51���� is to create a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in partnership with the State Service of Geology and Mineral Resources of Ukraine, after a meeting between BGS Director Karen Hanghøj and Yehor Perelyhin, Ukraine Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture. The document will establish a framework through which geological projects can be pursed.

Karen Hanghøj welcomed the agreement and the opportunities it brings with it.

51���� is built upon a history of strong collaborations that centralise the vital role of the subsurface in shaping resilient economies, sustainable environments and thriving societies.

I am excited by the potential to deliver innovative solutions and make a meaningful, positive impact on some of the most pressing challenges facing the world today, which will be unlocked through joint research and data exchange opportunities with Ukraine.

Dr Karen Hanghøj, BGS Director.

The talks with BGS took place as part of a visit to London that saw the Ukrainian delegation meet with the UK Government to explore the development of the critical minerals sector. Also on the agenda for the meeting was the creation of targeted training and professional development programmes for Ukrainian geologists and specialists, as investment in skills and scientific expertise are essential for the growth of strategic sectors.

Work will now focus on finalising the MoU, which will involve identifying priority projects related to the critical minerals sector and preparing the joint training programmes for Ukrainian geologists and specialists.

Chalk: a shared geology

The Upper Cretaceous-aged (commonly known as ‘the Chalk’) is perhaps Europe most iconic geological unit. Besides forming the famous white cliffs, the Chalk:

• is a major aquifer, supplying millions of people with drinking water and sustaining rare ecological habitats
• is important for energy as it hosts oil and gas reservoirs in the North Sea, provides the foundation for offshore wind farms and hosts numerous shallow geothermal-energy schemes
• has the potential act as storage for hydrogen and CO2
• is a raw material for cement
• hosts many major civil engineering and infrastructure schemes across northern Europe including, in the UK alone, the recently approved Lower Thames Crossing, HS2, the Channel Tunnel and the new ‘super sewer’, the Thames Tideway Tunnel in London

Yet the Chalk is also one of the most misunderstood geological units. It is a common misconception that it is a uniform rock unit with very little structure or faulting. In reality, it has significant variations in physical properties and is often faulted.

Recent geological mapping in the Chilterns and Yorkshire Wolds, undertaken by BGS in collaboration with the Environment Agency and water companies, has shown how geological discontinuities in the Chalk affect groundwater flow. These discontinuities facilitate the development of dissolutional conduits and rapid flow pathways, creating a very heterogenous aquifer. This heterogeneity generates major challenges for the water industry, civil engineers and planners.

As an aquifer, the Chalk is under pressure, both in terms of water quality and resource. The demand for water, especially in more populated areas of southeast England is increasing, but there is also a need to protect rare chalk stream habitats and maintain river flows. Climate change, drought and contaminants such as nitrate exacerbate the problem. Addressing these issues require a greater geological understanding of the aquifer and how groundwater flows it.

These challenges aren’t just restricted to the UK: France has similar problems in the extensive chalk outcrops across the north of the country, as do the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium.

Current research

A good understanding of the Chalk Group is needed to better predict groundwater flow and engineering ground conditions. This requires good quality geological maps and 3D models fit for the 21st century, using all the available information including field data, geophysical borehole logs, geophysical surveys and biostratigraphical data. In the UK, geological maps used to show the Chalk Group with just three subdivisions; we now divide the chalk into nine individual mappable formations, reflecting their differing engineering and hydrogeological properties. These more detailed maps are able to show much more geological structure, and are more relavent to engineers and hydrogeologists.

Recent groundwater modelling in BGS work has focused on building the national scale British Groundwater Model, simulating groundwater flooding, and projecting the impact of climate change on chalk streams and public water supplies. Other geological surveys are also modelling groundwater, for example, to investigate the impacts of nitrate and other contaminants on the chalk aquifer.

Likewise, more detailed understanding of the Chalk Group has helped civil engineers better predict ground conditions on major infrastructure projects. For example, BGS maps and models help identify zones of weak faulted ground that might be an issue for tunnelling or road cuttings. Similarly, BGS helped characterise flint content in the Chalk in the Thames Estuary to help design cutting heads for the Lower Thames Crossing tunnel-boring machines. Lessons learned from major projects in the UK can be equally applied in northern France and vice versa.

