GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF IRELAND The Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) is the national geoscience agency whose mandate is the provision of geoscientific information and advice as they relate to Ireland, and the acquisition of data for this purpose. GSI, established in 1845, is the second oldest geological survey, after the BGS, in the world. GSI interacts on geological matters with all aspects of national life, whether they relate to environmental protection, development of infrastructure, education., preservation of heritage or the advancement of the extractive and tourist industries. GSI is organised under five professional sections : Bedrock Mapping, Minerals, Quaternary/Geotechnical, Marine Geology and Geophysics, and Groundwater. These sections are supported in their activities by IT Section, Central Technical Services Section and Cartography Unit. The management of the organisation is carried-out by a team led by Director which includes Assistant Director, Principal Officer from Administration, Information and Marketing Services Section and two Principal Geologists. The primary task of geological mapping was carried-on for a period of forty years after the establishment of GSI in 1845 which resulted in 205 individual sheets at one-inch to mile covering the whole island of Ireland. The first sheet was published in 1856 and the last was issued in 1891. This work still acts as foundation of all our activities. The present day activities of GSI are grouped in five programmes, commencing in 1994, in order of priority: Bedrock Mapping Programme The programme commenced with a view to update existing geological maps by compiling all available geological information from a variety of sources on 1:100,000 scale maps. Following completion of this task in 2000, it is envisaged that we will embark on compiling a national geological map at 1: 500,000 scale and also commence compilation work on a new map series at 1:50,000 scale. In addition, GSI does co-operate with other european partners (especially GSNI and BGS) in preparing transnational geological maps. Quaternary / Geotechnical Programme About 90% of the Irish land mass is covered by Quaternary deposits and unlike bedrock mapping very little mapping has been done in the past. As a result the compilation activity has begun with what information is available in small areas. A vast area has to be mapped from scratch and it will take a long time. A remote sensing project has been set up to see if the technique can be useful in expediting the Quaternary mapping. Groundwater Programme Under this programme Groundwater Section provides Advisory Service to government departments, local authorities and general public. The emphasis of the work lies on groundwater protection schemes. Minerals Programme The primary function under this programme is to provide advice and information to government, local authorities and the mining industry on the mineral potential of Ireland. This task is achieved through the maintenance of Minerals Open File Database (exploration records supplied by the industry), the Mineral Localities Database and the Mine Records. Marine Geology Programme The offshore territory of Ireland is over 900,000 Km2 , more than ten times the land area. It has vast potential but we know very little about it. Over the last 20 years the Marine Geology Section (now Marine Geology and Geophysics Section) has been conducting surveys using the State owned research vessel RV Lough Beltra. A vast amount of data on Sparker, Sidescan Sonar, Magnetics in addition to collection of bottom sediment samples. As a partner in EUMARSIN it will organise and contribute its database on bottom sediment samples to the project. Under this programme we also provide advice to the Department of Marine and Natural Resources on extraction of sand and gravel from the seabed and on coastal management. GSI has capabilities in: Geodata Management (including database management, digital mapping and Arc-Info GIS). Site Investigation (including assessment of geological, geochemical, geotechnical, hydrogeological and geophysical characteristics). Mineral Resources (including assessment of ore deposit geology, ore mineralogy, exploration, geochemistry, metalogeny, mineral markets and mine rehabilitation). Geohazard Investigation (including groundwater vulnerability, radon mapping and coastal erosion). Geotourism (including geological heritage sites, mining heritage, building stones, landscape appreciation, video production).