The 1:63 360 / 1:50 000 scale map series are the most useful scale for most purposes. They provide almost complete coverage of onshore Great Britain. The BGS collection of 1:63 360 and 1:50 000 scale maps comprises two map series: - Geological Survey of England and Wales 1:63 360 / 1:50 000 Geological Map Series [New Series]. These maps are based on the Ordnance Survey One-inch New Series topographic basemaps and provide almost complete coverage of England and Wales, with the exception of sheet 180 (Knighton). The quarter-sheets of 1:63 360 Old Series sheets 91 to 110 coincide with sheets 1 to 73 of the New Series maps. These earlier maps often carry two sheet numbers which refer to the Old Series and the New Series. - Geological Survey of Scotland 1:63 360 / 1:50 000 Geological Map Series. These maps are based on the Ordnance Survey First, Second, Third and Fourth editions of the One-inch map of Scotland. The maps used the most recent topographic basemap available at the time. In the Western Isles, one-inch mapping was abandoned and replaced by maps at 1:100 000 scale, which are associated with this series. Sheets were traditionally issued at 1:63 360 scale, with the first 1:50 000 maps appearing in 1972. Sheets at 1:50 000 scale may be either facsimile enlargements of an existing 1:63 360 sheets, or may contain new geology and cartography. The latter bear the additional series designation '1:50 000 series'. Within the Scottish series, new mapping at 1:50 000 scale was split into east and west sheets. For example, the original one-inch sheet 32 became 1:50 000 sheets 32E and 32W. A number of irregular sheets were also introduced with the new 1:50 000 scale mapping. There are a number of irregular special sheets within both series. Geological maps represent a geologist's compiled interpretation of the geology of an area. A geologist will consider the data available at the time, including measurements and observations collected during field campaigns, as well as their knowledge of geological processes and the geological context to create a model of the geology of an area. This model is then fitted to a topographic basemap and drawn up at the appropriate scale, with generalization if necessary, to create a geological map, which is a representation of the geological model. Explanatory notes and vertical and horizontal cross sections may be published with the map. Geological maps may be created to show various aspects of the geology, or themes. The most common map themes held by BGS are solid (later referred to as bedrock) and drift (later referred to as superficial). These maps are, for the most part, hard-copy paper records stored in the National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) and are delivered as digital scans through the BGS website.

The Feature Layer made available to the Living Atlas has been adapted from the 625k Geology dataset freely available from the BGS website. The attribution and labels of the geological areas (or polygons) have been simplified to make the data more available to a wider audience. The dataset is aimed at students with an interest in Earth Sciences and amateur geologists who want to find out more. The LEX_RCS & LEX_ROCK codes have been preserved to allow users to reference the layers to to the 625k Geology Dataset.

About BGS Geology 625k:

BGS Geology 625k is a generalised digital geological map dataset based on BGS’s published poster maps of the UK (north and south). Bedrock-related themes were created by generalisation of 1:50 000 data to make the 2007 fifth edition bedrock geology map. Superficial geology-related themes were digitised from the 1977 first edition Quaternary map (north and south). 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. Geological maps are often the foundation for many other earth science-related maps and are of potential use to a wide range of end users. This dataset uses the themes:

Bedrock Geology Superficial Geology Linear features (faults)

More information on the BGS 625k Geology Dataset can be found on the BGS website.  The 625k Geology data can also be viewed alongside other BGS datasets in the GeoIndex viewer. The currency of this data is August 2022, while there are no planned regular updates, BGS continuously reviews its data products and will release new versions of the BGS Geology 625k when available.

The Feature Layer made available to the Living Atlas has been adapted from the 625k Geology dataset freely available from the BGS website. The attribution and labels of the geological areas (or polygons) have been simplified to make the data more available to a wider audience. The dataset is aimed at students with an interest in Earth Sciences and amateur geologists who want to find out more. The LEX_RCS & LEX_ROCK codes have been preserved to allow users to reference the layers to to the 625k Geology Dataset.

About BGS Geology 625k:

BGS Geology 625k is a generalised digital geological map dataset based on BGS’s published poster maps of the UK (north and south). Bedrock-related themes were created by generalisation of 1:50 000 data to make the 2007 fifth edition bedrock geology map. Superficial geology-related themes were digitised from the 1977 first edition Quaternary map (north and south). 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. Geological maps are often the foundation for many other earth science-related maps and are of potential use to a wide range of end users. This dataset uses the themes:

Bedrock Geology Superficial Geology Linear features (faults)

More information on the BGS 625k Geology Dataset can be found on the BGS website.  The 625k Geology data can also be viewed alongside other BGS datasets in the GeoIndex viewer. The currency of this data is August 2022, while there are no planned regular updates, BGS continuously reviews its data products and will release new versions of the BGS Geology 625k when available.

