasize updated mapping, stratigraphy, structure, geochronology, Ediacaran fossils, and gold mineralization, especially along the Gold Hill shear zone and in key units that help explain the tectonic evolution of Carolina.
2012 – State: SC
Geologic Studies of the Inner Piedmont, Brevarrd Zone, and Blue RIdge, South Carolina and North Carolina
By John M. Garihan, William A. Ranson, Suresh Muthukrishnan, James L. Bridgeman, and Tom Goforth
This anniversary field trip surveyed the geology of the Inner Piedmont, Brevard zone, and Blue Ridge across parts of South Carolina and North Carolina, with emphasis on low- to high-grade metamorphic rocks, gneisses, ultramafic bodies, detailed mapping, and landscape evolution. The trip combines regional tectonic interpretation with field examples of metamorphism, fault-zone geology, stream processes, and the connection between bedrock geology and modern topography, sediment transport, and even plant communities.
2011 – State: NC
Geology, Natural Gas Potential, and Mineral Resources of Lee, Chatham, and Moore Counties, North Carolina
by Timothy W. Clark, Kenneth B. Taylor, and Philip J. Bradley
Stops included outcrops of the Late Triassic Sanford, Cumnock, and Pekin Formations, as well as an abandoned 19th-century coal mine, some of the oldest plant fossils in North Carolina, a discussion on the potential energy resources in the area from shale gas, and pyrite collecting from a nearby pyrophyllite quarry. 42 pages.
2010 – State: SC
Coastal Processes Field Trip: Kiawah Island, Seabrook Island, and Edisto Beach State Park
By Miles O. Hayes, Jacqueline Michel, and Tim Kana
This rare September field trip introduced participants to the general geomorphology and coastal processes of the South Carolina Coast, with specific stops concerning inlet migration and transgressive barrier island complexes. 42 pages.
2000s
2009 – States: SC, GA
Rifting and Drifting in South Carolina: Fracture History in Alleghanian Granites and Coastal Plain Strata
by Mervin J. Bartholomew, Mark A. Evans, Fredrick J. Rich, Brendan M. Brodie, and R. Daniel Heath
The authors showcase several examples in South Carolina and Georgia that help understand the post-Alleghanian structural evolution of the southeastern part of the Laurentian craton. 52 pages.
2008 – State: NC
Spruce Pine Mining District, North Carolina
by Alex Glover and Kenneth Taylor
This trip provided glimpses of North Carolina’s varied mineral industries including crushed stone and industrial minerals. This meeting also included the first night time field stop to view fluorescent minerals at Emerald Village. 70 pages.
2007a – State: NC
Lee Creek Mine, Aurora, North Carolina : History, Mining Operations, Geology, Stratigraphy, and Paleontology
Edited by Lauck W. Ward
This document consists of two articles: 1) Forty Years of Mining at PCS Phosphate Mining Operations, Aurora, North Carolina; and 2) Synthesis of Paleontological and Stratigraphic Investigations at the Lee Creek Mine, Aurora, NC. 138 pages.
2007b – State: NC
SUPPLEMENTARY GUIDEBOOK: Eocene and Oligocene Stratigraphy of Southeastern North Carolina
Edited by Lauck W. Ward
This brief document synthesizes the Eocene and Oligocene Stratigraphy of Southeastern North Carolina. 27 pages.
2006 – State: NC
The Geology of the Chapel Hill, Hillsborough and Efland Quadrangles, Orange and Durham Counties, Carolina Terrane, North Carolina
Edited by Philip J. Bradley and Timothy W. Clark
The objectives of this field trip were to examine primary pyroclastic and epiclastic rocks of the Carolina terrane. The field trip transected a regional-scale anticlinorium that exposed Late Proterozoic aged volcano-sedimentary and intrusive rocks of the Virgilina Sequence. 95 pages.
2005 – State: NC
Blue Ridge Geology Geotraverse East of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Western North Carolina
Edited by Robert D. Hatcher, Jr. and Arthur J. Merschat
This guidebook summarizes some of the results and problems that have arisen based on current knowledge of bedrock and surficial geology of the Carolinas-northeast Georgia Blue Ridge, and the state-of-the-art geochronologic data that have been collected over the past 8-10 years. 132 pages.
