dataset · United Kingdom
British Geological Survey Buried Valleys (onshore)
Data identifying the current national understanding of the locations (shown as polygons) of buried valleys from BGS maps, memoirs and current borehole data. The scale of the data is 1:250 000 scale. Onshore coverage is provided for England, Wales and Scotland. It is formed of two parts: 1) a compilation of the positions of buried valleys data derived from historical publications and academic literature; 2) an expert controlled semi-automated 3D modelling methodology to create our best current as
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Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an
Evidence quality: 37.6
Listed in data.gov.uk public catalogue API on 2026-10-16; relevance/value screened (haiku).
Metadata checked: 2026-10-14T13:20:00.000Z
What's in it
- Data offered docs-verified
- buried valley locations as polygons · uncertainty mask (areas of low borehole density)
- Coverage docs-verified
- England, Wales and Scotland (onshore)
- Resolution docs-verified
- 1:250 000 map scale (nominal)
- Update frequency docs-verified
- As needed (no fixed schedule); last updated 2 October 2026
- Access docs-verified
- Public listing on data.gov.uk with no authentication listed. Reuse restricted: NERC/BGS copyright, reproduction requires prior permission. Licence field not set.
Useful for
- Use cases llm-inferred
- Geotechnical desk study: flag possible buried valley infill that could affect foundation depth and ground investigation scope · Groundwater and drainage conceptual model: identify potential buried valley aquifers or preferential pathways near a site · Site investigation planning: prioritise boreholes where the uncertainty mask shows low borehole density
- Audience llm-inferred
- geotechnical engineers · hydrogeologists · engineering geologists · civils engineers
Limitations
- Constraints docs-verified
- Mapped at 1:250 000 scale, so not suitable for site-scale positioning · In low borehole density areas, unmapped buried valleys may exist and mapped geometries may differ from reality · Underlying dataset reference date is 2019-03 · Licence field not set; reuse requires permission from the copyright holder · Data link format not stated; no API listed
Evidence
- https://www.bgs.ac.uk/datasets/buried-valleys/
- https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/f1a68538-f524-4686-8d09-5c67a8892e9d/british-geological-survey-buried-valleys-onshore
Check upstream coverage, uncertainty and licence before use. Station observations are not forecasts or design levels.