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Home , Steve Etches, The Etches Collection

The Open University Geological Society Wessex Branch Newsletter

Website http://ougs.org/wessex

July 2017

CONTENTS Branch Organiser’s Letter Branch Organiser’s Letter Page 1 Hello All, , 22 Jan 2017 Pages 2-4

Studland, 7 May 2017 Pages 5-7 Although summer is now supposed to be in full swing, it occurred to me that we might all need Minerals guide no. 25 – Silver Page 7 reminding about it. It is still the best time to , 23 April 2017 Pages 8-9 Building Stone Page 9 get out and about, enjoying our countryside and looking at the rocks. The membership Other organisations’ events Page 10 figures given out at the AGM showed that all Forthcoming Wessex Branch events Page 11 branches have suffered a decrease in OUGS events listing Page 12 membership, so there are fewer of us doing it. Wessex Branch committee Page 12 This isn't a new thing, the trend has been there for years now. This isn't a massive problem for our branch yet, but it is an issue we need to be aware of. We need new members. The number of new OU geology students is still decreasing. It also seems that word of the OUGS is not reaching some of the new OU students. As a branch, we are trying to be proactive and visiting schools and U3A groups. I'll keep you informed of our progress. In the This ichthyosaur, with a full belly, was one of the meantime, if you can remember to tell people many amazing specimens seen on the branch trip to about who we are and what we do, it could The Etches Collection in January (report on pages 2-4). Photo by Jo Southall, JBOT benefit us all. The Charnwood trip on the 3rd and 4th June On 24th September we are very lucky because was very successful. What little rain there was Sam Scriven has kindly agreed to lead another arrived just as we were winding up the trip. trip to with an emphasis on fossiling. Having last seen this area in 2006, it was Sam was a geologist at the Heritage interesting to realise just how much I had Coast Centre for four years. The experience he forgotten about it since then. Seeing gained there in geological interpretation led him unmetamorphosed Precambrian deposits and on to his present position of Earth Science is amazing. Our thanks go to Mark for Adviser for the . organising that one. You may have noticed that the trip to Jersey (3rd th On the 16th of July we have a trip to to 6 October) is now full, with a waiting list. Worbarrow with Jeremy where he will show us People do drop out, though, for various reasons the Cretaceous succession through its various so if you want your name on the waiting list - climate and sea level changes between the with no promises - get in touch. Portland Stone and the Chalk. Be advised that The OUGS Symposium is at Edinburgh (Queen this date has changed since it was first Margaret University) in August this year. I hope advertised. As with Charnwood, there is always to see some of you there. something new to see and learn at Worbarrow no matter how many times you've been there Best Wishes before. Although it will interest us all, it should Colin Morley, Branch Organiser Wessex be of particular interest to OU students studying E-mail: [email protected] environmental science.

Wessex Footnotes July 2017 Page 1 WESSEX OUGS FIELD TRIP TO THE ETCHES COLLECTION AND BAY, DORSET, SUNDAY 22 JANUARY 2017 Leader: MBE Report by Chris Hawkes Following a day of fascinating lectures on the Cretaceous at the Wessex AGM, on the Sunday we headed for Kimmeridge to go further back in time to the late Jurassic seas. Led by Steve Etches himself, we would see the fossils of the Etches Collection in the morning, and the cliffs and ledges of in the afternoon. It was a real privilege to be led throughout the day by such a knowledgeable and engaging guide. Steve Etches has been collecting, preparing and preserving fossils from the Kimmeridge clays and shales since he moved to the area in the 1980s. For years, Steve’s ever-burgeoning and unrivalled collection was famously housed in his garage but in October 2016 - with collaboration from many people, organisations and Lottery Funding - the Etches Collection building was opened to visitors and Steve’s dream of being able to share his collection became reality1. The building’s modern lines blend sympathetically with the older village buildings and inside it provides light, airy and flexible accommodation. Steve explained that the building is multi- The entrance to the building Photo by Jo Southall, JBOT purpose. As well as providing a permanent home for the fossil collection, the lofty Clore Room provides a new all-mod-cons village hall and there is a smaller meeting room available. The building is “green” and energy efficient, heated from a geothermal borehole 800 metres deep. It is also very accessible for wheelchair users, as Jo Southall describes in her blog2. For more details of the architecture and building stones see Helen Phythian’s report in the December 2016 issue of Footnotes3. The Rocks at Kimmeridge The Formation consists of bands of mudstones, oil shale and dolomitised limestones which were deposited around 150 Ma in a restricted basin. These relatively shallow warm seas supported a rich marine fauna including ammonites, reptiles and ancient fish. The remains of these animals have been preserved in the sea-floor mudstones, providing the fossil-rich rocks we see today. Steve explained how compression during diagenesis has caused most Kimmeridgian fossil specimens to be extremely flattened. The best and most complete specimens tend to come from the harder limestone beds. Preservation is encouraged by The cliffs at Kimmeridge, looking east from anoxic conditions and some of the best specimens Washing Ledge Photo by Chris Hawkes are partially pyritised, which means they must be stored in controlled conditions to prevent decay. The Formation is extremely economically important. It extends across much of northern Europe and is the main source for North Sea Oil. The Kimmeridge Clay is thus one of the most intensely studied hydrocarbon source rocks, but there has been less attention given to its fossil history. Steve is doing much to redress the balance. Several of Steve’s discoveries, like Darwin’s ‘missing barnacle’ (fittingly named Etcheslepas durotrigensis) have led to new insights in evolutionary theory and knowledge about the Ammonite eggs - the Kimmeridgian marine ecosystem. He hopes that planned CT scanning of first discovery. Two recently discovered rare ammonite egg sacs will yield new insights into how clutches of eggs laid in little strings. ammonites reproduced. Photo by Chris Hawkes

Wessex Footnotes July 2017 Page 2 The Gallery: the fossil exhibition The Gallery is a single lofty room, suffused in blue light from the ever-moving waters of the late Cretaceous virtual ocean that illuminates the room from above. Ammonites and massive predators swim in this watery environment. At one end of the gallery, behind a glass wall, is a workshop for specimen preparation, and beyond that, not on display, the rest of the collection is stored. Steve has concentrated his fossil hunting on the local coast, so all the fossils displayed are Kimmeridgian. He is passionate about what the fossils reveal about how the creatures lived and interacted with others. Thus, rather than A virtual ammonite being organised taxonomically, the display cases use some of Steve’s best Photo by Jo Southall, JBOT specimens to illustrate the responses of the Kimmeridgian fauna to evolutionary pressures. The fossils are complemented by hand drawn explanations and illustrations which look like pages from a fossil collector’s log book. The descriptions below give just an impression of some of the material on display – best to visit yourself or look at the website4 to see the full variety and quality of the fossils on display. The website also includes an illustrated database of over 2,000 specimens in the collection.

Adapt and Evolve For me, the most stunning specimen here is a wonderfully preserved ichthyosaur skeleton. Steve explained how the features of this reptile were adapted to its role as a predator: large orbits allowed large eyes, whilst the finely pointed sharp teeth allowed it to grasp its squid- like prey. But the display also includes remains of the primitive fish coelacanth, an impressive plesiosaur, shark remains, a marine crocodile, an illustrated timeline of the evolution of Kimmeridgian ammonites, and the discovery of the “missing link” goose barnacle which Darwin speculated on in the 19th century. Ichthyosaur skeleton Photo by Chris Hawkes Eat or be Eaten This display focuses on the features of the carnivores in the food chain, showing the features that allow them to be effective predators. In the centre of the room, we clustered round a 2 metre long pliosaur jaw, collected over time by Steve as it gradually eroded and fell from the cliffs. Steve explained how the form of the teeth and jaw showed this was an apex predator. In the wall display, the still-full belly of a juvenile ichthyosaur reveals that it fed on fish, squid and other marine organisms [see photo on front page]. Steve also explained why so many ammonite specimens from the upper Cretaceous are damaged in a particular part of their shell; he suggested that this was evidence of predation, where the shell was pierced by predatory cephalopods to extract the body parts from within. This display also included evidence of bite marks on the limb bones of Pliosaur jaw. 2 metres long Photo by Shona Napier predators and crushed skulls.

Escape and Evade This display illustrates the mechanisms used by marine organisms for protection from predation. A lobster skeleton preserved in a large ammonite shell is evidence of hiding to evade capture. Ammonites have protective shells, and use jet propulsion. Bottom dwellers have protective exoskeletons. Fishes and reptiles have streamlined body shapes and flippers for fast swimming.

Wessex Footnotes July 2017 Page 3 Reproduce This display focuses on what fossils reveal about reproduction. It includes the ammonite egg sacs and eggs described earlier. Also included are the fossilised remains of the clasper fins of a male Kimmeridgian ray, used to secure the female in reproduction. And there are examples that may illustrate sexual dimorphism in some species. Non-marine species Most of the fossils are marine, but there were islands relatively close to the Kimmeridgian sea and the display also includes examples of aerial and sub-aerial species. Steve discovered a new pterosaur species (named Cuspicephalus scarfi) when he collected a partial skull, and the collection includes several other Female ammonite with pterosaur remains. There are also dinosaur bones which had been washed five massive “horns” Photo by Rex Bale out to sea. At the smaller scale, the collection also includes dragonfly wings. Kimmeridge Bay: archaeological and industrial history After lunch we headed for the beach at Kimmeridge Bay which has a long industrial history, based on the oil shales found in the rocks. There is evidence of human habitation since the Iron Age. Archaeological remains sometimes found on the beach are eroded from a midden situated at the top of the eroding cliff-face. To the east of the bay, the cliffs under yield a hard black shale which can be shaped, turned and polished. This was used by the Romans to produce jewellery, trinkets and even furniture. In the 19th century oil shale mining was established, with a pier built at Clavells Hard to ship out the mined shale and cottages built to house the workers. There are remains of a seven foot high tunnel used to extract shale from a 30 inch thick seam. Using a blow torch to ignite it, Steve showed us how the shale burns. Today, Kimmeridge is home to a relatively unobtrusive on-shore ‘nodding donkey’, which has been pumping oil since the 1960s. Kimmeridge Bay: the beach Unfortunately, tide times were wrong for fossil hunting, but Steve took us westwards along the boulders at the top of the beach to the limestone platform Washing Ledge. On our walk we could see some of the rocks that yield the fossils, and get up close to the laminated and crumbling shales. Washing Ledge itself is slightly rumpled and shows low angle thrust faulting. This is the result of the increase in volume that happened when magnesium replaced calcium as the rock was dolomitised. The lumps of shale on the beach are rich with ammonites and other mollusc remains, which are usually oriented on bedding planes. Above us, in an overhanging yellow limestone at the top of the cliff, we saw a very large Large fossil ammonite in the over-hanging ammonite waiting to fall. cliff top. Photo by Jo Southall, JBOT Many of Steve’s best finds have come from the beaches to the west of Kimmeridge Bay, Charnel beach and Brandy Bay, but sadly the tides were against us. I hope to go back and exploit a falling spring tide to see what these have to offer to the geologist and fossil enthusiast - hopefully on one of the organised trips led by the engaging and knowledgeable Steve himself. Chris Hawkes References 1 The Etches Collection. Stories from Deep Time. www.theetchescollection.org/download?id=3634 2 Southall, Jo (2017). The Etches Collection. 3 Feb 2017. jboccupationaltherapy.co.uk/the-etches-collection/ 3 Phythian, H. (2016). The Etches Collection: Report of a Geological Association Field Trip on 22 October. Wessex Footnotes, December 2016. 4 Etches Collection website: www.theetchescollection.org/home

Wessex Footnotes July 2017 Page 4 WESSEX OUGS FIELD TRIP TO STUDLAND, DORSET, 7 MAY 2017 Leader: Kelvin Huff Report and photos by Lynne & Charles Hugkulstone On an overcast and windy morning, the Wessex branch of the OUGS (plus at least two This field trip was dedicated to the memory of John Chaffey interlopers) gathered at Knoll Beach Car Park. (1931-2017), who regularly led branch trips to Purbeck and While free to National Trust (NT) members, the especially Studland. Colin Morley, the Branch Organiser, began remainder cheerfully(?) paid their £4 parking fee, the proceedings with a tribute to John's life and all he had done and were later delighted to discover that this for the branch, and introduced his widow Ruth, who had joined also covered the second car park, used for the us for this special trip. afternoon session. Kelvin Huff began with an overview of South Haven, which is 4 km long by 1 km at its widest point. However, on a map from 1586 the peninsula was considerably narrower, with the cliff just to the west of Little Sea forming the original coastline. Little Sea was initially a tidal inlet opening into Studland Bay, first shown on a map from 1721. Subsequent sand deposition has considerably enlarged the spit, which hosts one of the few areas in the UK with east-facing dunes. These were initially mapped by Captain Cyril Diver in 1933, showing three ridges. Unfortunately, these had been numbered from three to one, west to east, meaning the two most recent dunes (to the east) are now known as zero and zero-minus-one! The dune- The original sea cliff, west of Little Sea building cycles appear to occur every 80 years or so. Leaving the car park and heading north, we walked to zero- minus-one ridge, where we paused, still in the wind. The sand is fine quartz with a very low CaCO3 content, only 0.015%. The main source is from the Poole Beds of the cliffs at Bournemouth, delivered by longshore drift powered by the easterly and south-easterly winds common in the Channel. Another source may be from the Hook Sands, a fossil river channel forming a submerged sandbank up to 12 metres thick. A minor source may be from the sandstone at Redend Point, to the south. Once at South Haven, movement is by saltation, aided by the gently shelving beach exposed at low tide. At this point, amphidromic points were mentioned, to much head scratching! In fact, this is a point around which tidal movements revolve but with little actual vertical movement of the body of water2. Moving swiftly on, we then considered dune fixation. After discussing the problems plants face in colonising such a hostile environment (mainly because of exposure, aridity and salinity), we observed that fixation is primarily by Marram Grass, whose roots spread both downwards and laterally to stabilise the dunes. However, before they can take root, other pioneer grasses, such as Sea Lyme and Sea Couch, are required for initial colonisation. But these latter plants cannot cope once sand deposition rates rise above Main topographical features of South 0.3 metres per year; they are then succeeded by Marram Haven peninsula (based on Canning and Grass, which can cope with rates up to three times this. Maxted 19701 with additions and modification by Ian West). Reproduced with permission. Heading inland towards ridges 1, 2 and 3 (in that order!), http://www.southampton.ac.uk/~imw/Studland.htm suddenly we were much warmer – the wind had dropped at last . So the problems of exposure at least were ameliorated and the vegetation had changed, with ericaceous plants appearing, followed by trees. There is a gradual increase in both flora and fauna as one moves westwards, nutrients initially coming from the death of Marram Grass. This is marked by a change from yellow to grey sands underfoot.

Wessex Footnotes July 2017 Page 5 However, the soil pH gradually falls, reaching as low as 4, which is the limit for plant growth. Between the dunes, there was considerable disturbance to the land – this represented training for Operation Overlord (the D-Day invasion on 6 June 1944). Arriving at Little Sea, Kelvin informed us that this initially saline water was now fresh and deeper, as a result of silting up of the drainage channels and continued precipitation. He then informed us that it is an oligotrophic lake – cue more head scratching! Kelvin finally put us out of our collective misery by explaining that this meant low nutrient levels. Coupled with the deepening of the lake was a rise in the water table, contributing to boggy areas in between the dunes (called slacks), with their own distinctive flora. Returning to the car park, we walked south towards Middle Beach, passing evidence of coastal erosion exposing older soil layers, and much seaweed (well, marine algae really!) deposited by recent storms, until we arrived at the beach huts. Here, the old cliff line was clearly visible from the beach, demonstrating how the peninsula had narrowed. At this point, we considered some of the environmental pressures facing this area. Kelvin started by informing us that coastal erosion rates here were one of the highest in South , at approximately 1 metre per year. This will be exacerbated as replenishment of the sand itself has The original sea cliff just behind the huts on been cut off by construction of the promenade and Middle Beach coastal defences at Bournemouth. The erosion is reduced to some degree by the piles of seaweed but at the cost of various noxious problems (smell, flies etc), leading the NT to adopt a compromise solution whereby they leave it for some time, then remove it. It was originally given to a farmer for fertiliser but Jeremy informed us that this was fairly unsuccessful as it didn’t compost well because of its high water content – we think the phrase “brown mush” may have been used! Other physical barriers, such as gabion baskets filled with Purbeck stone and rock armour (or “erratics” as we think of them!), are also employed. However, this all has to face a cost-benefit analysis, to assess whether the cost of protection is commensurate with the value of what’s being protected, and the NT is moving to a strategy of managed retreat. However, one of the major problems is tourism. Up to 1.2 million visitors per year arrive with 95% visiting the dunes, which is the most vulnerable area. This brings approximately £9 million annually to the local economy, but at the cost of further erosion, litter (some 12-15 tons removed per week in high season) and air pollution from summer traffic jams. Various strategies to control this were discussed, including the use of “honeypots”, where car parking, cafes and conveniences are concentrated to minimise more extensive damage. Wow! To us, for an OUGS field trip, this was new ground but incredibly important and thought-provoking. After lunch we drove to South Beach Car Park for the afternoon. By now, the wind had dropped, the clouds gone and the sun shone – hurray! Squelching our way over the seaweed, we reached the southernmost point of the day, the chalk cliffs that continue to . Here we observed the “true” end of the Jurassic (and Cretaceous) Coast - an unconformity with the Reading Beds (or the West Park Farm Member), revealing a gap of up to 20 million years as a result of erosion during the Palaeogene3. However, recent work by the BGS suggests this may represent a fault and the overlying beds may be younger than originally proposed. The unconformity on South Beach More scrambling north towards Redend Point brought us to the Broadstone Sand Member, a Palaeogene fluvial sandstone, appropriately described by John Chaffey previously as “rhubarb and custard”. Rounding Redend Point, some ferruginous pipes of unknown origin were displayed, although discussion raised the possibility that they may represent root traces. Above these lay the Lignite Beds, containing many plant remains and representing deposition in a lagoonal/swamp setting around the time of the Palaeogene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM).

Wessex Footnotes July 2017 Page 6 “Rhubarb & Custard” The strange ferruginous The lignite beds The Broadstone Sand Member pipes Returning to base, the options were to retrace our References steps or continue to Middle Beach, where the 1 coastal defences then failed miserably in resisting Canning, A. D. and Maxted, K.R. 1979 (reprinted 1983). Coastal Studies in Purbeck: A the encroaching hordes of a Wessex OUGS field Geographical Guide. Purbeck Press, , trip! We finished by giving well-deserved thanks to Dorset our leader Kelvin Huff. 2 Aldersey-Williams, H. Tide. The science and We are extremely grateful to Kelvin for generously lore of the greatest force on earth. Viking, sharing his Leader’s Notes to help with this write- London 2016, pp 38-39. up and to Jeremy Cranmer for enrolling us on the 3 Cope, J C W. Geology of the Dorset Coast. trip and inveigling us into actually doing the report. Geologists’ Association Guide No. 22. The Finally, a huge thank you to the Wessex OUGS for Geologists’ Association, London 2012, p 192. making us so welcome. Lynne & Charles Hugkulstone

SIMPLE GUIDE TO MINERALS 25 - by Colin Morley

SILVER Ag [I chose silver to mark the 25th mineral in Colin’s splendid series. Ed.] Silver is a 'native element'. The books will tell you that it has an isometric crystal system, but this is very rare to find. It is more common to find it as tiny specks or thin wires within the rocks. For collectors, the most prized specimens are wires shaped like 'ram’s horns'. It has, of course, a metallic lustre and a fresh surface will probably show a silvery colour but as it is exposed to the atmosphere it will go dull and usually blacken. We can identify it by the usual tests. It streaks from a silver white to a grey. It isn't very hard, just 2.5 to 3 on the Mohs scale. It is usually found in combination Above: Silver, gold, zinc, lead, pyrite ore with copper, gold and maybe small amounts of chalocite Below: Silver wire with quartz in low temperature hydro-thermal veins. If found in Specimens in the Sun City Rockhounds Club Mineral higher temperature veins then it will probably occur with Museum, Arizona, USA Photos by Colin Morley quartz, nickel or cobalt. It is formed by the reduction of sulphides. It can also be found as alluvial nuggets and in secondary enrichment zones. The name is from the Anglo Saxon "seolfor" but the present spelling has been used since 1478. The Romans knew it as "argentum", hence the symbol Ag. As silver is relatively soft, when used in coinage it is mixed with brass or copper in whatever mix they decide. When used as 'Sterling Silver' it is 925 parts per 1000 pure silver with copper to make up the rest. Silver has many other uses from photography to seeding clouds with silver iodide for rain. Colin Morley

Wessex Footnotes July 2017 Page 7 WESSEX OUGS FIELD TRIP TO WEYMOUTH BAY AND PORTLAND: 23 APRIL 2017 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SEA LEVEL CHANGE Leader: Jeremy Cranmer Report by Jane Wainright The aim of the day was to examine evidence for sea level change during the late Jurassic/early Cretaceous and during the Holocene on the . We started at New Ground, a high point on Portland. The weather was perfect and throughout the day we had spectacular views across Portland and Weymouth Bay. Looking north-west from the Heights Hotel (SY 690731), there was a magnificent view along and across , with chalk cliffs on the horizon. Jeremy set the geology into the context of the break-up of Pangaea. By the Jurassic, when Dorset lay around 41oN, a shallow sea extended across southern England, depositing limestones, sandstones and clays. Uplift and folding followed, so that the sediments dipped eastwards into the Wessex Basin. Then a late-Cretaceous marine transgression resulted in erosion to create an over-stepping unconformity and produced the succession of gently-dipping strata that now form the Jurassic Coast. The Isle of Portland is on the southern limb of the eastward- plunging Weymouth Anticline, formed in the View of Chesil Beach from the Heights Hotel Alpine Orogeny, whose crest has been eroded. Photo by Jane Wainwright After driving down to the coast (car park SY 677685), we walked to the western edge of to inspect evidence for fluctuating sea levels in the Pleistocene, when the advance and retreat of glaciers caused global sea levels to fall and rise. Here a raised beach sits on a planed-off wave-cut platform, on which highly-fossiliferous Portland Stone is exposed. The raised beach, dating to about 220,000 years ago, consists of several sequences of well-rounded pebbles, fining up to coarse sand. Among the local materials forming the pebbles are some exotics, including Permo-Triassic quartzite pebbles from the area, much further west. Many pebbles are coated with calcite. It is likely that sparite cements the beach material, dissolved CaCO3 originated from local rock percolating down and precipitating rapidly.

Detail of raised beach at Portland Bill Photo by Jane Wainwright Wave-cut platform and raised beach at Portland Bill Photo by Jane Wainwright Cambering fissures (gulls) have appeared throughout the upper Portland Beds because the Portland rock lies on much less stable Kimmeridge Clay and gravitational sliding is occurring. These gulls are filling with the beach pebbles at the location of this raised beach.

Wessex Footnotes July 2017 Page 8 On the eastern side of Portland Bill is another raised beach, 100,000 years younger than that on the west, dating to the last glaciation, the Devensian. The greater quantity of shelly material is evidence that this beach was deposited in less energetic conditions. For a lunch break we returned to New Ground. More evidence for climate change was seen on a walk to Kingbarrow Nature Reserve. We paused at the well-preserved dinosaur footprint and again at the fossil tree, about 140 million years old, in the garden of the Heights Hotel. This silicified tree (now in three sections), was preserved in acidic conditions. As pH reduces, silica is deposited.

