BGS National Landslide Database

The BGS National Landslide Database (NLD) is the most extensive source of information on landslides in Great Britain. Each data point is regarded as a reference of a reported landslide event.

The database currently holds over 17 000 records that are continually being updated. New records are added as landslide information is made available. The data comes from a variety of sources including social media, published BGS geological maps and active surveys. Other sources include commissioned and research studies, information from the public and a number of regional databases we have inherited or compiled since the 1970s, including the Department of the Environment’s (DoE) National Landslide Database constructed in the 1990s.

Each landslide event is documented as fully as is possible, with information on:

• age
• damage caused
• full bibliographic reference
• location
• movement date
• name
• size/dimensions
• trigger
• type

The level of detail is determined by the source of the original reference. Where the record has been through the QA process, the original reference has been checked for the reported location information and the point location has been amended as appropriate.

Full dataset

• includes all attributes as recorded in NLD including full reference information
• over 17 000 total entries available
• data supplied as individual PDF reports, Excel file and/or GIS shapefile

Index data

• ten attributes: landslide ID, survey number, landslide name, location, easting, northing, plus or minus (metres), date of landslide, checked by BGS, details (reference)
• over 17 000 total entries available
• this is a free dataset available as a WMS layer or via the onshore GeoIndex hazard theme. Download data is available on request.