Vol 7, Issue 1, March 2008
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MAGAZINE OF THE GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIATION GAGA150 Volume 7 No. 1 March 2008 LLeeccttuurreess AApprriill//MMaayy//JJuunnee BBiirrtthh ooff OOuurr AAssssoocciiaattiioonn RRoocckkwwaattcchh NNeewwss HHiissttoorryy ooff tthhee GGAA FFiieelldd-- wwoorrkk CCooddeess GGAA115500:: RReeggiioonnaall MMeeeettiinnggss YYoouurr PPllaanneett EEaarrtthh BBooookk RReevviieewwss PPhhoottoo.. CCoommppeettiittiioonn Magazine of the Geologists’ Association 150150 Volume 7 issue 1, 2008 GAGA CONTENTS is published by the Geologists’ Association. Four issues are 3. The Association produced in the year. ISSN 1476-7600 4. GA Meetings April/May-AGM/June Production team: JOHN CROCKER, Paula Carey, John Cosgrove, Vanessa Harley, Bill French 5. Birth of Our Association Printed by GRAYAM PRESS, Billericay. 8. Rockwatch News The GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIATION does not 9. Book Review accept any responsibility for views and opinions expressed by individual authors in this magazine. 10. History of GA Field Codes The Geologists’ Association 12. Ecton Geology Course supported by The Association, founded in 1858, exists to foster the progress and the Curry Fund diffusion of the science of geology, and to encourage research and the development of new methods. It holds meetings for the read- 13. The Aurora Collection ing of papers and the delivery of lectures, organises museum demonstrations, publishes Proceedings and Guides, and conducts 14. GA150 - Regional Metings field meetings. Annual Subscriptions for 2008 are £40.00, Associates £30.00, 16. GA150 - Your Planet Earth Joint Members £58.00, Students £18.00. For forms of Proposal for Membership and further information, 19. Letter to the Editor/Librarian Report apply to the Executive Secretary, The Geologists’ Association, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0DU. E-mail [email protected] 20. Report of January & February Telephone 020 7434 9298 Fax 020 7287 0280 Meetings Website: http://www.geologistsassociation.org.uk 21. GeoSuffolk goes to Church President: Mike Benton Executive Secretary: Sarah Stafford 22. Book Review/How we used to do it! 23. Photographic Competition Cover picture: © The Geologists’ Association. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be Part of the winning photograph of the photographic reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in competition “Dyke complex ophiolite Cyprus” by any form or by means, without the prior permission in Linda McArdell, - see complete photograph on writing of the author and the Geologists’ Association. page 23 LAST Copy dates for the Circular ADVERTISEMENTS March Issue January 14th June Issue April 22nd While precautions are taken to ensure the validity of advertise- September Issue July 22nd December Issue October 21st ments the Association is not responsible for the items offered, for any loss arising or for their compliance with regulations. Please note that the dates given are for the Circular. They also represent dates at which the magazine will go to press. However, because of the greater time required to set the magazine, items should be submitted as soon as possible and not targeted on these dates. We welcome contributions from Members and others. We are Notice of Special General Meeting currently limited to 24 pages. Pictures for publication can be as slides, pho- tographs or high resolution digital images - preferably on CD. There will be a Special General Meeting before the AGM to consider the motion Advertising Rates “The life of the present Council should be Full Page £360 Half Page £190 extended by one year” Quarter Page £100 Other sizes by arrangement. 2 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 7, No. 1, 2008 THE ASSOCIATION FROM THE PRESIDENT restoration programme. The Hawkins Report from Council cast is important in the history of geology, of the Rotunda Museum and Our 150th anniversary year has The last two Council Meetings have to the study of plesiosaurs. The cast arrived! 2008 is going to be a good will be displayed alongside the year for the earth sciences, as it is been dominated by discussion on the future of the Proceedings. A small "Speeton Pleasiosaur" whose conser- also UN Year of the Earth. vation the Curry Fund has previously We are celebrating GA150 in a committee was appointed to look into the future publication, development, supported. These two splendid speci- number of ways. Elsewhere in the mens will form a stunning feature in magazine, you can read about our and finances of the Proceedings. This committee considered a range of the Rotunda Museum. Staffordshire flagship initiative, ‘Your Planet Earth’, RIGS received £2000 for the cost of a service to schools and educators. publishing houses and asked them to submit proposals for the future reprinting 23,000 of its very success- Sponsored by Shell, and supported ful "Hamps and Manifold Geological by the Geological Society