2004 – State: SC
Macroseismic effects of the 1886 Charleston Earthquake
by Pradeep Talwani and Michael Katuna
This unique guidebook visits sites where one can observe damage from the most destructive earthquake ever recorded in the eastern United States – the Charleston earthquake of 1886. Published in a compilation of field trip guides by the SCGS. 43 pages.
2003 – State: NC
Surficial Geology and Shallow Aquifer System of the Little Contentnea Creek Watershed, Neuse River Basin, North Carolina
Edited by Kathleen M. Farrell and Amy J. Keyworth
This stop field guide visits only two stops: the Fountain Quarry and the Lizzie Hydrogeologic Research Station, near Farmville, NC. The guidebooks also contains several articles on the geology and hydrology of the area. 56 pages.
2002 – State: NC
Inner Piedmont Geology in the South Mountains-Blue Ridge Foothills and the southwestern Brushy Mountains, Central-western North Carolina
Edited by Robert D. Hatcher, Jr. and Brendan R. Bream
This field guide contains 16 stops in the western and eastern Inner Piedmont of central-western North Carolina examining representative exposures in the South Mountains and the southwestern Brushy Mountains. 145 pages.
2001 – State: SC
Geology of the Inner Piedmont in the Caesars Head and Table Rock State Parks Area, Northwestern South Carolina
Edited by John Garihan, William Ranson and C.W. Clendenin
The 2001 field trip examined the metamorphic stratigraphy, structure, and hydrology in the Caesars Head and Table Rock state parks area of the western Inner Piedmont of South Carolina. Published in South Carolina Geology, vol. 43. 88 pages.
2000 – State: SC
Environmental Remediation Systems in Unconsolidated Upper Coastal Plain Sediments – Stratigraphic and Structural Considerations
Edited by D. E. Wyatt and M. K. Harris
While the Savannah River Site not usually accessible to the public, this trip focused on its geology and environmental aspects, including radioactive burial grounds, plutonium disposition facilities, and vadose zone remediation studies. 331 pages.
1990s
1999 – States: NC, VA
Geology of the Fall Zone along the North Carolina – Virginia State Line
Edited by Paul E. Sacks
The first CGS trip to explore the very easternmost portion of the North Carolina Piedmont, viewing metavolcanic, metaigneous, and fault zone rocks around Lake Gaston. Also included a visit to the heavy mineral mining operations at the Old Hickory Mine. 60 pages, 21 figures, 2 tables, 1 plate.
1998 – State: SC
The Carolina Terrane in Northeastern South Carolina: History of an Exotic Volcanic Arc
Edited by Don Secor
Published in South Carolina Geology, vol. 40, this trip explores the geology of the Ridgeway – Camden area of the South Carolina Piedmont. 83 pages. Geologic map is available by request only.
1997 – State: NC
Paleozoic Structure, Metamorphism, and Tectonics of the Blue Ridge of Western North Carolina
Edited by K.G. Stewart, Mark G. Adams, and Charles H. Trupe
This field trip focuses on the structural and metamorphic history of the Blue Ridge thrust complex in the vicinity of the Grandfather Mountain window in northeastern North Carolina. 101 pages.
1996 – State: NC
Environmental Coastal Geology: Cape Lookout to Cape Fear, NC
Edited by Bill Cleary
Held just 6 weeks after Hurricane Fran, this trip observes the tenuous state of south-eastern North Carolina’s barrier island system. Stops runs the entire length of Onslow Bay from Morehead City to Fort Fisher. 138 pages .
1995 – State: SC
Geology of the Western Part of the Carolina Terrane in Northwestern South Carolina
Edited by Allen J. Dennis
Published as volumes 37 and 38 of a special volume of South Carolina Geology, this trip visits outcrops of metaintrusive and metavolcanic rocks of the western Carolina terrane of central South Carolina. 94 pages, 65 figures, 10 tables. Geologic map is available by request only.
