Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE) geochemical samples and analyses
The BGS Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE) is the national strategic geochemical mapping programme in Great Britain. The project set out to establish the chemistry of the surface environment by the collection and analysis of stream sediment, stream water and soil samples. Beginning in the late 1960s in northern Scotland and moving southwards across the country, the primary focus was mineral exploration, however, the project quickly developed to address important environmental concerns. The final G-BASE samples were collected in southern England in 2014. The outputs from the G-BASE project provide an invaluable, systematic baseline of geochemical information for Great Britain, serving as a marker of the state of the environment against which to measure future change. Sampling Stream sediments were the primary sample medium for G-BASE. The sediment was collected from the centre of the stream and sieved through two sieves (2 mm and 150 µm) to obtain a fine grain-size fraction of <150 µm. Excess material from the <2 mm fraction was panned to collect a heavy mineral concentrate. Stream water samples were collected also at each drainage site. Four different water samples were collected routinely: two filtered waters (for major and trace elements) and two unfiltered waters (for pH, conductivity and alkalinity). The routine collection of soil samples was introduced in 1986 in areas of poor drainage density, and urban soil sampling commenced in 1991. Further details of the sampling methodology can be found in the G-BASE field procedures manual (https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/5190/). Sample analysis Stream water pH, conductivity and alkalinity were determined in the field. Water samples were returned to our laboratories and analysed by inductively coupled atomic emission and mass spectrometry (ICP-AES/MS), ion chromatography (IC)/ion selective electrode (ISE) for up to 50 chemical parameters. Waters were also analysed for non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC) to determine dissolved organic carbon content. Most water samples were analysed for alkalinity, pH, conductivity, F and U and some for multi-element analyses including Al, Cl, Na, Si, SO4, NO4, and TOC. The <150 µm fraction of the stream sediment and the <2 mm fraction of topsoil were analysed by techniques including X-ray fluorescence (XRF)/direct reading optical emission spectrometry (DR-OES) to determine the concentration of up to 53 major and trace elements. Loss on ignition (LOI) and pH were determined in topsoil samples. Analytical data for the 150 micron fraction of soil and stream sediment samples are available for some or all of: Ag, As, B, Ba, Bi, Be, Ca, Ce, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Sb, Se, Sn, Sr, Th, Ti, U, V, Y, Zn, Zr. In later stages, the project also routinely determined the elements listed in the <2 mm fraction of surface soils. Sample storage and archive After preparation and analyses all soil, stream sediment and panned concentrate samples and excess material were stored and archived at the BGS’s National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC). The archive holds more than 40 years’ worth of material collected across the UK from Shetland in the north to Kent in the south. Archived samples can be made available for further tests and analyses on request by contacting BGS Enquiries (mailto:enquiries@bgs.ac.uk).
dataset
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/gbase/home.html
name: G-BASE Homepage
description: This page provides details on one of the BGS's major science budget funded projects the Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE).
function: information
http://data.bgs.ac.uk/id/dataHolding/13480412
eng
Regional geochemical Mapping commenced in the Caithness and South Orkney area carried out by the Institute of Geological Sciences (IGS -now BGS). Projected completion by 2015 Complete for Scotland, Wales, West Midlands, Northern England, Humber-Trent, Central England and East Anglia. Southern England ongoing. Soil samples average 1 per 2km square, sediment samples average 1 per 1.75 km square collected using 1:50 000 OS base maps. Geochemical mapping carried out according to International Geochemical Sampling methods described by IGCP 259.
geoscientificInformation
publication
2008-06-01
Sampling
UK Location (INSPIRE)
Sample analysis
Scottish SDI
Geochemistry
Geology
revision
2022
NERC_DDC
-8.6500
1.7800
60.8800
49.8500
revision
2009
GBN
creation
1979
GREAT BRITAIN [id=139600]
1968
2014
creation
1968
notPlanned
Project initially called Regional Geochemical Reconnaissance Programme (RGRP) and subsequently Geochemical Survey Project (GSP). All G-BASE data is loaded to the BGS Geochemistry Database.
publication
2011
false
See the referenced specification
publication
2010-12-08
false
See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:323:0011:0102:EN:PDF
The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the prior permission of the copyright holder, via the BGS Intellectual Property Rights Manager. Use by customers of information provided by the BGS, is at the customer's own risk. In view of the disparate sources of information at BGS's disposal, including such material donated to BGS, that BGS accepts in good faith as being accurate, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the quality or accuracy of the information supplied, or to the information's suitability for any use. NERC/BGS accepts no liability whatever in respect of loss, damage, injury or other occurence however caused.
British Geological Survey
The Lyell Centre, Research Avenue South
EDINBURGH
EH14 4AP
United Kingdom
0115 936 3142
0115 936 3276
distributor
British Geological Survey
The Lyell Centre, Research Avenue South
EDINBURGH
EH14 4AP
United Kingdom
0115 936 3142
0115 936 3276
pointOfContact
British Geological Survey
Environmental Science Centre,Keyworth
NOTTINGHAM
NG12 5GG
United Kingdom
+44 115 936 3100
pointOfContact
2025-06-30