Journal profile · Geochemistry & Geophysics
Earth and Planetary Science Letters
ISSN 0012-821X · eISSN 1385-013X · Elsevier BV · NETHERLANDS · Semimonthly · Founded 1966
Earth and Planetary Science Letters: CAS Zone 1 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 4.75; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,670; review about 3.5 months (community reports); community-reported acceptance: about 95%; 461 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Earth and Planetary Science Letters is published by Elsevier BV and is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Geological and Geochemical Analysis, earthquake and tectonic studies and High-pressure geophysics and materials, together about 46.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Geophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Browse through a wide range of high-quality academic journals offered by Elsevier, including open access options, to enrich your research journey.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Geochemistry & Geophysics
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Geological and Geochemical AnalysisEarth and Planetary Sciences20%
- earthquake and tectonic studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences14.3%
- High-pressure geophysics and materialsEarth and Planetary Sciences12.7%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences11.9%
- Astro and Planetary SciencePhysics and Astronomy4.3%
- Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4%
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences3.8%
- Planetary Science and ExplorationPhysics and Astronomy3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Earth Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 4.75LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.31LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.74LetPub ·
- h-index
- 215LetPub ·
- h-index
- 402OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 17,907OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.43OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 45.21%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 409LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 21,946 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 426 | 242 | 192 |
| 2025 | 461 | 277 | 1,655 |
| 2024 | 455 | 308 | 4,094 |
| 2023 | 425 | 290 | 6,233 |
| 2022 | 451 | 300 | 10,533 |
| 2021 | 463 | 293 | 12,828 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 3.5 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 95%LetPub ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,670 / EUR 4,370 / GBP 3,740 / JPY 579,220 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1966
- ISSN
- 0012-821X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1385-013X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Earth and Planetary Science Letters
What CAS zone is Earth and Planetary Science Letters in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Earth and Planetary Science Letters is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Geochemistry & Geophysics; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Earth and Planetary Science Letters?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.75; CiteScore 9.7, h-index 402.
How long does peer review take at Earth and Planetary Science Letters?
Authors report an average review time of about 3.5 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 95%”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Which databases index Earth and Planetary Science Letters?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Earth and Planetary Science Letters is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Earth and Planetary Science Letters open access, and what is the APC?
Earth and Planetary Science Letters is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,670.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .