Hydrogeological maps

Hydrogeological maps bring basic geological information together with data on the hydraulic and hydrochemical characteristics of the rocks and their usefulness for groundwater supply.

Original records

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the major aquifers in the UK were systematically mapped by BGS using data from the National Well Record Archive and overlaying the resulting interpretations of hydrogeological conditions on base maps derived from our geological mapping.

The resulting 23 maps display information on surface water features, the 3D geometry of aquifers, groundwater levels, abstractions and water quality including saline intrusion in varying amounts of detail. They range in scale from 1:625 000 for the national maps of the hydrogeology of England & Wales, and Scotland down to 1:25 000 for some smaller regional maps.

The BGS also hold a limited collection of international hydrogeological maps from all parts of the world.

Digital information

The original national hydrogeological maps of the UK have been revised using an updated geological base map and are now available in digital form as the 1:625 000 hydrogeology map of the UK.

The original paper hydrogeology maps have been scanned at high resolution and are available through the hydrogeology map scans page.

BGS hydrogeologists are currently revising attributions of BGS Geology 50k geological data at 1:50 000 scale; on completion these maps will be made available to licensed users through the BGS website.

Data access

Access type	Dataset	Information
Paper maps	Various hydrogeological maps	Maps published by BGS are available for purchase through the BGS Bookshop.
Online access	Scanned maps	Browse online scans of our printed hydrogeological maps.
	OpenGeoscience	The new 1:625 000 hydrogeological map of the UK is now available through our OpenGeoscience portal.
	GeoIndex	Map-based browser allowing access to index level data (water wells in the boreholes theme).

Licenced datasets	Hydrowebmap	The Hydrowebmap project is producing revised hydrogeological attributions of DigMap geological data at 1:50 000 scale that will in future be available to licensed users.
Metadata	BGS Data Catalogue entry	Geoindex to hydrogeological maps