Common problems: common solutions

A key remit of geological surveys and research institutions is to work to find solutions to geological problems. BGS has teamed up with other northern European geological surveys and research institutes to discuss common interests in the Upper Cretaceous Chalk. Twenty-eight participants from 13 different research institutions and geological surveys, including geologists, hydrogeologists, biostratigraphers and engineering geologists, gathered for the inaugural in the town of Étretat on the French coast. Étretat hosts spectacular chalk cliffs and rock arches made famous by the painter Claude Monet. These amazing outcrops admirably demonstrate how variations in the Chalk influence the local hydrogeology and cliff stability.

Outcomes

Exactly how does the Chalk vary across northern Europe? Many productive discussions were had during the workshop and several common themes were identified. Key to understanding the variability of the chalk is the application of a unified Chalk Group stratigraphy, so variations and changes in rock properties across the Anglo–Paris basin can be better understood and predicted.

Another area of common interest is the development of karst features in the chalk such as sinkholes, dissolution pipes, caves and dissolutional conduits. These are important not only from a hydrogeological perspective, but also as an engineering hazard. The French geological survey, BRGM, has been leading the way here, undertaking numerous tracer tests and identifying sinkholes across Normandy. A similar approach is being taken by BGS, learning from the French.

A third area of interest is incorporating lithological variability and karst into groundwater models. At present, many groundwater models treat the Chalk as a single porous medium, often modelled as just one or two layers. This ignores much of the complexity within the group. Much discussion was had on how to best approach modelling groundwater in the Chalk at a range of scales.

Next steps

This first meeting generated a huge amount of interest and enthusiasm. The next steps are to translate this into concrete actions. Essential to this is identifying potential funding sources for common projects, such as stratigraphical correlations across the Anglo–Paris basin. A special issue on Chalk Group stratigraphy in a relevant journal is another possibility.

Another workshop is being planned for 2026, either in Maastricht or in south-east England.

Thanks

Thanks to Ophélie Faÿ (University of Mons) and Eric Lasseur (BRGM) for organising the event.

About the author

Dr Andrew Farrant is a geologist and karst geomorphologist based at the BGS. He is the Regional Geologist for Southeast England and has extensive experience mapping the Chalk across southern and eastern England.

As a state of emergency is declared on the Greek island of Santorini, seismologists are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence technology to provide high-resolution images of the ongoing seismic activity, in a bid to enhance short-term forecasting accuracy.

Since the start of the crisis, a team from BGS comprising Margarita Segou, Brian Baptie, Rajat Choudhary, Wayne Shelley and Foteini Dervisi, has been employing machine learning algorithms to detect ten times as many earthquakes as standard techniques, with over 20000 tremors accurately predicted in the Santorini area alone since 1 December 2024. This approach is allowing geologists to identify for the first time small magnitude earthquakes that were previously undetected using standard approaches.

51���� Seismologist Margarita Segou, who is leading the development of the groundbreaking research, says it has revolutionised the way scientists can learn from seismic activity and predict patterns.

This machine learning technique results in far richer data feeding into short-term forecasts, which can allow experts to track the evolution of events and better advise emergency services and at-risk communities.

Dr Margarita Segou, BGS Seismologist.

These algorithms allowed researchers to first note increased seismic activity across the Santorini region on 26 January 2025. In comparison, standard detection schemes did not register the same increase until 31 January and only picked up around 2000 seismic events in the Santorini area; ten times less than the new approach has detected.

Dr Segou says it is the ability to combine different sources of information more quickly that is at the heart of the advancement.

Through strong international partnerships, we can reprocess past and present data through machine learning and gain a new and priceless insight into the seismic activity in Santorini in previous phases of unrest and its links to the volcanic system.

Dr Margarita Segou.

Santorini is located on the Hellenic volcanic arc at the convergence of the African plate and the Eurasian plate, at a complex tectonic boundary. Currently, seismic events around the island show that seismicity bursts occur almost twice a day, with the tremors lasting for one to two hours.

