Geological names in Sweden

Geological name increasing international cooperation has led to awareness of the need to harmonize the Swedish geological nomenclature with that introduced internationally, for example according to the International Stratigraphic Guide. This applies not least to geological names for units that were named following older, now obsolete nomenclatures, and cases where several names - more or less well-defined – have been used in parallel for the same units. The Swedish Committee for Geological Nomenclature is working to formalize and adapt the Swedish nomenclature according to international lithostratigraphic, chronostratigraphic and biostratigraphic guidelines for naming stratigraphic units. Similarly, the Committee is working to formalize the nomenclature of lithodemic (magmatic and metamorphic) units in Swedish bedrock, e.g. intrusions, for tectonostratigraphic units such as the nappes of the Caledonides, and for structures.

The Swedish Committee for Geological Nomenclature operates under the Swedish National Committee for Geology and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

All geoscientists working with Swedish geology are welcome to contribute to the development and maintenance of the Swedish geological nomenclature through proposals to the Swedish Committee for Geological Nomenclature. A guide for naming geological units and structures has been published in GFF: Kumpulainen, R.A. (ed.), 2016: Guide for geological nomenclature in Sweden. GFF 139: 3-20, DOI: 10.1080 / 11035897.2016.1178666 (printed version 2017)

Proposals for new names or revisions of existing names are submitted to the Swedish Committee for Geological Nomenclature by filling in the form "Form for geological names in Sweden" and sending it by e-mail to the address below. Questions and comments can also be sent to this address. The Committee is available for consultation about geological nomenclature in Sweden. The Committee examines the submitted proposals against the recommendations in the guide. Approved proposals will be stored in the Geological Names database in Sweden. The database and a search service are currently under construction at SGU. Information from the database will be freely available. In the meantime an updated list of geological names in Sweden is found below.

Guide for naming geological units and structures (new window)

E-mail address to the Swedish Committee for Geological Nomenclature: geologiska_namn@sgu.se

Form for geological names in Sweden

Information to the form

List of geological names in Sweden