Geology scene

Geology Portal

Themes	Description
Anthropogenic pollution	The most diverse bedrock and rock components have weathered to fertile soils over thousands of years. They constitute the indispensable foundation for the terrestrial ecosystem, for plant growth and higher forms of life. The Swiss Soil Monitoring Network NABO monitors the state and development of soil pollution and is an important instrument in preventative soil protection.
Applications	All of us are confronted daily – often unknowingly – confronted with geology: from the ground on which we live, past the concrete as part of a building’s foundation, to the copper in the mobile telephone, so much has to do with geology.

Themes	Description
Boreholes	Boreholes provide information about the composition of the ground. They also serve a particular purpose: for example, for the production of natural gas or as preparation for construction methods.
Bergregal	The Bergregal (principles of mining law) regulates the property rights for mineral resources. In Switzerland, it is mostly determined by the cantons. Energy and ore resources as well as salt are usually included therein.
Borehole data model	As a result of greater and more diverse utilization of the subsurface, administrative and public circles are increasingly focusing on our knowledge about the subsurface. Borehole data from drilling operations are one of the main sources of the relevant information. Therefore the Swiss Geological Survey, in collaboration with representatives from the federal government, cantons, private sector and universities, developed the “borehole data model" as the first recommendation for structuring basic digital borehole data.

Themes	Description
Construction site	The construction site is to be evaluated, described and investigated in detail for the professional execution of construction projects.
Construction & Technology
CO2 sequestration	With CO2 capture and sequestration, carbon dioxide is separated from combustion exhaust gases and subsequently indefinitely stored without using containers, in deep underground rock layers. The technology is currently still in the developmental stage.
Culture	Dimension stone as building material, utensils and carriers of messages are part of our culture: the oldest cultural artifacts are similarly from stone, just as the products of today’s artists or engineers.
Checklists	Checklists, sample table of contents, sample reports, job tools – such standards are provided as recommendations in different geological spheres. Following them complies with good professional practice.
Catalogs	Are you looking for geodata on geology or the environment? Here you will find access to various metadata catalogs for Switzerland, Europe or other countries.

Themes	Description
Deep repository	In Switzerland, radioactive waste will in the future be disposed of in deep geological repositories. These are situated located several hundred meters below the surface of the Earth in geologically stable rock layers. Geodata documents the federal governments sectoral plan procedure.
Data models	In general, a model depicts the very complex reality. In order to enable this depiction, the reality must be generalized and idealized.
Data Viewer	Is the Piz Bernina map sheet already printed? On what type of ground is my house standing? You can find the answer to these and other questions in the «Topic Geology» of swisstopo’s Viewer “map.geo.admin.ch”.

Themes	Description
Energy supply	Switzerland’s energy supply results largely from the import of fossil fuels. To reduce her CO2 emissions and become more independent on foreign countries, Switzerland must rely on energy efficiency and renewable energies. Geothermal energy could play a decisive role in this process as a geological energy source.
Energy
Energy resources	Switzerland has a high per capita consumption of energy resources. Its energy requirements are covered by various sources: fossil fuels such as combustibles and motor fuels make up the largest portion thereof.
Earthquakes	Earthquakes are caused by stresses in the Earth’s interior which built up by the movement of the Earth’s crustal plates relative to one another. If these stresses become too large then a fracture occurs, whereby the rock masses suddenly jerkily move past each other.
Experience Geology	At the “Erlebnis Geologie“ (Experience Geology) events, Swiss geologists from universities, museums, public offices and private industry provide the general public with interesting insights into their areas of expertise. The knowledge of how many areas of geology influence our daily lives has been fascinating all visitors since the start of the event series in 2007.
Experience	Whether for children or adults: museums, show mines, geoparks or geological trails offer numerous opportunities to be inspired by geology. Here you will find a selection of what is on offer.

Themes	Description
Fundamentals of Geology

Themes	Description
Groundwater	Groundwater is an important indigenous resource. It is a central element of the natural water cycle and feeds valuable habitats. An integral groundwater conservation is indispensable for conservation of groundwater resources.
Geothermal energy	Geothermal energy – energy from the earth’s interior – is today already widely used in Switzerland. The potential for the future is enormous.
Geotechnics & Engineering Geology	Geotechnical engineering combines elements of earth science, construction and mining. Tunneling projects, slope stabilization or site investigations are typical areas of application.
Geological cartography	Geological maps display a multitude of geologically relevant information in a concise manner. They are an important basis for geotechnical and environmental decisions. .
Geophysics	Geophysics deals with all of the Earth’s relevant physical phenomena. It includes various fields and can be subdivided according to research methods and their relevant applications.
Geological hazards
Geology in everyday life
Geology data model	The geology data model forms the foundation for national uniformly structured geological vector data sets.
Geology lexicon	Numerous databases and lexica about geology can be found in the internet and in book form.
Geotopes	Geotopes are natural geoscientific monuments worthy of protection: spatially constrained parts of the geosphere of geological, geomorphological or geo-ecological importance. Depending on whether the formative processes are complete or still in progress, they are then static or active geotopes.
Geological hiking trails	Geotourism develops, promotes and commercializes special geological landscape features. Professionals and lay people can experience and understand developments in earth science on geological trails, in geoparks, show caves, geotopes or at events such as “Erlebnis Geologie”.
Geology-relevant data	So that the widest possible audience has access to geology-relevant data, the Swiss Geological Survey published an overview in book form.
Geological 3D models	Geological 3D models provide a clear insight into the subsurface and thereby depict complex relationships in an understandable way.

Themes	Description
Hydrology	The federal government studies Switzerland’s hydrological balance using various monitoring networks: MeteoSwiss measures the precipitation. The WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF measures the snow quantities. Various universities measure the glaciers. The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) ascertains the water supply and water quality of the most important Swiss rivers and lakes with long-term measurements at fixed stations.
Health	The risk of lung cancer increases when radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, accumulates in rooms. Based on recent scientific evidence, the Federal Council in 2011 adopted the “National Action Plan concerning Radon 2012-2020”.
History of Mining	In Switzerland, ores and other mineral resources were already being extracted by mining methods 3500 years ago. There has been no mining activity in this country since 1967 – there is however an interest in its history.

Themes	Description
Industrial minerals	Industrial minerals are minerals or rocks that are important for technical processes and applications in industry. Unlike ores, which are converted into metals by smelting, industrial minerals can be used in their natural state or after minimal beneficiation.

Themes	Description

Themes	Description

Themes	Description
Lookup	Diverse information provided compactly and simply – that is the requirement of the Geology Portal. Experience more e.g., about the geology of Switzerland, data models or software that simplifies the daily routine of geologists.
Learning	Here you will find a range of websites that offer virtual learning platforms or material for schools and teachers.
Look at	Below can be found a selection of web-based image databases, image archives and maps in the field of geology or earth sciences. This collection does not claim to be complete.

Themes	Description
Mineral Resources
Metadata	Metadata (“data about data“) refers to structured data that describes an information resource and thus make these easier to find. In this way information from the properties of an object are also referred to as metadata.

Themes	Description
Natural pollution	Pollution is understood to mean the natural or anthropogenic pollution of the living environment by polluting Nature with harmful substances such as toxins, microorganisms and radioactive substances. Man is exposed to both cosmic as well as terrestrial natural radiation. The so-called terrestrial radiation level is registered with a variety of methods.

Themes	Description
Ores	Since the Bronze Age, the mining and extraction of naturally occurring ores are of great importance for mankind. In Switzerland however, the mining of ores nowadays can no longer be operated economically.
Overview of geological software	Geologists are dependent on support from numerous software applications for their daily work. Besides the classic Office applications, a multitude of specialized applications enable the useful analysis and representation of geological data sets.

Themes	Description
Planning for the future

Themes	Description
Quaternary geology	The Quaternary is the most recent period in the Earth’s history: the last 2.6 million years. It is marked by the appearance of man as well as repeated glacial/interglacial cycles, which strongly influenced the mountains and their environment.

Themes	Description
Rockfall, landslides, debris flows	Mass movements (gravitational natural hazards) are downslope directed displacements of solid and/or loose rocks as well as soil material. As falling processes, they can occur quickly and suddenly. Landslides on the other hand, are slow, continuous processes.
Resource monitoring	Statistical data on mineral resources, mineral or raw material industries and material cycles in Switzerland (qualitative, quantitative and economic) are collected and interpreted through resource monitoring
Rocks & soils	The rocks and soils are an important commodity group for Switzerland. This includes raw materials for the brick-and-tile industry, lime and marl for the binder material industry, gravels and sands as well as dimension stone and rock for construction purposes.
Regulations, guidelines and standards	Geologists are required to perform work according to professional standards that are defined in technical documentation, guidelines, acts and regulations.
Revision service	Are there any changes, errors or additions that have not yet been included in our maps or geodata? Share your input with us using the geodata viewer at map.swisstopo.admin.ch – via your smartphone if you’re on the go or simply from your computer at home.

Themes	Description
Stratigraphy	As a geological discipline, stratigraphy deals with the spatial location and temporal sequence of rock bodies. By means of stratigraphy, bodies of rock are dated and correlated with each other.
Seismic Atlas	The Swiss Plateau makes up about a third of the surface of Switzerland and consists mainly of the Molasse basin. Slightly more than two thirds of Switzerland’s population lives here. The Seismic Atlas of the Swiss Molasse Basin serves as an important foundation for geological projects.
Stratigraphic committee
Stratigraphic lexicon	The Lithostratigraphic Lexicon of Switzerland describes the lithostratigraphic units occurring in Switzerland. It is a convenient reference work for geologists from academia and industry.
Statistics	Here you will find data analyses on geological topics in Switzerland. The Swiss Geotechnical Commission (SGTK) is currently building up a raw materials monitoring program together with the Swiss Geological Survey.
Shops & Downloads	Are you interested in geology-relevant data, topographic or geological maps? Are you looking for an unpublished geological report or a scientific publication? Here you can find the most important suppliers..

Themes	Description
Tectonics / Structural geology	Enormous forces have always been at work inside our Earth. They continuously deform the Earth’s crust and affect its structural composition. Tectonic maps show how Switzerland is geologically constructed.
Tunneling	The rock mass must be described and investigated in detail for the professional project planning and execution of underground structures. Here geologists and engineers must work closely together.

Themes	Description
Underground planning	The deep subsurface is being exploited more and more. The underground planning project group of the Swiss Association of Geologists (CHGEOL) is campaigning in this field for sustainable concepts which are based on geological knowledge. In addition, they are investigating where there is a need for regulations in order to avoid conflicts in the utilization

Themes	Description

Themes	Description
Water
Water & ice	Whether fluid or frozen: water can cause a variety of natural hazards
Wine	The system “rock – weathering – soil – vine – wine” is complex: climate and weather influence the quality of a wine – for the character however, the underlying rock, from which the vine obtains nutrients and water, also plays an important role.

Themes	Description

Themes	Description

Themes	Description

Themes	Description
3D Geology	3D geological models provide a key solutions approach for infrastructure, urban and landscape planning. Spatial representation offers many advantages.

Sub-navigation

Context sidebar

Geology scene

The geology scene works on geology-related tasks. The Geology Portal is an important step in strengthening the Swiss geology scene, for a more efficient collaboration and an improved awareness of geology amongst the general public.

A large number of independent organizations collect, compile and distribute geologically relevant data and information. The organizations in the field of geology and in the related disciplines (geotechnics, geophysics, etc.) are a community referred to as the ‘Swiss geology scene’. This scene is heterogeneously organized. Each organization pursues its own goals according to independent strategies. As a result, geologically relevant data, information and services are often accessible with difficulty or restrictions. In order to take into account as broadly as possible the requirements of the whole geology scene, the Geology Portal is being expanded and operated by representatives of the largest stakeholders under the leadership of swisstopo / Swiss Geological Survey. It is the portal of the entire Swiss geology scene.

Logo download

1 of

Associations, Commissions

Find here the overview of the Swiss geology scene and expand your own network.

