Letter from Admiralty to Geological Museum, 1917

BGS Archive Ref: GSM/DR/St/A/20

 

This letter relates to materials suitable for making compasses for aeroplanes. Such compasses would have to be reliable,  able to survive the rigours of flight and not wear out. The letter is an example of the more unusual subjects that the Geological Survey was consulted about during the First World War.

Posters relating to the Survey's contribution to the war effort 1914-1918 can be viewed here

Andrew L Morrison

 

 

 

 

Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, Middle Jurassic limestone

BGS Image ID:P212039

Malmesbury Abbey, Malmesbury, Wiltshire. Looking north-east. 

Malmesbury Abbey was constructed in the 12th century of pale yellow, oolitic limestone from the Middle Jurassic limestones of the Bath area (Box Ground Stone). Only part of the Abbey now remains intact. The pale yellow oolitic limestones used in the Abbey have proved to be reasonably durable probably because the building is in a rural setting away from the problems caused by the industrial pollution of the last few centuries. A monastery was established on the site in around 676 but this building dated from the 12th century when the building was consecrated in 1180. The south portch is the most natable feature that survives from that period. At one time the abbey had a spire taller than salisbury Cathedral but it fell down some time before the Reformation when Henry VIII dissolved the monastery in 1539. Dissolution of the monastries in the 16th century lead to the stripping, sale and removal of building materials from many monastic buildings such as Malmesbury Abbey.
Date taken: 1977

BGS Image ID: P212040

One of the characteristic features of Norman ecclesiastical architecture is the high quality of the building materials selected and the outstanding workmanship of their masons. The remains of Malmsbury Abbey, now the parish church still preserve examples of this fine craftsmanship in stone. Considered to be one of the most outstanding examples of Norman decorative stone carving in Britain, this doorway in the south porch of the Abbey is carved from oolitic limestone from the Middle Jurassic, Box Ground Quarries near Bath. The limestones generically known as Bath Stones are one of the principal sources of building limestone in the United Kingdom. They were worked from numerous mines in the vicinity of the Bath which now sits upon several kilometres of old stone mine galleries. The limestones are pale to dark yellow in colour and dominantly oolitic though some shelly ragstone beds were also worked.

Posted by Bob McIntosh

PLUMBUM Galaena. Sulphure of Lead; Galena. Plate no. 24. From: Sowerby, James. 1802-1817. British Mineralogy

BGS Image ID: P704650

PLUMBUM Galaena. Sulphure of Lead; Galena. Plate no. 24. From: Sowerby, James. 1802-1817. British Mineralogy: Or Coloured figures intended to elucidate the mineralogy of Great Britain. Plate from vol: 1. page no. 55. Modern name: Galena. Location: Collected found in Derbyshire.

Posted by Bob McIntosh

Settle Lime, November 1960. The new Priest kilns.

BGS Image ID: P538126

Settle Lime, Nov 1960, north of Settle, Ingleborough, Horton and Threshfield. The new kilns. Priest kilns.

From the Hugh O'Neill collection.

Posted by Bob McIntosh

Crossing water, E.O. Teale Collection

BGS Image ID: P776556

Crossing a river by bridge,  Mbeya, Tanganyika Territory, 1928.

BGS Image ID: P776485

Crossing a river by raft

BGS Image ID: P776490

Crossing a river by precarious footbridge

BGS Image ID: P776527

Wading across a river

Photographs are from the E.O. Teale Collection. 

Also see :

Crossing a river - E.O. Teale Collection

River transport by traditional 'dugout' canoe. Gold Coast. 1919

Posted by Bob McIntosh

Land Rover photographs in the BGS archives

A set of photographs for Land Rover fans!

BGS Image ID: P539250

Track conversion close-up. 4 independent tracks, the front two being steered through the normal steering system. The cost of the kit was £650.

BGS ImageID:  P539249

Land Rover demonstation, Solihull. Bristol Type 192 Belvedere helicopter carrying a Land Rover.

BGS Image ID: P539252

Land Rover demonstation, Solihull. Large wheel conversion.

BGS Image ID: P539253

Land Rover demonstation, Solihull. Rail conversion. Road wheels have been replaced by Duthene-treated tyres, this gives very good traction. One vehicle pulled 52 tons of wagons.

BGS Image ID: P539860

Plant demonstration Soil Fertility Limited. Crop spraying Land Rover with hovercraft assist.

BGS Image ID: P539861

Plant demonstration Soil Fertility Limited. Crop spraying Land Rover with hovercraft assist.

Photographs from the Mr. Hugh O'Neill Collection. Most of the photographs in this collection are of quarries in the UK. Dates are c. 1961.

