About the Society

The Italian Geological Society (Società Geologica Italiana-SGI) was founded in Bologna the 29th of September 1881. It is the most representative scientific association of geosciences in Italy, and it is one of the oldest in the world.

The aim of SGI is the advancement, promotion and dissemination of the geological knowledge and its related theoretical and applied aspects.

The Geological Society of Italy has the oldest library of Earth Sciences in the country, having about 30,000 volumes of journals, monographs, conference proceedings, national and international geological maps. The main part of the library is accessible from the Documentation Center for Geotechnology of the University of Siena (Tuscany), whereas the historical collection is placed in the library of the Earth Sciences Department of the Sapienza University in Rome, where is located the head office of the society.

The Italian Geological Society publishes the following journals:

  • Geological Field Trips and Maps
  • Rendiconti SGI Online
  • Italian Regional Geological Guides
  • Special volumes, SGI Memoirs, Quaderni

From 1882 to 1954 one the main activities of the society was the organization of annual field-trips throughout the whole national territory, the "Summer Meeting". These excursions were followed by meetings during which the participants discussed the topics observed in the field.

Since 1954, the meeting became biennial and assumed the role of the National Congress of the Italian Geological Society, which is still migrating from one region to another.