Chadwick, R. A. & Evans, D. J. 2005. A Seismic Atlas of Southern Britain – Images of Subsurface Structure.: viii +196 pp. +CD. Keyworth: British Geological Survey. Price £30.00 (paperback). ISBN 0 85272 512 4.

Our detailed knowledge of the surface geology of Britain is perhaps unique as a result of centuries of study but the subsurface geology and structure are less well known. In contrast, since the late 1960s the subsurface geology of the offshore areas of the UK has been extensively surveyed using seismic techniques to the point at which detailed 3D images of large areas are available. The amount of seismic data acquired onshore is very small. Most of it is 2D and covers the Permian and Carboniferous basins either side of the Pennines and the Weald and Portland areas of southern England. Principally these data were acquired for hydrocarbon and coal exploration and much of it is publicly available as part of the UK Onshore Geophysical Library. While some of the data in the library are only a few years old, some date back to the 1960s and consequently the quality varies considerably. The British Geological Survey has recently undertaken a review of these data and this book is the result. It is not really an atlas in the true sense of the word, more a gazetteer of images of some of the more …