About Lithuanian Geological Survey
The Lithuanian Geological Survey was founded on October 16, 1940, though the necessity and preconditions for establishing a service of geological investigations had been formed earlier.
In spite of the fact that from 1941 to 1991 the Lithuanian Geological Survey changed more than once it’s name, organization structure and subordination, geological investigations were carried out intensively.
After restoration of independence of Lithuania (March 11, 1990), the State Geological Survey was founded instead of the former Industrial Unit of Geological Works and Department of Natural Resources by the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and by the approval of the Restitutional Seimas.
The Lithuanian Geological Survey (LGT) of a new model started its activity with a staff of 15 persons and with the functions of the regulation of the use of underground resources. The State geological investigations were carried out by geological enterprises. Owning to the activity and initiative of the then director of the Survey Gediminas Motuza and to the benevolent help of the Geological Survey of Norway, the LGT has been transformed into the national Geological Survey of the European model, which directly curries out geological investigations necessary to the State and controls the system of geological information alongside the regulation of the use of underground. It as a rational solution which allowed accumulation of budget means assigned for Stale geological investigations in one organization, as well as concentration of professional geologists.
In 1993, after approval by the Government, the national programme of geological investigations ''Geology for Society" was started. In 1997 the LGT had already the staff of 130 persons.
At present, the main trends of the survey work are as follows: organization and execution of the State geological investigations, State regulation and control of the use of underground, creation of the system of State geological information and accumulation of data, development of international cooperation. The Lithuanian Geological Survey of is a member of the Forum of European Geological Surveys (FOREGS) since 1994.
Concern of society for the problems of environment protection, introduction of the concept of sustainable development make new demands of geological investigations. The Lithuanian Geological Survey of seeks for participating the sustainable development by orienting respectively the goals of applied investigations, operatively providing data for society on the underground, its positive and negative properties, carrying out investigations and forecasting the geological processes.