51ÁÔÆæ has developed a new, national-scale, offshore dataset that shows the distribution of previously interpreted Quaternary rock layers in the shallow subsurface of the UK continental shelf.

The BGS Offshore Quaternary 250K datasetÌýcomprises a compilation of legacy BGS 1:250Ìý000 Quaternary geology map sheets, which were first published in the late 1980s to early 1990s. Large areas of the UK offshore are covered at a scale of 1:250Ìý000 and this is the first time these map sheets have been digitised and merged together.

The dataset is made up of vector polygons, each representing an area where a particular formation has been mapped. The legacy map sheet interpretations have not been modified during the digitisation; they are presented in their original form and have been ‘mosaiced’ together as a single digital product.

The dataset will help users, particularly those in the offshore renewables sector, to understand the stratigraphy that was mapped historically in a particular area and can be used for reference when completing site investigations.

The principal drive behind this release is to make original 1:250Ìý000 map data available in a digital format. Although work to refine Quaternary stratigraphical frameworks is ongoing, the map compilation is not informed by new data or analyses.

The Offshore Quaternary 250K dataset is the first time that these legacy offshore map sheets will be digitised, making it easier for users to access the data than ever before.

Andrew Dyson, marine geoscientist at BGS.

At over 1000 km long and 40 km deep, the Great Glen Fault is the largest geological fault structure in the UK. As part of ground investigations for SSE Renewables’ proposed pumped hydro storage scheme at the Coire Glas site on the shores of Loch Lochy in the Highlands, deep drill core was extracted from beneath the Great Glen. BGS scientists were granted a unique opportunity to study the newly drilled fault rocks that are part of the Great Glen Fault Zone. These ‘first of their kind’ core samples have lived up to their billing, with experts claiming that they give unprecedented insight into the inner workings and behaviour of crustal-scale faults worldwide.

The Great Glen Fault formed around 400 million years ago in a massive mountain-building event, as the ancient continental plates ofÌýLaurentia (North America and Scotland) and Baltica (Scandinavia, England, Wales and Europe)Ìýcollided. This tectonic event is known as theÌý. The fault stretches from Ireland, all the way through Scotland, to Norway. Today, the fault underlies the major valley of the Great Glen, which crosses the whole of Scotland and was scoured out by glaciers during the last ice age. Generally, rocks associated with the Great Glen Fault Zone remain mostly hidden to the human eye by the waters of Loch Ness, Loch Oich and Loch Lochy, along with ice age deposits along the valley floor.

The new drill core from the Coire Glas Project offers the tantalising prospect of furthering our understanding of how these fault systems work and how fluids emerging from deep within the Earth crust change the properties of the rock. Over 1500 m of core were recovered, reaching depths of 650 m below ground level. Core was drilled on the shore of Loch Lochy and from within an underground tunnel at the base of the mountain. Drilling geological core is expensive and is normally only justifiable to such extensive depths as part of major energy or infrastructure projects. The added difficulty in relation to the Great Glen Fault is that, in addition to being located in remote parts of the Highlands, fault rock can be very weak and presents a technical challenge to drill successfully.

The new geological samples provide an opportunity to understand the geological processes happening deep in the Earth crust. This is also relevant for understanding other major crustal faults, such as the San Andreas and Anatolian faults. Several key questions remain:

• does this fault connect all the way to the Earth’s mantle, thought to be at more than 30 km depth?
• what is the source of fluids in crustal fault zones?
• how do hot fluids interact and change the mechanical properties of the rocks in a fault zone?
• how many times has the fault moved in its long geological history?
• how have the hundreds of earthquakes that likely made the fault zone changed the properties of the rock?

I have had the privilege to study the first samples of these Great Glen Fault rocks using state-of the-art microscope facilities at BGS. Our findings give strong clues as to how ancient deformation processes and fluid/rock chemical reactions caused the fault to initially weaken associated with displacements of hundreds of kilometres. Remarkably, it then appears to have been cemented following later tectonic movements that channelled deeply sourced carbonate mineralisation. Much more remains to be discovered, but it is clear that these cores have the potential to elevate the Great Glen Fault to one of the great natural laboratories for fault zone studies worldwide.

Professor Bob Holdsworth, Durham University

Newly drilled core from the Coire Glas site has provided a unique opportunity to study fundamental geological processes occurring in the UK biggest fault zone. The storage of the Coire Glas core at BGS will allow access for the scientific community and will ensure that these rocks are preserved for future generations.

