Norges geologiske undersøkelse | |
Geological Survey of Norway logo
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The entrance to NGUs headquarters in Trondheim, Norway |
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Government agency overview | |
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Type | Geological survey |
Headquarters |
Trondheim, Norway 63°27′18″N 10°26′42″E / 63.45500°N 10.44500°E |
Motto | Geology for the scociety |
Employees | 225 |
Annual budget | 260 million NOK |
Minister responsible | |
Parent department | Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry |
Child agencies |
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Website | www.ngu.no |
Coordinates: 63°27′18″N 10°26′42″E / 63.45500°N 10.44500°E
Norwegian Geological Survey (Norwegian: Norges Geologiske Undersøkelse), abbr:NGU is a Norwegian government agency responsible for geologic mapping and research. The agency is located in Trondheim with an office in Tromsø, with about 225 employees. It is subordinate to the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry.
NGU's main work is related to collecting, processing and impart knowledge related to the physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics of the countries bedrock, deposits and groundwater. Important areas include the Arctic, Antarctica, Svalbard and the continental shelf. With the motto "Geology for the Scociety", NGU provides maps and geological information in national databases. The activity is organized after four key principles:
The Norwegian Geological Survey was established on 6 February 1858 by Order in Council. A few years earlier, the geology student Theodor Kjerulf had submitted the idea of a Norwegian geological survey to the Norwegian interior ministry. 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 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 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.