Journal profile · Geology
South African Journal of Geology
ISSN 1012-0750 · eISSN 1996-8590 · Geological Society of South Africa/Geologiese Vereniging van Suid-Afrika · SOUTH AFRICA · Quarterly · Founded 1987
South African Journal of Geology: CAS Zone 4 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.1; subscription journal; review over 12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 28 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
South African Journal of Geology is published by Geological Society of South Africa/Geologiese Vereniging van Suid-Afrika and is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Geological and Geochemical Analysis, Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping and Geological formations and processes, together about 46.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Geophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The South African Journal of Geology publishes scientific papers, notes, stratigraphic descriptions and discussions in the broadly defined fields of geoscience that are related directly or indirectly to the geology of Africa. Contributions relevant to former supercontinental entities such as Gondwana and Rodinia are also welcome as are topical studies on any geoscience-related discipline. Review papers are welcome as long as they represent original, new syntheses. Special issues are also encouraged but terms for these must be negotiated with the Editors.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Geology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Geological and Geochemical AnalysisEarth and Planetary Sciences19.8%
- Geochemistry and Geologic MappingComputer Science15.7%
- Geological formations and processesEarth and Planetary Sciences11%
- Geological and Geophysical StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences10.3%
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsEarth and Planetary Sciences6.1%
- Geological Studies and ExplorationEarth and Planetary Sciences5.2%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences4%
- Geochemistry and Elemental AnalysisEarth and Planetary Sciences3.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Earth Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 1.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.48LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.71LetPub ·
- h-index
- 42LetPub ·
- h-index
- 69OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 787OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.54OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 18.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 4.35%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 25LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,686 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | 11 | 9 |
| 2025 | 28 | 2 | 30 |
| 2024 | 42 | 7 | 109 |
| 2023 | 27 | 3 | 120 |
| 2022 | 21 | 1 | 104 |
| 2021 | 65 | 5 | 503 |
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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
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 South Africa/Geologiese Vereniging van Suid-Afrika
- Country or region
- SOUTH AFRICA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1987
- ISSN
- 1012-0750
- Electronic ISSN
- 1996-8590
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 129, Issue 2 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about South African Journal of Geology
What CAS zone is South African Journal of Geology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, South African Journal of Geology is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Geology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of South African Journal of Geology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.1; CiteScore 2, h-index 69.
How long does peer review take at South African Journal of Geology?
Authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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 South African Journal of Geology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, South African Journal of Geology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is South African Journal of Geology open access, and what is the APC?
South African Journal of Geology 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: .