Geology? Landscape? Tell us more!
Tellus South West, due to complete next month, is a major new survey project that will provide scientific data on South West England, writes Sonia Cassidy.
It will expand knowledge of geology, landscapes and ecosystems, help manage risks from natural hazards such as flooding, landslides and radon, and provide a census of the current state of the environment for measuring impacts of future change. The project is an initiative of BGS, British Antarctic Survey (BAS), and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), working with Camborne School of Mines (CSM) at the University of Exeter.
A conference on the subject held at the Eden Project last October was attended by representatives from local government, heritage groups, environmental research partnerships, minerals companies, agriculturalists and university researchers from across the region. Delegates were treated to a first glimpse of the project’s new survey data, including new, highly accurate, 3D maps of the landscape and the physical, chemical and mineral properties of the underlying soil and geology. Numerous opportunities for follow up research and information products were highlighted.
The Tellus South West project is due to be completed next month (March 2014). For more information visit the project website at
www.tellusgb.ac.uk.
Pictured at the conference are (L-R): Professor Iain Stewart, Plymouth University and Dr Andrew Howard, Tellus South West Project Leader, British Geological Survey. (Left) Mike Young, Director, Geological Survey of Northern Ireland and Cally Oldershaw, British Geological Survey.