British Geochemical Soil Samples for Environmental Baseline Mapping

British Geological Survey's G-BASE program systematically collected shallow soil samples across Great Britain from the late 1960s to 2014. The data provide a national baseline of geochemistry, with urban sampling at four sites per square kilometer and regional sampling at one site per two square kilometers. Analyses include concentrations for over 40 elements, plus Loss on Ignition and pH measurements.

Use Cases

• Map spatial distributions of heavy metals like Pb, Cd, and As from XRF/DR-OES analyses to assess soil contamination.
• Analyze pH and Loss on Ignition (LOI) data from urban and regional samples to model soil acidity and organic matter content.
• Establish environmental baselines for elements such as Cu, Zn, and Ni to measure future geochemical change.
• Compare geochemical signatures between urban areas (e.g., Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester) and regional landscapes using the element suite.

Strengths

• National systematic coverage of Great Britain with samples collected over five decades.
• Urban sampling density of four samples per square kilometer across 23 listed cities.
• Analytical data for over 40 elements, including Ag, As, Cd, Pb, and U, plus LOI and pH.

Limitations

• Sample depth is limited to topsoil (5-20 cm), not subsoil or deeper profiles.
• Incomplete analytical suite for all samples; LOI and pH were determined on 50% of regional samples.
• Temporal coverage ends in 2014, lacking recent environmental changes.

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS)

Collection Method

Field collection of soil samples sieved to 2 mm and milled to <150 microns, analyzed by XRF and direct-reading optical emission spectrometry (DR-OES).

Time Range

Late 1960s to 2014

Freshness

null

Geography

Great Britain, including 23 specified urban areas.