Dr Segou adds the data is revealing some unique features.

We have evidence that this is fluid-driven, swarm-type seismicity that comes in pulses. This is not unheard of in other volcanic regions; however, this time it is evolving on top of active faults that complicate the expression of seismicity.

It is easy to get a disconnected story when we just look at moderate magnitude seismic events. It is only when we investigate the smaller magnitude events that occur between that we learn of the hidden mechanisms that take place between the large earthquakes.

It is critical that we track whether those pulses become more frequent and how they migrate in space and depth. So far, the largest quake in this swarm has been a 5.2 magnitude.

Dr Margarita Segou.

Contact

For more information, please contact 51���� press (bgspress@bgs.ac.uk) or call 07790 607 010.

51���� and the Icelandic Geological Survey (ÍSOR) have been awarded an to assess Iceland offshore geological and geomorphological landscapes for the suitability of windfarms. The grant enables BGS scientists to share their experience in , as well as working with wind developments.��

Iceland fulfils its primary energy consumption with around 100 per cent renewable energy, via geothermal and hydro energy. Nowadays, there is a strong motivation to increase the country energy mix and energy security via wind power. Geology underpins the appropriate placement and foundation design for wind turbine structures. The NERC grant, which is supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, aims to facilitate knowledge sharing between BGS and ÍSOR about the geological classification of the seabed and subsurface, as well as the potential impacts on foundation design. 

To help facilitate this partnership, Anett Blischke, a senior geoscientist at ÍSOR, led a week-long field trip in Iceland. Participants from BGS included Nicola Dakin, Andrew Finlayson, Dayton Dove and Duncan Stevens, who were joined by ISOR Árni Magnússon, Steinunn Hauksdóttir and Ögmundur Erlendsson, alongside Sigurður Friðleifsson from the National Energy Authority of Iceland (Orkustofnun).  

Visiting Iceland presented a fantastic opportunity to see excellent analogue sites onshore that are often present in the UK offshore environment, such as glacial landforms and deposits. The field visits allowed us to discuss these sites, including the glacial moraine complex of �����ð����á�������Ի�ܰ�, how geoscience fits into the offshore wind development process in Iceland and its opportunities and challenges. 

Visit to the British Embassy 

The team was also invited to the British Embassy in Reykjavk to discuss the goals of the project. Embassy staff were eager to hear about the project goals and future collaborations around geology and renewables. During the visit and in her role as task lead of the Geological Service for Europe ‘Optimised windfarm siting’ work package, Nicola Dakin highlighted the benefits of the first deliverable to the European Commission: using the new ‘Geo-Assessment Matrix’, which will develop the first draft geological complexity maps offshore Iceland and European waters. Utilising existing datasets, such as , the maps aim to serve as a first-pass assessment showing areas that have low to high geological complexity. The maps will also highlight areas that require new data acquisition where the geology is unknown. 

Fieldwork 

The team then travelled east to Landsvirkjun, the state-owned energy utility company, at ��ú���ڱ����, which is an onshore wind turbine test site consisting of two turbines that have been in situ since 2012. Here, Landsvirkjun has been testing the development of onshore wind potential, using the powerful and persistent winds in the Icelandic highlands. Environmental impact assessments have been important to ensure that the effects on the area are minimised and a 200 MW windfarm has received development approval. 

The field trip continued along south Iceland coastal ribbon, where the team observed active volcanic, tectonic, sedimentary and glacial processes, the effects of sea level changes, and geohazards. Such onshore analogues are critical to understanding the geological processes found in offshore environments. Starting in the west, at Stokkseyri, and travelling to Jökulsárlón (‘Diamond Beach’) in the east, the team visited a range of geological outcrops and sites highlighting the variety of tectonic, sedimentary and volcanic challenges.  

South Iceland offers a variety of geological features that can be studied to better understand the offshore environment: variable topography, ancient lava flows and glacial landforms tens of metres high. Understanding depositional environments, such as those around �����Բ��ڱ��������ö��ܱ���, is key to understanding their effects on sedimentology and any possible engineering implications in advance of foundation design and installation. 

