The Institute of Earth Sciences comprises five major research and academic divisions:

• The Seismic Monitoring Center;
• The Department of Geology;
• The Department of Applied Geophysics;
• The Department of Geography;
• Speleology training center.

The Seismic Monitoring Center is the only national institution collecting data on earthquakes and seismic activity. The Centre has twenty regional digital seismic stations and two local – Central Caucasus and Javakheti – networks. The Seismic Monitoring Center receives data online from seismic stations and gauges threats from seismic activity.

The Department of Geology studies geological problems in the Caucasus region. Key research areas include active tectonics and active volcanism in the Caucasus region.

The Department of Applied Geophysics studies geophysical methods used in geological, geographical, engineering and archaeological works.