For much of the Geological Survey's existence, the County Series of maps were the standard large-scale maps on which geological mapping was undertaken. These maps are based on the Ordnance Survey County (or six-inch to the mile) series of maps. These maps were cut up to be used in the field to record geological observations, and on return to the office, the geology was transferred to a complete County Series map, which after approval was known as a 'standard' (England / Wales) or 'clean copy' (Scotland). This dataset contains the 'standard' or 'clean copy' County Series maps held by BGS. Geological maps represent a geologist's compiled interpretation of the geology of an area. A geologist will consider the data available at the time, including measurements and observations collected during field campaigns, as well as their knowledge of geological processes and the geological context to create a model of the geology of an area. This model is then fitted to a topographic basemap and drawn up at the appropriate scale, with generalization if necessary, to create a geological map, which is a representation of the geological model. Explanatory notes and vertical and horizontal cross sections may be published with the map. Geological maps may be created to show various aspects of the geology, or themes. The most common map themes held by BGS are solid (later referred to as bedrock) and drift (later referred to as superficial). These maps are hard-copy paper records stored in the National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) and are delivered as digital scans through the BGS website.

Data identifying landscape areas (shown as polygons) attributed with geological names. The scale of the data is 1:625 000 providing a simplified interpretation of the geology. Onshore coverage is provided for all of England, Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland. Data are supplied as four themes: bedrock, superficial deposits, dykes and linear features (faults). Bedrock geology describes the main mass of solid rocks forming the earth's crust. Bedrock is present everywhere, whether exposed at surface in outcrops or concealed beneath superficial deposits or water bodies. Geological names are based on the lithostratigraphic or lithodemic hierarchy of the rocks. The lithostratigraphic scheme arranges rock bodies into units based on rock-type and geological time of formation. Where rock-types do not fit into the lithostratigraphic scheme, for example intrusive, deformed rocks subjected to heat and pressure resulting in new or changed rock types; then their classification is based on their rock-type or lithological composition. This assesses visible features such as texture, structure, mineralogy. Superficial deposits are younger geological deposits formed during the most recent geological time; the Quaternary. These deposits rest on older rocks or deposits referred to as bedrock. The superficial deposits theme defines landscape areas (shown as polygons) attributed with a geological name and their deposit-type or lithological composition. The dykes theme defines small, narrow areas (shown as polygons) of a specific type of bedrock geology; that is igneous rocks which have been intruded into the landscape at a later date than the surrounding bedrock. They are presented as an optional, separate theme in order to provide additional clarity of the bedrock theme. The bedrock and dykes themes are designed to be used together. Linear features data (shown as polylines) represents geological faults at the ground or bedrock surface (beneath superficial deposits). Geological faults occur where a body of bedrock has been fractured and displaced by large scale processes affecting the earth's crust (tectonic forces). The faults theme defines geological faults (shown as polylines) at the ground or bedrock surface (beneath superficial deposits). All four data themes are available in vector format (containing the geometry of each feature linked to a database record describing their attributes) as ESRI shapefiles and are delivered free of charge under the terms of the Open Government Licence.

This layer is deprecated.The generalised BGS geology data is now available in the ArcGIS Living Atlas hereGeneralised digital geological map data based on BGS's published poster maps of the UK (North and South). Bedrock related themes created by generalisation of 1:50 000 data to make the 2007 fifth edition Bedrock Geology map.

Superficial related themes digitised from 1977 first edition Quaternary map (North and South).

Many BGS geology maps are now available digitally. The Digital Geological Map of Great Britain project (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.

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 two themes: bedrock geology and superficial deposits. 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.The original dataset can be found here.

This layer of the GeoIndex shows the availability of 1:25000 scale Classical Areas Geological Maps. The maps themselves show the occurrence, nature and stratigraphic age of rocks. They are available for selected areas of outstanding geological interest in the United Kingdom, and in a number of versions (Solid, or Solid and Drift combined, Bedrock or Superficial). Maps are normally available in both flat and folded format. 1:25000 scale maps are also available for the Channel Islands. To order maps, take note of the map name and use the BGS Internet Shop.

Index to BGS geological map 'Standards', manuscript and published maps for Great Britain produced by the Survey on County Series (1:10560) and National Grid (1:10560 & 1:10000) Ordnance Survey base maps. 'Standards' are the best interpretation of the geology at the time they were produced. The Oracle index was set up in 1988, current holdings are over 41,000 maps. There are entries for all registered maps, but not all fields are complete on all entries.