The final study location of Melasveit consists of an outcrop near Akranes, north-west of Reykjavk. The locality exposes ancient glaciotectonised sediments in a cliff section along the beach (Sigfúsdóttir et al., 2018). This cross-section is an excellent analogue to the lateral and vertical heterogeneity, and possible geotechnical impacts, of glaciotectonised sediments, which are also observed in windfarm sites the North Sea. 

The final, fortuitous and (naturally) most spectacular geological phenomenon was a visit to the fissure eruption that began during our visit on 22 August 2024 near the Blue Lagoon and the Svartsengi geothermal energy plant. Icelandic authorities closed the roads to protect people; however, the eruption and lava flows can be observed safely from the roadside.  

Future collaboration 

Iceland is a country full of opportunity regarding offshore wind potential. The geohazards and geological constraints in the offshore environment require a full assessment to better understand the influence on foundation types and design. BGS openly welcomes ÍSOR and Orkustofnun for further workshops and continuing our collaboration in the future. 

More information 

Field guide 

A summarising the visited sites is available online. 

References 

Sigfúsdóttir, T, Benediktsson, Í Ö, and Phillips, E. 2018. . Boreas, Vol. 47(3), 813–836. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12306;

As part of our NERC ‘Exploring the frontiers’ grant, Dr Peter Wynn of Lancaster University and I have been out undertaking fieldwork in the Matienzo valley in northern Spain. The Matienzo valley is a fantastic karstic depression; it over two million years old and contains hundreds of kilometres of natural cave systems. Beyond its fantastic history of use as a repository for scientific data, the region is also heavily used by recreational cavers and cave explorers.��

Our current work is focused on a small cave system called Llanio, just outside the main Matienzo karst depression. The work aims to develop a novel method for extracting cave speleothem (stalagmite) formation temperatures.

Cave temperatures

Caves have stable annual temperatures, only fluctuating within one degree over the annual cycle. This stable temperature reflects the average external annual temperature very accurately. For this reason, the development of a palaeothermometer from speleothem carbonate has been something of a ‘holy grail’ for palaeoclimate scientists over the last 50 or more years.��

The entrance to Llanio involves a flat-out crawl for several metres before some more small passages lead into the larger sections of the cave, where our water and speleothem sampling takes place. This spring, the crawl was made even worse than normal as the entrance had numerous large spiders in residence and the remains of some unidentifiable animal that we had to crawl over on both the way in and way out of the cave!

Inside the caves

Once we entered the cave, we had an excellent and productive research trip. We were able to collect numerous water samples and extract the phosphate from them using an in-cave chemical extraction method. The data from these samples will be compared to what we would expect at the known cave temperature. We also collected some already-broken calcite, which we will dissolve later back in the BGS Stable Isotope Facility.��

Further work

All these samples will be collated with samples that have been sent to us from collaborators from around the world, to see if we can use our new method to develop a reliable cave palaeothermometer in the BGS laboratories.

About the author

Dr Andrew Smith

Geothermal systems consist of fluids heated by underlying bedrock, providing not only renewable geothermal energy resources, but potentially also some of the critical metals, such as lithium, that are vital for the decarbonisation of the economy.

The Royal Society-funded Lithium Energy Geothermal (LEG) project, which ended in June 2024, investigated the resource potential of lithium in geothermal fluids, to increase the economic viability of renewable energy from geothermal power generation. The focal point of the project was knowledge exchange between BGS and the (CNR-IGG). This was facilitated by hydrothermal fluid/rock interaction experiments at laboratory scale and field visits to geothermal sites in both the UK and Italy, which aimed to foster new collaborations for future research programmes.

With BGS-led visits already held in south-west England focusing on lithium geothermal prospects, the project turned to both the active and fossilised geothermal systems of southern Tuscany for its final phase. The BGS team were met by representatives from CNR-IGG and , alongside academics from the .

