Starting back in 2011 in the border region, the Tellus survey, which is managed by Geological Survey Ireland (GSI), a division of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), has collected its final sample in Co. Cork. Samples were completed for Northern Ireland in 2006 and now all-island sampling is complete.
Teams of samplers have covered thousands of hectares of land, travelling through fields, bogs, and mountains to reach all corners of our island in the pursuit of soil. Samples were taken every four square kilometres 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 500 square metres. Once collected, the samples are sent to a laboratory where the chemistry of the soil is analysed. This helps to provide information on the variability of soils in different regions. The derived analytical data is also being used by GSI as well as others such as Teagasc, the Environmental Protection Agency 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.
Secretary general of the DECC, Oonagh Buckley was on hand to help collect the final sample from Mizen Head, west Cork, and said: “This has been an immense effort over many years by my department, since the first samples were collected in Donegal. It is great that it is finishing up here on Mizen Head overlooking the sea because this sample will mean that Ireland will be one of the best geochemically mapped countries in the world.
“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.”
Final geochemical data from the Tellus survey is currently available for over 50 per cent of the country, with more data being released over the coming months and years. Once all the data has been released, it will be used to deliver positive economic, environmental, and agricultural benefits by helping to assist in understanding the local environment, soil management and natural resource potential. By better understanding our soils we can minimise or target areas requiring fertilisers and identify contaminated soils in our cities. Data collected throughout the Tellus project is published and made freely available to all on the Tellus website.