1994 – State: NC
Geology and Field Trip Guide, Western Flank of the Raleigh Metamorphic Belt, North Carolina
Edited by Edward F. Stoddard and David E. Blake
The stops visited on this field trip provide a transect across the west flank of the Raleigh metamorphic belt, from the Rolesville batholith on the east to the Durham sub-basin of the Triassic Deep River basin on the west. 110 pages, 61 figures, 10 tables.
1993 – State: NC
Studies of Inner Piedmont Geology with a Focus on the Columbus Promontory
Edited by Robert D. Hatcher, Jr. and Timothy L. Davis
The purpose of this field trip is to discuss structural and stratigraphic relationships in the western Inner Piedmont in the Columbus Promontory, in the Hendersonville-Tryon area, North Carolina. 114 pages, 43 figures, 6 tables, 1 plate. Geologic map is available by request only.
1992 – State: SC
Geological Investigations of the Central Savannah River Area, South Carolina and Georgia
Edited by Wallace Fallow and Van Price
This guidebook visits several Cretaceous and Cenozoic outcrops in the South Carolina Coastal Plain between Augusta and the Savannah River Site. 161 pages, 57 figures, 10 tables, 1 plate.
1991 – States: NC, TN
Studies of Precambrian and Paleozoic Stratigraphy in the Western Blue Ridge
Edited by Stephen A. Kish
This work highlights ongoing research on the stratigraphy of Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks in western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and northern Georgia. 161 pages, 57 figures, 10 tables, 1 plate.
1990 – State: NC
Geology of Grenville-Age Basement and Younger Cover Rocks in the West Central Blue Ridge, North Carolina
by Carl E. Merschat and Leonard S. Wiener
This trip focuses on rocks north and west of Asheville and is selected to show: 1) high metamorphic grade, Grenville-age basement rocks; 2) relations at the faulted and folded basement-cover contact; and 3) the contrasting effects of Barrovian Paleozoic metamorphism on the basement and cover. 42 pages, 3 figures, 4 tables.
1980s
1989 – States: NC, SC
Campanian and Maastrichtian Depositional Systems of the Black Creek Group of the Carolinas
by James P. Owens and Norman F. Sohl
A new subdivision of the Cretaceous units of the Carolinas in presented, with field stops along the Cape Fear and Neuse River drainage basins. 23 pages, 9 figures.
1988 – State: NC
Structure of the Sauratown Mountains Window, North Carolina
Edited by Robert D. Hatcher, Jr.
The geology of the Sauratown Mountains Window and its relationship to surrounding terranes is reexamined and redefined. 104 pages, 45 figures, 5 tables. Geologic map and Lineation map are available by request only.
1987 – States: SC, GA
Anatomy of the Alleghanian Orogeny as seen from the Piedmont of South Carolina and Georgia
Edited by Donald T. Secor, Jr.
The central theme of this field trip is the Alleghanian deformations along the Georgia-South Carolina border in the Carolina slate, Kiokee, and Belair belts. Field stops center along the Clark Hill Reservoir. 97 pages, 29 figures, 1 plate. Geologic map is available by request only.
1986 – State: SC
Cretaceous-Tertiary Stratigraphy of the Upper Edge of the Coastal Plain between North Augusta and Lexington, South Carolina
by Paul G. Nystrom, Jr., Ralph H. Willoughby, and Lucille E. Kite
The field trip presents a description of the stratigraphy in the upper edge of the Coastal Plain along a northeast-southwest transect in western South Carolina. 82 pages, 46 figures, 1 plate. Geologic map is available by request only.
1985 – States: NC, VA
The Virgilina Deformation: Implications of Stratigraphic Correlations in the Carolina Slate Belt
by Charles W. Harris and Lynn Glover, III
This trip visits two separate area of the Carolina Slate belt. Day 1 explores the geology of the Ramseur area (east of Asheboro, NC). Day 2 moves along strike to the Roxboro area (north of Durham). 58 pages, 1 table, 11 figures.