Both Cornwall and Tuscany, including the island of Elba, share some similar geological features. These include intrusive rocks enriched in lithium, hot groundwaters that can leach lithium, and structural controls that enable the movement of these waters. Sharing our knowledge helps us look for common controls on the subsurface processes, including controls that have universal importance.

Christopher Rochelle, BGS Geochemist.

The active geothermal system in Tuscany

An active geothermal system in southern Tuscany, known as the Larderello-Travale geothermal field (LTGF), is used by the energy production company Enel Green Power for power generation. Deep wells extract steam directly from the geothermal system and direct it through pipelines to turbines in the nearby geothermal power plants to generate electricity. The steam is then condensed, separating water from non-condensable gases including hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and small amounts of mercury, which is naturally present in the geothermal fluid.

The non-condensable gases are processed, capturing and removing mercury using sorbent beds and converting H₂S to sulfur dioxide (SO₂). The SO₂ is absorbed into the water-cooling circuit at the plant. This process is known as the mercury and hydrogen sulfide emissions abatement system (AMIS).

The condensed water is then sent through re-injection wells into the reservoir, where high temperatures (up to 300°C) turn it back into steam.

There are two geothermal reservoirs:

• shallow, at depths between 500 and 1500 m
• deep, between 2 and 4 km

The shallow reservoir tapped by Enel Green Power is hosted within brecciated Triassic carbonates and evaporites; the deeper reservoir is hosted within fractured metamorphic schists and, locally, granites.

Geothermal site visits

On the first day of our Tuscan adventure, the BGS team was greeted by geologists from CNR-IGG at Castiglioncello magnesite mine. This an impressive example of serpentinite carbonation, which provides evidence of the role that crustal scale fractures play in mixing mantle-derived and meteoric (surface) fluids in geothermal systems. Later, we were taken to several geothermal sites, including:

• the Enel Green Power Geothermal Energy Headquarters
• the Nuova Sasso geothermal power plant, which is one of thirty power plants operated by Enel Green Power in the region
• the active geothermal sites at Le Biancane

At Nuova Sasso, we were shown the main components of the geothermal power plant, which produces approximately 20 megawatts (MW) of power. Following a long drive, the team then caught a ferry to the island of Elba, where we spent the next couple of days in the field learning about the exhumed fossilised geothermal system that is analogous to the LTGF.

The fossilised geothermal system

The BGS team was joined by Andrea Brogi and Domenico Liotta from the University of Bari Aldo Moro, who were halfway through their geological mapping of Elba. The geothermal fluids of Elba circulated through deformed Triassic sediments of the Verrucano Formation as well as a deeper reservoir, which is hosted by fractured metamorphic schists and the upper levels of the emplaced Porto Azzurro monzogranite intrusion.

The geothermal system on the island was ‘fossilised’ following the eastward migration of magmatism since the late Miocene (Liotta et al, 2021), reducing the temperature of the underlying fractured and faulted rocks. That magmatism now underlies the LTGF in Tuscany.

The fracture network that was the conduit for the hot fluids has been sealed by fracture and fault infill. Subsequent regional uplift and erosion has exposed the fossilised system, allowing geologists, including our team, to observe and investigate the ancient geothermal plumbing in detail.

The team visited a variety of sites to observe the fossilised geothermal system, including an exposure of the Zuccale Fault that is partly responsible for fracturing and faulting the Triassic sediments hosting the shallow geothermal reservoir on the Italian mainland. Additional sites included the Topinetti iron deposit, the Rio de Torre skarn deposit and tourmalinite occurrences at Barbarossa Beach.

The Topinetti iron deposit consists of haematite, magnetite and sulfide mineralised veins hosted within the hanging wall of the altered and deformed metasediments of the Verrucano Formation. It has been exploited for iron since the Etruscan inhabitation of Elba in the ninth to eighth centuries BCE, right up to the 1970s. The deposit is estimated to have produced 60 million tonnes of iron ore. Nearby beaches contain clasts of slag, suggesting the presence of historic processing of iron ore in the area.

