MMAAGGAAZZIINNEE OOFF TTHHEE GGEEOOLLOOGGIISSTTSS’’ AASSSSOOCCIIAATTIIOONN VVoolluummee 1111 NNoo.. 22 JJuunnee 22001122 The Association Future Lectures Festival Awards 2012 February/March Lectures Bracklesham Barcelona Guide Review Two Prime Specimens Lost Circular Dorset Guide/ Guide Prices April Lecture John Vord Hepworth Rockwatch News Grants available Sir Arthur Russell Book Review Missing Paintings New Rules An Aber Celebration Horn Park Museum Display Back Cover: EXETER MEETING Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Volume 11, No 2, 2012 Published by the COUNCIL Geologists’ Association. MAY 2012 - MAY 2013 Four issues per year. Officers: CONTENTS President: Professor Rory Mortimore ISSN 1476-7600 Senior Vice-President: Professor Production team: JOHN CROCKER, David Bridgland; Vice-Presidents: Dr 3/4 The Association John Cosgrove, Vanessa Harley, Colin Prosser, Dr Michael Ridd; 5 Future Lectures/Festival Jon Trevelyan, Chris Woolston Treasurer: Dr Graham Williams; 6 Awards 2012 General Secretary: Mrs Diana 7 February Lecture Printed by City Print, Milton Keynes Clements. Postholders : 8 March Lecture The GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIATION Minutes Secretary: Mr Roger Le Voir; 9 Bracklesham does not accept any responsibility for Meetings Secretary: Dr Michael 10 Barcelona Guide Review views and opinions expressed by Oates; Field Meetings Secretary: Mr Two Prime Specimens Lost 11 individual authors in this magazine. Geoff Swann; Overseas Field Meetings Secretary: Dr Michael Ridd; Circular The Geologists’ Guides Editor: Professor Susan 15 Dorset Guide/ Guide Prices Association Marriott; GA Magazine representative: 16 April Lecture Professor John Cosgrove; GA The Association, founded in 1858, exists to 17 John Vord Hepworth Archivist: Dr Jonathan Larwood; foster the progress and diffusion of the 18 Rockwatch News science of geology, and to encourage Librarian: Miss Elaine Bimpson; research and the development of new Awards Panel Secretary: Mrs Barbara 19 Grants available methods. It holds meetings for the reading Cumbers; Membership Team 20 Sir Arthur Russell of papers and the delivery of lectures, Chairman: Dr Paul Olver; Rockwatch 21 Book Review organises museum demonstrations, Chairman: Mrs Susan Brown,. publishes Proceedings and Guides, and Non-Council Postholders Missing Paintings conducts field meetings. Proceedings Editor: Professor Jim 22 New Rules Annual Subscriptions for 2012 are £40.00, Rose. Associates £30.00, Joint Members £58.00, An Aber Celebration Ordinary Members of Council Students £18.00. 23 Horn Park Museum Display Mr Andrew Ashley, Mr Anthony For forms of Proposal for Membership and Back Cover: further information, apply to the Executive Brook, Mr David Greenwood, Secretary, The Geologists’ Association, Professor Richard Howarth, Mr Peter EXETER MEETING Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J Riches, Mr Paul Winrow, Dr 0DU. Christopher Woolston. E-mail [email protected] Co-opted member of Council: Telephone 020 7434 9298 Mr Neill Hadlow. Fax 020 7287 0280 Executive Committee: Officers Website: Mrs Sarah Stafford. http://www.geologistsassociation.org.uk President: Rory Mortimore © The Geologists’ Association. All rights reserved. No part of this Executive Secretary: Sarah publication may be reproduced, stored Stafford in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the Cover picture: prior permission in writing of the author Curry Fund Dates for 2012 and the Geologists’ Association. Permian Ratburi Limestone weathers to form karst towers in the tropical climate Applications to Committee LAST Copy dates for the Circular & of Thailand. This island, named Ko to be received by Date Magazine February 20 March 9 March Issue January 14 Pada off the Krabi coast of southern May 20 June 8 June Issue April 22 Thailand, has a solution notch at its August 20 September 14 September Issue July 22 December Issue October 21 base and appears to float on the sea November 20 December 14 surface. It was visited by GA members Items should be submitted as soon in 2007 during the Association's field as possible and not targeted on these meeting in Thailand (see PGA vol. 120, dates. 163-174). We welcome contributions from Members Photo Mike Ridd and others. 