Romesh Palamakumbura, BGS Geologist

SSE Renewables is delighted to support the advance in scientific understanding of the Great Glen Fault and similar structures worldwide, thanks to the core that was recovered during the ground investigation for Coire Glas.ÌýAs well as being of scientific value, the recovered core has been critical for understanding ground conditions and managing ground risk as the project progresses towards a final investment decision.

SSE Renewables

The Coire Glas core will be stored and made available for future research purposes at the 51ÁÔÆæ National Geological Repository, a bespoke facility that is publicly funded through 51ÁÔÆæ and houses the UK foremost collection of geological samples. This will enable long-term preservation of the core, allowing scientists to study and attempt to unlock its secrets long into the future.

The core has the potential to help us answer fundamental geological questions about the history of the Earth as well as better understand major crustal-scale faults in seismically active regions elsewhere. It will also enable us to understand rock properties that are important for major renewable infrastructure projects, energy storage and geothermal targets. These cylinders of rock truly are one-of-a-kind windows back into our distant geological past.

In 2023, BGS entered into a data-sharing partnership with to enhance understanding of the seabed and shallow subsurface conditions across the United Kingdom continental shelf . The partnership granted BGS access to Ossian extensive survey data, with the development set to become one of the world’s largest floating wind farms.

In total the lease area covers 858Ìýkm² and is located 84Ìýkm off Scotland east coast. Once glaciated and now submerged at approximately 72Ìým depth, the site offers a unique opportunity to investigate offshore stratigraphy and geomorphology in a region undergoing rapid environmental and industrial transformation. It also allows researchers to compare findings to Ossian parent company ’ other projects in the Firth of Forth: and .

As part of the project, BGS scientists hosted a dedicated workshop attended by members of the Ossian project team, which included a mini-field trip day in Midlothian close to the BGS office in Edinburgh. The field trip allowed the project teams to explore similarities to geological features found onshore and discuss the broader implications for interpreting offshore survey data. By examining glacial deposits, meltwater channels and till sequences in a terrestrial setting, geoscientists can refine offshore geological models and reduce uncertainty in infrastructure design.

A key example observed during the field trip was the heterogeneity of the sediments across relatively small areas, with notable variations in grain size, composition and depositional structure. These complexities mirror the variability of ground conditions found offshore and highlight the importance of detailed site characterisation when planning and constructing marine infrastructure.

To help contextualise the offshore data, the field trip explored several key geological sites in Midlothian, each offering valuable insights into glacial processes and sedimentary environments similar to those observed beneath the sea.

Auchencorth Moss: Black Burn exposure (Local Geodiversity Site)

Auchencorth Moss is an extensive, peat-covered plateau dissected by small streams and drainage channels. The , where a tributary joins the River North Esk near Penicuik, features an exposure of three distinct glacial tills with varying physical characteristics and compositions. Though partially obscured by slope wash and vegetation, the upper sections remain visible and accessible for study. The exposure reveals how glacial processes deposited and reworked sediments, which act as a useful analogue for interpreting stratified units offshore.

Carlops meltwater channel

There is a classic example of a subglacial meltwater channel systems at , a Geological Conservation Review Site and partially a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The bedrock-cut channels at Carlops exhibit braided forms, rock islands and chute features. These geomorphological structures help explain the beneath ice sheets, which are also evident in offshore channel features. The site also provides a good opportunity to emphasise the scale of channel features, helping to conceptualise the variability of the offshore landscape.

Hewan Bank

, an SSSI located close to Roslin Glen, presents a textbook sequence of two tills overlain by sands and gravels. The locality has been used to construct the regional glacial stratigraphy for the Edinburgh and Lothians area.

The debate over whether these represent separate glaciations or complex depositional environments mirrors the interpretive challenges faced offshore, where seismic and core data must be carefully analysed to distinguish between similar units. The wider Roslin Glen area, known for its meltwater gorge and incised meanders, also illustrates the erosional power of glacial meltwater and the formation of geomorphological features that can be traced in offshore bathymetry and sediment records.