Bedrock is the solid rock at or below the land surface. Over much of Ireland, the bedrock is covered by materials such as soil and gravel. The Bedrock map shows what the land surface of Ireland would be made up of if these materials were removed. As the bedrock is commonly covered, bedrock maps are an interpretation of the available data. Geologists map and record information on the composition and structure of rock outcrops (rock which can be seen on the land surface) and boreholes (a deep narrow round hole drilled in the ground). Areas are drawn on a map to show the distribution of rocks. To produce this dataset, the Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) bedrock geology 1:500,000 and 1:100,000 maps were generalised. The Northern Irish data was generalised using the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) 1:250,000 bedrock geology map. The UK data was generalised using the British Geological Survey (BGS) 1:650,000 bedrock geology map. This map is to the scale 1:1,250,000. When printed at that scale 1cm on the map relates to a distance of 12.5km.The map is intended to be used as a teaching resource.

Geological map 'Standards', manuscript and published maps of Great Britain produced by the Survey on County Series (1:10560) and National Grid (1:10560 & 1:10000) Ordnance Survey base maps. Maps produced since the 1860's, current holdings over 41,000 maps, all now available internally as image files.

This layer of the GeoIndex shows the location of available 1:10000 scale digital geological maps within Great Britain. The Digital Geological Map of Great Britain project (DiGMapGB) has prepared 1:625 000, 1:250 000 and 1:50 000 scale datasets for England, Wales and Scotland. The datasets themselves are available as vector data in a variety of formats in which they are structured into themes primarily for use in geographical information systems (GIS) where they can be integrated with other types of spatial data for analysis and problem solving in many earth-science-related issues. The DiGMapGB-10 dataset is as yet incomplete, current work is concentrated on extending the geographical cover, especially to cover high priority urban areas.

This dataset contains the .tif (Tag Image File Format) scans of all the applied geology maps (otherwise known as thematic or environmental) and sections produced as part of "Geological background for planning and development" and preliminary sand and gravel projects carried out by the British Geological Survey for the Department of the Environment, Scottish Development Department and Scottish Office from 1975 to 1996. The maps and sections cover a number of themes for specific areas relating to the project area within the United Kingdom. Metadata on the maps, sections and project reports are in the associated excel spreadsheet. The geological line work and the methods used to produce the maps are those current at the time of production. Map scales are 1:10 000, 1:25 000 and 1:50 000. The maps have Ordnance Survey map bases and are bounded by the project area. The maps could be used for geological, engineering geological, environmental and resources research, as an information and reference resource and for inclusion in reports and papers. There are no access or usage constraints for BGS staff for BGS purposes. The scans are .tif files and can, therefore, be displayed using any suitable package. The original file size varies between 170 kb to 250 Mb. The dataset is stand-alone.

The data shows superficial polygons, bedrock polygons and fault linear geological information, sourced from published Geological Survey of Northern Ireland 1:250 000 scale maps - superficial (Quaternary 1991) and bedrock (Solid 1997). Full Northern Ireland coverage is available (Bedrock extends west into RI). The data is available in vector format. BGS licensing terms and conditions apply to external use of the data.

250k Bedrock Geology A 1:250,000 map showing the main geological bedrock divisions in Northern Ireland. The data comprises the bedrock geology, which represents the outcrops (at surface) and subcrops (at near-surface, beneath superficial deposits) in Northern Ireland. For each rock unit there is a brief generalised description showing the major rock group, rock type and age under the following headings. LEX_D: The name of the selected area. This can be a group, formation or igneous intrusion e.g. dyke. LEX_RCS: Map code as it appears on the published 1:250,000 map. RCS_D: The name of the dominant types of rock (lithologies) in the different areas shown on the map e.g. granite. The names of the rock types given here are often generalisations, appropriate for the large areas of geological coverage at this scale. These areas may include a number of different geological formations whose distribution can only be portrayed on more detailed geological maps. RANK: Identifies formations and groups. Min_Time_D and Max_Tim_D: The age of the rock unit in terms of periods, relatively smaller units of geological time e.g. Carboniferous, Jurassic etc. Some of the map areas include rocks with a range of ages and these are shown as such e.g. Triassic to Cretaceous. The oldest metamorphic rocks are described as Moinian and Dalradian. The rocks range in age from those deposited relatively recently, some 2 million years ago, back to ancient and highly altered Precambrian rocks over 2500 million years old. In broad terms the youngest rocks are found in the south and east of the UK, the oldest in the north and west. 250K Superficial Geology This layer shows the superficial (drift) geology of Northern Ireland at 1:250,000 scale. 250K Bedrock Lines This layer shows bedrock features such as faults at 1:250,000 scale.

