Using materials collections

Material collections are primarily housed at BGS Keyworth near Nottingham. Material at the Gilmerton store, near Edinburgh, is being moved to Keyworth during 2012. However a Scottish Hydrocarbons Teaching Collection, will be located at BGS Edinburgh, with the existing Scottish biostratigraphy and petrology collections.

Keyworth (Nottingham) facilities

Edinburgh facilities

Loaning material

Loans of samples, slides, fossils etc. are regularly made from the Collections to BGS Staff, and also to bona fide academics, commercial research workers and individuals who have approved borrower status.

Accessing BGS corporate collections

There is no charge to BGS staff, or bona fide academics or private individuals wishing to access the BGS Corporate Collections, unless it involves a considerable amount of staff time. (This usually means one day in the case of BGS staff, or two hours in the case of visitors). Commercial enquiries are charged as follows (all prices are subject to VAT):

  • Borehole examination laboratory charge (i.e. visitor ticket) for Keyworth & Gilmerton £120.00 per day.
  • Biostratigraphy & petrology collections (Keyworth & Murchison House) and marine collections (Loanhead) £60.00 per day.
  • Onshore borehole (Keyworth) pallet inspection fee £26.00 per pallet (two pallets included in each visitor ticket).
  • Onshore borehole (Keyworth) tray inspection fee £10.00 per tray or £5.25 if the trays are in a running sequence (up to ten trays included in each visitor ticket, provided they run consecutively).
  • Borehole sampling charge £14.00 per sample plus postage & packing if carried out by BGS staff or £10.00 per sample plus postage & packing if carried out by the visitor.
  • Sample retrieval charge (biostratigraphy, petrology & geochemistry collections) £25.00 per half hour of staff time (first half hour included in visitor ticket).
  • Sample loan charge £100.00 plus £5.00 per sample (£1,00 for any additional samples within a sequence) plus postage & packing.

In addition to this, set charges for producing samples are as follows:

  • Machine set up £10 (waivered if more than five samples are required)
  • 25mm and 38mm plugs £10 per plug trimmed only
  • 38mm plug £15 per plug surface ground
  • 50mm plug £17 per plug trimmed only
  • 50mm plug £34 per plug surface ground
  • 50mm cube £51 per plug trimmed only
  • 50mm cube £102 per plug surface ground
  • For 10 or more samples reduce total cost by 15%

Also available:

  • Longitudinal core slicing £18.60 per metre
  • Traverse or angled cuts £8 per cut
(core slicing costs included in the sample charge)

All the above charges may be varied at the discretion of the Chief Curator.

Academic waiver

Academics and private individuals are required to sign an academic waiver form stating that the work will not be used for commercial gain, otherwise they will be charged at commercial rates.

BGS staff carrying out commercial work and requiring access to the collections are legally required to cost the commercial access rates into their quotations.

Academics and private individuals signing the waiver form may use the results for commercial gain only after they have been published in full, in a recognised academic journal.

Anyone signing a waiver form and then found to have benefited from access to unpublished results will become liable to full commercial charge.

Contact Materials Collections

For further information contact Materials collections