GAMag47 q8_mag41.qxd 30/08/2013 11:51 Page 1 MAGAZINE OF THE GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIATION Volume 12 No.3 September 2013 Future meetings Festival of Geology Walks July Lecture The Atlas Medusa Keymer Tileworks Field Trip Lyme Regis Museum Circular Geology and Churches in Pembrokeshire Part 1 What Sort of BGS does the Nation need? Obituary Geology of the Rockall Basin Amazing Amber Rockwatch Back Cover - Festival of Geology GAMag47 q8_mag41.qxd 30/08/2013 11:51 Page 2 Published by the Geologists’ Association. Magazine of the Four issues per year. ISSN 1476-7600 Geologists’ Association Production team: JOHN CROCKER, Jon Trevelyan, John Cosgrove, Roger Volume 12, No 3, 2013 Dixon, Vanessa Harley. Printed by City Print (Milton Keynes) Ltd The GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIATION does not accept any responsibility for CONTENTS views and opinions expressed by individual authors in this magazine. The Geologists’ Association 4 Future meetings Founded in 1858 The Geologists’ Association serves the interests of both 5 Festival of Geology Walks professional and amateur geologists, as well as making geology available 6 July Lecture to a wider public. It is a national organisation based in London, but is represented by local and affiliated groups around the country. 7 The Atlas Medusa The GA holds monthly lecture meetings, publishes a journal and geological 8 Keymer Tileworks Field Trip guides and organises field excursions both in the UK and abroad. 10 Lyme Regis Museum Subscriptions are renewed annually on November 1. 11 Circular You can join the GA on‐line on our website 15 Geology and Churches in www.geologistsassociation.org.uk/JoiningtheGA.html. Pembrokeshire Part 1 By phone 020 7434 9298 or by post to Sarah Stafford, Executive Secretary, 17 What Sort of BGS does the Nation The Geologists’ Association, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0DU. need? President: Professor Rory Mortimore 18 Obituary Executive Secretary: Sarah Stafford 19 Geology of the Rockall Basin 20 Amazing Amber Useful Email contacts President: [email protected] 21 Rockwatch Executive Secretary:[email protected] Back Cover - Festival of Geology Field Meetings: [email protected] Awards: [email protected] Festival of Geology: [email protected] Conference: [email protected] Research Awards GA Magazine (articles): [email protected] Deadlines GA Guides: [email protected] 15 February and 15 September Earth Heritage: [email protected] [email protected] Curry Fund: [email protected] Rockwatch (junior club of the GA): [email protected] © The Geologists’ Association. All rights reserved. No part of this Curry Fund Dates for 2013 publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form Applications to Committee or by any means, without the prior to be received by Date permission in writing of the author and the February 20 March 8 May 20 June 14 Geologists’ Association. August 20 September 13 November 20 December 13 LAST Copy dates for the Circular & Magazine [email protected] March Issue January 14 June Issue April 22 September Issue July 22 December Issue October 21 Cover picture: Items should be submitted as soon as possible and not targeted on these dates. Detail of the Atlas Medusa - see article We welcome contributions from Members and others. on page 7. photo David Bone [email protected] 2 Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 12 No.3 2013 GAMag47 q8_mag41.qxd 30/08/2013 11:51 Page 3 FROM THE PRESIDENT Report from Council At the Special General Meeting on 5th July, the proposed I hope that those GA members not able to attend our new subscription rates and revisions to the rules were evening lectures in London will have enjoyed seeing the approved by members. Full details of the new subscription lectures on-line on the GA website. Do let us know what rates can be found on the form sent out with this copy of you think of them. Some of us, including the President, the magazine. Please complete the form with your are still learning to stand in the correct place for the preference for electronic or paper receipt of the PGA by 7th filming and the sound recording! Many thanks to Gary October. Those who do not respond will automatically be Jensen and the Geological Society for supporting us in this sent a paper copy and be charged the increased way. subscription rate accordingly. The revised rules are posted on the GA website. There is no longer a requirement to The Geological Society (David Shilston President and Ed read out the list of new applicants at meetings. The names Nickless, Executive Secretary) and the Geologists’ of new members will continue to be circulated to Council Association (President and General Secretary) have regular