1984 – State: NC
A Stratigrapher’s View of the Carolina Slate Belt, Southcentral North Carolina
by Gail G. Gibson and Steven A. Teeter
This brief guidebook visits several classic stops in the low-grade metavolcanic rocks in the Albemarle – Morrow Mountain area. 43 pages, 3 figures.
1983 – States: NC, TN
Geologic Investigations in the Blue Ridge of Northwestern North Carolina
edited by Sharon E. Lewis
This guidebook was prepared after extensive field work in Northwestern North Carolina along the Tennessee border. Includes a stop at the old Cranberry mine. 138 pages, 11 tables, 81 figures, 2 plates.
1982 – State: SC
Geological Investigations Related to the Stratigraphy in the Kaolin Mining District, Aiken County, S.C.
edited by Paul G. Nystrom, Jr. and Ralph H. Willoughby
The purpose of this field trip is to examine the stratigraphy in part of the kaolin mining district of Southwestern Aiken County, SC. 183 pages, 5 tables, 66 figures, 1 plate, published by the South Carolina Geological Survey as FG-17.
1981 – States: SC, NC
Geological Investigations of the Kings Mountain Belt and Adjacent Areas in the Carolinas
Edited by J. Wright Horton, Jr., J. Robert Butler and Daniel M. Milton
This volume contains twenty contributed papers covering vast portions of the Kings Mountain belt and vicinity in both South Carolina and North Carolina. 247 pages, 4 tables, 95 figures, 3 plates, published by the South Carolina Geological Survey as FG-16. Plate 1 is available by request only.
1980 – States: VA, NC
Geological Investigations of Piedmont and Triassic Rocks, Central North Carolina and Virginia, with a Field Trip Guide on the Bedrock Geology of South Central Virginia
Edited by V. Pirce, Jr., P.A. Thayer and W.A. Ranson
A large work containing twelve associated papers covering vast portions of the Piedmont of both Virginia and North Carolina. The accompanying field trip visits stops in the crystalline Piedmont as well as the Late Triassic Dan River/Danville basin. 180 pages, 14 tables, 70 figures, 1 plate. The following maps are available by request only: Geologic Map, Field Stop Map, Aeromagnetic Map, Fold and Structure Map, Aeroradiometric Map, Gravity Map.
Download .pdf (30 Mb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1970s
1979 – State: NC
Structural and Stratigraphic Framework for the Coastal Plain of North Carolina
Edited by Gerald R. Baum, W. Burleigh Harris and Victor A. Zullo
A possible tectonic influence on the Coastal Plain of North Carolina is discussed. The trip visits several stop in the southeastern coastal region of the state. 111 pages, 1 table, 31 figures, 3 plates.
1978 – State: SC
Geological Investigations of the Eastern Piedmont, Southern Appalachinas (with Field Trip Guide on the the Bedrock Geology of Central South Carolina)
Edited by Arthur W. Snoke
A look at igneous and metamorphic rocks, and the structures associated with them, in central South Carolina. 123 pages, 3 tables, 38 figures, 2 plates, published as FG-15 by SC Division of Geology.
Download .pdf (37.3 Mb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1977 – State: NC
Field Guide to the Geology of the Durham Triassic Basin
by George L. Bain and Bruce W. Harvey
This trip follows the interpretation of the Durham Triassic Basin as a structurally complex, fault-bounded rift basin filled in the Late Triassic by locally derived continental sediments, including coarse alluvial-fan deposits, fluvial sandstones, mudstones, coal-bearing beds, and lacustrine chert and shale. Using geologic mapping, fossils, and geophysical data, the basin is interpreted not as a simple single half-graben, but a segmented system of faults and sub-basins later cut by diabase intrusions; the field-trip stops were chosen to show those structural and depositional relationships in outcrop.
1976 – States: SC, NC, GA
Introduction to the Geology of the Eastern Blue Ridge of the Carolinas and nearby Georgia
by Robert D. Hatcher, Jr.
This trip examines the Blue Ridge of South Carolina and a small portion of Georgia and North Carolina. Its primary purpose is to observe the relationships of superimposed structures to one another, as well as the rocks in which they are developed. 53 pages, 3 tables, 14 figures, published as FG-14 by SC Division of Geology.
