Understanding our Earth
We are a world-leading independent research organisation providing objective, expert geoscientific data, information and knowledge.
Latest news and events
Evaluating contamination in sediment, waters and fish from two contrasting catchments in England
02/12/2021
Calum Ramage’s PhD project sets out to assess the impacts of pesticides and trace metals on British rivers.
BGS to deliver three-year groundwater flood forecasting service to support emergency response to flooding
29/11/2021
BGS is delivering a national-scale early warning system for groundwater flooding, alongside the Environment Agency and the Met Office.
A new suite of AGS file utilities and public API
24/11/2021
BGS has released an online AGS file utilities tool validator.
New climate change art and science exhibition opens at the National Mining Museum Scotland
19/11/2021
The exhibition will take viewers on a journey through a series of geoscience themes, showcasing how climate change affects our urban and natural environment.
BGS digital data review 2021/22
18/11/2021
BGS is conducting a comprehensive digital data review to help us understand the data ecosystem in which we operate and assess options for our target operating model over the next 10 years.
New tool provides users with free access to geological models for three major UK cities
18/11/2021
A new tool providing free user access to 3D geological models has been added to the GeoIndex.
Stuck in the mud: the long-term accumulation and dispersal of microplastics across urban catchments
18/11/2021
Investigating how salt marshes store and interact with plastics and explaining the key processes that control their accumulation and release.
Prof Dame Ottoline Leyser visits Glasgow underground observatory
12/11/2021
The Glasgow Observatory provides unprecedented access to the subsurface and will fill in the knowledge gaps around geothermal energy.
Can geophysics help feed people in a changing climate?
09/11/2021
Conservation agriculture and electrical resistivity tomography could help combat the factors affecting food security in southern Africa.
BGS welcomes Glasgow’s new Hope Sculpture at Cunningar Loop
08/11/2021
BGS has welcomed an exciting new public art sculpture by Steuart Padwick, serving as a beacon of hope and positivity for the city.
Climate and geology: considering future potential for river scour
05/11/2021
A trial BGS data product takes the temporal component of potential future increased amount and intensity of rainfall on river scour into account.
Byte by byte: developing our digital preservation capability
04/11/2021
A brief timeline of the digital preservation journey at BGS and NGDC.
Our core challenge areas
Decarbonisation and resource management
Decarbonisation of power production, heat, transport and industry is a major challenge and one that intrinsically involves geoscience.
Environmental change, adaptation and resilience
We are undertaking research aimed at reducing vulnerability, protecting resources and building resilience in response to substantial environmental changes.
Multi-hazards and resilience
We work with partners worldwide to enhance understanding of hazards, vulnerability, exposure and risk to ensure our science is useful, usable and used.
Global geoscience
The BGS is active across the globe delivering institutional strengthening programmes and applied research projects across a wide variety of sectors.
National geoscience
The National Geoscience programme is a forward-looking investment in UK geology that provides relevant, coherent and enriched geoscience knowledge for our stakeholders.
Digital geoscience
The BGS is a data-rich organisation. Our data science and data infrastructure are fundamental to our future research and underpin our strategic challenges.
Map viewers
Data published through map viewers allowing you to reveal more about the ground beneath your feet.
Technologies
Applications, software and online services created by the BGS and our collaborators.
Information hub
Data collections, publications, scanned records and other data gathered by BGS and provided by external organisations.
OpenGeoscience
OpenGeoscience is a free service where you can view maps, download data, scans, photos and other information.
Digital geoscience
The BGS is a data-rich organisation. Our data science and data infrastructure are fundamental to our future research and underpin our strategic challenges.
Digital data licensing and resellers
If you are interested in an information product and the Open Government Licence is not applicable, we encourage the use and exploitation of our information products by providing a wide range of licences.
National Geoscience Data Centre
The National Geoscience Data Centre collects and preserves geoscientific data, making it available to a wide range of users and communities.
National Geological Repository
The National Geological Repository holds our collections of borehole cores, cuttings, samples, specimens, and related subsurface information from the UK landmass and continental shelf.
Discovering Geology
Discovering Geology introduces a range of geoscience topics to school-age students and learners of all ages. Explore these pages to discover the fascinating processes and properties that shape our dynamic planet.
Rocks and minerals
Find out more about the differences between rocks and minerals and how they are formed.
Climate change
Climate is the pattern of weather of an area averaged over many years. We can only show whether climate change has occurred after decades of careful measurements and analysis.
Earth hazards
The Earth beneath our feet is constantly shifting and moving, and violently with catastrophic and immediate results. Find out more about earth hazards.
Geological processes
Planet Earth is dynamic with a surface that is always changing. Find out about the processes that cause these changes.
Fossils and geological time
Take a look at the history of the Earth, from its formation over four and a half billion years ago to present times.
About BGS
As the national geological survey, we are the UK’s premier provider of objective and authoritative scientific data, information and knowledge to help society understand our Earth.
Our data and services
The BGS offers a range of services and information for businesses, home-owners, policymakers and the general public.
Working with us
BGS is committed to being an employer of choice and strives to embrace a culture of inclusivity and flexibility.
Offices and locations
Find out more about our offices and facilities located across the UK.
Contact us
Find out more about the BGS and the services we offer through our enquiries and customer services team.