Geochemical Rock Database-Query

The database GEOROC (Geochemistry of Rocks of the Oceans and Continents) is maintained by the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz. The database is a comprehensive collection of published analyses of volcanic rocks and mantle xenoliths. It contains major and trace element concentrations, radiogenic and nonradiogenic isotope ratios as well as analytical ages for whole rocks, glasses, minerals and inclusions. Samples come from 11 different geological settings. Metadata include, among others, geographic location with latitude and longitude, rock class and rock type, alteration grade, analytical method, laboratory, reference materials and references

Current content of GEOROC:

1,264,730 analyses
499,280 samples
17,490 papers
18,428,710 single data values

(for a complete list of references available in GEOROC, click here).

Applications of the database GEOROC are numerous in the study of volcanic rocks but also in sedimentary, palaeooceanographic, as well as atmospheric research (more).

GEOROC can also accessed by the EarthChem's web portal that offers distributed searches across several databases including the databases PetDB and NAVDAT. Datasets in GEOROC are cross-linked with GeoReM, an MPI database for reference materials of geological and environmental interest, such as rock powders, synthetic and natural glasses as well as minerals, isotopic, biological, river water and seawater reference materials.

Photos by B. Schramm, C. Chauvel, N. Arndt, and B. Sarbas

Please direct e-mail comments to
b.sarbas@mpic.de