The Mineral Reconnaissance Programme (MRP), funded by the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI), carried out mineral exploration reconnaissance in Great Britain between 1972 and 1997. Its main aim was to stimulate private-sector exploration and the development of indigenous mineral resources. The programme provided geological, geochemical, geophysical, mineralogical and metallogenic information on prospective areas in Britain. Work was carried out at various scales, from regional reconnaissance surveys or appraisal, to the drilling of a geochemical or geophysical anomaly. Projects were multidisciplinary, and used a combination of tried and tested methods, together with innovative techniques arising from research and development programmes. By the end of the Programme in 1997, 146 MRP reports had been issued covering localities across Great Britain. The programme was very successful in that more than half the projects reported attracted significant commercial follow-up resulting in the discovery of many new prospects. The reports are available to download via the NERC Open Research Archive (NORA).

The data is a first digital release of the UK legacy geothermal catalogue of temperature measurements, thermal conductivity measurements and heat flow calculations. The geothermal catalogue comprises data contained in numerous historic technical reports from the 1977-1991 Geothermal Energy Programme, delivered by BGS and funded by the then UK Department of Energy and the European Commission. This release contains 11,821 data points derived from 743 sites. This first digital release contains data that has been: spatially located, an identified data source, intellectual property rights (IPR) checked and assessed for release under version 3 of the Open Government Licence (OGL). There are known limitations on the dataset, including that the data is provided as it was listed in the UK legacy geothermal catalogue. Validation of the IPR and copyright status of some of the incorporated datasets was challenging and a take down policy is in operation. Further details can be found in the accompanying report https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537202

The BGS Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE) was the national strategic geochemical mapping programme in Great Britain. The project set out to establish the chemistry of the surface environment by the collection and analysis of stream sediment, stream water and soil samples. Beginning in the late 1960s in northern Scotland and moving southwards across the country, the primary focus was mineral exploration, however, the project quickly developed to address important environmental concerns. The final G-BASE samples were collected in southern England in 2014. The outputs from the G-BASE project provide an invaluable, systematic baseline of geochemical information for Great Britain, serving as a marker of the state of the environment against which to measure future change. The routine collection of regional soil samples was introduced in 1986 in areas of poor drainage density, with an average sample density of one site per 2 square kilometres. Urban soil sampling commenced in 1991, with an average density of four samples per square kilometres, for the urban areas of Belfast, Cardiff, Corby, Coventry, Derby, Doncaster, Glasgow, Hull, Ipswich, Leicester, Lincoln, Manchester, Mansfield, Northampton, Nottingham, Peterborough, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Swansea, Stoke, Telford, Wolverhampton and York. Topsoil samples were collected between depths of 5 cm and 20 cm, and were sieved through a 2 mm mesh and milled to less than 150 microns. The data include XRF and direct-reading optical emission spectrometry (DR-OES) analyses for some or all of the following elements: Ag, As, Ba, Bi, Br, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, Hf, I, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Se, Sn, Sr, Ta, Te, Th, Ti, Tl, U, V, W, Y, Zn and Zr. Loss on Ignition (LOI) and pH (in a slurry of 0.01 M CaCl2) were also routinely determined on 50% of regional and all urban samples. For more information about accessing these samples and their analytical results, contact BGS Enquiries (enquries@bgs.ac.uk).

The dataset contains triaxial compressive strength data of salt samples collected from the Northwich Halite Member at the Winsford Mine in Cheshire, UK. Each sample was subjected to varying strain or displacement-equivalent rates under conventional triaxial stress conditions to evaluate its mechanical response to different loading conditions. The experiments were conducted over two testing campaigns between July 2022 and August 2023, using a servo-controlled stiff load frame in the Rock Mechanics and Physics Laboratory at the British Geological Survey, Keyworth, UK. The dataset is organized into individual Microsoft Excel files, each corresponding to a single test and containing parameters such as time, force, stress, displacement, and strain. A summary file detailing sample characteristics and test conditions is also included.

The BGS Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE) was the national strategic geochemical mapping programme in Great Britain. The project set out to establish the chemistry of the surface environment by the collection and analysis of stream sediment, stream water and soil samples. Beginning in the late 1960s in northern Scotland and moving southwards across the country, the primary focus was mineral exploration, however, the project quickly developed to address important environmental concerns. The final G-BASE samples were collected in southern England in 2014. The outputs from the G-BASE project provide an invaluable, systematic baseline of geochemical information for Great Britain, serving as a marker of the state of the environment against which to measure future change. Stream water samples were collected at each drainage site. Four different water samples were collected routinely: two filtered waters (for major and trace elements) and two unfiltered waters (for pH, conductivity and alkalinity). Samples were collected for approximately 85% of Great Britain, but a wide range of analytes were only determined from the Wales and Humber-Trent atlas areas southwards. Stream water pH, conductivity and alkalinity were determined in the field. In the later stages of the programme, stream water samples from high order streams were analysed by ICP-AES/MS for 27 elements (Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S (as SO42-), Si, Sr, V, Y, Zn and Zr) and by quadrupole ICP-MS for 24 trace elements (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, La, Li, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sn, Th, Tl, U, V, Y and Zr). Some samples were analysed by ion chromatography (IC). Automated colorimetric methods were used to determine Cl and NO3-, and an ion selective electrode (ISE) technique was used to determine F. Waters were also analysed for non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC) to determine dissolved organic carbon content. All samples were routinely analysed for pH, conductivity and bicarbonate. Much of the UK coverage also includes uranium and fluoride analyses. For more information about accessing these samples and their analytical results, contact BGS Enquiries (enquries@bgs.ac.uk).

