BGS Geology 50K sample
BGS Geology 50K
- 1:50 000
- Most of Great Britain
- Open / Premium
This generalised digital geological data is based on BGS’s 1:50 000 and 1:63 360-scale maps. Covering almost all of Great Britain, it provides a detailed local to regional description of geology and underpins many of our national map services and products. Lithostratigraphic nomenclature is updated to current usage.
Key information
- Scale:
- 1:50 000
- Coverage:
- Most of Great Britain
- Availability:
- Open / Premium
- Price:
Free: Available to view as a WMS layer or via the onshore GeoIndex.
Licence: £0.22 per km2 for commercial use. Subject to number of users, licence fee and data preparation fee.
- Format:
- GIS line and polygon data. (Shapefile, others available by request)
- Uses:
- Local-level use
- Themes:
- Geology, Geoscience information
Generalised digital geological map data based on BGS’s New Series 1:50 000 and 1:63 360-scale (one-inch to one-mile) maps with updated nomenclature, including a few 1:100 000-scale maps of Orkney and the Hebrides.
Many BGS geology maps are now available digitally. The Digital Geological Map of Great Britain project (formerly known as DiGMapGB) has prepared 1:625 000, 1:250 000, 1:50 000 and 1:10 000-scale datasets for England, Wales and Scotland. Work continues to upgrade these.
BGS Geology 50K sample. BGS © UKRI.
BGS Geology 50K coverage. BGS © UKRI – Contains OS data © Crown copyright 2020
Many existing ‘paper-only’ maps have been digitised and the nomenclature, particularly of older maps, updated to current usage. The geological areas (or polygons) are labelled or attributed with a name based on their lithostratographical, chronostratographical or lithodemic nomenclature and their composition (rock type or lithology). This information is arranged in (up to) four themes as available:
- bedrock geology
- superficial deposits
- mass movement
- artificial ground
Faults and other linear features are available in a separate theme.
Geology maps are the foundation for many other types of earth science-related maps and are of potential use to a wide range of customers.
Further information and resources
You may also be interested in
BGS Geology 10K
Our most detailed dataset is provided at 1:10 000 and 1:25 000 scale. This digital geological data is based on BGS’s highest-resolution survey mapping. Many urban centres and transport routes are covered by this dataset. Lithostratigraphic nomenclature is updated to current usage.
BGS Geology 250K
This generalised digital geological data is based on our 1:250 000-scale, bedrock-only maps. Data and lithostratigraphic re-classifications are derived from maps published between 1977 and 1993.
BGS Geology 625K
This generalised digital geological dataset is based on our published ‘poster’ maps of the UK (north and south). This dataset covers all of Great Britain and includes additional map data from Northern Ireland. It provides an excellent national overview of the UK’s geology and is commonly used as a teaching resource.
BGS GeoScour Premium
The BGS GeoScour datasets provide a generalised overview of the natural characteristics and properties of catchment and riverine environments for the assessment of river scour in Great Britain.