Full Description

Product Code: BBIC15

Published by BGS/NERC

Folded, 125.7 x 94.8 cm

This map commemorates the 200th anniversary of the publication of the first geological map of Britain, by William Smith (1769-1839). It depicts modern geological bedrock data in the style of Smith’s early 19th century cartography. The main focus of Smith's work was to apply his observations and ideas to the everyday needs of the canal builders, quarry- and mine-owners, landowners and agriculturists who were underpinning the Industrial Revolution. As more attributes are added by the British Geological Survey to geological map data, William Smith's conviction that geological mapping is of vital importance at many levels and in many areas of the nation's society, science, and industry is as true today as it was two centuries ago, when he conceived his original geological map. The methods involved in map production have developed and, especially with digital data, the method of map delivery has altered radically, but the fundamental importance of providing accurate geological map data to today's industries is as vital now as it was in Smith's time.