Download .pdf (896 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1975 – State: NC
Guide to the Geology of the Blue Ridge South of the Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina
by Stephen A. Kish, Carl E. Merschat, David W. Mohr and Leonard S. Wierner
An east-west transect from Murphy to Waynesville across rocks of the western Blue Ridge of North Carolina. 49 pages, 3 tables, 8 figures.
Download .pdf (780 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1974 – States: SC, NC
Geology of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain Near Pageland, South Carolina and Wadesboro, North Carolina
by Henry Bell III, J. Robert Butler, David E. Howell, and Walter H. Wheeler
A great diversity of geologic units are visited in a relatively small area. This field trip visits metamorphic rocks of the Carolina Slate belt, granite plutons, Triassic basins, Mesozoic diabase dikes, and a variety of updip Coastal Plain formations. 23 pages, 4 figures, published as FG-12 by SC Division of Geology. Large format geologic map and field stop map are available by request only.
Download .pdf (320 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1973 – State: SC
Granitic Plutons of the Central and Eastern Piedmont of South Carolina
by H.D. Wagener and David E. Howell
This field trip visits granitic units across a wide portion of the South Carolina Piedmont as part of an effort to promote these granites for use as crushed aggregate and building stone. 25 pages, 3 figures, published as FG-11 by SC Division of Geology.
Download .pdf (1.2 Mb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1972 – State: NC
The Geology of the NC Coastal Plain from the Sounds near New Bern to the Piedmont of Wake County
by R.B. Daniels, E.E. Gamble, W.H. Wheeler and C.S. Holzhey
The geology of the Coastal Plain from the sounds near New Bern to the Piedmont of Wake County is discussed to help to decipher some of the relationships between the geology and geomorphology of the Coastal Plain and to determine their influence on the genesis and distribution of soils. 64 pages, 3 tables, 21 figures.
Download .pdf (1.8 Mb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1971 – State: NC
Stratigraphy and Structure of the Murphy Belt, North Carolina
by W. Robert Power and Joseph T. Forrest
The field trip guide was the result of new mapping across the western North Carolina Murphy belt. Units visited include the Natahala formation, Tusquitee quartzite, Brasstown formation, Murphy marble, Andrews formation, Nottely quartzite, and the Mineral Bluff formation. Also includes a section on the structural geology and metamorphism of the region. 29 pages, 11 figures, 1 plate.
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1970 – States: NC, VA
Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Economic Geology of Dan River Basin, North Carolina
by Paul A. Thayer, Dewey S. Kirstein and Roy L. Ingram
One of the few geologic studies of the Dan River basin, this field trip visits sites in the Pine Hall, Cow Branch, and Stoneville Formations. Also includes a stop at the Virginia Solite quarry. 44 pages, 4 tables, 12 figures.
Download .pdf (1.2 Mb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1960s
1969 – State: SC
Carolina Geological Society Field Trip Guidebook for Northwestern South Carolina
by V.S. Griffin and Robert D. Hatcher Jr.
The authors present two separate papers comparing and contrasting their interpretations of preliminary geologic mapping in the Inner Piedmont of northwestern South Carolina. 60 pages, 3 tables, 17 figures, 19 plates, published in SC Geologic Notes, v. 13, no. 4, p. 143-147, FG-9. Large format geologic map and tectonic map are available by request only.
Download .pdf (19.2Mb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1968 – State: SC
Stratigraphy, Structure, and Petrology of the Piedmont in Central South Carolina
by D.T. Secor and H.D. Wagener
A geologic tour of the Carolina Slate belt and Charlotte belt contact in the central Piedmont of South Carolina. 18 pages, 1 table, 1 large map, published in SC Geologic Notes, v. 12, no. 4, FG-8. Large format geologic map is available by request only.
