Inside BGS — virtual Open Days
In October 2020 BGS held a series of mini virtual open days with talks, tours, interactive workshops and social media takeovers. We have saved some of this content so you can enjoy it later.
Event from 14/10/2020 to 17/10/2020
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’.
Throughout the week, a different member of staff took over our Instagram stories to introduce themselves, share how they got into geology and their work at BGS. You can watch these on our Instagram highlights under ‘Q&A’
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.
Upcoming events

BGS Virtual Strategy Launch – Understanding our Earth
Event on 23/05/2023
Join us online to learn more about our new BGS strategy 2023 to 2028 – Understanding our Earth

UK Geoenergy Observatories — open events in Glasgow
Event from 26/04/2023 to 27/04/2023
You are invited to visit the UK Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow, to find out more about what the facility can offer you as a potential user.

GeoScour dataset launch event
Event on 08/09/2022
BGS Product Development invites you to the launch of our newly updated dataset, GeoScour.

BGS Open Day 2022
Event on 25/06/2022
Join us for a FREE day of science and discovery as we explore the fascinating world beneath our feet!

GeoCoast dataset launch event
Event on 28/04/2022
BGS invites you to discover more about our new data product to underpin coastal decision making, resilience and adaptation.

BGS Stakeholder Event 2022
Event on 31/03/2022
A recording of the British Geological Survey Stakeholder Event 2022 is now available to view online.

Community integration with weather-related hazard adaption and mitigation in Vietnam
Event from 15/06/2021 to 17/06/2021
BGS, in partnership with Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources (VIGMR) and with community engagement, has created a workshop that aims to increase preparation for hydrometeorological hazards and will allow researchers to maximise the social impacts of national and international research programmes.
Extractive Industry Geology 2022 conference
Event from 06/07/2022 to 09/07/2022
Peter Chalk Centre, University of Exeter

GeoClimate launch event — reducing subsidence risk due to climate change
Event on 20/05/2021
Learn more about a major new release of our GeoClimate UKCP18 data

British Science Week
Event from 08/03/2021 to 12/03/2021
BGS took part in British Science Week, a national celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths.