A 13-year soil mapping programme across Ireland has been completed with the collection of its final sample in Co. Cork.
It means that Ireland has now become one of the only countries in the world to complete detailed geochemical national soil sampling.
The Tellus survey gathered data in all counties to examine the chemical and physical properties of our soil, rocks and water.
The survey, which is managed by Geological Survey Ireland (GSI), a division of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), started back in 2011 in Co. Donegal.
Samples were completed for Northern Ireland in 2006, meaning that now all-island sampling is complete.
Soil
As part of the programme, teams of samplers covered thousands of hectares of land, travelling through fields, bogs, and mountains in the pursuit of soil.
The samples were taken every 4km2 on a regular grid, ensuring all types of soil were collected as part of the national survey. Samples were also collected within urban locations every 500m2.
The samples were sent to a laboratory where the chemistry of the soil is analysed which helps to provide information on the variability of soils in different regions.
The data is also being used by GSI, as well as Teagasc, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and researchers to map soil for agricultural, environmental, health and geological benefits.
In total over 42,000 samples from 20,660 different locations have been collected.
Data
Oonagh Buckley, secretary general of the DECC, helped to collect the final sample from Mizen Head, west Cork.
“This is a hugely significant moment for Ireland as we will have better scientific data to help make decisions on how we best manage our soils.
“We will be making this data freely available, and I look forward to seeing it support research in a variety of areas,” she said.
Final geochemical data from the Tellus survey is currently available for over half of the country, with more data being released over the coming months and years.
A “StoryMap” charting the progress of the soil survey over the years, along with places of interest is available to view on the GSI website.