Provide information about your organisation with this form
Link to short descriptions of associations and commission


Name	Abbreviation	URL	Keyword
Swiss Academy of Sciences, Platform Geosciences	SCNAT	www.geosciences.scnat.ch	platform geosciences
Swiss Palaeontological Society	SPG / SPS	spg.scnatweb.ch	paleontology
Swiss Society of Mineralogy and Petrology	SSMP	ssmp.scnatweb.ch	mineralogy, petrology
Société Suisse d'Hydrogéologie	SGH / SSH / SSI	www.hydrogeo.ch	hydrogeology
Société suisse d'hydrologie et de limnologie	SGHL / SSHL	www.sghl.ch	hydrology, limnology
Commission for Oceanography and Limnology	COL	www.col.ch	oceanography, limnology
Swiss Geomorphological Society	SGmG / SSGm	www.geomorphology.ch	geomorphology
Société Suisse de Pédologie	BGS / SSP	www.soil.ch	pedology
Swiss society for Quaternary research	CH-QUAT	www.ch-quat.ch	Quaternary research
Commission de spéléologie scientifique		www.speleo.ch (commissions)	karst research
Société Suisse de Spéléologie	SGH / SSS	www.speleo.ch	speleology
Swiss Association of Geologists	CHGEOL	www.chgeol.org	association of geologists
Swiss Geological Society	SGS	www.geolsoc.ch	geology
Swiss Geological Commission	SGK	www.scnat.ch/d/netzwerk/?org=66	geology
Swiss Geodetic Commission	SGC	www.sgc.ethz.ch	geodesy
Swiss Geophysical Commission	SGPK	www.sgpk.ethz.ch	geophysics
Swiss Commission for Remote Sensing	SKF / SCRS	www.geo.uzh.ch/microsite/skf	remote sensing
Swiss Tunneling Society	FGU / GTS / GLS / STS	www.swisstunnel.ch	underground construction
Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Historische Bergbauforschung	SGHB	www.sghb.ch	mining research
Groupement Suisse de la Géologie de l'Ingénieur	SFIG / GSGI	www.sfig-gsgi.ch	engineering geology
Swiss Geotechnical Commission	SGTK	www.sgtk.ch	geotechnics
Swiss Geotechnic	GS	www.geotechnique-suisse.ch	geotechnics
Swiss Association of Energy Geoscientists	SASEG	www.saseg.ch	energy geosciences
Société Suisse pour la Géothermie	SVG / SSG / SSG	www.geothermie.ch	geothermal energy
Verein Geothermische Kraftwerke Schweiz	VGKS	www.vgks.ch	geothermal power stations
Informationsstelle Geothermie	ISG	info-geothermie.ch	geothermal energy
Association Suisse de l'industrie des Graviers et du Béton	FSKB / ASGB	www.fskb.ch	gravel, cement industry
Naturstein-Verband Schweiz	NVS	www.nvs.ch	natural stone
Stiftung Landschaft und Kies	SLK	www.landschaftundkies.ch	landscape, gravel
Groupe Suisse pour l'Etude des Matières Premières Minérales	SASTE	www.saste.ch	mineral resources
Conférence suisse des chefs de services de la protection de l'environnement	KVU / CCE / CCA	www.kvu.ch	environmental protection
Swiss association of environmental professionals	svu / asep	www.svu-asep.ch	environment
SIA Groupe professionnel environnement	BGU	www.sia.ch (groupes professionels)	earthquake engineering, structural dynamics
Schweiz. Gesellschaft für Erdbebeningenieurwesen und Baudynamik	SGEB	www.sgeb.ch	earthquake engineering, structural dynamics
National Platform for Natural Hazards	PLANAT	www.planat.ch	platform natural hazards
Groupe de travail Dangers naturels et Géologie	AGN / DNG	www.sfig-gsgi.ch (groupes de travail)	natural hazards
Association "Experience Geology"		www.erlebnis-geologie.ch	Experience Geology
Association suisse des cristalliers, collectionneurs de minéraux et fossiles	SVSMF / ASCMF	www.svsmf.ch	fossils, minerals

Contact
Map

Dr. Pierre Dèzes Swiss Academy of Sciences SCNAT
Platform Geosciences
House of Academies, Laupenstrasse 7
P.O. Box
3001 Bern

Tel.: 031 306 93 25

Print contact

Dr. Pierre Dèzes

Swiss Academy of Sciences SCNAT
Platform Geosciences
House of Academies, Laupenstrasse 7
P.O. Box
3001 Bern

Show map

Breadcrumbs

Geology scene

Dr. Pierre Dèzes