OR/18/046 What do the GV Models do
| Whitbread, K, and Ritchie, C. 2018. Regional Geological Visualisation Models. Nottingham, UK, British geological Survey. (OR/18/046). |
The GV Models provide unique tools allow users to interactively explore the geology of the UK; discovering the diverse rocks and complex 3D structures that shape our landscape.
Fourteen separate models cover the different geological regions of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as defined and described by the British Regional Geology (Regional Guides) Series. The GV models extend to the coast and include inland waterways, including the Solent and the Bristol Channel. In the Bristol Channel area and around the coast of Wales, the GV Models extend approximately 20 km offshore, showing the bedrock geology across the coastal zone (Figure 1).
The geology of each region is characterised as a set of 3D blocks, derived by combining geological maps depicting the distribution of rocks at the ground surface, with a network of cross-sections that show the geology down to 1.5 km depth (Figure 1 and Figure 2). The model functions allow users to rotate, zoom, and turn on/off blocks, and isolate different parts of the geological sequence. Information on the rock units present in each region and their sequence, or ‘stratigraphic’ order, is also provided, and the model contains links to other BGS data sources including the Lexicon, the UK’s national ‘library’ of rock units.
The GV Models are published in pdf format, with each document comprising four pages with interactive links. The pages are as follows:
- an introductory page providing details about the model
- geological model page providing interactive tools for exploring the model and a legend outlining the main geological units (Figure 2)
- an extended legend page with additional information about the geological units displayed in the model and
- an instructions page providing information on how to use the interactive tools and functions.
