Gea∙logy 

Women in the Earth Sciences

In Greek mythology, Gea (also spelled Gê, Gaea, or Gaia) was the personification of the Earth. When naturalists began to study the Earth, they masculinized the name to ‘geo’ - hence geology. Yet, early on, women engaged in geological studies to a level unprecedented in other Victorian sciences. It was only as geology became a more formal science, that geological societies began masculinizing the discipline itself, erecting barriers to prevent women from participating in the Earth’s study. 

Despite those formidable hurdles, some women continued to defy social conventions to make invaluable geological contributions. This website is devoted to a few of those trailblazers, rebels, and determined nonconformists. 

We can only wonder what other accomplishments might have occurred if women had been allowed unfettered access to our field throughout its history.

Eunice Peterson

First Woman to earn a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Minnesota

Mary Morland Buckland

Paleontologist and scientific illustrator who popularized the first known dinosaur.