Download .pdf (172 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1967 – States: VA, NC, TN
Guide to the Geology of the Mt. Rogers Area, Virginia, North Caroline and Tennessee
by Douglas W. Rankin
A “high-altitude” trip at the triple junction of North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. The area covered by the field trip includes unmetamorphosed rocks of the Valley and Ridge, the Unaka belt, and the Precambrian crystalline rocks of the Blue Ridge belt, including the Mt. Rogers Volcanic Group. 48 pages, 3 figures.
Download .pdf (556 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1966 – State: NC
Guidebook of Excursion in Cabarrus County, North Carolina
by H.E. LeGrand and Henry Bell III
Subjects observed or discussed include 1) Piedmont geologic rock types and structures, 2) the syenite ring dike, 3) a widespread granite-diorite complex, 4) geochemical reconnaissance for ore deposits, 5) subsurface profiles of the weathered zone, water table, and fracture zone, and 6) geomorphology. 39 pages, 1 table, 7 figures.
Download .pdf (660 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1965 – State: SC
Guide to the Geology of York County, South Carolina, Carolina Geological Society Field Trip
by James R. Butler
Ten field trip stops along an east-west traverse across the Carolina Slate Belt, Charlotte Belt, and Kings Mountain Belt. 10 pages, 1 figure, published in Geologic Notes, SC Dev. Board, v. 9, no. 2, p. 27-36.
Download .pdf (152 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1964 – State: NC
Road Log of the Chatham, Randolph and Orange County areas, North Carolina
by George L. Bain, Eldon P. Allen, William F. Wilson and James R. Butler
Metavolcanic and metasedimentary units of the Carolina Slate Belt in the east-central Piedmont of North Carolina. 23 pages, 1 figure, 1 map. Large format geologic map and field stop map are available by request only.
Download .pdf (152 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1963 – States: NC, SC
Guide to the Geology of Pickens and Oconee Counties, South Carolina
by C.J. Cazeau and C.Q. Brown
An introduction to the metamorphic rock complex of the westernmost portion of South Carolina, where the Piedmont and the Blue Ridge physiographic provinces merge. 10 pages, 2 figures, published in Geologic Notes, SC Dev. Board, v. 7, no. 5., FG-5.
Download .pdf (292 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1962 – State: NC
Road Log of the Geology of Moore County, N.C.
by J.F. Conley
A simple road log to 20 stops of interest in Moore County, including metavolcanic/metasedimentary units, Triassic basin rocks, and upper Coastal Plain deposits. Limited geologic descriptions. 6 pages, 1 figure.
Download .pdf (40 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1961 – State: SC
Relationships between the Carolina Slate Belt and the Charlotte Belt in Newberry County, S.C.
by J.F. McCauley and
Fall Line Stratigraphy Northeast of Columbia, S.C.
by H.S. Johnson Jr.
This field trip focused on two geologic themes in central South Carolina: the structural and stratigraphic relationship between the Carolina Slate Belt and the Charlotte Belt in Newberry County, and the Fall Line stratigraphy northeast of Columbia. It presents these areas as a contrast between older Piedmont metamorphic-plutonic terranes and younger Coastal Plain deposits, using field stops to show folding, faulting, granitic intrusion, kyanite-bearing quartzite, and the Tuscaloosa and younger sand units that shape the Sandhills landscape. This guide is 28 pages, 1 figure, published as FG-4 by SC Dev. Board, Geologic Notes, v. 5, no. 5.
Download .pdf (244 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1960 – State: NC
Road Log of the Grandfather Mountain Area, North Carolina
by Bruce Bryant and John C. Reed, Jr.
Fifteen stops in and around the Grandfather Mountain window, in the Linville, Table Rock, Blowing Rock, and Lenoir 15-minute quadrangles. Includes a stop at the Linville Falls fault. 21 pages, 2 figures.
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1950s
1959 – States: NC
Geology of the Albemarle and Denton Quadrangles, NC
by A.A. Stromquist and J.F. Conley
Over twenty field trip stops examining the stratigraphy and structure of volcanic and sedimentary rocks in the Albemarle and Denton 15-minute quadrangles. Includes a stop to Morrow Mountain State Park. 36 pages, 3 figures.
Download .pdf (836 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1958 – State: SC
Carolina Geological Society Guidebook
by L.N. Smith and H.S. Johnson, Jr.