Putting a LEG forward: next steps

The LEG project provided a fantastic opportunity for UK and Italian scientists to exchange knowledge on their geothermal systems both in the field and in the laboratory. Through numerous conversations and data interpretation, we are positive that simultaneous extraction of earth resources should be pursued where possible, but further work is needed to fully understand geothermal systems and metal endowment on a case-by-case basis.

Our strong international partnership has already won funding from the , enabling the continuation of the research programme initiated by the Royal Society International Exchanges fund. This project will see the BGS work with Domenico Liotta of the University of Bari Aldo Moro on structural controls of geothermal systems in Cornwall and Tuscany, and apply this knowledge to help understand a less-well described geothermal system in Catalonia, Spain.

51���� in Italy

With busy days out in the field observing the evidence of both active and geothermal systems, the BGS team worked up an appetite and took the chance to sample some world-famous Italian cuisine. We enjoyed local seafood in Claudio restaurant in Rio Marina on the island of Elba and stone-baked pizzas in a quirky restaurant hidden in the narrow streets of Pisa. We are grateful for the guidance of the CNR-IGG during this field visit, and ENEL Green Power for access to the geothermal powerplant. And with all that said…when in Pisa?

Ciao!

Representatives

Further reading

51���� and Iceland GeoSurvey (ÍSOR) will collaborate and share their knowledge on windfarm development to help drive the opportunity for offshore Icelandic renewable energy.

As part of the one-year project, there will be two field trips, one to Iceland in August 2024 and another to Scotland in September 2024. These trips will combine fieldwork and workshops focused on knowledge exchange, particularly on the process of geological ground-model development. They will highlight how geologists characterise the geology and outline potential geological constraints at the seabed, near the seabed surface, and in changing coastal domains.

As part of the Icelandic fieldwork, the BGS-ÍSOR partnership will be heading to �����ð����á�������Ի�ܰ�, the largest glacial outwash plain in the world. This site is an analogue for subsurface conditions expected in buried palaeo-landscapes found in the North Sea. Both countries have rugged coastlines with varying bedrock characteristics. Additionally, Iceland must account for geodynamic shifts due to tectonic plate movements and volcanic eruptions.

Upon project completion, the partnership will gain a deeper understanding of glacial systems, focusing on the range and distribution of sediments and bedrock properties resulting from the diverse coastal formations off the coast of Iceland compared to the UK. This insight will enable project partners to make more informed assessments regarding foundation designs for renewable energy infrastructure.

The NERC-Arctic grant and cooperation with the 51���� is an exciting opportunity for Iceland to chart and access a completely new area of the renewable industry, as Iceland’s focus has been traditionally onshore in geothermal and hydropower production. This collaboration is the beginning of a better understanding of the opportunities and de-risking processes for offshore renewables in extreme environments for Iceland.

Anett Blischke, marine geoscientist at ÍSOR and the University of Iceland.

51���� and ÍSOR are part of the Geological Service for Europe (GSEU), aiming to create partnerships and knowledge exchange between countries on optimising offshore windfarm siting. The NERC-Arctic grant is an exciting example of gaining insights into subsurface variability through applied fieldwork, leading to further understanding on the potential impact on foundation design for offshore renewables in different geological settings.

Nicola Dakin, BGS Marine Geoscientist.

The is an opportunity for researchers based in the United Kingdom and Iceland to make joint applications for bursaries ranging from £5000 to a maximum of £20 000 to support active participation in new partnerships.

European policy is clear in its ambition to deliver a sustainable urban future for Europe. This research, led by BGS and the EuroGeoSurveys’ Urban Geology Expert Group, considers the role of urban geoscience in helping to achieve these ambitions by highlighting the relevance of geology to urban subsurface planning and wider policy.

Despite the lack of explicit reference to urban underground or subsurface space in key policy documents, the research identifies a significant number of priority urban issues for which geological characterisation is a pre-requisite (such as mitigation of climate impacts and delivering net zero energy) and where implementing nature-based solutions forms part of the answer.

Urban future

By 2050, it is likely that humanity will have become a predominantly urban species, with 70 per cent of the global population expected to be living in cities and the surrounding urban sprawl (International Organization for Migration, 2015).

