A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales with Part of Scotland by William Smith, British Geological Survey, 拢15, ISBN 0751834173
The Geology of Northern Ireland: Our natural foundation edited by Ian Mitchell, Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, 拢10, ISBN 0852724543
Britain Beneath our Feet: An atlas of digital information on Britain鈥檚 geology edited by Ian Jackson, British Geological Survey, 拢5, ISBN 0852724799 Reviewed by Douglas Palmer
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THE STORY of how Ireland and the British Isles have been cobbled together over geological time, from bits of North Africa and North America, is quite remarkable. In 1815, when William Smith produced his innovative geological map (now beautifully reproduced at half scale by the British Geological Survey), none of this history was known. Since then geological mapping has revealed the surprising and almost unbelievable deep history of these small islands.
Northern Ireland, like Scotland, was once part of North America and The Geology of Northern Ireland recounts its curious geological history. Excellent design and illustration make a complicated story palatable for the general reader and invaluable to students of geology, especially at this price. The rest of the UK is covered in a similar accessible style by the British Geological Survey鈥檚 series of regional guides.
Britain beneath our feet is an index atlas to the vast amount of digital information now available on Britain鈥檚 land quality, underground hazards, resources and geology. The fine details on the website () are pretty technical, but the atlas provides very useful general maps on everything from rocks to radon levels and risk of flooding.