Links

Local and national geological societies

Essex Rock and Mineral Society
The largest geological society in Essex, founded in 1967. Based in Shenfield and Stanway but with members throughout the county, and country.
www.erms.org

Essex Field Club
The Essex Field Club, founded in 1880, exists to promote the study of the county’s natural history, and includes geology amongst its many activities. The club has a centre for Biodiversity and Geodiversity in Wat Tyler Country Park at Pitsea, near Basildon. It is open to the public most weekends.
www.essexfieldclub.org.uk

Geologists’ Association
The Geologists’ Association is Britain’s largest society for amateur geologists.
www.geologistsassociation.org.uk

Geological Society of London
An international body which represents professional geologists. It was founded in 1807 and is the oldest geological society in the world. It has a number of educational resources on its website under ‘Education and careers’.
www.geolsoc.org.uk

Open University Geological Society
Now the UK’s largest geological society with nearly 2500 members and over 200 events each year.
ougs.org

Quaternary Research Association
The QRA is an organisation for all those interested in research into the problems of the Ice Age or the Quaternary Era.
www.qra.org.uk

Hertfordshire Geological Society
HGS is for anyone interested in geology, whether new to the subject or experienced, amateur or professional.
www.hertsgeolsoc.org.uk

Rockwatch
A nationwide club for young people interested in rocks, minerals and fossils.
www.rockwatch.org.uk

British Geological Survey (BGS)

British Geological Survey
The UK’s national geological survey.
www.bgs.ac.uk

The BGS publishes numerous geological maps and guides. The BGS London Information Office in the Natural History Museum has the most comprehensive selection of maps and guides in the country. It has numerous resources for amateur geologists, for example:

BGS Geology of Britain viewer
This simple Geology of Britain viewer helps you explore the geology around where you live. Pan and zoom to where you live, click on an area of interest and reveal the rocks beneath your feet.

BGS iGeology
iGeology is a free smartphone App that lets you take a geological map of Britain with you wherever you go to help you learn about the rocks beneath your feet.

BGS borehole records
The BGS Borehole record viewer offers direct, online access to the National Geoscience Data Centre collection of onshore scanned boreholes, shafts and well records.

BGS archive of geological photographs
View and download thousands of images

Local geoconservation organisations

GeoEast
GeoEast is the East of England Geodiversity Partnership. It is a partnership of organisations active in conserving and promoting Earth heritage in the six counties of the region (including Essex).
www.geo-eastevents.org.uk

Cambridgeshire Geological Society
The Cambridgeshire Geological Sites Team is part of the Cambridgeshire Geological Society.
www.cambsgeology.org

GeoConservation Kent
GeoConservation Kent is an association of people who identify, conserve, enhance and research geological sites in Kent.
www.geoconservationkent.org.uk

GeoSuffolk
GeoSuffolk is an association of geologists committed to promoting understanding and appreciation of the landscape and geology of Suffolk.
www.geosuffolk.co.uk

London Geodiversity Partnership
The LGP exists to promote and protect the geodiversity of Greater London, which includes the five London boroughs that were formerly part of Essex (Barking, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest). In these boroughs, GeoEssex works with the LGP to promote several of these sites, an example being Bedfords Park in Havering, where Essex Wildlife Trust have a visitor centre.
www.londongeopartnership.org.uk

National and international geoconservation

UK Geodiversity Action Plan
The UKGAP is a framework for enhancing the importance and role of geodiversity in the UK.
www.ukgap.org.uk

Earth Heritage magazine
Earth Heritage magazine is produced twice a year for the geological and landscape community by English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Countryside Council for Wales and The Wildlife Trusts. The files here contain selected articles from the magazines.
www.earthheritage.org.uk

Joint Nature Conservation Committee
JNCC’s key role in Earth heritage work is the publication of the 42 volume Geological Conservation Review Series. The series describes the 3000 important Earth heritage sites in the UK.
http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/earthheritage

Natural England
Natural England leads on Earth heritage conservation in England with approximately 1300 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in England which have been selected for their internationally important Earth science interest.
www.naturalengland.org.uk

GeoConservation UK
Geoconservation UK is a partnership of geoconservation organisations in the UK.
www.geoconservationuk.org.uk

The Geology Trusts
The Geology Trusts is a multi-regional umbrella organisation established to support county-based geoconservation groups across England.
www.thegeologytrusts.org

ProGEO
ProGEO is the European association for the conservation of the geological heritage. It is working to promote the protection of Europe’s typical and important landscapes.
www.progeo.ngo

Other Websites

Essex Wildlife Trust
The Essex Wildlife Trust owns or leases a number of nature reserves of geological interest, such as disused quarries and gravel pits.
www.essexwt.org.uk

Natural History Museum
The Museum houses one of the world’s largest natural history collections with over 68 million specimens of plants, animals, rocks, fossils and minerals.
www.nhm.ac.uk