Collaboration

The collaboration between Ossian, SSE Renewables and BGS provides important new data that is being used to update baseline geological models for the Central North Sea and the Firth of Forth. These feed into BGS publicly available offshore maps and datasets, which support a wide range of users including developers, regulators, researchers and marine planners. Integrating data from offshore wind farms such as Ossian with existing geological frameworks will help to guide future offshore developments and promote the sustainable use of marine resources.

This initiative also builds on BGS longstanding relationship with Ossian joint venture partner SSE Renewables and highlights the value of sustained collaboration in delivering large-scale renewable energy projects. The Ossian floating wind farm, which is a joint venture between SSE Renewables, and (CIP), is set to deliver up to 3.6ÌýGW of renewable energy, enough to power 6Ìýmillion homes and offset up to 7.5Ìýmillion tonnes of carbon emissions, marking a significant step forward in the UK journey to net zero.

About the author

Catriona Macdonald
Margaret Stewart

Characterising the distribution of seabed sediments (SBS) is critical for a wide range of applications, including:

• habitat mapping
• marine ecosystem science
• mineral and aggregates assessments
• offshore infrastructure siting and monitoring
• defence
• shipping
• coastal management

51ÁÔÆæ has developed the new national-scale 51ÁÔÆæ Predictive Seabed Sediments (UK) dataset aimed at supporting these applications. The dataset comprises four digital maps that portray SBS composition, including a classified map of sediment types, as well as the predicted proportions of gravel, sand and mud across the UK continental shelf.

These detailed maps are based on about 40 000 sample measurements, as well as numerous physical covariates that relate to the spatial distribution of SBS. They were generated with the assistance of machine learning.

Understanding the nature of the seabed is fundamental for many offshore activities, from understanding benthic habitats and carbon stores to effectively designing and installing offshore infrastructure, including wind turbines and submarine cables.

Seabed sediments lie at the interface between the water column above and the variable geological substrate below. To an extent, they can be considered similar to the soil layer on land, but offshore sediments are exposed to dynamic marine conditions and are therefore potentially transitory and mobile over variable timescales, for example, during tidal, seasonal and storm cycles.

We hope that the release of the new BGS Predictive Seabed Sediments (UK) dataset will provide a useful free resource for many users, including researchers, developers and marine managers.

Dayton Dove, marine geoscientist at BGS.

The BGS Predictive Seabed Sediments (UK) dataset is now freely available to download under the Open Government Licence (OGL) and can be used in combination with other thematic 51ÁÔÆæ 250K datasets that are also now available via OGL, such as bedrock geology. It can also be used with our more recently produced, high-resolution seabed geology mapping.

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee provided initial co-funding and supported this project.

Seventy-four days offshore, 718 cores and 871.83 m of total core from three locations: this is the successful outcome after the end of offshore operations of IODP³-NSF Expedition 501: New England Shelf hydrogeology. The goal of the expedition was to take samples not only of sediment cores, but also of the water stored in both sandy aquifers and clayey aquitards beneath the ocean floor. Their existence has been known for decades but they remained virtually unexplored — until now.

The expedition is a joint collaboration between the International Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP³) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF), with the expedition being managed and technically supported by the team at BGS.

We set out with lofty goals of understanding the origin and age of this offshore freshened groundwater system through sampling of sediment and water in a difficult drilling environment consisting of sand and mud. With great teamwork between the science team, the technical staff and the drilling crew, we managed to get great samples, including via multiple groundwater pumping tests.

Those tests were a critical to the expedition and a first for scientific ocean drilling. And we did it! Now we have the samples for the science team to really dive into the data and understand the system, which will be helpful for understanding other offshore freshened groundwater systems around the world.

Prof Brandon Dugan, expedition co-chief scientist.

The pump tests were challenging and required us to adapt our processes to get the best possible samples of the groundwater. In the end we pumped nearly 50 000 litres of water from nine distinct places, in terms of location and depth below the sea floor.

This is a huge success story for something so novel. For me in particular, as a geochemist and not a hydrogeologist, I am so appreciative to everyone that leant their expertise. The team of hydrogeologists from the 51ÁÔÆæ especially was outstanding.

Rebecca Robinson, expedition co-chief scientist.

During the expedition, the science team rotated on and off the Liftboat Robert, transported by helicopter or supply vessel. The entire science team will meet for the onshore operations at the Bremen Core Repository, at the Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen (MARUM), in January and February 2026 to split, sample and analyse the sediment cores and water collected. The cores will be archived and made accessible for further scientific research for the scientific community after a one-year moratorium period. All the expedition data will eventually be open access in the IODP³ MSP data portal in PANGAEA and resulting outcomes will be published.