A northwest-southeast transect across the Coastal Plain of South Carolina between Columbia and Santee visiting stops of Late Cretaceous and Tertiary age. Also includes a crystalline stop at the Lake Murray spillway. FG-3, 13 pages, 1 table, 2 maps.
Download .pdf (144 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1957 – State: SC
Carolina Geological Society Guidebook for the South Carolina Coastal Plain Field Trip
by George E. Siple
A northeast-southwest transect across the Coastal Plain of South Carolina between Cheraw and Harleyville visiting stops of Late Cretaceous, Tertiary, and Quaternary age. 27 pages, 1 table, 3 figures.
Download .pdf (424 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1956 – States: NC, SC
Carolina Geological Society Guidebook (west of Kings Mountain, NC)
by Thomas L. Kesler
Straddling the North Carolina/South Carolina border this trip visits outcrops of metamorphosed sedimentary and pyroclastic rocks in the Kings Mountain belt. 4 pages, 1 table, 1 map.
Download .pdf (68 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1955 – State: NC
Guidebook of Excursion in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina
by H.E. LeGrand and P.M. Brown
A field trip designed to highlight a variety of formations of the Late Cretaceous to Tertiary NC Coastal Plain along the Neuse River, Cape Fear River, and Black Creek. Also includes lists of fossils present at each stop. 43 pages, 1 table, 4 figures.
Download .pdf (528 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1954
No Guidebook Available
1953 – State: NC
Road Log for the Annual Excursion of the Carolina Geological Society
by W.C. Overstreet, P.K. Theobald, Jr., and N.P. Cuppels
This Piedmont trip across Cleveland County, NC highlights the relationships between granites and gneisses along the boundary between the Shelby and Lincolnton 15-minute quadrangles, NC. 26 pages, 2 figures.
Download .pdf (940 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
1952 – States: TN, NC
Guide Book of Excursion in the Great Smoky Mountains
by Philip B. King, Jarvis B. Hadley, and Robert B. Neuman
The original classic! A groundbreaking work on the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The field trip traverses a representative cross-section from the Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of the Tennessee Valley, across Chilhowee Mountains and the main range of the Great Smoky Mountains, to the gneissic and granitic rock of North Carolina. Two large format geologic maps are available by request only. 60 pages, 5 tables, 11 figures, 2 large maps.
Download .pdf (360 Kb) (this version has different pagination than original)
Third-Party Publications
This section is devoted to third-party publications by Carolina geologists on a variety of geological subjects. The books are arranged by publication date, with newest releases at the top. If you have a suggestion for a book to be included here, email the CGS Secretary at carolinageologicalsociety@gmail.com.
2008 – State: SC
A Coast for All Seasons: A Naturalist’s Guide to the Coast of South Carolina
by Miles O. Hayes and Jacqueline Michel | illustrated by Joseph M. Holmes
A Naturalist’s Guide to the Coast of South Carolina is a truly unique book. It presents a deep understanding of South Carolina’s exceptional coast in a delightful and completely comprehensible narrative. It explores the origins of coastal features such as barrier islands, estuaries, and the wonderful mysteries of Carolina bays. It explains the changing face of the coastline through erosion, hurricanes, and climate change.
Two coastal geologists, who have 35 years of experience conducting scientific research on the coast, tell their story of discovery and fascination through engaging conversation, richly illustrated original diagrams, aerial photographs, and satellite imagery that paints a truly complete picture of a complex topic rarely so smoothly distilled from the scientific literature.
Every coastal resident and visitor should have a copy of this book. It will help you discover new places to visit and “see” familiar places with new insights and appreciation.
Details: 288 pages, paperback
Published: 2008 by Pandion Books
ISBN-13: 978-0981661803
ISBN-10: 0981661807
Available from Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com
2007 – State: NC
A Geologic Adventure Along the Eno River
by Philip Bradley
Written for the geologic enthusiast or layperson, A Geologic Adventure Along the Eno River provides a geologic guide to one of the North Carolina Piedmont’s most visited rivers. How old are the rocks exposed along the Eno River? How did the rocks form? Why is Chapel Hill and Hillsborough hilly and Durham flat? Why is Occoneechee Mountain the tallest peak in Orange County? The answers to these and many other questions are explained in this richly illustrated geologic guide.
