OR/18/046 Executive summary

Whitbread, K, and Ritchie, C. 2018. Regional Geological Visualisation Models. Nottingham, UK, British geological Survey. (OR/18/046).

A series of 14 Regional Geological Visualisation Models (GV Models) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been produced to provide interactive, user-friendly tools for exploring the UK’s geology in three dimensions. The GV Models are designed for use on desktop/laptop computers and complement the existing range of free-of-charge digital data, maps and models that are published online by the BGS.

The GV Models are based on the national fence diagram of the UK (UK3D v2015) with additional cross-sections developed along the regional boundaries, the BGS 1:625 000 scale digital bedrock geological map of the UK (DiGMapGB-625), and the BGS 1:250 000 scale marine bedrock map. These geological datasets have been combined with digital terrain, bathymetric and topographic data to develop 3D ‘block models’, displaying the bedrock geology of the upper 1.5 km of the crust.

Users can manipulate the model to explore the region’s geology by switching on/off individual blocks, hiding or displaying groups of geological units, and zooming and rotating to view the blocks from any angle. The model legend provides information about the geological units, and select functions link to additional sources of information including the BGS Lexicon and scanned records of key boreholes that have informed the model’s development.

The GV models can be downloaded via the following page of the BGS website: www.bgs.ac.uk/research/ukgeologynationalGeologicalModel/GVModels.html