I’m absolutely delighted for our BGS colleagues and the whole expedition team, who have delivered this outstanding and unique project for IODP³. The sediment cores, water samples and logging data they helped collect will now be analysed by the international science team to better understand the New England continental shelf and its freshened groundwater system, and I expect some groundbreaking results will emerge in the months and years ahead.

David McInroy, BGS project lead.

International approach

51ÁÔÆæ scientists are part of a science team with over 40 members from 13 nations (Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the USA) that takes part in the expedition. The expedition itself consists of two phases: offshore and onshore operations. Offshore operations took place between May and early August 2025.

The expedition is conducted by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD) as part of the International Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP³), funded by IODP³ and the US National Science Foundation (NSF).

More information

In the 1960s, scientists were quite surprised when they looked at their data: it clearly showed that there was fresh or freshened water under the ocean floor. How did it get there? How long has it been there? Scientists have been trying to find answers to these questions since their intriguing discovery.

Starting in May 2025, an international team of scientists will embark on an expedition to take a closer look at and take samples from this freshened water stored beneath the ocean floor. Prof Karen Johannesson of University of Massachusetts Boston and Prof Brandon Dugan of Colorado School of Mines are the co-chief scientists of this international expedition. Samples will be collected using the lift boat L/B Robert, which departed from the port of Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA, on May 19.

Seventy per cent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, but water also flows beneath its surface. Most coastal communities rely on traditional onshore aquifers for fresh water; however, in many locations worldwide, onshore aquifers may have an offshore component where freshened water exists under the ocean floor. Even though the existence of these waters has been known for decades, they remain virtually unexplored. This will change through the groundbreaking research to be completed during this expedition, which is a collaboration between the International Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP³) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF). For the first time, scientists on IODP³-NSF Expedition 501 ‘New England Shelf hydrogeology’ will take water and sediment samples from beneath the ocean on the New England Shelf with the intention of understanding this offshore aquifer system.

Aim: validate hypotheses about water origin

The key priority for researchers is to gain more knowledge about the origin of freshened groundwater in offshore aquifers so that they can confirm or dismiss existing hypotheses. For example, current hypotheses are that the water could have charged the aquifers at a time when sea level was 100 m lower than it is today, or perhaps it was generated under an ice sheet or pro-glacial lake during a glacial period such as existed approximately 450 000 and approximately 20 000 years ago.

We have anecdotal evidence of offshore freshened groundwater from samples and marine geophysical surveys. We have used this evidence to develop hypotheses on timing and mechanism of emplacement. It is exciting to use established scientific ocean drilling approaches with modern data analyses to provide direct tests of our hypotheses. Overall, this work offshore New England will help us better understand offshore freshened groundwater around the world.

Prof Brandon Dugan, hydrogeologist, Colorado School of Mines.

To date, we know very little about the dynamics of these shoreline-crossing groundwater systems and the age of the water in these systems, and even less about their influence on cycling of nutrients and trace elements and their isotopes.

Prof Karen Johannesson, environmental geochemist, University of Massachusetts Boston.

The expedition is managed and technically supported by the team at BGS. A special platform, the L/B Robert, equipped with a small drilling rig, will be used to access the sediments below the ocean floor at up to three locations on the New England Shelf offshore from the coast of Massachusetts, USA. The locations are in relatively shallow water and were identified through numerous preliminary geoscientific investigations. Sediment cores and water samples will be taken down to a maximum depth of 550 m below the ocean floor and will be examined by researchers from various disciplines drawn from across the international scientific community.

High societal relevance: to better understand aquifers around the world

The team believes that the data acquired will help to better understand the processes that lead to the emplacement of freshwater lenses in offshore coastal plain sediments and why this freshened water is present. The findings will be relevant for the hydrogeology of the New England Shelf and for multiple similar settings elsewhere around the world.

The research is essential for a better understanding of the biogeochemical and elemental cycles in the continental shelf environment and will support a focus on the protection and sustainable management of offshore freshwater systems.

