Iguanodon, Elephant, Bison, Rhinoceros and other saurian remains 1911.

Thigh bone of Iguanodon, Wealden Beds, Brook, Isle of Wight. E.T. Martin.

Rhaetic Bone Bed. saurian and fish remains. Garden Cliff. Gloucestershire. J.W. Fletcher.

Elephant and Rhinoceros. Barrington Beds. Cambridgeshire. H.M. Krusin 15.6.1911

Bison, Elephant and Rhinoceros, Barrington Beds. Barrington Cambridgeshire 15.6.1911

Images from the Geologists' Association 'Carreck Archive' held at the British Geological Survey

Bob McIntosh

Searching for Palaeolithic implements, Milton Street Gravel Pits, Kent. 1908.

Caption: Workmen with rods for searching for Palaeolithic implements, Milton Street Gravel Pits, Kent. T.W. Reader 23.5.08. [1908]

Caption: Some members examining the Flint Implement collection of Mr. Treacher.  [Llewellyn Treacher] T.R.W. 25.6.10 [1910]

Photographs are from the Geologists' Association 'Carreck Archive' on deposit at the British Geological Survey.

Bob McIntosh

Christmas card from J V Harrison, 1930

BGS image ID: P700432

BGS image ID: P700433



BGS image ID: P700434


This Christmas card from J V Harrison shows Aiuuk Bivouack in the Bakht-i-ari mountains of Persia (now Iran).

John Vernon Harrison was born on 16 March 1892. He graduated with a BSc with distinctions in Chemistry and Geology from the University of Glasgow in 1914.  In 1916-1918 he served with the Royal Engineers in Mesopotamia. In 1918 he joined the geological staff of the Anglo Persian Oil Company. He carried out field work in Persia and Iraq (1918-1920) and then travelled to many places including Honduras (1920-1922), United States and Mexico (1922-1923),  North Borneo, Hong Kong, Japan and Canada (1924), Peru (1924-1925), Jamaica (1925), Venezuela (1925-1926), Trinidad (1926-1927) and Colombia (1927-1928). Much of his time after 1928 was spent in Persia until he was appointed Lecturer in Geology at Oxford University in 1938. Summer vacations allowed him to travel to the Peruvian Andes with some of his students. During World War II he was seconded to the Admiralty for geographical work. After the war he was appointed Reader in Structural Geology back at Oxford. He retired in 1959, was awarded the Lyell Medal in 1961and died on 31 July 1972

A catalogue of Harrison's collection at the British Gelogical Survey Archives can be accessed here

Andrew L Morrison

Ballochmyle Quarry, Mauchline. Ayrshire, 1921

BGS Image ID: P000071

Ballochmyle Quarry, Mauchline. Ayrshire. New Red Sandstone (Permian) red desert sandstones showing large-scale aeolian (wind-blown) dune-bedding. The huge size of the quarry is indicated by the scale of the quarrymen – the quarry is often over 64 m deep. Access to the working face by ladder is clearly seen. Health & safety was not what is today! Large blocks are lifted by crane powered by a vertical steam boiler. 

Date of image: 1921.

BGS Image ID: P753273

A sample of Ballochmyle sandstone from the National Building Stone Collection held at the British Geological Survey. Econ. 7471. The sandstone consists of well-sorted, mostly rounded and frosted sand grains. They are red in colour due to a coating of haematite, an iron oxide.

Emily Tracey
Building Stones Conservation Specialist. 
Visit the new building stones web pages 

Horsey coastal inundation, Norfolk 1938.

BGS image ID: P256624

Horsey inundation 1938. Course of the 'hundred streams'.

BGS image ID: P256625

Horsey inundation 1938. Looking inland from south edge of gap which finally reached length of 500 yards.

BGS image ID: P256626

Horsey inundation 1938. Peat exposed in foreshore by cutting back of beach.

BGS image ID: P256627

Horsey inundation 1938. View from behind temporary defences, looking seaward.

'Village of Horsey again inundated' Newspaper article 1938.

Images taken by H. Ashley. From the British Association for the Advancement of Science photograph collection. The collection is on permanent deposit with the British Geological Survey.

Historical photographs are often valuable evidence when comparing geological processes over time.

Bob McIntosh

Cowbar Nab, Staithes, Yorkshire Coast, 1897

BGS Image ID: P243611

BGS Image ID: P243612

Cowbar Nab, Staithes, Yorkshire Coast. Jurassic Lias rocks for the headland. Photographs by W.J. Harrison, held in British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) photographic print collection on deposit at the British Geological Survey.

Has there been any substantial change since this photograph was taken in 1897?

Bob McIntosh