Macrostrat is a data system for the Earth's crust: a model of the rocks beneath every point on the planet, built by integrating geologic maps and stratigraphic columns into one framework through time. It is developed by the Macrostrat lab at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Key elements
Geologic maps
Hundreds of geologic maps, harmonized into a single multi-scale mapping layer.
Stratigraphic columns
Navigating the rock record through time.
Lexicon
Stratigraphic names, timescales, and other ways to link geologic information together
Data services
Freely available APIs for maps and stratigraphy for building geologic applications
The Rockd mobile app, and many other applications are built with Macrostrat
History
Macrostrat began as a research database supporting "macrostratigraphy", an approach to the rock record implemented at scale by Shanan Peters from the early 2000s. Since then, the system has grown into a comprehensive platform for geologic data, an evolution which we continue with the Version 2 effort.
How to cite
Cite the papers below and the original references for the data you used; the API returns those references alongside every record. In presentations, acknowledge Macrostrat by name and use the logos from the brand page.
Macrostrat v2
Quinn, D.P., Idzikowski, C.R., and Peters, S.E., 2023, Building a multi‐scale, collaborative, and time‐integrated digital crust: The next stage of the Macrostrat data system: Geoscience Data Journal, v. 11, p. 11–26, doi:10.1002/gdj3.189.The platform
Peters, S.E., Husson, J.M., and Czaplewski, J., 2018, Macrostrat: A Platform for Geological Data Integration and Deep‐Time Earth Crust Research: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, v. 19, p. 1393–1409, doi:10.1029/2018gc007467.License
Macrostrat data are provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Attribute Macrostrat and the original data sources.
Get involved
See ways to contribute, or write to us.
- Emailcontact@macrostrat.org
- Bluesky@macrostrat.org
- GitHub issuesUW-Macrostrat
- X@UWMacrostrat