Dinosaur footprint At Kingbarrow Quarries, now part of the Photo by Jane Wainwright nature reserve, the surface of the fossil forest is exposed. The silicified trunks have disappeared, but the places where they grew are marked by rings of CaCO3 deposited around the trunks by algae. A quarry wall near the rings is made up of thin deposits representing fluctuating Fossil tree at Heights Hotel sea levels at the Portland/Purbeck Photo by Jane Wainwright boundary. The environment was one of lagoons, varying between fresh and brackish or salt water. Gypsum deposits are evidence for sabkha - Algal burr Photo by Jane Wainwright coastal flats in hot, dry conditions, where evaporates built up. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the afternoon session, when the group visited Chesil Beach and . Details of it are contained in the Weymouth Bay field notes on the OUGS Wessex website. Many thanks to Jeremy for another excellent trip and for sharing his knowledge of this outstanding area. Jane Wainwright

DORSET BUILDING STONE AND OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES Brief mention was made of the Dorset Building Stone project in the last issue of Footnotes and work is proceeding apace to document and archive the stones used in churches and other historic buildings in the county. The work is being carried out by a small and informal group of professional and amateur geologists. If you would like to help, or just browse the fruits of their labours, take a look at their website: http://dorsetbuildingstone.weebly.com/ As well as a growing collection of illustrated pages describing individual buildings and quarries, the home page of the website provides links to many other useful and interesting sites, including;  Photos of the Jurassic Coast taken from the Dorset coast path by Malcolm Balmer. An interactive map allows you to access the exact spot you’d like to view. Members of Wessex OUGS and DGAG getting up Malcolm is happy for the photos to be copied for non- close and personal with the north porch of Wimborne Minster Photo by Pat Snelgrove commercial use, with a suitable acknowledgement. http://www.dorsetcamera.co.uk/html/dorset_coastpath.html  Geoff Rowland has created a site called Dorset Building Stones (ArcGIS Online) © Geoffrey Rowland 2017. This is a sophisticated interactive tool which allows you to choose a base map of the county (options includes geology, terrain and street maps) and then a “layer” such as quarries, villages or SSSIs. Relevant locations are shown as clickable dots, giving access to detailed information about each site.  Geoff has also created an interactive terrain model for the Dorset and East World Heritage Coast, and its hinterland. This is basically a geological map which you can search, “layer” and filter to display the information you need. http://jurassiccoast3d.org/

Wessex Footnotes July 2017 Page 9 OTHER LOCAL EVENTS – PLEASE CONTACT THE ORGANISERS DIRECT

DORSET GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIATION GROUP (DGAG) LULWORTH RANGE WALKS www.dorsetgeologistsassociation.com & VILLAGE 14 July 2017 Chairman’s picnic, Ham Hill (Alan Holiday and For information on opening times Sheila Alderman) tel. 01929 404819 Aug 2017 Frome Valley Trail OPEN EVERY DAY OVER HOLIDAYS Sept 2017 Chicksgrove Quarry 7 Oct 2017 Holiday Rocks (presentations), Broadmayne 22 July – 3 September 2017 16 December 2017 – 3 January 2018 OUGS members welcome but check beforehand that spaces

are available. Contact: Doreen Smith tel. 01300 320811 or e- OPEN EVERY WEEKEND EXCEPT: mail xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 1-2 July 2017 7-8 October 2017 18-19 November 2017 DIGS: Dorset’s Important Geological Sites Group 9-10 December 2017 More details from Alan Holiday: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.dorsetrigs.org.uk If you would like to be kept informed of forthcoming BOURNEMOUTH NATURAL SCIENCE conservation sessions, please contact Alan, who will be happy to add your name to his e-mail circulation list. SOCIETY AND MUSEUM 39 Christchurch Road, Bournemouth BH1 3NS

