Search

When you’re clipping your nails or having a haircut, do you think about who owns those samples of your genetic material? Perhaps you think it doesn’t really matter, or that because it comes from your body, you own it. In fact, legally, the answer is far more complex.

The British Geological Survey has undertaken a programme of research on landslide hazard mapping under support from the Department for International Development. The aim of the studies has been to develop a generic approach to landslide hazard modelling that can be applied and adapted in developing countries worldwide. The overall goal of the research is to prevent or minimise the loss of life and damage to property, infrastructure and livelihoods caused by landslides. To this end, case studies in four countries have been used to develop a rapid, inexpensive method for the production of regional landslide hazard maps. This report presents specific results and findings from the Slovakian study area in the Javorniky Mountains. The report is aimed at people and organisations in Slovakiathat are concerned with, or affected by, landslides. It discusses local issues that affect the development of landslide hazard preparedness strategies in individual countries. The accompanying map is a first attempt at mapping the regional landslide hazard in this part of Slovakia. It can be improved through additional local knowledge and the incorporation of more data on possible controlling factors, for example. Ultimately, the success of the project can only be judged by the take up, use and development of the hazard map in Slovakia.

The British Geological Survey has undertaken a programme of research on landslide hazard mapping under support from the Department for International Development. The aim of the studies has been to develop a generic approach to landslide hazard modelling that can be applied and adapted in developing countries worldwide. The overall goal of the research is to prevent or minimise the loss of life and damage to property, infrastructure and livelihoods caused by landslides. To this end, case studies in four countries have been used to develop a rapid, inexpensive method for the production of regional landslide hazard maps. This report presents specific results and findings from the Jamaican study area in the Rio Minho.The report is aimed at people and organisations in Jamaica that are concerned with, or affected by, landslides. It discusses local issues that affect the development of landslide hazard preparedness strategies in individual countries. The accompanying map is a first attempt at mapping the regional landslide hazard in this part of Jamaica. It can be improved through additional local knowledge and the incorporation of more data on possible controlling factors, for example. Ultimately, the success of the project can only be judged by the take up, use and development of the hazard map in Jamaica.

A landslide hazard probability map can help planners (1) prepare for, and/or mitigate against, the effects of landsliding on communities and infrastructure, and (2) avoid or minimise the risks associated with new developments. The aims of the project were to establish, by means of studies in a few test areas, a generic method by which remote sensing and data analysis using a geographic information system (GIS) could provide a provisional landslide hazard zonation map. The provision of basic hazard information is an underpinning theme of the United Nations International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). It is an essential requirement for disaster preparedness and mitigation planning. This report forms part of BGS project 92/7 (R5554) ‘Rapid assessment of landslip hazards’ carried out under the ODA/BGS Technology Development and Research Programme as part of the British Government’s provision of aid to developing countries. It provides a detailed technical account of work undertaken in a test area in the highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in collaboration with the Geological Survey Division. The study represents a demonstration of a methodology that is applicable to many developing countries. The underlying principle is that relationships between past landsliding events, interpreted from remote sensing, and factors such as the geology, relief, soils etc. provide the basis for modelling where future landslides are most likely to occur. This is achieved using a GIS by ‘weighting’ each class of each variable (e.g. each lithology ‘class’ of the variable ‘geology’) according to the proportion of landslides occurring within it compared to the regional average. Combinations of variables, produced by summing the weights in individual classes, provide ‘models’ of landslide probability. The approach is empirical but has the advantage of potentially being able to provide regional scale hazard maps over large areas quickly and cheaply; this cannot be achieved using

A landslide hazard probability map can help planners (1) prepare for, and/or mitigate against, the effects of landsliding on communities and infrastructure, and (2) avoid or minimise the risks associated with new developments. The aims of the project were to establish, by means of studies in a few test areas, a generic method by which remote sensing and data analysis using a geographic information system (GIS) could provide a provisional landslide hazard zonation map. The provision of basic hazard information is an underpinning theme of the UN’s International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). It is an essential requirement for disaster preparedness and mitigation planning. This report forms part of BGS project 92/7 (R5554) ‘Rapid assessment of landslip hazards’ Carried out under the ODA/BGS Technology Development and Research Programme as part of the British Government’s provision of aid to developing countries. It provides a detailed technical account of work undertaken in a test area in Viti Levu in collaboration with Fiji Mineral Resources Department. The study represents a demonstration of a methodology that is applicable to many developing countries. The underlying principle is that relationships between past landsliding events, interpreted from remote sensing, and factors such as the geology, relief, soils etc provide the basis for modelling where future landslides are most likely to occur. This is achieved using a GIS by ‘weighting’ each class of each variable (e.g. each lithology ‘class’ of the variable ‘geology’) according to the proportion of landslides occurring within it compared to the regional average. Combinations of variables, produced by summing the weights in individual classes, provide ‘models’ of landslide probability. The approach is empirical but has the advantage of potentially being able to provide regional scale hazard maps over large areas quickly and cheaply; this is unlikely to be achieved using conventional ground-based geot

This volume deals primarily with reports by mining companies on the results of their exploration for minerals in Fiji. Being fully indexed as to subject and locality or area, it is therfore the means of rapid access, with selective retrieval capability, to the large volume of data in the open files on mining-company mineral exploration, held by the Mineral Resources Department. Unpublished, non-confidential reports to mid-1982 are covered, excluding hydrocarbons exploration data. The volume includes a set of maps showing all expired licence blocks., This volume deals primarily with reports by mining companies on the results of their exploration for minerals in Fiji. Being fully indexed as to subject and locality or area, it is therfore the means of rapid access, with selective retrieval capability, to the large volume of data in the open files on mining-company mineral exploration, held by the Mineral Resources Department. Unpublished, non-confidential reports to mid-1982 are covered, excluding hydrocarbons exploration data. The volume includes a set of maps showing all expired licence blocks.

This report summarises the preliminary results of a structural investigation in the Masvingo (Victoria) Province of SE Zimbabwe undertaken as part of a hydrogeological study of the occurrence of groundwater in crystalline basement rocks. A review of the tectonic development of the region from available literature is presented together with the initial results of a remote sensing study using Landsat MSS imagery and aerial photographs, as well as reconnaissance fieldwork. The Zimbabwe craton has had a complex tectonic history involving several episodes of ductile to brittle deformation extending back well into the Archaean. From a groundwater viewpoint the brittle deformational events commencing in the Late Archaean at about the time of emplacement of the Younger Granites are considered to be of greatest importance. The fracture patterns noted from past geological mapping and evident on Landsat imagery provide clues to the tectonic history of the region but further field study will be needed to establish age relationships, which cannot be unequivocally decided from remote sensing data alone. Nevertheless, on the basis of available evidence, a possible model of the Late Archaean-Early Proterozoic tectonic development of the region is discussed. This report also considers the problems of using empirical tectonic models in the exploration for groundwater. A follow-up work programme is discussed.