The BGS Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE) was the national strategic geochemical mapping programme in Great Britain. The project set out to establish the chemistry of the surface environment by the collection and analysis of stream sediment, stream water and soil samples. Beginning in the late 1960s in northern Scotland and moving southwards across the country, the primary focus was mineral exploration, however, the project quickly developed to address important environmental concerns. The final G-BASE samples were collected in southern England in 2014. The outputs from the G-BASE project provide an invaluable, systematic baseline of geochemical information for Great Britain, serving as a marker of the state of the environment against which to measure future change. Stream sediments were the primary sample medium for G-BASE, with an average density of one site per 1.5 km square. The drainage sampling sites cover most of Great Britain. Sediment was collected from the centre of the stream and sieved through two sieves (2 mm and 150 µm) to obtain a fine grain-size fraction of <150 microns. Analytical data (by a variety of analytical methods, including XRF and direct-reading optical emission spectrometry (DR-OES) for the <150 micron fraction of stream sediment samples are available for some or all of the following elements: Ag, As, Ba, Bi, Br, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, Hf, I, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Se, Sn, Sr, Ta, Te, Th, Ti, Tl, U, V, W, Y, Zn and Zr. Some stream sediment samples were originally collected as part of the Mineral Reconnaissance Programme (MRP), and later re-analysed for G-BASE. These samples may have been assigned a new sample number, but will plot at the same site. For more information about accessing these samples and their analytical results, contact BGS Enquiries (enquries@bgs.ac.uk).

A geodetic survey was used to provide ground control points for the structure from motion surveys. Black and white checked mats placed on the ground were used for the ground control points and these are visible in the structure from motion imagery. Ground control points were collected from the proximal Skeiðarársandur area (~63.9 N, 17.2 E) on the 15th to 17th April and 19th April 2022. Ground control points were collected at the Skeiðarársandur coastline (63.7 N, 17.5 E) that lie at the mouth of Gígjukvísl on 18th April 2022. In total 46 ground control points were collected providing the latitude and longitude (WGS84) of each point. The GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) data were collected using a Leica GS14 rover and base station. The rover was placed on an antenna . Antenna height was measured for each survey. The Antenna height for the rovers on 15th April-17th April, 18th April part 2 and 19th April were 2 m. The antenna height on 18th April part 1 was 0.00m. Latitude, longitude (WGS84) and elevation data was collected at each ground control point. This data was used to provide spatial control for the structure from motion survey. GNSS data was also collected during the geophysical surveys that were carried out in 11-24th June 2022. These surveys included the side-scan sonar and CHIRP data collected in a proglacial lake fronting Skeiðarárjökull and used to georeferenced the survey data. The base station data and rover data was post-processed against a permanent GNSS station located at Fagurhólsmýri (63° 52' 28.84" N 16° 39' 11.87" W) maintained by the IMO. Corrected data is used to update and shift RTK GNSS observations. This data was collected by staff at Newcastle University in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology. File format of raw data is M00 the processed data is in a text document, as pdf and ascii files.

The dataset contains unconfined compressive strength data of salt samples collected from the Northwich Halite Member at the Winsford Mine in Cheshire, UK. Each sample was unconfined and deformed under standard uniaxial stress conditions, where the primary principal stress corresponds to the axial stress and the intermediate and minimum principal stresses are equal to 0. Each sample was axially compressed using either a constant strain rate of 1e-5 per second or a constant loading rate of 200 N/s. The tests were completed using a servo-controlled stiff load frame in the Rock Mechanics and Physics Laboratory at the British Geological Survey, Keyworth UK. The data are separated into individual Microsoft Excel files, with each file representing a single test. Each file contains time, force, stress, displacement, and strain data.

The dataset contains indirect tensile strength data of salt samples collected from the Northwich Halite Member at the Winsford Mine in Cheshire, UK. Each sample was unconfined and deformed under uniaxial compression, where the primary principal stress corresponds to the axial stress and the intermediate and minimum principal stresses are equal to 0. Each sample was deformed using a constant loading rate of 200 N/s. The tests were completed using a servo-controlled stiff load frame equipped with an indirect tension fixture in the Rock Mechanics and Physics Laboratory at the British Geological Survey, Keyworth UK. The data are separated into individual Microsoft Excel files, with each file representing a single test. Each file contains time, axial force, axial displacement, and tensile stress data.

The data set consists of rock samples collected from Burnmouth, a core drilled at Norham, from Crumble Edge, Willie's Hole and Nova Scotia from 2012-2016; milled material is included. There is an Excel spreadsheet of sample numbers with location, sample height on log, lithology and fossil content. Scans of field logs from Burnmouth, Crumble Edge, Edington Mill, Pease Bay (UK) and locations in Nova Scotia, and overview drawn-up logs from Burnmouth, Norham, Crumble Edge and Willie's Hole are included. Scans of thin section scans are also included. There is a spreadsheet containing geochemistry data - sample numbers with lithology and %C, %S, d13C. These data were used to interpret the environment in which early tetrapods have been found in the early Carboniferous. Publications include: Bennett et al., 2016 (doi: 10.1111/sed.12280); Bennett et al., 2017 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.12.018 0031-0182); Clack et al., 2016, (DOI: 10.1038/s41559-016-0002); Kearsey et al., 2016 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.05.033) ; Clack et al., 2018, (doi:10.1017/S1755691018000087); Millward et al., 2018 (doi: 10.1111/sed.12465); Ross et al., 2018 (https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755691018000142)