of London development of the PGA. After con- sidering these proposals the commit- Trail" leaflet. The map in the leaflet and the Earth Science Education Unit, was also the winner of the 2007 we offer a programme of talks on a tee chose two publishers to present a broad array of earth sciences themes more detailed outline of what they to be presented in schools. The pro- could do for the PGA. The committee gramme is in development, and we then presented their proposals to have launched the web site with the Council who, after much discussion first five talks: more are to follow, agreed that the publisher Elsevier and I will keep GA members should be the new publisher of the informed. If you visit schools to give PGA from next year. The publisher talks, do please try the YPE talks out, offers excellent production, the provi- and let me know how they go down. sion of digitised back copies of the Our second celebration is to launch PGA for general availability on the web and, most importantly, very wide Professor Cynthia Burek opening the trail a number of initiatives to spread the applauded by John Reynolds message across the country, and promotion to libraries world-wide, especially in association with our thus much increasing the journal's visibility. It also offers a considerable British Cartography Society award, Regional Groups. We have funds to sponsored by Stanfords. The GA support local events, to continue the financial advantage to the present system. Further to this decision, the received two grants, one of £2583 for 'Local Heroes' initiative begun by the the reprinting of its successful "Isle of Geological Society last year, and to committee formulated an agreement with Elsevier, which after legal scruti- Wight" Field Guide and £1000 for fur- sponsor one or more major regional ther development of its new web site. events each year. Again, there is ny, was presented for Council to approve. Council did approve it and A loan of £1557.20 was awarded to more elsewhere in the magazine. the Museu da Lourinhã for a Fossil Finally, note the date in your diary! hence Elsevier will be the new pub- lisher of the GA from next year, under Field Guide in the Lourinhã formation The annual GA reunion/ geology fes- of the Upper Jurassic of Portugal. A tival returns to London this year on an initial 5 year contract. It was agreed that the life of Council should decision on the application from the November 1st-2nd, after a very suc- Saffron Walden Museum for support cessful visit to Liverpool in 2007. To be extended by a year so that those members of Council who were for assessing and cataloguing its celebrate GA150, we plan a Gala geology collections, was deferred Dinner on the Friday night (October involved with the lengthy discussion could monitor this change of publish- pending further information. 31st), after the Local Groups By the time you read this report, Meeting. Register your interest now, er. Since such an extension is against the Constituion, a Special General Local Groups and Affiliated Societies so we can get on with the planning will have long since received letters for the dinner: details are elsewhere Meeting will be organised to agree this extension - see box page 2. from the Organising Group for the in this issue of the Magazine. Festival of Geology at University With all this excitement, I have one College, London on 1st November, final piece of news. GA Council has John Crocker General Secretary celebrating 150 glorious years of the made a detailed and thorough analy- Geologists' Association with details sis of offers from several publishers and booking forms. Small grants to to publish the Proceedings (see Curry Fund Report help with preparing displays and/or Report from Council), and we will travel costs are available from the move the PGA to Reed-Elsevier, at At the last meeting of 2007, the Curry Fund. Guidelines for Applicants their Oxford office, from the begin- Curry Fund Committee received six and application forms are available ning of 2009. This is the fourth home new applications. Of these, four were for download on the web site for the 'Proceedings' over the years - awarded grants, one a loan and one www.geologistsassociation.org.uk first it was published in-house by the was deferred pending further infor- We look forward to hearing from you Association, then it moved in 1971 to mation. at either of the next two Curry Fund Scottish Academic Press, then in Scarborough Museums and Gallery meetings on 14th March or 13th June 1992 to the Geological Society Services were awarded a grant of and to seeing most of you at what Publishing House, and now we move £1070 for conservation of the 1834 will be THE geological event of 2008! again. As we negotiate the new Thomas Hawkins plesiosaur cast. arrangements, we will keep you Once this is completed it will be Susan Brown informed: our main aim will be to prominently displayed in the Rotunda Curry Fund Secretary improve the journal and stabilise Museum which is due to be re- subscriptions for members.