Geological Survey of Norway (), abbreviation: ''NGU'', is a Norwegian

government agency A government agency or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government (bureaucracy) that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, s ...

responsible for

geologic Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth s ...

mapping and research. The agency is located in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

with an office in

Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...

, with about 200 employees. It is subordinate to the

Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *Norwegian language, including the two ...

.Government.no: Subordinate agencies and institutions

2012-07-11.

Mission

Coat of arms of the Norwegian Geological Survey

NGU's main work is related to collecting, processing and imparting knowledge related to the physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of the countries

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid rock that lies under loose material ( regolith) within the crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface material. An exposed portion of bed ...

, mineral resources,

deposits A deposit account is a bank account maintained by a financial institution in which a customer can deposit and withdraw money. Deposit accounts can be savings accounts, current accounts or any of several other types of accounts explained below. ...

and

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

.Geological Survey of Norway
About NGU
2008-01-27. Important areas include the

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), previously known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen, is a Norway, Norwegian archipelago that lies at the convergence of the Arctic Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean. North of continental Europe, mainland Europe, it lies about midway be ...

and the

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an islan ...

. With the motto "Geology for the Society", NGU provides maps and geological information in national databases. The activity is organized after five key principles:NGU - Annual report 2008

2008-01-27. # Long-term value creation from geological resources # Increase the use of geoscience knowledge in spatial planning and development # Enhanced knowledge of the country's construction and geological processes # Good communication, management and customization of geological knowledge # Increased quality and efficiency through good interaction internally and externally

History

The Geological Survey of Norway was established on 6 February 1858 by

Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...

. A few years earlier, the geology student

Theodor Kjerulf Theodor Kjerulf (30 March 182525 October 1888) was a Norway, Norwegian geologist and professor at the University of Oslo. He also served as director of the Norwegian Geological Survey. Biography He was born in Oslo, Christiania (now Oslo), Norway ...

had submitted the idea of a Norwegian geological survey to the Norwegian

interior ministry An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

.Document from the establishment of NGU, letter from Th. Kjerulf to the Interior Ministry of Norway, 8 August 1856. The survey would serve to map the country's agricultural areas and mineral deposits, as well as systematically study how the Norwegian landscape had been formed. In the mid-19th century

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

was modernizing quickly by developing industry and knowledge, along with evolving cultural life. An institution such as a Norwegian geological survey would be "convenient, scientifically necessary and honorable for the nation". The first years of its existence, mapping the bedrock, superficial deposits and mineral resources was its principal task, but it contributed to a Norwegian sense of ownership to the land, something that was especially important around 1905, after the Union with

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

was dissolved. The manager Theodor Kjerulf, and his assistant, Tellef Dahll, shared the mapping of Norway. They purchased equipment, planned the work and trained their field assistants to carry out the surveys.

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Kjerulf along with Dahll and several assistants had, after about twenty years of work, completed three impressive sets of maps. ''Det sødenfjeldske'' in 1:400 000, ''Trondheim stift'' in 1:800 000 and ''Det nordlige Norge'' in 1:1 million. The maps and their descriptions gave new and valuable knowledge about the Norwegian landscape, and showed that it was possible to combine the scientific, economic and cultural ambitions Kjerulf had fronted when he set out to create the survey.

Organization

There are five support divisions within the agency: *Geological Mapping **Solid Earth Geology **Quaternary Geology **Marine Geology **Geochemistry and Hydrogeology **Geohazard and Earth Observation *Geological Resources and Environment **Geophysics **Natural Construction Materials **Mineral resources **NGU Laboratory ** *Information and Communication Technology **Geomatics and IT *HR & Resource Management **HR **Accounting and Administration *Communications and Public Relations **Communication

Directors

References

External links