Less than 50 years ago knowledge of the geology of the UK continental shelf (UKCS)
was extremely limited. The BGS marine geoscience programme began about 40 years
ago in response to the development of the UK oil and gas industry. The BGS was funded
by the then Department of Energy to carry out a national mapping programme based on
geophysical data, seabed samples and boreholes. By the 1990s, geological maps at a scale
of 1:250 000 were published for the shelf regions showing seabed sediments, Quaternary
geology and bedrock. The deeper water areas to the north and west continue to be explored
with support from the oil industry. A series of regional reports, the offshore equivalent of the
BGS regional guides, were published and reports for the Atlantic Margin will be published in
2010. MAREMAP is a new multidisciplinary environmental mapping programme designed to
underpin the new marine industries and environmental issues
