Journal profile · Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Geological Society of America Bulletin
ISSN 0016-7606 · eISSN 1943-2674 · Geological Society of America · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1961
Geological Society of America Bulletin: CAS Zone 1 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 3.56; subscription journal; review 4–8 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: moderate; 322 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Geological Society of America Bulletin is published by Geological Society of America 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, Geology and Paleoclimatology Research and Geological formations and processes, together about 48.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Geophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The GSA Bulletin is the Society's premier scholarly journal, published continuously since 1890. Its first editor was William John (WJ) McGee, who was responsible for establishing much of its original style and format. Fully refereed, each bimonthly issue includes 16-20 papers focusing on the most definitive, timely, and classic-style research in all earth-science disciplines. The Bulletin welcomes most contributions that are data-rich, mature studies of broad interest (i.e., of interest to more than one sub-discipline of earth science) and of lasting, archival quality. These include (but are not limited to) studies related to tectonics, structural geology, geochemistry, geophysics, hydrogeology, marine geology, paleoclimatology, planetary geology, quaternary geology/geomorphology, sedimentary geology, stratigraphy, and volcanology. The journal is committed to further developing both the scope of its content and its international profile so that it publishes the most current earth science research that will be of wide interest to geoscientists.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Geological and Geochemical AnalysisEarth and Planetary Sciences20.7%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences18.8%
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences9%
- Geochemistry and Geologic MappingComputer Science8.6%
- earthquake and tectonic studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences8.2%
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences6.4%
- High-pressure geophysics and materialsEarth and Planetary Sciences3.2%
- Geological Studies and ExplorationEarth and Planetary Sciences2.6%
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 | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
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 | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | 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
- 3.56LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.54LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.33LetPub ·
- h-index
- 134LetPub ·
- h-index
- 304OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 9,002OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.94OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 1.95%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 350LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 14,085 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 307 | 21 | 67 |
| 2025 | 322 | 38 | 830 |
| 2024 | 254 | 42 | 1,696 |
| 2023 | 232 | 52 | 1,552 |
| 2022 | 195 | 40 | 2,647 |
| 2021 | 173 | 43 | 3,469 |
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)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- ModerateLetPub ·
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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
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
- Geological Society of America
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1961
- ISSN
- 0016-7606
- Electronic ISSN
- 1943-2674
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Geological Society of America Bulletin
What CAS zone is Geological Society of America Bulletin in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Geological Society of America Bulletin is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Geosciences, Multidisciplinary; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Geological Society of America Bulletin?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.56; CiteScore 8, h-index 304.
How long does peer review take at Geological Society of America Bulletin?
Authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Moderate”. 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 Geological Society of America Bulletin?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Geological Society of America Bulletin is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Geological Society of America Bulletin open access, and what is the APC?
Geological Society of America Bulletin is a subscription journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex; 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .