The geological sciences have been studied at either one or two department/s, with six different names, since 1881. After an initial period of 28 years (1881–1909) with one department, followed 54 years (1909–1963) with two departments which merged back into one department in 1963. This department, which has changed its name twice (1989 and 2010), celebrates its golden jubilee in 2013.

The following discussion illustrates that both the research focus and the name of the geological department/s at Stockholms högskola and Stockholms universitet has paralleled closely the installation of new chair professors. The most obvious example is the foundation of a separate Department of Quaternary Geology*  in 1954. Since 1984, geological sciences at Stockholms universitet have been represented by three research training programs. These have, however, changed both focus and name as each new chair professor was installed.

*The geological term Quaternary was introduced by Giovanni Arduino in 1760 to describe the unconsolidated sediment deposits on the Po plain (Bernoulli and Jenkyns, Sedimentology 2009, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3091.2008.01017.x). The Quaternary is now ranked as a geological period.

• Geology at Stockholms högskola and Stockholms universitet
• From Geology and Mineralogy in 1881 to Marine Geology in 2010
• From Mineralogy and Petrography in 1909 to Geology in 2005
• From Microbial Geochemistry in 1984 to Geochemistry in 2005
• Department of Geological Sciences
• Promoted professors 2000–2010
• Closing remarks