Baseline geochemical characteristics of urban areas : a record of environmental change in the English Midlands

Systematic baseline sampling of soils in urban and rural areas has been undertaken by the British Geological Survey’s (BGS) Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE). Using these urban and rural data in conjunction with each other provides a more powerful, and useful, interpretation of urban soil quality data to be made

GEMAS: source, distribution patterns and geochemical behaviour of Ge in agricultural and grazing land soils at European continental scale

Agricultural soil (Ap-horizon, 0-20 cm) and grazing land soil (Gr-horizon, 0-10 cm) samples were collected from a large part of Europe (33 countries, 5.6 million km2) as part of the GEMAS (Geochemical Mapping of Agricultural and grazing land Soil) soil mapping project. GEMAS soil data have been used to provide a general view of element mobility and source rocks at the continental scale, either by reference to average crustal abundances or to normalized patterns of element mobility during weathering processes

Completion plan for the Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE)

In response to NERC national capability (NC) prioritisation which seeks to end systematic regional geochemical mapping, this report contains options and recommendations for the completion of a national geochemical baseline by the G-BASE project by 31st March 2016. The plan delivers samples and analyses from southern England, an area estimated to be 35,500 km2, approximately 7,000 km2 of which is underlain by Chalk (and so would be unsuitable for drainage sampling). A number of options for completing a national geochemical baseline are presented based on the current G-BASE strategy but with an overall reduced sampling density. The Panalytical arrangement for XRFS analysis until January 2016 substantially reduces the analytical budget required, and is therefore a most important criterion of the completion plan. However, the Panalytical deal should not be the sole factor that drives the strategy for finishing off G-BASE. In order to maximise the science and opportunities for collaborative research secondary options are proposed for the collection of a variety of sample media from areas of greatest environmental interest. These secondary options will require additional funding to complete the non-XRFS analyses of samples which could include contributions from external organisations. The proposed work plan is primarily concerned with the “observe and monitor” part of NERC national capability. It excludes any proposal for the data interpretation, modelling and knowledge exchange, and adding value to current geochemical baseline tasks (e.g. London Earth and Clyde Basin) or anything beyond the data gathering phase of completing the geochemical mapping of southern England. It is important that the completion plan does not drive the BGS geochemistry activity into just a sample and data gathering exercise. We must continue to deliver science and information outcomes alongside completing the G-BASE baseline or we will lose the capacity to deliver any science in the future

Geochemistry database audit : historical modifications and conditioning applied to First Series geochemical atlas data

This report describes work undertaken as part of the BGS Information Management Programme, with the aim of improving the quality, metadata attribution and utility of historical regional geochemical data stored in the Geochemistry Database. The particular focus of this report is the status of the earliest geochemical data generated by the ongoing Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE) project. Analysis of stream sediment samples collected in northern Scotland between 1969 and 1972 formed the basis of the first four published geochemical atlases covering Shetland, Orkney, Caithness and Sutherland. These four areas form a discrete unit in terms of utilising common sampling and analytical methodologies and are described hereafter as the “First Series” geochemical atlases. The data held in the Geochemistry Database for these areas has until recently been regarded as of unknown quality, with no known documentation regarding quality issues, intra- or inter-atlas modifications to data. The recent commencement of a systematic database audit, also undertaken as part of the Information Management Programme, has allowed these data to be examined in detail, which, in turn, has led to the production of this report, giving information on historical quality issues and modifications made to data in an attempt to provide a contiguous geochemical baseline for the British land area. The first part of the report introduces the project while subsequent sections describe the historical approaches taken to error control in G-BASE, and an element by element analysis of the status and quality of data with a record, where possible, of what modifications have been made in the past. The report appendices show historical documents that record modifications made to data that are relevant to the First Series atlases. The provision of the information presented in this report should lead to improved integrity of the database, and in turn increase the confidence of data users and enable informed treatment/manipulation of data to be undertaken during preparation of key products such as national geochemical maps

