NI Scientists Help 'Strip Earth Bare'

This image of the earth, stripped bare of plants, soils, water and man-made structures, is the result of the world's biggest ever geological mapping project.



Earth and computer scientists from 79 nations, have worked together on OneGeology, a global project to produce the first digital geological map of the world.

The results of this project will do the same for the rocks beneath our feet that Google Earth has done for maps of the earth's surface.

The scientists achieved their goal just over one year after initiating the world-wide project. 



OneGeology is supported by UNESCO and six other international umbrella bodies.

It is the flagship project for UN International Year of Planet Earth 2008 and its findings will be unveiled at 33rd International Geological Congress in Oslo, Norway on 6 August 2008. The key results of the project are:

• Geological maps from around the globe are accessible on the World Wide Web.
• A new web language has been written for geology which allows nations to share data with each other and the public.
• The know-how to do this is being exchanged so that all nations across the world, regardless of their development status, can take part and benefit.

Garth Earls, Director of the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) said: "GSNI has a particularly close working relationship with UNESCO due to its management role of the global Geopark network.


"Our involvement in this flagship project for International Year of Planet Earth places Northern Ireland firmly at the front of this global geological shop window.



"GSNI will also be presenting two conference papers at this world geological congress on the subject of the Tellus project, a geochemical and geophysical survey of the earth's surface and subsurface throughout Northern Ireland from 2004 to 2007.

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Explaining the significance of OneGeology, Ian Jackson, Chief of Operations at the British Geological Survey, who is coordinating the project explained: "Geological maps are essential tools in finding natural resources such as water, hydrocarbons and minerals, and when planning to mitigate geohazards including earthquakes, volcanoes and radon.

"Natural resources are a crucial source of wealth for all nations, especially those that need to develop and build their economies. Identifying geohazards is often a matter of life or death. 



"Other challenges facing all nations in the 21st century include rising sea levels, management of waste (nuclear or domestic) and storage of carbon. Knowledge of the rocks that we all live on has become increasingly important and sharing that knowledge at a time of global environmental change is crucial."



The scientists will be unveiling the result of their work at the 33rd International Geological Congress in Oslo, Norway on 6 August 2008.

(PR/JM)