Whilst cities deliver economic benefits, high urban populations place extreme pressures on land, the environment and natural resources, and are major contributors to climate change (Smith and Bricker, 2021). Urban centres only cover approximately 3 per cent of the land surface, but they account for more than 70 per cent of energy consumption and 75 per cent of carbon emissions (Smith and Bricker, 2021). The impact of urbanisation, therefore, extends far beyond its physical footprint.

Although cities are part of the problem, as centres of innovation, knowledge, and economic prosperity, they must also be a solution. Global programmes, including the (SDGs), recognise the role of cities in delivering climate targets and sustainable approaches. These global ambitions are also adopted at a European level, through, for example:

Urban geoscience establishes the need for city masterplans to include geological considerations, including hazard management, use of natural resources and nature-based solutions. These draw on a range of disciplines such as engineering geology, hydrogeology and environmental geology, and utilise a range of technologies such as geological modelling and remote sensing.

Urban strategies for subsurface management

One of the primary routes to embed subsurface information in city decision making is the development of underground masterplans and supplementary planning guidance for subsurface land uses.

Approaches to subsurface governance vary between countries; some focus on land-use zoning to protect future subsurface development, for example for future transport infrastructure, which is achieved through national planning policy. Others aim to protect rights to underground resources, such as water, minerals, oil and gas, through environmental regulation. The national-level approach to subsurface governance ultimately dictates the extent to which geological information is included within the planning process.

European policies

A review of some key European urban and environmental policies and strategies has been undertaken as part of this research, to assess the extent to which urban geoscience issues and opportunities are represented at a policy level. Even though the urban subsurface environment is not explicitly referenced and there is no direct mention of the role of geology, urban geosciences can make positive contributions to five key challenges:

• sustainable use of land
• climate impacts and mitigation
• transition to net zero energy
• implementation of nature-based solutions
• clean water

This research provides a unique perspective on recent advances in urban geoscience across Europe and, reassuringly, we see a strong line of sight between the research directions and policy needs. However, the dependencies between the policy objectives and geological context are far easier for the geologist to discern. The benefit of the EuroGeoSurveys’ Urban Geology Expert Group is that we are developing a cohort of scientists who are happy working across geological disciplines and at the boundary of their science to provide more innovative and collaborative solutions that speak to the needs of urban practitioners. We recognise that geology is only one piece of the puzzle for a sustainable urban future.

Stephanie Bricker, head of urban geoscience and spatial planning at BGS.

An evolving science

The urban geoscience discipline is successfully evolving to deliver integrated urban science in response to these policy aims. We see a strong alignment between the policy themes and the current urban pressures and research priorities identified by urban geoscientists across Europe geological surveys.

The review of urban geoscience research priorities also shows that the discipline is broadening to embrace wider geo-environmental specialisms, including geothermal expertise, geo-data and informatics, geoheritage and science policy.

Demonstrating the value of urban geoscience for different urban challenges is a future priority. It is important for the recruitment of influential stakeholders in terms of, for example:

• the value of geological data for urban development
• demonstrating the multiple benefits of nature-based solutions
• risk reduction in hazardous urban environments

As one of the more accessible geological disciplines, urban geoscience even has a role in broader geological knowledge creation in aligned non-geological organisations, and in improving diversity within geological communities.

The role of the urban geoscientist as an agent of change to enhance integrated science, improve the accessibility of geological issues and accelerate the translation of national or regional geology to local settings and to urban policy drivers should not be underestimated.

Urban geology has rapidly evolved from an emerging field to one that is becoming increasingly recognised as crucial to bridge the divides between the many sectors that meet in the urban subsurface – underground infrastructure, energy systems, transport, geological storage, geoheritage, waste management, groundwater and soil health, natural and human-induced hazards. Increasing urbanisation coupled with climate change impacts will increasingly weigh on competing uses of the urban subsurface. Because of these competing uses, urban geologists play a key role in our ability to plan for future sustainable, climate-resilient cities.

Julie Hollis, secretary general at EuroGeoSurveys.

Further reading

The full report: .

More information