Landslides in the Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire

The River Severn flows through the Ironbridge Gorge (location map and Figure 1) which is located to the south of Telford in Shropshire and is a World Heritage Site. It is named after the famous Iron Bridge designed by Thomas Farnolls Pritchard and built by Abraham Darby III, the first arch bridge in the world to be made from cast iron (Figure 2). The Gorge is thought to have originated some 10 000 years ago and is deeply incised in rocks of Upper Carboniferous and Silurian age, which are prone to landsliding, and have suffered a number of failures through its history. The valley sides rise steeply from 40 m at river level to over 140 m on the plateau above (Figure 3)

The historic role of women scientists at BGS and a look at what is happening today

This may surprise you if you know the BGS today but from its inception in 1835, and for over 100 years thereafter, the British Geological Survey was an exclusively male preserve. Women just weren’t allowed in, especially if they wanted to be a scientist, involved in any fieldwork or, dare I say it, marry

East Cliff Landslide, Bournemouth

On 24 April 2016, the BGS Landslide Response Team received reports of a landslide on a 35 m high section of the East Cliff in Bournemouth, Dorset. It was reported that the landslide had damaged an Edwardian funicular railway as well as a toilet block and an array of fences and benches from the top of the cliff

Tales from a Geological Adventurer

Dr Colin Waters joined BGS in 1988 straight after completing his PhD from Cardiff University and is currently Acting Chief Geologist for Geology and Landscapes England. He has worked on a wide range of projects over the years, several of which have included adventures in the vast remote corners of the world

Hunting for landslides in St Lucia

Dr Colm Jordan and Dr Tom Dijkstra have both just returned from a trip to the Caribbean. This may sound like a glamorous location, but their work is associated with more serious matters

Landslides in the East Midlands

Great Britain is not a country renowned for its large landslides. It lacks the extreme climatic events and the mountainous regions that are associated with catastrophic landslides events elsewhere in the world. Nevertheless, landslides in Britain do have significant societal and economic impacts. Meteorological Office statistics have shown that 2012 was the second wettest year since collation of national records began in 1910. Tragically, this also saw the highest number for many years of fatalities due to landslides, including those at Burton Bradstock in Dorset and at Looe in Cornwall. Even so, these landslides contrast with recent events in China, in Afghanistan and in Washington, USA, where large and calamitous events claimed many lives. However, landslides are common enough in Great Britain, and there is currently a heightened awareness of these geological hazards, and this was largely due to extensive media reports in 2012 and 2013

Paul Witney, BGS Photographer

After several years teaching photography, Paul joined BGS in 2005 and is responsible for photography and video in Southern Britain. He is called upon to photograph every aspect of BGS work from the core store to fieldwork, from microscopic fossils to aerial photography. Whilst on fieldwork, scientists are not always able to record good images of the work they are doing as they are often busy with the science itself. The time constraints imposed by a rising tide, for example, means care and consideration for photography are easily missed. Paul is on hand to do this job. This frees up the scientists from having to think about photos and videos, but also means that the very best images are captured with the expertise and equipment only a professional photographer has. It also provides the opportunity for Paul to record BGS staff doing their jobs.

Isotopes and the bones and teeth of King Richard III

Professor Jane Evans and Dr Angela Lamb work in the NERC Isotope Geosciences Facilities (NIGF) at the BGS in Keyworth. NIGF is one of the largest isotope laboratories in Europe for studying naturally occurring isotopes. Jane and Angela front the Science-Based Archaeology programme where they use isotopes to uncover information about the past