The open-access journal is one of the founding members of the OA portal GeoSciences e-Journals.

Since 2007, it is published by the eponymic Association Carnets de Géologie at the University of Western Brittany in Brest, France.

publishes peer-reviewed contributions (memoirs, articles, and letters) on an irregular basis, that is each new paper is released online as soon as possible after the editorial office received the latest reviewed and corrected version from the author(s).

These contributions are written either in English, French, or both languages, but articles in Spanish, German, or Italian will also appear.

In 2004 and 2005, agreements were signed respectively with INIST and HAL (hyperarticles en ligne), in order to give a better visibility to the authors' scientific contributions.