This page provides links to geological information and data, including maps and photographs available on the website of the British Geological Survey.
BGS maps online
The BGS Geology of Britain viewer provides useful information about the geology of any area in the country. It allows the user to locate an area of interest by entering a postcode or place name. Zooming in on the location changes the map scale from 1:625 000 to 1:50 000. There is a slider that allows the user to alter the transparency level of the geological map layer. The base map can be changed to use satellite photographs or various street maps.
BGS maps for your mobile phone
iGeology is a free smartphone App that lets you take a geological map of Britain with you wherever you go – and you will know exactly where you are if your phone also has a GPS.
mySoil is a similar App providing a soil properties map of Britain.
BGS photographic collection
The geoscenic archive contains images of all things geological – from landscapes and industrial sites to fossils and minerals. Some of the 19th and early 20th century photographs show quarries that are now designated Local Geological Sites (LGS) in their productive heyday!
Borehole records
The BGS Borehole record viewer allows onshore borehole records to be viewed online. If more detail is needed, a borehole data pack can be ordered for a fee.
Building stone
The Strategic Stone Study project carried out by English Heritage provides data on the heritage stone buildings of most English counties, together with detail of the various types of stone used in the county, and a list of the quarries from which it was sourced. An illustrated, written account or ‘atlas’ of the stone built heritage of each county was also produced. The data and atlases can be viewed on the British Geological Survey website. Information about the involvement of The Geology Trusts in this project is given here.
Earthquake data
The Seismology section of the BGS website provides recent and historical data on earthquakes in Britain and around the world.
BGS Lexicon
The Lexicon of Named Rock Units provides definitions of the stratigraphic terms used on BGS maps, past and present.
OpenGeoscience
Several of the web pages above can be accessed via the introductory OpenGeoscience page, which lists all of the information available free of charge from the British Geological Survey.
Reporting geological observations
The crowdmap web page was set up in 2011 and aims to create a geological community where geologists (amateur or professional) can report a geological observation. Site information and accompanying photographs are given. Reports can be submitted online or via a smartphone.
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