The British Geological Survey (BGS) is a component institute of the UK Natural Environment Research Council. BGS is the UK's premier geoscience organisation, the national geological survey with over 700 employees working in a wide range of geoscience topics both in the UK and throughout the world. BGS is divided into 20 groups based on the areas of expertise and responsibility. One of these groups is the Petroleum and Marine Geology Group, and it is to this group that the Partners in COSTA belong.
The Petroleum and Marine Geology Group has national responsibility for offshore geological mapping, and consequently has produced 340 maps (solid geology, Quaternary geology and sea-bed sediments) that cover the UK shelf area. During the 1990s the Group's marine work has concentrated on the UK margin. BGS set up the Rockall Continental Margin Consortium of 14 oil companies in order to carry out regional studies on the Rockall margin for exploration purposes, and also formed the Western Frontiers Association (WFA) that concentrates on shallow geology hazard-related issues. |