http://www.bnss.org.uk The Society covers all branches of natural science, RUSSELL SOCIETY, SOUTHERN BRANCH and has an extensive, and very impressive, collection of fossils, rocks and minerals which can be viewed http://www.russellsoc.org/ every Tuesday morning and also on the following Chris Finch: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx tel. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx days (free entry, donations welcome): For anyone interested in minerals, the Branch runs summer field trips SUMMER OPEN DAYS plus winter lecture meetings on the second Thursday of the month at Wyvern Technical College, Fair Oak, Eastleigh, Hants. every Monday and Wednesday, 24 July to 30 Aug 1 July 2017 Durnford Quarry, Bristol OPEN WEEKEND 12 Aug 2017 Cavendish Mill, Derbyshire 14 – 15 October 2017 26 Aug 2017 Hampstead Farm Quarry, Bristol Forthcoming lectures include: 15 Jul 2017 The Jurassic Coast: evolution, extinction and tectonics (Richard Edmonds) 5 Aug 2017 Chesil Beach storm damage (Alan Holiday) SOUTHAMPTON MINERAL & FOSSIL SOCIETY 5 Sept 2017 Hawai’i (Gary Morse) http://www.sotonminfoss.org.uk Field trips (led by Ray Chapman) Gary Morse: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx tel. xxxxxxxxxxxx 20 Jul 2017 Barton on Sea and Highcliffe The Society runs indoor meetings, field trips and other 24 Aug 2017 Charmouth west activities. Monthly evening meetings are held at The Friends' Meeting House, Ordnance Road, Southampton YOUNG EXPLORERS’ CLUB (geology and more!) (guests welcome). For children aged 7 to 12. £4 per child per meeting. 18 July 2017 Fossils: a general guide (practical 8 Jul 2017 Archaeology evening) 9 Sept 2017 Evolution and extinction 6 Aug 2017 Field Trip: Mendips Mines & Industrial www.bnss.org.uk/about/young-explorers Archaeology (Gary Morse) 15 Aug 2017 Annual Swap & Sale Evening 19 Sept 2017 Dinosaurs and Sex: a romp through the Cretaceous” (Dr Jeremy Lockwood) DORSET BUILDINGS GROUP 17 Oct 2017 Heavy Spar (Gary Morse) John and Sue Rowntree, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The Group aims to promote the preservation of Dorset’s building traditions and so takes a practical interest in building stones and local geology. Winter lecture are held in Holt Village Hall, Dorset and there is a summer HAMPSHIRE MINERAL & FOSSIL SHOW programme of visits. 10am to 4.30pm, Saturday, 2 September 2017 Lyndhurst Community Centre, SO43 7NY BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY FESTIVAL OF LEARNING Admission £1 for adults, accompanied children free. 8 – 12 July 2017 Lots of displays (minerals, fossils and geology) plus A packed programme of events for adults and dealers in fine specimens, crystals and jewellery. children, including dinosaurs and mass extinctions. http://www.sotonminfoss.org.uk/smfsshow.htm https://microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk/

Wessex Footnotes July 2017 Page 10 WESSEX BRANCH EVENTS – DETAILS

Worbarrow Bay, Dorset Sunday, 16 July 2017

EVIDENCE OF CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN THE CRETACEOUS

with Jeremy Cranmer Please note new date – originally scheduled for 23 July 2017

To book a place, contact: Jeremy Cranmer at [email protected] or tel. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Jeremy Cranmer is an amateur geologist who lives in very near to the Jurassic Coast. He is OUGS Wessex Branch day trips organizer.

By starting at the summit of the Purbeck Hills we shall gain an overview of the geology of the valley we are about to visit so that we can understand how the landscape has been developed by the underlying geology. We shall then visit the coast at , which cross-cuts this valley, to follow the Cretaceous

succession through its various climate and sea level changes between the Portland Stone and the Chalk.

This expedition should be of interest both to OU students studying environmental science and geologists.

Lyme Regis, Dorset Sunday, 24 September 2017 GEOLOGY AND FOSSIL HUNTING with Sam Scriven To book a place, contact: Jeremy Cranmer at [email protected] or tel. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sam Scriven was born in Weymouth and gained an M.Geol at the University of Plymouth. After four years as the geologist at Charmouth Heritage Centre he joined the Jurassic Coast Team in where he is now Earth Science Manager. Sam has an intimate knowledge of the Jurassic Coast and its fossils. We shall look at the Lias west of Lyme Regis with the Cretaceous beds lying unconformably on the top as well as the Triassic/Jurassic boundary. There is a wealth of geology here and we shall visit the “ammonite graveyard”. There will also be plenty of opportunity to collect fossils. The total distance of the excursion is about 3 miles on varying beach material. Some slippery conditions must be expected - a walking pole can aid stability. Hammer, hand lens and collecting bags will be useful.

Upwey Cutting, Dorset Sunday, 15 October 2017 CONSERVATION SESSION AT AN SSSI with Alan Holiday

To book a place, contact: Jeremy Cranmer at [email protected] or tel. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Alan Holiday taught geography and geology in Weymouth. He is now retired but spends much of his time leading field trips! Over the years he has been involved in a range of OUGS activities as well as now being Chairman of the Dorset GA Group and Dorset RIGS Group. In the morning we shall carry out conservation work on this exposure of Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary, which is part of the Bincombe SSSI. In the afternoon we walk through Bayard Dairy land looking at another cutting and exposures in former quarries within the Purbeck Beds, which expose various strata and evidence of local tectonic effects. Walking distance 2 km. If time allows we can look at a DIGS site at Bincombe which exposes the Upper Greensand Chalk boundary.

