Geochemical data and maps available include data from the Tellus project (stream sediment, stream water, shallow topsoil, deeper topsoil) and data from the European Geochemical Soil Analysis project GEMAS.
Tellus coverage blocks
G1: Tellus Border
G2: Leinster, South East Ireland
G3: Tellus West
G4: Tellus North Midlands (West)
G5: Tellus North Midlands
G6: Peri-urban | Dublin-Galway
Click map for further detail
Tellus data
Stream Sediment 'C'
Stream Water 'W'
Shallow Topsoil 'A'
Deeper Topsoil 'S'
Other data
Minerals Prospectivity Mapping (MPM) Project
Dublin SURGE Project
GEMAS
Lithogeochemistry
Soil chemical characterisation
Dublin Boulder Clay Project
Soil Recovery Facilities
Tellus Sample Archive
| Type | Access |
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 | Sample media: <150 µm fraction stream sediment 'C' Coverage: Survey areas G1, G2, G3 and G4 (FA ICP-MS only). Including counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth, Mayo, Galway, Roscommon, Clare, Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow, Kildare, Dublin. Analytical methods: Laboratory tests are for multi-element total analyses of major, minor and trace elements by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRFS); and for gold, palladium and platinum precious metals by lead-collection fire assay fusion with analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Survey years: 2011-2017 Data release notes |
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| Data Download | link to zip file (144 MB) |
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| Report | link to PDF (379 MB) (users may experience a delay in downloading due to size of report) |
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| Factsheets | link to stream sediment factsheets (redirect to Tellus website dedicated page) |
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| Periodic Table | link to stream sediment periodic table |
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| Map Viewer | link to online viewer (select stream sediment, stream water, shallow topsoil or deeper topsoil tab) |
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 | Dataset: Lithium in Stream Sediments Southeast Ireland Coverage: Survey areas G2. Including Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow. Analytical methods: Lithium was analysed using the AAS technique Survey years: 1986-1990 |
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| Data Download | link to zip file (Excel file) |
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| Report | link to PDF |
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| Type | Access |
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 | Sample media: <0.45 µm filtered stream water 'W' Coverage: Survey areas G1, G3 and G4. Including counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow, Kildare, Dublin. Analytical methods: Field determinations are of pH, specific electrical conductance, and total alkalinity to assess bicarbonate concentration. Laboratory tests are for anions by ion chromatography (IC); multi-element major, minor and trace elements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS); and non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC). Survey years: 2011-2017 Data release notes |
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| Data Download | link to zip file (161 MB) |
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| Report | link to PDF (351 MB) (users may experience a delay in downloading due to size of report) |
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| Factsheets | link to stream water factsheets (redirect to Tellus website dedicated page) |
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| Periodic Table | link to stream water periodic table |
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| Map Viewer | link to online viewer (select stream sediment, stream water, shallow topsoil or deeper topsoil tab)
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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.
Shallow soil samples for the northern half of Ireland were collected by Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (2004-2006) and Geological Survey Ireland (2011-2019). 16,800 soil samples were taken from the top 5–20 cm of the soil, in areas such as meadows, fields, parks and pastures. They were sent to a lab to be tested for the chemicals that make up the soil. This was done using two different methods. Knowing the types of elements in the soil can point to where they came from, how the soils were made. pH and loss on ignition were also tested, which tells us how acid or basic the soils are, and the amount of organic carbon in the soil. The results from the tests were given as mg/kg (milligram per kilogram) or % (percent).
When we map the data, we can see the spread of elements across the country. This also allows us to map different soil types. Shallower topsoil is worth testing as it is good for showing us if any of the changes were caused by the actions of humans. It is also good for farming and the health of soil.
The sample locations are shown as points. Each point shows where the sample was collected and the results for that sample.
The data is also available as polygons or areas, which show the 2km-by-2km grid square around where the samples were taken. It also includes the number of samples that were taken in that square. The data contains the average value of each element for all soils samples taken within that grid square. Maps of the grid data use colour scales to show the different strengths of the elements.
The Tellus survey is a national airborne geophysical and ground geochemical mapping project managed by the Geological Survey Ireland in Ireland and by the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland.
All data in Viewer
Shallow Topsoil 'A' Average pH and LOI
Type | Source |
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GIS Data Download
| ZIP
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REST Service
| REST
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WMS Service | WMS
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Shallow Topsoil 'A' Average Inductively Coupled Plasma aqua regia (ICPar)
Type | Source |
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GIS Data Download | ZIP
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REST Service
| REST
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WMS Service
| WMS
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Shallow Topsoil 'A' Average X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRFS)
| Type | Source |
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| GIS Data Download | ZIP |
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| REST Service | REST
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| WMS Service | WMS
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Documentation
| Type | Source |
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G1, G3, G6 A Data Release Notes
| PDF
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G1, G3, G6 A Data Report
| PDF (0.99GB)
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G1, G3, G6 A Data XLSX format
| ZIP
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G5, A Data Release Notes | PDF
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G5 A QC Data Report
| PDF
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G5 A Data XLSX format
| ZIP
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G5 QC and EDA Data Package | ZIP (513MB)
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Tellus Guidance Note
| PDF
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Shallow Topsoil ICPar Map Booklet
| PDF
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GSNI Tellus Methodology
| PDF |
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Shallow Topsoils Periodic Table
| PDF
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Shallow Topsoils Factsheet
| Webpage
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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.
