The BGS will consider offers of donations that contribute to the geological knowledge of Great Britain, provided they are fully and accurately documented. Cited material, or samples for which there is additional data, are a priority.
Depositing material
Statutory deposits
Those depositing material under the Energy Act 2016 are required to follow the Reporting and disclosure of Information and Samples Guidance 2021 which includes guidance on core box specifications. The following charges are in place (all prices are subject to VAT and correct as at 1st April 2024)):
Core (price per box) |
Cuttings (price per box) |
|
|---|---|---|
| New material – reboxing* | £7.20 | £7.20 |
| New material – curation and storage | Currently no charge (under review) | Currently no charge (under review) |
| Supplementary material – reboxing* | £7.20 | £7.20 |
| Supplementary material – curation and storage** | £30.17 | £25.71 |
*reboxing is required if material is not sent in the boxes specified in the Guidance above.
**curation includes photographing the material where the boxes contain core to enhance access to the collections.
Voluntary deposits
Projects archiving material with BGS corporate collections in accordance with the standard accessions policy are responsible for labelling specimens with official ‘collectors numbers’ and supplying a properly completed collectors form (digital or hard copy) complete with identifications, analyses etc. as appropriate. Corporate collections are then responsible for registering, databasing, curating and conserving the material.
Small donations that fit within the accessions policy are usually archived free of charge. Larger donations will usually require a payment to cover curating costs. The Chief Curator can provide advice on likely charges.
To accept new deposits to the Core Store, an application must first be submitted, outlining the science case.
Curation
On notification, the curatorial staff will arrange for the prompt collection and curation/databasing of samples. Palaeontological material will be added to the PalaeoSaurus database and petrological material to the BRITROCKS rock collection database. Borehole material will also be added to the borehole materials database.
Thin sections
Where petrological thin sections are required and the material is to be added to the E, F, N collections etc., collections staff will issue the E/F/N number and send the sample for thin sectioning. Upon its return, they will archive the offcuts (unless requested) and issue the thin sections as a loan.
Loans
All loans will be required to be renewed on an annual basis. When a loan has been issued for five years or more, curatorial staff may carry out a formal conservation condition survey at the borrower’s expense.
Most of the collections are part of the public record and are made available through a not-for-profit cost enquiry service.
Get in touch
For general NGR enquiries or to arrange a visit, please contact:
enquiries@bgs.ac.uk or 0115 936 3143
Dr Mike Howe, Chief Curator
Telephone: 0115 936 3105
Alison Steven, Senior Records Manager
Telephone: 0131 6500 434
Andrew Morrison, Archivist
Telephone: 0115 936 3247
You may also be interested in:
National Geological Repository
Hosting BGS’s collections of borehole cores, cuttings, samples, specimens, and related subsurface information from the UK landmass and continental shelf.
National Geoscience Data Centre
Collecting and preserving geoscientific data, making it available to a wide range of users and communities.