DIPPY IN DORCHESTER FOSSIL FAYRE – and home-made cider! 11am – 11-pm, Sat-Sun, 22 & 23 July 2017 10 February - 8 May 2018 Square & Compass, , Dippy, the Diplodocus cast that for many years , Dorset BH19 3LF greeted visitors as they entered the Natural History The Square & Compass pub is home to Charlie Museum in London, will be displayed at the Dorset Newman’s Fossil Museum, plus an annual fossil County Museum next year. You can visit for free but festival when rare specimens and new this will be a popular exhibition so advance booking is discoveries are displayed. Experts are available advised. You’ll be able to book online from August. to identify your own finds. The pub serves The museum is also keen to recruit volunteers to help award-winning beers and ciders. with the exhibition so would be glad to hear from you. The Fossil Fayre is followed by a 2-week stone www.dorsetcountymuseum.org/dippy_on_tour carving festival, from 24 July to 4 August 2017.

Wessex Footnotes July 2017 Page 11 THE OPEN UNIVERSITY GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, WESSEX BRANCH – FORTHCOMING EVENTS This listing covers events in the Wessex area and general Society events. However, members can attend events organised by any OUGS branch - the full listing is at http://ougs.org/events/ Wessex Branch field trips Places are filled on a first come, first served basis. Non-members are welcome to attend events, but members will be given priority if places are short. Please contact the organiser to confirm details and to ensure there are spaces. Packed lunches, hard hats, strong footwear and waterproofs are usually required plus reflective clothing in working quarries. Please take note of the safety issues, which the leader will outline at the start of each trip. For day trips there is usually a charge of £2.50 per person to cover expenses. Events shown in italics are joint ones – please contact the host organizer as shown.

Last-minute contact on the day, if you’re not coming or late: Jeremy’s mobile xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

DATE EVENT LEADER(S) CONTACT NEW DATE Climate and environmental change in the Jeremy Cranmer Sunday Cretaceous, Worbarrow Bay, Dorset Jeremy Cranmer [email protected] 16 July 2017 (originally scheduled for 23 July) tel. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Fri- Sun OUGS Symposium OUGS East of Michael Perkins 18–20 August 2017 Edinburgh Scotland Branch xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Wednesday Chicksgrove Quarry and Avebury, Sue Vernon (OUGS London) Diana Smith 20 Sept 2017 Wiltshire [email protected] Jeremy Cranmer Sunday Geology and fossil hunting Sam Scriven [email protected] 24 Sept 2017 Lyme Regis tel. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Kathy Stott Tues - Fri Dr Ralph Nichols Residential trip to Jersey xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 3 – 6 October 2017 Robert Waterhouse tel. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sunday Conservation session at Upwey Cutting Alan Holiday 15 October 2017 (an SSSI) Jeremy Cranmer [email protected] Sunday Introduction to Geology, Bowleaze Cove Alan Holiday tel. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 5 November 2017 (suitable for those new to field geology) Saturday AGM and day of lectures Colin Morley Colin Morley 27 January 2018 Wool, Dorset [email protected] John Gooch Friday - Sunday OUGS AGM and social weekend OUGS xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 20-22 April 2018 Shap Wells Hotel, Penrith, Cumbria tel. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

INFORMATION ABOUT INSURANCE ON FIELD TRIPS AND EVENTS Each person attending a field meeting does so on the understanding that he/she attends at his/her own risk. The OUGS has Public Liability Insurance Cover for field and indoor meetings, but Personal Accident Cover and Personal Liability cover remain the responsibility and personal choice of the participant. There may be an element of appropriate cover included in house insurance or in travel insurance: although OUGS activities are not particularly dangerous, members are advised to check whether exclusions apply to activities in which they plan to participate in case they wish to arrange further cover. Annual travel insurance may be the best solution for any member who regularly attends field events: this again is a matter of personal choice. Please note however that all members participating in overseas events will be required to have travel insurance for the duration of the event: this is so that participants are covered for Medical, Repatriation and Personal Liability expenses. The Personal Accident element remains the personal choice of the member and again members are advised to check exclusions so that they can make an informed decision about the cover. Colin Morley, Branch organiser Jeremy Cranmer, Branch Day Events Organiser

WESSEX BRANCH COMMITTEE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE Branch Organiser Colin Morley [email protected] NEWSLETTER Treasurer Rhiannon Rogers [email protected] Day Trip Organiser Jeremy Cranmer [email protected] Is there anything you

Newsletter Editor Hilary Barton [email protected] would like to tell or ask

Residential Trips Mark Barrett [email protected] other members? All Website Manager Colin Morley [email protected] contributions welcome. Librarian Jeremy Cranmer [email protected] Hilary Barton, Editor Ordinary members: [email protected] Sheila Alderman, Ian Hacker, Linda Morley, Judith Purssell, Mike Grover, Gill Michaels

Wessex Footnotes July 2017 Page 12