Deeper soil samples for the northern half of Ireland were collected by Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (2004-2006) and Geological Survey Ireland (2011-2019). 16,800 soil samples were taken from the top 35–50 cm of the soil, in areas such as meadows, fields, parks and pastures. They were sent to a lab to be tested for the chemicals that make up the soil. This was done using two different methods. Knowing the types of elements in the soil can point to where they came from, how the soils were made. pH and loss on ignition were also tested, which tells us how acid or basic the soils are, and the amount of organic carbon in the soil. The results from the tests were given as mg/kg (milligram per kilogram) or % (percent).
When we map the data, we can see the spread of elements across the country. This also allows us to map different soil types. Deeper topsoil is worth testing as it is more related to rock beneath than shallow topsoil. This gives us a better idea of how the soil is formed and if there are any useful minerals in the rocks below.
The sample locations are shown as points. Each point shows where the sample was collected and the results for that sample.
The data is also available as polygons or areas, which show the 2km-by-2km grid square around where the samples were taken. It also includes the number of samples that were taken in that square. The data contains the average value of each element for all soils samples taken within that grid square. Maps of the grid data use colour scales to show the different strengths of the elements.
The Tellus survey is a national airborne geophysical and ground geochemical mapping project managed by the Geological Survey Ireland in Ireland and by the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland.
All data in Viewer
DeeperTopsoil 'S' Average pH and LOI
Type | Source |
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GIS Data Download
| ZIP
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REST Service | REST
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WMS Service | WMS
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Deeper Topsoil 'S' Average Inductively Coupled Plasma aqua regia (ICPar)
Type | Source |
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GIS Data Download | ZIP
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REST Service
| REST
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WMS Service
| WMS
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Deeper Topsoil 'S' Average X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRFS)
Type | Source |
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GIS Data Download | ZIP |
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REST Service | REST
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WMS Service | WMS
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Documentation
Type | Source |
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G1, G3, G6 S Data Release Notes
| PDF
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G1, G3, G6 S Data Report
| PDF
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G1, G3, G6 S Data XLSX format
| ZIP
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G1, G3, G6 QC and EDA Data Package
| ZIP (320MB) |
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G5, S Data Release Notes
| PDF
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G5 S Data XLSX format
| ZIP
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G5 S QC Data Report | PDF
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G5 QC and EDA Data Package | ZIP (508MB)
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Tellus Guidance Note
| PDF
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Deeper Topsoil ICPar Map Booklet
| PDF
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GSNI Tellus Methodology
| PDF |
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Deeper Topsoils Periodic Table
| PDF
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Mineral Prospectivity Mapping (MPM) Project
Northwest Midlands Carboniferous historic soil geochemistry.
| Type | Access
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 | Sample Media: Soil (various depths). Coverage: Galway, Roscommon, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Longford, along with parts of Cavan, Westmeath and Offaly. Dataset: Merged database of digitised historic third party private sector soil data is compiled from three sources: i) Geological Survey Ireland: Compilation and digitisation of historic third party private sector soils data from the 'Open File' historic minerals exploration data. ii) Vedanta Exploration Ireland Ltd. 'Geochemistry Compilation Project: Compilation of shallow soils published by the Geoscience Regulation Office (GSRO) in 2020. iii) Geoscience Regulation Office: Recent and historic ('Legacy') third party private sector soils datasets submitted to the GSRO by exploration companies under the terms of their prospecting licences and made publically available. This merged database includes locations and reported assays (mainly Cu, Pb and Zn), along with any information on the original data source, reporting companies, survey years and analytical methods, if available. Survey years: 1960s to 2010s Data release notes |
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| MPM Historic Soils (File Geodatabase) | link to zip file (122 MB) |
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| MPM Historic Soils (Excel files) | link to zip file (112 MB) |
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| Further details | link to MPM project page |
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Dublin Soil Urban Geochemistry Project
| Type | Access |
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 | Sample media: <2 mm fraction soil between 0 - 10 cm depth. Coverage: Greater Dublin area. Analytical methods: Laboratory tests comprise: inorganic elements determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometer (CV-AAS) (mercury (Hg) only); organic pollutants Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) determined using gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography – electron capture detector (GC-ECD), respectively. Survey years: 2009 Data release notes |
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| SURGE Data download (Excel file) | link to zip file (0.98 MB)
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| SURGE Report | link to publication page
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| Dublin Historic Industry Database download (Excel file) | link to zip file (239KB)
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| Dublin Historic Industry Database report | link to publication page |
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| Map viewer | link to online viewer (Select Urban Soils) |
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Geochemical Mapping of Agricultural and Grazing Land Soil of Europe.
Historic multielement geochemical data from samples collected in the period 1972 – 1994
| Type | Access |
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| Sample media: Rock samples Coverage: Survey areas G2. Including Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow. Analytical methods: Samples were analysed by three techniques: X-Ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRFS) for major elements, Induced neutron activation analysis (INAA) for 33, mostly trace, elements and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) for 9 trace elements and Fe. Survey years: 1972–1994 |
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| Data Download | link to zip file (Excel) |
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| Report | link to PDF |
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Geochemical characterization of the Dublin Boulder Clay
| Type | Access |
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The Tellus Programme keeps an archive of the geochemical sample material which has been collected over the years. This archive consists of excess sample material, comprising: Shallow Topsoil ("A" soils), Deeper Topsoil ("S" soils), Stream Sediments ("C" samples), Stream waters ("W" samples) and Vegetation ("V" samples). The samples are kept at GSI Offices in Dublin. Samples can be requested by third parties to undertake their own investigations. All data acquired from new analysis of the archive must be shared with Geological Survey Ireland and is subject to GSI open data policy. New archive samples for 2022 will include the G8 Dublin Urban soils (please contact for more information).
Please complete the
archive request form (below) and email to tellus@gsi.ie. |
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| PDF Form Download | Link to archive request form. |
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