Although written for the layperson, the guide is fun reading for the trained geologist. Interpretive trail guides for select trails within Eno River State Park and West Point on the Eno Park are also provided.
Details: 65 pages, paperback
Published: 2007 as North Carolina Geologic Survey Information Circular 35
Available from The North Carolina Geologic Survey Shop or by calling 919-707-9203.
2007 – States: SC, NC
Exploring the Geology of the Carolinas: A Field Guide to Favorite Places from Chimney Rock to Charleston
by Kevin G. Stewart and Mary-Russell Roberson
How were the Appalachian Mountains formed? Are the barrier islands moving? Is there gold in the Carolinas? The answers to these questions and many more appear in this reader-friendly guide to the geology of North Carolina and South Carolina.
Exploring the Geology of the Carolinas pairs a brief geological history of the region with 31 field trips to easily accessible, often familiar sites in both states where readers can observe firsthand the evidence of geologic change found in rocks, river basins, mountains, waterfalls, and coastal land formations.
Richly illustrated and accompanied by a helpful glossary of geologic terms, this field guide is a handy and informative carry-along for hikers, tourists, teachers, and families–anyone interested in the science behind the sights at their favorite Carolina spots.
Details: 320 pages, paperback
Published: 2007 by University of North Carolina Press
ISBN-13: 978-0807857861
ISBN-10: 0807857866
Available from Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com
2003 – State: NC
A Rockhounding Guide to North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains
by Michael Streeter
This book has everything that you will need for your rockhounding adventure: clear and concise directions to each site including precise GPS coordinates, location maps depicting major roads and towns, a list and pictures of rocks and minerals to be found at each site, an informative glossary of geological terms, a complete index of all sites and minerals, and a listing of rock and mineral museums and dozens of rock and mineral clubs.
Also included in the book are guidelines for safe and responsible collecting, a geologic history of western North Carolina and loads of information on the region’s colorful mining history. This book is packed with useful information – an excellent resource and educational guide and the only North Carolina rockhounding guide that contains four full pages of accurate color photographs of authentic rocks and minerals collected at every location in the book.
Details: 132 pages, paperback
Published: 2003 by Milestone Press
ISBN-13: 978-1889596150
ISBN-10: 1889596159
Available from Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com
2000
Black Tides
by Miles O. Hayes
Black tides of spilled oil pollute the world’s coasts with depressing regularity, giving scientists ample opportunity to observe their environmental impacts and learn how to clean up and restore the affected shorelines. Miles O. Hayes has been a leader in this work for over twenty years. In this highly readable autobiography, he describes his evolution as a scientist, his work in coastal oil spill contingency planning and cleanup, and his personal philosophy of one’s relationship with nature.
A skilled raconteur, Hayes tells engrossing stories of responding to most of the recent, headline-grabbing oil spills, including the Gulf War spills, the Exxon Valdez, the Amoco Cadiz spill in France, and the Ixtoc I blowout in Mexico. Interspersed among them are personal events and adventures, such as his survival of a plane crash while mapping a remote part of Alaska. From this life story emerges a compelling statement of the ongoing conflict between environmental preservation and the exploitation of natural resources to sustain our modern society.
Details: 303 pages, paperback
Published: 2000 by University of Texas Press
ISBN-13: 978-0807857861
ISBN-10: 0807857866
Available from Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com
1995 – State: SC
Carolina Rocks!: The Geology of South Carolina
by Carolyn Hannah Murphy
An excellent guide through the many layers of sand, clay, and rock that make up the Palmetto state. A comprehensive study of an enormous subject. Examines the geologic history of the state. Lists geology resources and references. Glossary, Index, Bibliography.
Details: 261 pages, paperback
Published: 1995 by Sandlapper Publishing Company, Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-0878441211
ISBN-10: 0878441212
Available from Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com