Digital images of petrology rock thin sections from the BGS Petrological Collection Database. Two reference images are captured for each thin section: one in Plane Polarized Light (PPL) and another in Crossed Polarized Light (XPL). The collection includes UK onshore mapping samples, worldwide reference minerals, and museum reserves, with the earliest sample dating from circa 1877.
Use Cases
- Train a vision model to classify rock types using paired PPL and XPL image sets for each thin section.
- Analyze mineralogical features by comparing textures and structures visible in the Crossed Polarized Light images.
- Build a retrieval system to match new thin section images against the indexed samples from the Britrocks database.
- Conduct provenance studies by linking image metadata to the geographic and temporal coverage of the collection.
Strengths
- Each thin section is documented with two standardized imaging views (PPL and XPL), enabling comparative analysis.
- Collection includes samples from UK onshore mapping, worldwide reference minerals, and a museum reserve, providing broad petrological context.
- Ongoing updates and digitization efforts, with capture of Scottish collections beginning in 2012 and English/foreign collections in December 2012.
Limitations
- Specific quantitative metrics like total image count, file size, and resolution are unknown.
- Sample data and file formats are unavailable, limiting assessment of data structure and accessibility.
Provenance
- Source
- British Geological Survey (BGS) Petrological Collection Database (Britrocks).
- Collection Method
- Digital imaging of physical rock thin sections, with capture in Plane Polarized Light and Crossed Polarized Light.
- Time Range
- Earliest sample from circa 1877, with ongoing additions and updates.
- Freshness
- Last updated metadata indicates 2026-03 11, suggesting ongoing maintenance.
- Geography
- Primarily UK onshore mapping collection, plus worldwide reference minerals and museum reserves.