Inside BGS — virtual Open Days

In October 2020, the BGS Open Day was held virtually for the first time.

The event took place during Earth Science Week (11 to 17 October 2020) with the theme ‘Earth’s materials in our lives’.

Watch our webinars

Exploring the Five Deeps with Heather Stewart

Join BGS’s Heather Stewart, the chief geologist on the Five Deeps expedition’s science team, to hear about the challenges of exploring the deepest sea floors and find out what they learnt.

The deepest parts of the ocean are one of the final remaining frontiers of discovery on our planet. Much of the deep ocean is unmapped and draws in explorers, scientists, cartographers and environmentalists keen to discover its secrets. The Five Deeps Expedition was a venture conceived by explorer Victor Vescovo, which saw him reach the deepest point in each of the Earth’s five oceans in his own purpose-built, full ocean-depth submersible in a series of expeditions in 2018–19. Join the BGS’s Heather Stewart, the chief geologist on the expedition’s science team, to hear about the challenges of exploring the deepest sea floors and find out what they learnt.

Pebble spotting with Clive Mitchell

Worn smooth by the sea, fitting snugly in the palm of your hand, the humble pebble is familiar yet so mysterious. BGS pebble-ologist, Clive Mitchell, shines a light on the shingle to work out what pebbles are made of and gives a few tips on finding the more exotic varieties.

Eye in the sky — the Earth from space with Ekbal Hussain

Ekbal Hussain demonstrate the power and usefulness of satellite data and how we at the BGS use this information to respond to disasters, look for mineral deposits and monitor space weather.

Earth’s first artificial satellite was launched in 1957. Since then, hundreds of others have followed, dedicated to mapping and observing the changes on our planet. Over half a century of satellite imagery has provided both iconic views and unprecedented scientific insights.

In this talk Ekbal will briefly demonstrate the power and usefulness of satellite data and how we at the BGS use this information to respond to disasters, look for mineral deposits and monitor space weather.

Take a tour round some of our services facilities:

Cartography at BGS: 200 years of mapping Great Britain

With a throwback to the past, Deborah Daley gives us a taster of how geological maps were produced at the BGS.

Our starting point is the first geological map, made by William Smith in 1815. The Ordnance Geological Survey was formed in 1835 and we take a look at the some of the original drawing tools used in the past by geologists and cartographers to produce geological maps.

You can find digital versions of our maps via OpenGeoscience.

Inside the British Geological Survey’s Core Store

The National Geological Repository at Keyworth is a vast storage facility housing over 550 km of drillcore as well as the BGS’s extensive collection of reference material from North Sea oil wells, rock specimens, fossils and minerals. These videos are an opportunity to see inside the collections.

Exploring Palaeontology at BGS

The fossil collections at BGS contain over a quarter of a million fossils collected over nearly 200 years, making it one of the most significant collections in the UK. This video is a chance to see a few of our favourite specimens.