Universitaet Goettingen

The GEOROC Database (Geochemistry of Rocks of the Oceans and Continents)

is a comprehensive collection of published analyses of igneous and metamorphic rocks and minerals. It contains major and trace element concentrations, radiogenic and nonradiogenic isotope ratios as well as analytical ages for whole rocks, glasses, minerals and inclusions. Metadata include geospatial and other sample information, analytical details and references.


Current content of GEOROC:


Terms of use:

Creative Commons License GEOROC data are compiled from published, peer-reviewed literature and are provided here under Creative Commons regulations (CC BY-SA 4.0). Use of GEOROC data compilations requires appropriate citation of all data sources. GEOROC datasets can only be distributed under the same license as the original. See our citation guidelines for further information.

By using the GEOROC website and database you agree to and accept these terms.

Welcome

The GEOROC Database has recently been migrated to Göttingen University from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, where it was developed and curated for over two decades. At Göttingen, the database IT-infrastructure will be updated as part of the DIGIS-project of the Department of Geochemistry and Isotope Geology at the Geoscience Centre (GZG) and the University and State Library (SUB).

Within the next three years, the DIGIS-project will establish new options for data upload by authors, DOI-concession for individual uploaded data sets, data extraction tools, as well as strengthening links to other geochemical databases (e.g. PetDB of EarthChem). An amended metadata scheme will be established in compliance with FAIR principles, based on the ODM2 and EarthChem data models. DIGIS and EarthChem both participate in the OneGeochemistry initiative aiming to create global standards for geochemical data. While the new GEOROC 2.0 database and its revised geochemical data infrastructure are under development, the existing GEOROC database will continue to be updated and this website will remain operational.

Whats New

The DIGIS-project has already implemented new features and updated others to improve user experience:

  • We have set up the GEOROC Data Repository to enable data contributions from the community. Authors can submit new analytical data as well as data compilations.
  • Precompiled Files are now hosted in the repository, providing a clear format for citation of the exact version of data you have downloaded.
  • We have refreshed the Expert Datasets: these author-provided data compilations are also available through our new repository.
  • The database query by geography is updated to a new map framework for improved usage.

    • As you can see, we have also updated the look and feel of the GEOROC website. This update is a temporary measure to improve access to GEOROC data.
    We will be launching an entirely new web interface for GEOROC 2.0 within the next few years.

    History

    History of the Database

    The construction of the GEOROC database under the direction of Baerbel Sarbas began in January 1998 in the former Geochemistry Department of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz. Professor Albrecht Hofmann, then Director of the Geochemistry Department, took on six former employees of the Gmelin Institute (Frankfurt) that had just been discontinued by the Max Planck Society. GEOROC has been available online since the end of 1999. The database structure was developed in close cooperation with the group of PetDB, a petrological database of primarily ocean floor basalts started at a similar time at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, New York.

    The content of the GEOROC database was initially limited to geochemical analyses of ocean island basalts, but was soon expanded to include samples of volcanic rocks from other tectonic environments and the mantle xenoliths they contain. All analyses of igneous rocks (plutonic and volcanic) published since 2017 are systematically included within the database.

    After Professor Hofmann retired, the GEOROC group joined the Biogeochemistry department, then the newly Climate Geochemistry department of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry. However, due to the contractual situation of the former Gmelin employees their number has steadily decreased. The last member of the original GEOROC group, Baerbel Sarbas, retired at the beginning of 2022.

    In August 2021, the GEOROC database was formally transferred to the Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen. The new DIGIS group, including Baerbel Sarbas, is continuing to maintain and grow the database. In addition, DIGIS is modernising the database infrastructure and expanding its international connectivity, which will be released under the brand of GEOROC 2.0 in 2024.