Note: This dataset is designed for the 1:50000 scale but can be viewed in this WMS between 1:100000 and 1:25000 (Only). The 1:50 000 DiGMapGB data covering the whole of the United Kingdom is available in this OGC WMS service for your personal, non-commercial use only. Separate bedrock geology, superficial deposits, artificial ground, mass movement deposits and geological linear features layers are available in this service. For information about more of the British Geological Survey's maps that are available digitally please visit http://www.bgs.ac.uk/products/digitalmaps/digmapgb.html.

This layer of the map based index (GeoIndex) shows the availability of 1:63360 scale geological maps. The maps are available for most of England and Wales and show early geological mapping covering the OS Old Series one inch map sheet areas.

Data identifying landscape areas (shown as polygons) attributed with geological names. The scale of the data is 1:50 000 scale. Onshore coverage is provided for all of England, Wales, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Data are supplied as five themes: bedrock, superficial deposits, mass movement, artificial ground and linear features. Bedrock geology describes the main mass of solid rocks forming the earth's crust. Bedrock is present everywhere, whether exposed at surface in outcrops or concealed beneath superficial deposits or water bodies. Geological names are based on the lithostratigraphic or lithodemic hierarchy. The lithostratigraphic scheme arranges rock bodies into units based on rock-type and geological time of formation. Where rock-types do not fit into the lithostratigraphic scheme, for example intrusive, deformed rocks subjected to heat and pressure resulting in new or changed rock types; then their classification is based on their rock-type or lithological composition. This assesses visible features such as texture, structure, mineralogy. Superficial deposits are younger geological deposits formed during the most recent geological time; the Quaternary. These deposits rest on older rocks or deposits referred to as bedrock. The superficial deposits theme defines landscape areas (shown as polygons) attributed with a geological name and their deposit-type or lithological composition. Mass movement describes areas where deposits have moved down slope under gravity to form landslips. These landslips can affect bedrock, superficial or artificial ground. Mass movement deposits are described in the BGS Rock Classification Scheme Volume 4. However this data also includes foundered strata, where ground has collapsed due to subsidence (this is not described in the Rock Classification Scheme). Caution should be exercised with this data; historically BGS has not always recorded mass movement events and due to the dynamic nature of occurrence significant changes may have occurred since the data was released. Artificial (man-made) theme (shown as polygons) indicates areas where the ground surface has been significantly modified by human activity. Whilst artificial ground may not be considered as part of the 'real geology' of bedrock and superficial deposits it does affect them. Artificial ground impacts on the near surface ground conditions which are important to human activities and economic development. Due to the constantly changing nature of land use and re-use/redevelopment, caution must be exercised when using this data as it represents a snapshot in time rather than an evolving picture hence the data may become dated very rapidly. Linear features (shown as polylines) represent geological structural features e.g. faults, folds or landforms e.g. buried channels, glacial drainage channels at the ground or bedrock surface (beneath superficial deposits). Linear features are associated most closely with the bedrock theme either as an intrinsic part of it for example marine bands or affecting it in the case of faults. Landform elements are associated with both bedrock and superficial deposits. All five data themes are available in vector format (containing the geometry of each feature linked to a database record describing their attributes) as ESRI shapefiles and are available under BGS data licence.

Scanned images of Geological map 'Standards', manuscript and published maps produced by the Survey on County Series (1:10560) and National Grid (1:10560 & 1:10000) Ordnance Survey base maps. Current holdings over 41,000 maps for Great Britain. The majority of maps were scanned in 2004, any new maps produced are scanned and added to the collection.

In the United Kingdom (UK) geological maps traditionally have been attributed with lithostratigraphical map units. However, without significant supplementary information, these maps can be only of limited use for planning and engineering works. During the middle part of the 20th century, as development of the science of engineering geology began to accelerate, engineering geological maps started to appear in various forms and at various scales to meet the challenge of making geological maps more suited to land-use planning, engineering design, building, construction and maintenance. Today, engineering geological maps are routinely used at various scales as part of the engineering planning, design and construction process. However, until recently there had been no comprehensive, readily available engineering geological map of the UK to provide the broad context for ground investigation. This paper describes the recently published (2011) 1:1 000 000 scale engineering geology superficial and bedrock maps of the UK. It describes the methodologies adopted for their creation and outlines their potential uses, limitations and future applications.

This layer of the map based index (GeoIndex) shows the availability of 1:50000 series geological maps. For England and Wales (and Northern Ireland), map sheets normally cover an area 30 km east-west and 20 km north-south; in Scotland the coverage is 20 km east-west and 30 km north-south. The 1:50 000 geological map grids are based on an early Ordnance Survey 1:63 360 (one inch to one mile) scale map grid and are not related to the current Ordnance Survey 1:50 000 map sheets. Maps are normally available in both flat and folded formats.