PEACE: Empowering Geologic Map Holistic Understanding with MLLMs

Geologic map is a specialized type of map that depicts the distribution, characteristics, and chronological relationships of rock units as well as the occurrence of structural features such as faults and folds. These maps are essential tools for geologists and earth scientists as they provide a visual representation of the geological characteristics of a specific area. Typically, as shown in Figure A1 , a geologic map comprises several key elements, including the title, scale, legend, main map, index map, cross section, stratigraphic column, and other components. These elements collectively contribute to the coherence and utility of a geologic map. Specifically, please refer to the following content. Title indicates the physical region, map type, author, and other pertinent information. Scale demonstrates the relationship between distances on the map and physical distances on the ground. Legend explains the symbols and colors used to represent different rock types, ages, and geological features. For detailed information on the legend units, refer to the legend component in Figure A1 . Main Map depicts the geological characteristics of the mapped area, including distributions of rock types, ages, folds, and faults. Index Map illustrates the spatial relationship with the neighboring regions. Cross Section provides a vertical slice through the Earth, showing the arrangement of rock units below the surface. Stratigraphic Column displays the sequence, thickness, and types of rock layers present in a particular area. Other Components Besides the above 7 key components frequently found in geologic maps, there are additional supplementary components that provide further geological explanation for the region. B. Evaluation Metrics The metrics are designed to measure the quality of answers generated by AI-based methods for each question in GeoMap-Bench.