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LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a remote sensing technology, i.e. the technology is not in direct contact with what is being measured. From satellite, aeroplane or helicopter, a LiDAR system sends a light pulse to the ground. This pulse hits the ground and returns back...
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EnergyGeothermal Open Loop Commercial suitability map. Ground source heat energy, sometimes called shallow geothermal energy, can be collected from the ground and boosted with heat pumps. This can yield up to four times as much energy as is used to collect it, giving ‘four for the...
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EnergyGeothermal Open Loop Domestic suitability map. Ground source heat energy, sometimes called shallow geothermal energy, can be collected from the ground and boosted with heat pumps. This can yield up to four times as much energy as is used to collect it, giving ‘four for the...
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Soil is the outside layer of Earth. It is a made up of living organisms, gases, minerals, and organic matter. Knowing what elements are in the soil helps to work out where it came from and how it was made. The GEMAS (geochemical mapping of agricultural soils and grazing land...
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Karst is a type of landscape where the bedrock has dissolved and created features such as caves, enclosed depressions (sinkholes), disappearing streams, springs and turloughs (seasonal lakes). Limestone is the most common type of soluble rock. As rain falls it picks up carbon...
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ScienceThese data show how different types of rocks resist the flow of electrical currents across Ireland. The rock types can then be mapped. The data were collected between 2005 and 2021. Several surveys were merged to create this dataset. (1) Tellus Northern Ireland 2005-2006 (2)...
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These data show the magnetic field strength of different rock types across Ireland. The rock types can then be mapped. The data were collected between 2005 and 2021. Several surveys were merged to create this dataset. (1) Tellus Northern Ireland 2005-2006 (2) Cavan-Monaghan,...
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hese data show the intensity of gamma rays released by Uranium, Thorium and Potassium in different soils and rocks in Ireland. Different soils and rock types can then be mapped. The data were collected between 2005 and 2021. Several surveys were merged to create this dataset....
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EnergyGeothermal Vertical Closed Loop suitability map. Ground source heat energy, sometimes called shallow geothermal energy, can be collected from the ground and boosted with heat pumps. This can yield up to four times as much energy as is used to collect it, giving ‘four for the...
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This Backscatter map shows how hard or soft the seabed is in Irish waters. The seabed in Ireland’s inshore area is between 0 and 200 metres deep. The data was collected from 2001 to 2022. The seabed in Ireland’s offshore area is between 200 and 5000 metres deep. The data was...
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This data shows the depth of the seabed around Ireland. The data was collected in 1996 and between 2000 and 2022. Bathymetry is the measurement of how deep is the sea. Bathymetry is the study of the shape and features of the seabed. The name comes from Greek words meaning...
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The Dublin Soil Urban Geochemistry Project is a baseline survey of heavy metals and organic chemicals in topsoils in the greater Dublin area. Topsoil is the upper surface layer of the soil and this geochemical baseline survey measures the amount and type of chemicals in these...
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There are more than 1,200 geological formations and members (rock units) in the 1:100,000 Bedrock Geology map. Rock properties such as colour, grain size and type, origin, fossil and mineral content are used to define formations and members. A lot of these properties are not...
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ScienceGroundwater is the water that soaks into the ground from rain and can be stored beneath the ground. An aquifer is a body of rock and/or sediment that holds groundwater. There are two main types of aquifer in Ireland – bedrock aquifers, and sand and gravel aquifers. Bedrock is...
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In terms of time scale in geology, Quaternary is the present-day time and it began 2.6 million years ago. A lot of this time period relates to the Ice Age. Quaternary sediments are the soft material that has been deposited during this time. In Ireland much of this is related...
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Groundwater is the water that soaks into the ground from rain and can be stored beneath the ground. Groundwater floods occur when the water stored beneath the ground rises above the land surface. The Historic Groundwater Flood Map shows the observed peak flood extents caused...
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Minerals are naturally occurring; they are not made by humans. They are inorganic in that they have never been alive and are not made up from plants or animals. They are solid, not liquids (like water), or gases (like the air around you). Each one is made of a particular mix...
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Bedrock is the solid rock at or below the land surface. Over much of Ireland, the bedrock is covered by materials such as soil and gravel. Geologists map and record information on the composition and structure of rock outcrops (rock which can be seen on the land surface). It...
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Research ships working at sea map the seafloor. The ships collect bathymetry data. Bathymetry is the measurement of how deep the sea is. Bathymetry is the study of the shape and features of the seabed. The name comes from Greek words meaning "deep" and “measure". Backscatter...
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This map shows the areas where sub-bottom profile data is available in Irish waters. Sub-bottom profile data shows the rock features and the sediment layers that are below the seabed. A sub-bottom profile is created by sending sound waves from the vessel to the seabed. The...