Posted by Bob McIntosh

Groundwater drilling in Scotland

BGS Image ID: P001426

Hardthorn Road site, Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway Region. Water strike during drilling for groundwater at Hardthorn Road. 

The rotary drilling rig encountered only dry Permian breccia to 56 m. depth. At this level, a water-bearing fissure suddenly produced a surge of water at the surface. Other fissures were encountered at intervals to 130 m. depth. The final yield of water from the borehole was over 35 litres per second. The borehole is to be used by West of Scotland Water as part of the Dumfries public supply system. The Silurian hills can be seen in the background. These encircle the Permian aquifer in the floor of the basin.

BGS Image ID: P001434

 Adjacent to the A70 road near Tarbrax, Strathclyde Region. A V-notch tank in use during a pumping test on an exploratory groundwater borehole. 

The borehole was drilled by West of Scotland Water as an exercise to see whether groundwater could be used to supply the village of Tarbrax, and replace an unreliable surface stream source. The borehole, drilled into Upper Devonian sandstone and mudstone, yielded over 7 litres/second. The V-notch tank is used to measure the water flow, by comparing the height of water flowing over the V with flow rates in a reference table. The drill rig in the background was used to drill the borehole and install the electric pump to 50 m. depth.

BGS Image ID: P001440

Bridge Farm borehole, Machrie, Arran. An artesian, flowing, borehole drilled into the Permian sandstone aquifer at Machrie, Arran. A T.V. log of the borehole is being undertaken, using a BGS Land Rover.

The flow of water was measured at 10 litres/second, which makes it one of the highest naturally-flowing boreholes in Scotland. Most of the water is coming into the borehole at depths between 65 m. and 95 m. below ground level. The quality of the water is very high, and it is hoped that West of Scotland Water will use this source for most of the island's water supply before 2002.

BGS Image ID: P001441

Bridge Farm borehole, Machrie, Arran. Drilling a groundwater production borehole for West of Scotland Water at Machrie, Arran.

The drill rig is located close to the 'String' road from Brodick at a site chosen by the Hydrogeology Group of BGS. The rig is using an air flush hammer to drill through Permian sandstone. The compressor is seen at the left. Compressed air is sent down the drill rods to the hammer at the bottom of the borehole. The air operates the hammer and brings cuttings and water to the surface. The water flows away from the site to a stream. The 4-wheel drive tractor unit powers the rig and is highly maneuverable - useful for sites with problematical access.

Photographs by Derek Ball

Posted: Bob McIntosh

Geological art by Dr. Elizabeth Pickett

BGS Image ID P551745

Geological art by Dr. Elizabeth Pickett, (North Pennines AONB, formerly of the British Geological Survey)

Gouache painting showing creation and destruction of oceanic crust.  The painting shows how oceanic crust (shown in black) is created and destroyed. Magma (molten rock) is erupted along a mid-ocean ridge where it solidifies to become new oceanic crust. As more oceanic crust is created in this way the older, cooler crust moves away from the ridge and millions of years later may eventually be subducted beneath the continents at one or both sides of the ocean. Subduction is the process in which oceanic crust descends into the Earth's mantle. When subduction occurs at the edges of continents (as in this painting) it is marked by major oceanic trenches and the formation of chains of volcanoes known as volcanic arcs in the overlying continent (e.g. the Andes). The processes shown in this painting form part of the theory of plate tectonics. In this theory it is recognised that the Earth's surface is fragmented into tectonic plates (which carry both oceans and continents), which are continually moving across the surface of the planet. The boundaries of these plates interact with each other and are the sites of subduction zones, mid-ocean ridges (both shown in the picture), rift valleys, continental collision zones and transform faults.

BGS Image ID: P551755

Gouache painting of mineralizing fluids. This painting shows how mineral veins in the North Pennines were formed. Mineral-rich waters (represented by the arrows), heated by the Weardale Granite intrusion circulated through cracks and faults in the overlying rocks (a sequence of Carboniferous limestones, shales and sandstones), depositing minerals as they cooled. The mineral veins in the North Pennines area were formed from deep saline water solutions which contained dissolved minerals. These contained iron, lead and copper minerals which were dissolved from surrounding rocks, including the Weardale Granite. The granite acted as a 'heat engine', warming the water and causing it to flow in a convection circuit along faults and fissures. As the fluids cooled, the dissolved minerals crystallized as crusts on the fissure walls. The North Pennines area in northern England has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is also the site of Britain's first 'European Geopark'. The area is one of high fells, open moorland and wide dales. The unique character of the area owes much to human activity over hundreds of years, especially in relation to mining of the mineral deposits in the rocks.

