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Geology is the second-largest research topic in the broader ‘Earth & environmental sciences’ subject area of the Nature Index. In the latest 12-month window of data (at the time of writing, this was December 2024 to November 2025), 950 articles in the database were associated with the topic, behind only atmospheric sciences (1,426 articles).
The leading five countries for contributions to these geology papers were China, with a Share of 255, and the United States (Share of 214), followed by the United Kingdom (Share of 75), France (Share of 65) and Germany (Share of 61). All these nations, except the United States, have at least one institution in the top 10.
Leading institutions in geology in the Nature Index
Institutions are ranked by article Share for the period 1 December 2024 to 30 November 2025. Each institution's article count (Count) is also listed.
| Rank | Institution | Location | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese Academy of Sciences | China | 183 | 54.79 |
| 2 | Nanjing University | China | 51 | 22.32 |
| 3 | China University of Geosciences | China | 83 | 20.11 |
| 4 | Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres | Germany | 62 | 19.33 |
| 5 | French National Centre for Scientific Research | France | 127 | 18.09 |
| 6 | China University of Geosciences, Beijing | China | 74 | 16.15 |
| 7 | Ministry of Natural Resources | China | 68 | 14.33 |
| 8 | University of Chinese Academy of Sciences | China | 68 | 11.91 |
| 9 | Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich | Switzerland | 30 | 11.67 |
| 10 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom | 27 | 11.21 |
1. Chinese Academy of Sciences
Share: 54.79
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), headquartered in Beijing, is top of the tree for geology research in the Nature Index. Its researchers were involved in a total of 183 papers, including 34 each in the journals Earth and Planetary Science Letters and Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, during the latest 12-month data window. It also contributed to a geology-related paper in Nature and an article in Science.
Among the key CAS institutes for geology research is the Institute of Geology and Geophysics in Beijing, created in 1999 through the merger of two separate institutes in each subject. In the latest data window, the institute was involved in 211 papers in the broader subject area of Earth & environmental sciences. Another key CAS-affiliated institute for geology research is the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, which contributed to 43 Earth-&-environmental-science papers in the current window.
2. Nanjing University
Share: 22.32
Although Nanjing University’s Share was less than half that of CAS for geology, it was also involved in far fewer papers (Count of 51), which suggests that, on average, it contributed more authors to each individual article. The journal where its researchers published the most geology research in the current data window was Earth and Planetary Science Letters, where 11 papers involved authors affiliated with the institution.
The university punches above its weight in Earth & environmental sciences research more generally in the Nature Index. It was second in the world for the whole subject area (behind CAS) in the 2025 Research Leaders tables, a much higher position than its overall ranking of 8th.
3. China University of Geosciences
Share: 20.11
The China University of Geosciences (CUG) in Wuhan is just behind Nanjing University in the geology top 10, although it was involved in more papers in the current data window (83). It is a separate entity to the China University of Geosciences, Beijing, which places sixth in the latest top 10 for geology.
A large proportion of its contribution to the latest geology research in the Nature Index was in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, where it was involved in 33 papers at a Share of 12.31. This means that on average across these articles, its researchers contributed to more than a third of the authorships.
4. Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Share: 19.33
The Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, the largest scientific organization in Germany, headquartered in Bonn and Berlin, is the first research organization in the top 10 for geology research that is based outside China. It contributed to 62 papers in the topic in the latest data window, including 18 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.
Helmholtz is a major player in Earth & environmental sciences research more broadly in the Nature Index, coming third in the subject area in the last 2025 Research Leaders tables, despite it being outside the leading ten institutions overall. Geology was also its sixth most-important research topic overall in the latest data window, after particle physics, quantum physics, macromolecular and materials chemistry, physical chemistry and ecology.
5. French National Centre for Scientific Research
Share 18.09
Similar to CAS, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), headquartered in Paris, was involved in a relatively high number of papers in the latest data window (127), but its Share was a relatively small fraction of this total. This suggests that its researchers contributed frequently to papers, but only with a small proportion of the authorships, on average. Its geology researchers most frequently contributed to papers in Earth and Planetary Science Letters (27 articles) and the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (25 articles).
Researchers affiliated with the CNRS, which is France’s main research organization and the largest public research body in Europe, were also involved in four geology-related papers in Nature in the latest window. These included an article about Earth’s first ‘protocrust’, which researchers found was surprisingly similar to the crust that makes up the planet’s surface today.
6. China University of Geosciences, Beijing
Share 16.15
The China University of Geosciences in Beijing, a separate entity to the Wuhan institution of the same name, contributed to 74 Nature Index papers in the latest data window. The largest number of these articles, 20 in total, appeared in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.
The institution is also 23rd in the world for Earth & environmental sciences in the Nature Index, according to the latest data. Its leading collaborating institution in China is the CUG in Wuhan, while internationally it partners the most with research institutions in Europe, particularly France. The CNRS was its leading partner in the latest window, followed by the Institute of Earth Physics of Paris.
7. Ministry of Natural Resources (China)
Share 14.33
Researchers affiliated with China’s Ministry of Natural Resources in Beijing were authors on 68 papers in Nature Index journals, according to the latest data, with Geophysical Research Letters the most common journal for these articles. The Ministry was also 20th in the world for Earth & environmental sciences more broadly, with geology its top topic, followed by oceanography, geophysics, atmospheric sciences, and pollution and contamination.
Its leading domestic partners for research articles in the Nature Index in Earth & environmental sciences are CAS and the Ocean University of China in Qingdao, while the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres and Australian National University in Canberra are its leading international partners.
8. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Share 11.91
Unlike some of the other Chinese institutions in the top 10 for geology — which are specialists in the field — the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) in Beijing is an all-round star performer in the Nature Index. It is third in the world in Earth & environmental sciences in the latest 12-month data window, but also third in chemistry and seventh in physical sciences. In the latest calendar-year ranking, the 2025 Nature Index Research Leaders (covering data for 2024), UCAS was sixth overall.
In geology, UCAS researchers contributed to 68 papers in Nature Index journals in the latest data window, but a Share of 11.9 suggests that on average many of these authorships were a relatively small proportion of the overall number of authors on individual papers.
9. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich)
Share 11.67
ETH Zurich in Switzerland is only just behind UCAS for Nature Index Share in geology in the latest data window, but it achieved this score with authorships on fewer articles (30). This suggests it makes a relatively large contribution to the papers on which its researchers are involved. The articles included one in Nature that revealed a hidden mechanism in earthquakes that explains how they transition from slow releases of energy to violent ruptures.
Earth & environmental sciences is the broad area in which ETH Zurich performs best in the Nature Index, by ranking. It was 16th in the world in the latest data window compared with an overall performance of 33rd. Geology was its eighth most important research topic by Share.
10. University of Cambridge
Share 11.21
The United Kingdom performs relatively strongly in geology — it is third in the world by Share in the latest data — and the University of Cambridge is currently its leading institution in the topic. Its researchers contributed to 27 papers in the latest 12-month window, meaning that on average they were making up almost half the authorships on each article.
The University of Cambridge is a strong all-round contributor to research articles in the Nature Index. It was either first or second in the United Kingdom for Share in the latest data window in all subjects bar one — health sciences — where it was fourth.
Note: The data in this article were based on the 12-month window of data in the 'Current Index' that was available at the time of writing. This window updates monthly and therefore future Share and Count values may differ. For more information on the Nature Index, see our FAQs.
