Key information
Scale:
1:50 000Coverage:
Great BritainAvailability:
LicensedFormat:
GIS line and polygon data. (ESRI, MapInfo, others available by request.)Price:
BGS Civils bundle (all eight layers) £0.53 per km2
BGS Civils individual layers £0.32 per km2
Subject to number of users, licence fee and data preparation fee.
Uses:
Local-level useGet data
Free access
Our free data is available under the Open Government Licence. Please acknowledge reproduced BGS materials.
Download sample dataPaid access
Supporting documents
BGS Civils is a suite of national maps of engineering properties based on geological data and the digital 1:50 000-scale geological map — BGS Geology 50K.
It comprises eight layers:
- bulking volume
- corrosivity (ferrous)
- discontinuities
- engineered fill
- excavatability
- foundation conditions
- strength
- sulfate/sulfide
The primary goal of the product is to provide the key engineering characteristics of the geology of Great Britain to professional users who need simple and rapid access to such information. You might be planning pipeline routes avoiding difficult ground conditions, calculating tender costs for trench excavation or you might need knowledge of ground properties in order to plan your daily activities.
The data is provided as GIS shapefiles that are available to licence individually or as a bundle to meet your own requirements.
This dataset
This theme provides information on the discontinuities in bedrock and superficial deposits as part of a suite of GIS layers for different engineering parameters.
The spatial model covers England, Scotland and Wales at 1:50 000 scale and is based upon bedrock and superficial geology from BGS Geology 50K.
Discontinuities within rocks and soils are an important factor in all engineering activities.
What are discontinuities?
For the purposes of this engineering theme in BGS Civils, discontinuities are defined as ‘any break in the continuity of a rock mass that has the potential to have zero or very low tensile strength’.
As such the theme includes all stratification planes (bedding; layering; lamination), all foliation planes (fissility; cleavage; banding) and all fractures (joints; faults; fissures) as defined in BS5930 and ISRM.
It will not include interfaces (other than stratification planes or depositional interfaces) and chemical-solution breaks (such as solution cavities) that are included within the BGS discontinuity classification system. (No further reference shall be made to the BGS discontinuity classification system as it is not considered appropriate for engineering geology applications.)
Classification
The discontinuity parameters proposed for attributing the BGS Civils: discontinuities dataset are:
- stratification planes:
- lamination
- bedding
- layering
- foliation:
- bedding plane fissility/slaty cleavage
- lineation/linear schistosity
- schistose foliation
- gneissose foliation
- rock mass:
- massive
- blocky
- tabular
- columnar
- irregular
- additional discontinuities:
- fissured
- sheared
- sheet/exfoliation joints
As previously stated, not all stratification planes and foliation planes are mechanical discontinuities. However, at the scale proposed, it would not be possible to differentiate between those that are and those that are not. As such, it is proposed that all potential discontinuities within the rock mass be described.
Download BGS Civils discontinuities sample data
You may also be interested in
BGS Civils: bulking volume
BGS Civils is a suite of national maps of engineering properties based on geological data and the digital 1:50 000 scale geological map – BGS Geology 50k.
BGS Civils: discontinuities
This theme provides information on the discontinuities in bedrock and superficial deposits as part of a suite of GIS layers for different engineering parameters.
BGS Civils: engineered fill
This theme provides information on the suitability of a geological material to be used as engineered fill.
BGS Civils: excavatability
This theme provides information on the excavatability of geological deposits at surface.
BGS Civils: foundation conditions
This theme provides information on the suitability of a geological material for foundations as part of a suite of GIS layers for different engineering parameters.
BGS Civils: corrosivity ferrous
The BGS corrosivity dataset is a GIS layer supporting the management of underground iron assets that has been created in response to the growing awareness of the cost of maintenance of structures such as pipelines and building foundations.
BGS Civils: strength
This theme provides information on zones of rock strength and the local factors controlling it, as part of a suite of GIS layers for different engineering parameters.
BGS Civils: sulfate/sulfide potential
The BGS Civils: sulfates and sulfides dataset is a GIS layer that supports the management of underground assets