BGS Image ID: P551756

Gouache painting showing block diagram of Pennine escarpment. This painting shows the main features of the Pennine escarpment. The North Pennine hills (on the right) are composed of horizontal beds of Carboniferous rocks. These rocks rest on older, folded Ordovician slates and volcanic rocks. Faults separate the escarpment from the red Permo-Triassic sandstones of the Vale of Eden. The terracing on the North Pennine hills is the result of weathering of a sequence of alternately hard and soft Carboniferous rocks. This sequence is composed of sandstone, shale and limestone; the harder limestone layers clearly stand out on the hillsides. The Weardale Granite lies beneath this sequence. The North Pennines area in northern England has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is also the site of Britain's first 'European Geopark'. The area is one of high fells, open moorland and wide dales. The unique character of the area owes much to human activity over hundreds of years, especially in relation to mining of the mineral deposits in the rocks.

Posted by Bob McIntosh

Louis Bernacchi notebook. British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04

Photographs from the 'Pendulum observations' notebook by Louis Bernacchi from the 'Discovery' Antarctic Expedition 1902-1903. Bernacchi was recruited as physicist for Captain R.F. Scott's British National Antarctic Expedition (1901-04).

This journal records Pendulum Observations and includes certificates and notes.  The two photographs show the interior of a hut in 1902 with the pendulum apparatus within it. The photographs are annotated with details of the equipment. The image also includes other items held in the hut, including snow shoes, a kettle and an appetizing looking crate of ‘Special Cabin Biscuits’.

Title page of Bernacchi's Pendulum observations notebook.

Sample page from Bernacchi's Pendulum observations notebook.

Pendulum observations were undertaken within a vacuum apparatus to determine the local value of gravity which helps indicate the extent to which the earth is oblate. There were three pendulums and each observation took many hours.

New Light on the British National Antarctic Expedition (Scott’s Discovery Expedition) 1901-1904 by Andrew Atkin. Graduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies (GCAS X), 2007/2008.

Posted by Fiona Menzies and Bob McIntosh

Standing stones and burial chambers, geoarchaeology

BGS Image ID: P000605

Standing Stones of Stenness, south-east end of Loch of Stenness. Orkney. The henge and stone circle have radiocarbon dates suggesting that Stenness was constructed during the 3rd. millennium B.C. Four thin, unshaped flagstones now survive, the tallest over five metres high; it is thought that there were originally twelve stones set in a circle about 30 metres in diameter. Ploughing has almost levelled the henge earthworks but the circle once stood within a ditch and bank, with an entrance causeway to the north. The henge and stone circle of Stenness together with the Ring of Brodgar and associated outlying stones and burial mounds form part of a great ceremonial complex in the heart of Orkney, comparable to Callanish on Lewis in the Western Isles and to Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.

BGS Image ID: P000597

Dwarfie Stane, north-west Hoy, Orkney. The Dwarfie Stane is a neolithic burial chamber hollowed out from a solid block of cross-bedded Hoy Sandstone (Upper Old Red Sandstone). It is thought that the Dwarfie Stane is derived from cliffs on the downthrow side of the Bring Fault where massive beds of yellow or more rarely red sandstones of the Hoy Sandstone are found (the escarpment in the background).

BGS Image ID: P211066

Avebury stone circles, Wiltshire. Avebury is the largest 'henge' or stone circle in Britain.The standing stones of the Avebury circles, which range from 0.5 m. to 6 m. in height and number over 150 in total, are pale grey, silica-cemented sandstones of Tertiary age commonly known as sarsen stones. The source of the sarsen stone used in the megalithic site at Avebury is believed to be the Marlborough Downs. The stones were formed by the cementation of loose sands in the remnants of the Tertiary succession that once covered the downs. Some of the stones were revealed by weathering but others were probably dug from the succession and transported to Avebury. Sarsen stones are widely used in southern Britain at prehistoric sites including Avebury, Long Kennet and Stonehenge. Although best known as standing stones the sandstones were once extensively quarried on the Marlborough Downs for building stone. However, many standing stones are also believed to have been removed from the prehistoric structures for building purposes in earlier times.

BGS Image ID: P211066

Wayland's Smithy long barrow, Berkshire. Looking north. The Chalk downland area known as the Ridgeway, forming the southern edge of the Vale of the White Horse, is one of several areas littered with sarsen sandstone blocks. The sandstones are the remnants of a former Tertiary sedimentary cover and in some areas may be very abundant as at Clatford Bottom. Wayland's Smithy, named after the Saxon god of metalworking, is a neolithic long barrow constructed of silica-cemented, sandstone blocks known as sarsen stones or sometimes greywethers. 

See also Stonehenge on BGS Geoheritage

Posted by Bob McIntosh