About our Publishing Program

Overview

The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources is the geologic survey for the state of New Mexico. Since 1927, publishing geoscience research and information has been an integral part of our mission to inform the professional geologic community, the general public, and decision-makers about the diverse geology of New Mexico. Our current publications program includes three periodicals, three types of technical publications, a growing variety of map products, and numerous publications written about specific New Mexico geologic topics of interest to a broad audience. We maintain an extensive archive of printed publications, digital publications for download, and data repositories for analysis.

Periodicals

All of our current periodicals are published in electronic format and are available on our website at no charge. Back issues in digital format are available as free downloads. Printed copies of back issues can be purchased for a small fee.

New Mexico Geology is a semi-annual, peer-reviewed scientific journal that highlights the latest geoscience research in New Mexico and in surrounding regions, including abstracts from M.S. theses and Ph.D. dissertation research. This journal also features a geologic image gallery with descriptions of remarkable landscapes and specimens. New Mexico Geology is a digital-only publication.

New Mexico Earth Matters is a semi-annual newsletter that features a single, timely article on an earth science topic of interest to the people of New Mexico, as well as Bureau news and information on new publications. A limited number of copies are available for print distribution. New Mexico Earth Matters is also available as a digital publication.

Lite Geology is a semi-annual publication aimed at middle- to high-school Earth Science teachers and students in New Mexico that provides educational information and classroom activities on a wide variety of earth science topics. Lite Geology is a digital-only publication.

Isochron/West was published at irregular intervals from 1971 to 1996. The journal was patterned after the journal Radiocarbon and covered isotopic age-dating (except carbon-14) on rocks and minerals from the Western Hemisphere. Initially, the geographic scope of papers was restricted to the western half of the United States, but was later expanded. The journal was sponsored and staffed by the New Mexico Bureau of Mines (now Geology) & Mineral Resources and the Nevada Bureau of Mines & Geology.

Geoscience Publications

We offer opportunities to publish scientific works through our technical publication series, which includes Bulletins, Memoirs, and Open-File Reports. A Circular series was published until 2006, but this series has been discontinued to reflect changing needs.

Bulletins are one of our most popular technical publications and include the results and interpretations of significant new data-rich geoscience research. Bulletins focus on the geology, hydrology, energy, and mineral resources of New Mexico and surrounding regions. Common Bulletin themes are discussions of regional hydrology, summaries that accompany geologic map compilations, and anthologies of single-themed articles. Additionally, large quantities of data or map sheets related to a Bulletin publication can be archived in a data repository. Manuscripts for Bulletins are typically 20–40 double-spaced pages in length, although no strict page limits have been set. Bulletins are peer-reviewed and may be released in digital or print formats.

Memoirs are comprehensive reports of wide scientific interest and lasting importance. These technical publications commonly reflect a lifetime of research and achievement and typically focus on a single, New Mexico-based geoscience topic or geographic locality. Memoirs may be the work of a single author or anthologies of works by many authors. Large data sets or map sheets related to a Memoir can be archived in our data repository. Memoirs are peer-reviewed and may be released in digital or print form.

Open-File Reports (OFR) include data-rich technical reports generated to satisfy contracts or other publications that are not strong candidates for Bulletins or Memoirs. Typically, these reports are required to be made available to the public upon completion of the work.  Open-File Argon (OF-AR) and Open-File Geologic Map series (OF-GM) are both part of the OFR series. Open-File Reports may be peer-reviewed, but commonly these publications are not subject to review.  These reports are occasionally updated with new information and may be temporarily unavailable while changes are incorporated. Both Bureau and outside authors may contribute reports to the OFR series. Open-File Reports are digital publications.

Map Information Products

The backbone of the bureau’s mapping information, detailed ArcGIS or PDF files comprise most of our current map products in the Open-File Geologic Map series (OF-GM) and are available as free downloads. Compilation maps, like GM-79, The Geologic Map of the Valles Caldera; or the upcoming GM-80, The Geologic Map of Mt. Taylor (in press), are produced as printed products. Economic resource maps also continue to be produced as print-products. Story Maps, produced for our website, build on the bureau’s tradition of producing high quality maps and graphics using cutting edge tools.

General Interest Publications

In addition to general interest periodicals such as Earth Matters and Lite Geology, we offer other opportunities to publish geoscience information for a broad audience. Scenic Trips to the Geologic Past, Decision Makers field guides, river guides, and books like our popular The Geology of Northern New Mexico’s Parks, Monuments, and Public Lands are part of our outreach mission. These materials are published in a wide variety of formats.

Prospective Authors

We are actively seeking new scientific papers to publish in our regionally-focused journal, New Mexico Geology, as well as in our other technical and general-interest publication outlets. 

Contact us for submission information or with questions:

• Barbara Horowitz, Manager Publications Program
• Shari Kelley, Science editor and chair of the Publications Committee
• Bruce Allen, Editor: New Mexico Geology
• Paul Bauer, Editor, New Mexico Earth Matters
• Cynthia Connolly, Editor: Lite Geology
• Frank Sholedice, Contact for copyright and permission questions

Publication Sales

A large number of our publications are available online for free. Offerings, such as large maps and reference works, are only available for sale in a more usable print format. We price these publications competitively and provide free online versions of many of them. In part, revenue collected from sales allows us to continue producing professional print and digital publications. Our inventory is available online or through our Publication Sales Office located on the campus of New Mexico Tech, in Socorro. We are happy to take phone orders and can assist you in finding the publications you need.

Our popular publications can be purchased at a variety of independent bookstores throughout New Mexico. Wholesale discounts are available to retailers. We offer retail discounts to students with a valid student ID; teachers, for classroom use; and libraries.

The Publication Sales Office is an official Earth Science Information Center for the U.S. Geological Survey. We stock all of the USGS 7.5-minute (1:24,000), 1:100,000, and 1:250,000 topographic maps for the state of New Mexico, as well as selected other USGS publications.

Call our Publication Sales Office at (575) 835-5490 during business hours. We are open weekdays Monday–Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, and both Saturday and Sunday, 10 AM to 3 PM, Mountain StandardTime. Stop by in person at 801 Leroy Place on the corner of Bullock Avenue and Leroy Place on the New Mexico Tech campus. Browse our extensive collection of geologic publications and visit our world famous Mineral Museum located in the same building.

Copyright Information

Publications of the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources are protected by the applicable copyright laws of the United States and are not in the public domain. Individual copyrights belong to their respective copyright holders and all rights are reserved.

Permissions

Teachers and students may make unlimited copies without prior permission, for educational use only. Any other use, including commercial use, duplication, or storage, requires prior permission from the respective copyright holders. For information regarding permission to use any portion of our publications, please contact the Managing Editor by email and place “Permissions” in the subject line.