Exploration and production of shale gas from onshore UK requires the operator to obtain licenses from the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

The operator must also meet a number of strict regulatory requirements set by the Environment Agency (EA) or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in Scotland).

The operator must also obtain planning permission from the relevant local authority to permit the surface operations required to explore for and extract shale gas.).

More about Permitting and regulation of shale gas operations

Recently, a collection of 'unregistered fossil plants' was found in one of the Survey's windowless vaults in Keyworth, in central England.

These comprise hundreds of beautiful thin sections of fossil wood dating from the early nineteenth century.

The collection was assembled by botanist Joseph Hooker (Darwin's best friend) while he was briefly employed by the Survey in 1846.

The BGS is working with industry and academia to develop geoscience tools for strategic railway planning and performance monitoring that includes:

• Route evaluation and infrastructure assessment
• Research and partnerships
• Published research

Efficient rail performance requires that constant and level rail track geometry be maintained. The geotechnical properties of the subgrade — the native material or bedrock underneath the track — exert huge control over the performance of our railway network.

The Digital Integrated Stratigraphy Project (DISP) is a web-based, open access, digital resource for stratigraphy.

The project aims to eliminate stratigraphic ambiguity associated with sample position within a stratigraphic section.

More about the Digital Integrated Stratigraphy Project