Staff from BGS have critical roles in the expedition, including offshore operations management (Leonardo Barbosa; Graham Tulloch), offshore project management (Jeremy Everest; Margaret Stewart; Raushan Arnhardt), IT and data management (Mary Mowat; Alan Douglas; Julian Gray), and onshore project management and leadership (David McInroy). With the expedition extra focus on groundwater fieldwork, BGS is providing extra hydrogeology and geochemistry technical support (Chelsea Bambrick, Rachel Bell, Bentje Brauns, Jack Brickell, Rebecca N Chonchubhair, Antonio Ferreira, Alex Mulcahy, Kyle Walker-Verkuil).

The team is incredibly excited to be finally heading out to sea to begin field operations, after many years of planning with project partners. We hope to recover invaluable core material and groundwater samples to improve our understanding of the development of the New England Shelf and the freshened water reservoirs underlying it. Scientific ocean drilling is technically challenging, expensive and therefore infrequent, which makes it a privilege to be part of such a project. We have a reasonable idea of what to expect in our boreholes, but there always the chance of discovering something unexpected scientifically, and that what makes offshore fieldwork so exciting.

David McInroy, BGS project lead.

The expedition aims to find answers to the following questions:

• how old is the freshened groundwater and when was it emplaced?
• how much fresh water is there?
• how does the fresh water interact with sea water?
• what microbial communities are involved?
• what sources of carbon do microbes use?
• what is the general cycling of nutrients and energy in the shelf sediments?
• how might these fresh waters influence nutrient, carbon and metal concentrations in sea water?

International approach

Forty-one science team members from 13 nations (Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA) will take part in the expedition, which consists of two phases: offshore and onshore operations. Offshore operations will take place between May and early August 2025. The entire science team will meet for the onshore work at the Bremen Core Repository, at MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen (Germany) in January 2026 to split, sample and analyse the sediment cores and interpret the data collected. The cores will be archived and made accessible for further scientific research for the scientific community after a one-year moratorium period following an onshore operations phase of the expedition. All expedition data will be open access and resulting outcomes published.

The expedition is conducted by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD) as part of the International Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP³), funded by IODP³ and NSF. IODP³ is a publicly funded international marine research program supported by 16 countries, which explores Earth’s history and dynamics recorded in sea-floor sediments and rocks and monitors subsea-floor environments. Through multiple platforms — a feature unique to IODP³ — scientists sample the deep biosphere and subsea-floor ocean, environmental change, processes and effects, and solid-Earth cycles and dynamics.

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The was officially announced as a UNESCO Global Geopark on Thursday 17 April 2025. Arran contains a variety of rock types and structures, vast archaeological and geological heritage, and an array of habitats that all make it a truly unique location. The island has a diverse range of plants and animals that benefit from the landscape and underlying geology, which means that Scotland ‘big five’ — golden eagles, red deer, red squirrels, otters and harbour seals — are well established.

±«±··¡³§°ä°¿&²Ô²ú²õ±è; are areas with internationally important landscapes and rocks, all of which are managed responsibly for conservation, education and sustainable development. Although geology is their foundation, Global Geoparks also bring together other aspects of heritage such as archaeology, history, culture and biodiversity. Collaboration with local people makes the Global Geoparks better places to work, live and visit.

51ÁÔÆæ contributes to the development of UNESCO Global Geoparks through the UK Committee for UNESCO Global Geoparks, which is responsible for coordinating Global Geoparks at a national level, and the submission of UK candidates for UNESCO Global Geopark designation. BGS is also able to provide geological information, such as and photos.

There are now 229 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 50 countries, 10 of which are located in the UK, including the Isle of Arran. Two other Global Geoparks in Scotland are the North-west Highlands and Shetland.  Other UK Global Geoparks include the Black Country in the West Midlands of England, Fforest Fawr in south Wales, Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark in Northern Ireland.

Through my role as Chair of the UK Committee for UNESCO Global Geoparks, I mentor aspiring UNESCO Global Geoparks in the UK and have worked with the Isle of Arran over the past four years to develop its application.

Arran is truly special in terms of its geology, archaeology and habitats, and we are delighted that this has been recognised and that the island has been named as a UNESCO Global Geopark. Congratulations to all those involved.

Dr Kirstin Lemon, science programme manager at the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland and Chair of the UK Committee for UNESCO Global Geoparks.

