Geological maps - what's the difference between solid and drift?

Question

I've got the solid one for my area and the seabed and quaternary, but what will the drift one have on it and am I likely to have it on those other maps? Thanks

Answer 1

I'm not certain what you mean, but the term 'drift' generally is used by glacial geologists to mean the material left after glaciers recede. The term 'drift' is used because, before it was known that glaciers deposited material from boulder size to clay size hundreds of miles from where they started, it was thought that those materials were placed there by water from the Biblical Flood. So, a map showing 'drift' will be a map of glacial landforms and deposits, of varying sorts.

Answer 2

As the previous answer stated, the term "drift" refers to an old idea of the Biblical Flood. The British Geological Survey however still uses the term on maps. "Drift" maps show the cover of glacial and other younger (i.e less than about 1.8 million years) deposits that overlie the so-called "Solid" geology. The drift deposits are very rarely more than 50m thick, often far less; the solid goes much deeper, forming part of the crust.

Some geologists aren't interested in these so-called superficial deposits, they want to know where the underlying older rocks are. The BGS thus produces "Solid" maps with the drift stripped off. The boundaries of these underlying rocks are in fact shown on Drift maps as well, but where they are buried, just dotted lines are used.

Paul

Answer 3

a solid map is a map of the deep bedrock in an area, whereas a drift map is a map of the sedimentary rock lying on top of bedrock, for example coal, sandstone or igneous rock. A drift map would be useful to understand the geology to drill a well, whereas a solid map would be useful to understand the movement of the crust in the past eg britain is composed of ancient continents eg avalonia, laurentia all smashed together and this arrangement is recorded on a solid map.

Answer 4

Contact the MCS Maritime Coastguard Station nearest to you, or Dover and they will avise. There is a web page too!

Keep surfing

Answer 5

Humm this is kinda like going back to school lol. I did not know what he or she was talking about but i do now thank you all.

Answer 6

saz 17 is right

Answer 7

don't kmow