Browsing the BGS News Archive - News Releases

On 29 April 2009, John Ludden, Executive Director of the British Geological Survey (BGS) and Marie-Claude Dupuis, Director-General of the French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (ANDRA), signed a Memorandum of Understanding at ANDRA's Meuse/ Haute-Marne Underground Research Laboratory with a view to setting forth the principles of a scientific and technical exchange programme in the field of Earth Sciences.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 has occurred in Central Italy, reportedly killing at least 27 people and injuring many others. The epicentre of the event is located close to the town of L Aquila and about 95 km north-east of Rome. Thousands of buildings in the vicinity have been heavily damaged.

Europe now has a scientific authority on CO2 storage.

CO2GeoNet, Europe's Network of Excellence working on the geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2), will meet in Venice on 18-20th March 2009 to present highlights from five years of research and development carried out by hundreds of scientists and to interact with stakeholders on future needs to be addressed by science.

Newly prepared digital geological data revealing promising mineral wealth for Malawi will be unveiled by the Malawi Minister of Mines, the Hon. Ted A. Kalebe at the International Mining Conference and Exhibition, Indaba, Cape Town, on 10 February 2009.

BGS have received a number of reports of an earthquake from residents in the Shetland Isles on 15 January. The earthquake had a magnitude of 3.3 with an epicentre on the Shetland Isles. Reports described "similar feeling to being moved forward then stopping with a jolt", "windows shook, like as if a truck was driving past really fast and close", "the noise got louder, then stopped, then the windows went in and out", "growing rumble, sounded very much like a fast approaching, and very large train" and "like a loud explosion".