The geology of Arran is truly special. Features of the island include folded rocks from ancient Caledonian mountains, red desert sandstone, footprints of extinct reptiles, and a great variety of dykes, sills and intrusions, formed when the Atlantic Ocean opened. It was at Arran that James Hutton, the ‘father of modern geology’, found the first example of an unconformity, now one of three Hutton unconformities. The granites of Goat Fell, Cir Mhòr and Beinn Tarsuinn are sculpted into intriguing shapes by ice, wind and water, and bear some of the finest rock-climbing routes in Scotland. I congratulate the local community for their hard work making Arran a UNESCO Global Geopark.

Dr Maarten Krabbendam, BGS Chief Geologist, Scotland.

 

As a geologist and geophysicist, my research focuses on understanding whether Scotland radiothermal granites could help unlock a new source of sustainable geothermal energy for the UK. In summer 2024, I conducted a three-week field campaign to study the potential for geothermal energy in the Cairngorms with a team of other geoscientists. 

The Cairngorms: more than just mountains

Geothermal energy is often associated with places like Iceland or other volcanic hot spots, but Scotland ancient granites may also be able to supply sustainable heat. The Cairngorm Pluton, part of the East Grampians Batholith, is one of the UK highest heat-producing granites, with intriguing geothermal potential. My work combines geophysical surveying with laboratory experiments to explore this potential, whilst addressing uncertainties about the region geology. 

Using magnetotellurics to explore below the surface

Magnetotellurics (MT) is a deep-sounding geophysical technique that uses the Earth natural electromagnetic field to produce images of the conductivity properties of the rocks in the subsurface. It can also be used to map features like fluid pathways and fractures located several kilometres below the surface. These pathways are critical for geothermal energy because they act as conduits for the fluids transporting heat. 

During my fieldwork in the Cairngorms, we set up 24 MT stations using instruments on loan from the NERC Geophysical Equipment Facility across the region. These were deployed by a team comprising myself and: 

• 51ÁÔÆæ staff members 

• Heriot-Watt University staff 

• other postgraduate researchers 

• a Cairngorm ranger 

• a University of St Andrews undergraduate student 

The MT equipment uses two types of sensor:  (1) non-polarisable electrodes, which measure the ground electric field, and (2) induction coil magnetometers, which measure changes in the magnetic field. The setup at each site required us to bury the sensors to protect them from the fierce weather conditions.

The data collected from the sensors will allow us to produce images of the Earth electrical resistivity below the surface using a mathematical process called data inversion. Ideally, the images could show zones with lower electrical conductivity, where fractures in the rocks are present within the resistive granite. These could be potential geothermal reservoirs from which heat can be extracted.

Fieldwork challenges and discoveries

Conducting fieldwork in the beautiful but bleak Cairngorms is both rewarding and challenging. With no roads in much of the area, we had to carry our equipment, including a 20 kg battery, over many kilometres of hiking paths and sometimes beyond any trails. Navigating deep bogs, steep bouldery terrain and elevations of up to 1250 m while braving sudden weather changes was an adventure in itself. In June 2024 we had seven consecutive days of snow fall on the mountain!

In addition to the MT fieldwork, I surveyed the geological structures and outcrops and collected samples for later laboratory analysis. One memorable moment came when we discovered a zone of extensive hydrothermal alteration of the granite near Stob Coire an t-Sneachda. This is possible evidence of hot fluids chemically changing the rock many millions of years ago. This alteration is significant because it could enhance the porosity and permeability of the rock, which are crucial factors for geothermal reservoirs.

Why it matters

Geothermal energy offers a constant, low-carbon source of heat, making it a promising candidate for the UK renewable energy mix. Additionally, its small land footprint and minimal surface infrastructure requirements mean it can provide sustainable energy with reduced visual impact, preserving the natural landscape. My research aims to de-risk geothermal exploration in Scotland, providing the scientific basis for future projects that could benefit communities and combat climate change.

Next steps

With my first year of fieldwork complete, I’m back in the laboratory, analysing samples and processing the MT data to build a three-dimensional resistivity map of the Cairngorm Pluton. Combining geophysical models with laboratory-based analyses will bring us closer to understanding the geothermal potential of this region of Scotland.

Thanks

Thanks go to Nathaniel Forbes Inskip and Andreas Busch from Heriot-Watt University and Juliane Huebert from BGS.

All images kindly reproduced with permission. For enquiries about the images within this article, please contact the copyright team (IPR@bgs.ac.uk).