Geochemical characteristics of urban centres within the UK

The British Geological Survey’s Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment project (G-BASE) is responsible for the systematic geochemical mapping of the land surface of Great Britain. Samples of soils, stream sediments and stream waters collected at an average density of 1 sample per 1.5 km2 are determined for up to 46 elements/parameters. The project has covered over three-quarters of the U.K providing a comprehensive overview of the baseline geochemistry of Great Britain

Natural and anthropogenic soil geochemistry characteristics of Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff and East London, in the UK

The British Geological Survey’s Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE) project is responsible for the systematic geochemical mapping of the land surface of Great Britain. Samples of soils, stream sediments and stream waters collected at an average density of 1 sample per 1.5 km2 are determined for up to 46 elements/parameters

Mercury concentrations in the soil environment of London UK : an example of pollution impacts

Mercury is present in trace amounts only in most natural circumstances but anthropogenic sources such as coal combustion[1] enhance environmental loadings. High Hg concentrations are of concern as it has immunotoxic, genotoxic and teratogenic effects on humans and animal

La rapport final pour les travaux de recherches géologique pour la realisation de cinq cartes géochimique au 1/100 000 dans le domaine de l’Anti-Atlas (Maroc)

Ce rapport final est une présentation globale du Projet de Cartographie Géochimique Régionale réalisé sur les cartes topographiques régulières au 1/100 000 de Taznakht, Taliwine et Agadir Melloul (Lot 1) et de Boumalne et Qalaa’t Mgouna (Lot 2). Ce travail a nécessité la collecte et l’analyse d’environ 14 200 échantillons stream-sédiments, prélevés à une densité d’un échantillon par kilomètre carré (1/km²). Vingt éléments ont été déterminés à partir de la fraction granulométrique -250µm des stream-sédiments : Ag, As, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, Sr, Te, Th, Ti, U, V, W, Y, Zn, et Zr. Les concentrés de batée ont été prélevés sur 10 % des sites et analysés pour le même nombre d’éléments, plus Au et Hg. Les résultats de ce projet sont détaillés dans d’autres rapports, toutefois un large résumé est donné ici. Les principales productions de ce projet (cartes mono-élémentaires au 1/100 000 ; cartes de contours en couleur; cartes thématiques; notices explicatives ; atlas géochimiques et CD-ROM) sont également décrites dans ce rapport final. Ici, l’accent est mis principalement sur la stratégie et la méthodologie d’échantillonnage utilisées au cours de cette étude. Les diverses procédures sont présentées de manière détaillée. Des recommandations sur la conduite à adopter dans de futures études similaires sont données dans la conclusion

The G-BASE field database

Since the 1960s British Geological Survey (BGS) geochemists have routinely recorded site and sample information on field cards. The Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE) Project completes a field card for every site sampled and, from the 1980s onwards, field data have been entered into a field database as the samples were collected. In the 1990s a corporate Geochemistry Database was set up using ORACLE to encompass all geochemical data gathered throughout BGS for the UK landmass, including sample and site information. This required a standardisation of coding on field cards both within geochemical activities and in relation to the use of BGS codes, for example the description of rocks and minerals. In order to load all the data from the G-BASE field cards it is necessary to coordinate the process from completing the card on location; inputting data into the field database, and to the concluding process of loading the field data to the BGS corporate Geochemistry Database. In the past there have been some incompatibilities between the field and corporate database so not all the field data were being captured into the Geochemistry Database. This report describes new and revised protocols to be used throughout the process of G-BASE field data gathering and to populating the Geochemistry Database. It details the codes that are to be used and the translations that are necessary to transfer from the G-BASE format to Geochemistry Database format. The history of the use of field forms and field databases in G-BASE is described. This manual establishes a reference point in the field data gathering process from which future changes can be documented. The report appendices list some of the more useful domain tables from the Geochemistry Database and give worked examples of how field information can be used to retrieve analytical results from the database

The identification of mining related contamination in the UK using high-resolution geochemical mapping: examples from north-east England and North Wales

The Geochemical Survey programme (GSP) of the BGS is currently undertaking the systematic multi-element regional geochemical mapping of the UK landmass