Download our 3D geology models as Minecraft worlds and learn how geology can influence the landscape.
We have built five worlds to allow you to explore underground and learn about the geology. Four of these worlds show small sites around the UK and use real geological data to show what the geology looks like under the surface. The fifth world shows a simplified geology of the whole of mainland Great Britain. These models show how geology can influence landscapes and land use, and can help teach geology to a younger audience.
At the end of section, there is also a user-generated volcano world created by three students from Nottingham.
Once downloaded, save the BGS_GB_Geology world into your resources folder. Watch this animation for additional help. BGS ©UKRI .
Getting started: requirements and installation
To start you off on your Minecraft journey we have built a spawn point, which includes some information about the blocks and which real world geology they represent. You can use this to learn more about the geology of the area by spawning back to the platform at any point.
- a licenced copy of Minecraft
- 50 MB free disk space per local area world
- 6 GB for the Great Britain world
- more than 4 GB of RAM
- Download the 3D model as a zip file archive (between 1 and 65 MB).
- Unzip the archive to a temporary location.
- Start Minecraft.
- On the home screen, click ‘Options’.
- Click ‘Resource Packs’.
- Click ‘Open resource pack folder’. This will open a new window showing the contents of your Minecraft ‘Resource Packs’ folder.
- Navigate to the folder (called .minecraft on Windows).
- Open the ‘saves’ folder.
- Move the unzipped archive to this ‘saves’ folder.
How did we make the BGS Minecraft worlds?
We decided to use glass blocks that were coloured by traditional geology map colours. This allows you to dig into the model and ‘fall’ between each geological layer. You can then explore under the ground in Minecraft because the glass blocks allow you to see through them. When experimenting with these 3D Minecraft worlds we discovered that, by using glass blocks, the player could see the true extent of the geology straight away.
What data did we use?
To build each of these models we used a number of different datasets, including:
The worlds
Glasgow Minecraft world
The geology in this world is in two parts. The first has the shallower rocks and soils directly underneath Glasgow, called ‘superficial geology’. We have also included artificial ground in this world.
The second, lower part, is called the ‘bedrock geology’ (this is the hard rock, not what Minecraft calls Bedrock) and these rocks date from the Carboniferous Period, including the Upper Coal Measures.
Minecraft world of the centre of Glasgow. BGS © UKRI.
When you first land in the world, there will be signposts with information to get you started. Once you’ve got your bearings you can fly around the 3D world by double tapping then holding the space bar, which will cause you to fly up into the air. This world includes the topography (features on the ground such as roads and buildings) that will help you to find your way around the world.
Geology key
The geological units for each world have been grouped together in order to accommodate the limited Minecraft glass block palette of 16 colours. Where possible, we have tried to emulate the BGS geological unit colours.
This Glasgow Minecraft world is based on the BGS central Glasgow 3D geological model. The geological model gives engineers and construction companies a subsurface view of the geology underneath Glasgow to help save time and money during construction projects. It also provides insight into the potential for geothermal heat from the water found in flooded mine workings — see UK Geoenergy Observatories Glasgow.
Covering about 100 km2, the area shows the superficial deposits of the central Glasgow area, including glaciated material from successive ice sheets. The model was built within BGS’s GOCAD® and GSI3D software, using a digital elevation model of 20 m cell resolution, and is based on datasets held by BGS, such as digital maps and boreholes.
The superficial deposits in the Minecraft world are mostly glacial tills, reflecting the advances and retreats of ice sheets. The tills often rest directly on bedrock geology and comprise a mixture of clay, sand and silt with pebbles, cobbles and boulders.
Other types of superficial deposits in the area are related to several marine inundations (raising and lowering of the sea level) during and since the last glaciation, the development of river terraces, the deposition of estuary sediments, and local lakes, some infilled partly by peat.
The bedrock geology in the Minecraft world dates back to the Carboniferous Period (485–541 million years ago). The majority of the rocks were deposited in an environment such as a river delta or a shallow sea and consist of sandstone, coal and limestone. The rocks were identified using borehole material and descriptions from borehole drill wells and using things found in the rock, such as fossils and minerals, to give the rocks an age.