DiGMapGB-50 Superficial: Geological Map of Great Britain at 1:50,000 Scale
Updated 28d ago
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Description
Vector data identifying landscape areas as polygons attributed with geological names and rock type descriptions for superficial deposits. The dataset provides onshore coverage for all of England, Wales, Scotland, and the Isle of Man at a 1:50,000 scale. It was created by the British Geological Survey (BGS) and classifies deposits from the Quaternary period, such as glacial deposits and river terraces, using the BGS Rock Classification Scheme.
Use Cases
Modeling groundwater flow and aquifer potential based on superficial deposit types like sand and gravel.
Assessing geological hazards and land stability for construction based on deposit composition and origin.
Studying Quaternary environmental change and past glacial activity using the mapped distribution of glacial deposits.
Informing agricultural and ecological land management based on soil parent materials identified in the map data.
Strengths
Provides complete onshore coverage for England, Wales, Scotland, and the Isle of Man.
Features a detailed classification scheme (BGS Rock Classification Scheme) for deposit types.
Data is available in a standard vector format (ESRI shapefile) for GIS applications.
Limitations
Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
Source
British Geological Survey (BGS)
Collection Method
Likely digitized from geological field surveys and mapping.
Time Range
Covers the Quaternary period, extending back about 2.58 million years.
Freshness
Last updated 2026-05-28 14:04:37.610769; freshness should be verified.
Geography
Onshore Great Britain (England, Wales, Scotland) and the Isle of Man.
Data is available under a BGS data licence; users must review and comply with its terms.