Calcareous Microfossil Analysis Registers from 1970s-1980s

Registers of microfossil analyses conducted by the British Geological Survey in its Leeds and London offices during the 1970s and 1980s. The collection is organized into series such as SAA for onshore calcareous microfossils and SAY for offshore specimens.

Use Cases

• Analyze the distribution of Foraminifera specimens across the defined series codes (e.g., SAA, SAB, SAC) to study onshore versus offshore prevalence.
• Investigate taxonomic composition within the Palaeozoic microfossils series (SAD) compared to the Jurassic and Cretaceous series (SAC).
• Map the geographic coverage of samples using the series designations for onshore, offshore, and Continental Shelf (South) collections (SAY, SAZ).

Strengths

• Collection spans two decades of professional geological analysis from the 1970s and 1980s.
• Data is organized into multiple distinct series (e.g., SAA, SAB, SAC, SAD, SAG, SAY, SAZ) covering different geological periods and locations.
• Sourced from the authoritative British Geological Survey (BGS).

Limitations

• Core data metrics like row count, column structure, and file formats are unknown.
• Data is derived from physical books and box files, indicating potential digitization or transcription requirements.
• Temporal coverage is historical and may not reflect contemporary sampling or taxonomy.

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS).

Collection Method

Analyses recorded in book form and box files from BGS offices in Leeds and London.

Time Range

1970s and 1980s.

Freshness

Metadata was updated in March 2026, but the underlying data records are from the 1970s and 1980s.

Geography

Onshore and offshore UK, including the Continental Shelf (South).