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ÍSOR — Iceland GeoSurveyÍSOR — Iceland GeoSurvey
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Geological mapping

ÍSOR specialises in producing geological maps of many kinds, covering both the land and the seabed. For decades ÍSOR's specialists and their predecessors have worked to map the geology of Iceland and to present that information on maps of various types.

The main types of geological map

  • Bedrock maps
  • Surficial geology maps
  • Hydrological maps
  • Tectonic maps
  • Geothermal maps
  • Resource maps
  • Seabed substrate maps
  • Seabed geohazard maps
  • Seabed geomorphology maps

What geological maps are used for

  • They are the foundation of environmental assessment, land use and planning in towns, rural areas and the uninhabited interior.
  • They are essential for the use of the country's resources, such as energy sources, drinking water and construction materials.
  • They are one of the prerequisites for organised and purposeful nature conservation.
  • They guard against environmental accidents of various kinds, such as the contamination of water sources and the wasteful use of construction materials.
  • They are indispensable in assessing the hazard posed by volcanic eruptions, landslides, floods and earthquakes.
  • They are the basis for special maps at larger scales and for overview maps of various kinds.
  • They are a mine of information for anyone wishing to learn about the country and its nature.
  • They are inexpensive compared with the benefit to be had from them. In many cases they make it possible to reduce costly research substantially.

Quality requirements

ÍSOR employs a number of geologists who have worked on geological mapping of the country for many years. Alongside them, geographers and a cartographer take part in producing geological maps. We are committed to providing our clients with dependable, professional service. The mapping is done in the ArcGIS geographic information system from ESRI. The work follows mapping standards that are under constant review and development.

Recently published geological maps

  • Bedrock map of Iceland 1:600,000
  • Geological map of Central Iceland 1:100,000
  • Geological map of the Eastern Volcanic Zone. Tungnaáröræfi 1:100,000
  • Glacier map of Iceland (published by the Icelandic Met Office)
  • Geological map of the Northern Volcanic Zone: northern part 1:100,000
  • Geological map of the Northern Volcanic Zone: southern part. Ódáðahraun 1:100,000
  • Geological map of Southwest Iceland 1:100,000
ÍSOR geological map of Iceland's northern volcanic zone
Geological map of the northern volcanic zone — an example of ÍSOR's mapping.
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Related projects

GSEU – a geological service for Europe
Ongoing2022

GSEU – a geological service for Europe

EuroGeoSurveys

We aim to contribute to the European Green Deal, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Horizon Europe objectives through the development of a Geological Service for Europe, which focuses on the planet itself: the earth beneath our feet.

EMODnet – European marine observation & data network
Ongoing2022

EMODnet – European marine observation & data network

EuroGeoSurveys

Using lessons learned from previous phases, the consortium will continue to compile fragmented marine data products, making them available through the EMODnet Central Portal following optimisation and testing in Call for tenders EASME/2020/OP/0006 – [Lot 2 – Geology] Consortium GTK – Technical offer EGDI, the European Geological Data Infrastructure, and in home systems of work-package (WP) leaders. The portal will also provide access to data and metadata held by each participating organisation, allowing end users to assess the quality of data products, and providing them with an opportunity to create their own maps or models. Data products will be compiled at a scale of 1:100,000 or finer using the standards developed during the previous EMODnet Geology projects. At the same time, the consortium will continue to improve 1:250,000 and 1:1,000,000 data products generated during earlier EMODnet phases, as they have specific value for supra-regional to pan-European end use and visualisation. The smaller-scale products, although very informative, are more fragmentary.