and will be available to members on request. Young people meetings and it is also a pleasure to report the continued under the age of 26 will now qualify for reduced rate GA goodwill between the two. Some of you may have noticed subscriptions along with students. that our lectures are now advertised on the railings outside the entrance to the Geological Society. And we For the past few years the AGM has conflicted with the thank the Geological Society for its financial support this Lyme Regis Festival which a number of our Council year to Rockwatch, the junior club of the GA. members and other members attend on an official basis. Council has agreed to move the AGM in 2014 to the 2nd Thanks to our Field Meetings Secretary, Geoff Swann, Friday in May (instead of the usual 1st Friday). Please make a note that the AGM and dinner will take place on the President is being kept on his toes with an annual Friday 9th May 2014, with tea at the slightly later time of President’s field meeting. This year we had an excellent 6.00 and the proceedings beginning at 6.30. weekend in June on the Yorkshire coast at Flamborough Head and the rain stayed away until the last minute as we We welcomed Nikki Edwards who has just joined us on ran for the vehicles at the end of the meeting! the GA Council. She is involved with the Earth Science Teachers’ Association and has been keeping us abreast of In my last report I announced that Dr John Crocker was developments with the proposed new science curriculum retiring after many years as Editor of the GA Magazine and where geology has effectively been nearly squeezed out. that Paul Sargent would eventually be replacing him. She will respond on curriculum matters on behalf of the GA There have been on-going negotiations on the Magazine to as appropriate. decide who will be the printing contractor and it has been After 11 years as GA Librarian, Elaine Bimpson is now decided to leave the final decision to the October Council retiring. Many thanks to Elaine for all the work she has put Meeting. Hence there is no new format for the magazine into the library during that time. Council is now seeking a yet and John Crocker very kindly agreed to put this issue new librarian. The post is not onorous. For full details see of the magazine together. Similarly, the contract for the advertisement on page 22. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association has been on- going and is just reaching a successful conclusion. Peter A considerable amount of Council time has been devoted Riches is thanked for driving this forward and developing to the future of the GA Magazine. Please see the the good working relationship with Elsevier. President’s Report for an update. With the Summer break upon us we can look forward to Our archivist, Jonathan Larwood, is attempting to the annual GA conference in Durham on 21st-22nd rationalise the number of spare copies of GA publications held in the office. Council has agreed to give away any September 2013 on ‘Onshore and Offshore Geology: the spare copies to members. These date back to the first vital link’. Lesley Dunlop from the northeastern groups and edition of the PGA in 1861 but the numbers of copies for Jonny Imber at Durham University are looking forward to any given issue is variable. Please send any requests to welcoming you to Durham. I hope that many of you will Sarah at the GA office and we will look to see if they are be able to attend the excellent range of talks and follow- available. If possible we would ask that you collect from up field trips (see June magazine, page 20 and the GA the office at a convenient time. The last opportunity will be website with the booking form). at the GA Festival on Saturday 2nd November at University College, London, after which any residual copies of both The final preparations are also being made for the joint PGA and the GA Magazine (or it’s forerunner, the Circular) GA/GSL symposium on the Hertfordshire Puddingstone and will be sent for recycling. Sarsen Stones in May 2014 which has now been firmed up to include a day of lectures at Burlington House on Friday If you have not already done so, it may still be possible to sign up for the GA Festival in Durham (Onshore and 16th May 2014 followed up by a field trip to Hertfordshire th Offshore Geology, the vital link; September 21st). Contact on Saturday 17 and then to France to see Sarsens and Sarah Stafford urgently. There is a booking form on the GA Puddingstones led by our French colleagues. website. One issue for you to ponder over the Summer is what We hope to see a number of you at the GA Festival of sort of Geological Survey you would like to see in the Geology on 2nd November and some of you at the Groups’ future.