This collection contains the records of the Geophysical Laboratory (GL) at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, established in 1905. It contains directors' correspondence, site and building plans, field notes, drawings of equipment and apparatus, photographs, newspaper clippings, biographical files, maps, project records, and visitor logs. There are records documenting field and laboratory operations of GL in the areas of igneous petrology, volcanology, geochemistry, and high-pressure research. Other programs of research include: seismology, thermodynamics, x-ray crystallography, mineral physics, and astrobiology. The collection also documents defense research undertaken by GL personnel during World Wars I and II.