Quaternary UK offshore data digitised for the first time
The offshore wind industry will be boosted by the digitisation of a dataset showing the Quaternary geology at the seabed and the UK’s shallow subsurface.
21/01/2026 By BGS Press
BGS has developed a new, national-scale, offshore dataset that shows the distribution of previously interpreted Quaternary rock layers in the shallow subsurface of the UK continental shelf.
The BGS Offshore Quaternary 250K dataset comprises a compilation of legacy BGS 1:250 000 Quaternary geology map sheets, which were first published in the late 1980s to early 1990s. Large areas of the UK offshore are covered at a scale of 1:250 000 and this is the first time these map sheets have been digitised and merged together.
The dataset is made up of vector polygons, each representing an area where a particular formation has been mapped. The legacy map sheet interpretations have not been modified during the digitisation; they are presented in their original form and have been ‘mosaiced’ together as a single digital product.
The dataset displayed by stratigraphical domain. BGS © UKRI. Coastline from Esri World Countries layer. Layer contains data from Esri, Garmin International, Inc., U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (The World Factbook), and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Basemap created using ArcGIS. Copyright © Esri 2026. All rights reserved. www.esri.com
The dataset will help users, particularly those in the offshore renewables sector, to understand the stratigraphy that was mapped historically in a particular area and can be used for reference when completing site investigations.
The principal drive behind this release is to make original 1:250 000 map data available in a digital format. Although work to refine Quaternary stratigraphical frameworks is ongoing, the map compilation is not informed by new data or analyses.
The Offshore Quaternary 250K dataset is the first time that these legacy offshore map sheets will be digitised, making it easier for users to access the data than ever before.
Andrew Dyson, marine geoscientist at BGS.
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