London Basin Research

The London Basin Forum

The concept for this Forum arose from the Glossop Lecture delivered by Michael de Freitas in November 2009 (Geology; its principles, practice and potential for geotechnics. Quart Jourl. Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology. v42, 397-441). It was originally intended to produce an atlas as an electronic document that collates and describes the geological materials of London and their structure, and the implications of these for engineering in, on and with the ground. It would augment site specific ground investigation by enabling site specific data to be calibrated against it and put into the perspective of a wider background that has been more fully researched. This would enable unknowns not otherwise recognised on site and resulting risks to be managed in ways that were not possible before.

The atlas as described has still not proved to be a commercial possibility and an overview of the findings of the Forum was presented in Proceedings Geologists' Association 2012, Geology of London. Royse, K.R., de Freitas, M., Burgess, W.G., et al. v123, p. 22-45. In its place the Forum is compiling a Special Edition of the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology dedicated to the Geology of London in which the general architecture of the basin's structure and examples of the structures that can occur at a construction site scale are illustrated and explained.

To learn more phone 0207 736 6889 or e-mail office (at) firststeps-geo.co.uk. The Forum and its subsequent initiatives were founded and supported by First Steps Limited.