2 Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 11, No. 2, 2012 THE ASSOCIATION Perhaps this spirit engendered by a participation in the Earth Heritage From the New President part-time and volunteer team is what Magazine. Each of these publications makes the GA such a friendly meets a different need within our For those of you lucky enough to organisation to belong to and it is a membership and provides essential have been at the GA meeting on the privilege for me to take over as your supporting funds for the GA awards 4th May to see the GA award winners President for the next two years. I and other activities. These and hear David Bridglands’s have been on a steep learning curve developments have all come from the Presidential address on’ Glamorous from David Bridgland who has chaired initiative and drive of your Council Gravels’ you will be aware how far the the Council meetings, picking up key team over many years and the various GA has come in the last decades. issues with ease and running the journal editors. Despite being a GA member since the evening lectures in a very relaxed mid-1970s, and having been on manner. He has also developed two This brings me to three final points. fabulous GA field trips to Denmark led huge themes close to his heart, The first is that Council has made the by Richard Bromley (1976) and to the geo-conservation and gravels. The GA decision to video record the monthly Carpathians with Keith Duff (1980), Worcester conference was a great talks and David Bridgland’s Presidential this was my first chance to attend a success, the GA Exeter Rivers through address was recorded last Friday as an May AGM (usually, I have been running Geological Time meeting in October is experiment. We can only do this with field courses) and to listen to a heading that way. On your behalf I the permission of the speakers and the Presidential address and join in with thank David and all the officers and idea is to have the recording on the GA the GA Dinner. It was a truly positive members of Council for the work they website so that GA members who could evening with an outstanding group of have and are doing to keep the GA not be at the meeting will be able to award winners who contributed greatly going forward and successfully meeting see the talk. We hope that systematic to the whole occasion. It says its charitable aims in supporting the recordings will begin with the Autumn something for the GA and the many activities it does. I have a lot to series of talks. The Geological Society leadership given by past presidents, live up to! Fortunately David is staying has kindly allowed us to use their the GA Council and those who have on Council as Senior Vice President to system to make these recordings and given their names to awards through help me through my first year. David will be helping Sarah put the final their donations, that the awards have has also taken on the task of product on the web. You will be expanded to include students, representing the GA on the editorial informed how to access the website in educators, local enthusiasts as well as team of the Earth Heritage Magazine due course. those who have dedicated their lives to and looks forward to receiving articles particular areas of research. A common from you. This excellent journal is on- The second point concerns the GA theme is the enthusiasm for the line and a perfect outlet for many of Trading Company. With the advent of subject at whatever level and from the local initiatives in geo-conservation internet trading on sites such as whatever background and this goes to and geo-education being undertaken Amazon the items the GA Trading the heart and soul of the GA and is by local groups. Company traditionally sold such as what attracted me to the organisation compasses, geology hammers, hand in the first place. As Professor Iain Taking groups out on the Chalk has lenses etc. can be found more easily Stewart said in accepting his Honorary been a great pleasure. Over the last and cheaply on the various websites. Life Membership of the GA at the year I have managed the wettest So, in discussion with and the advice of awards ceremony, it is the way the GA weekend of my life on the north the Trading Company team, Council makes geology accessible at all levels Norfolk coast with Norfolk and Norwich has decided to wind-up the trading through Rockwatch, field trips, evening Natural History Society, got heavily company. Current stocks will be sold at lectures and its publications that gives sunburnt with Wessex OUGS on White meetings as usual but no further it a special place in the life of our Nothe in Dorset, had two great trips to stocks will be ordered. This does not subject. the French Normandy coast with the affect the GA guides which we can Reading GS and Hertfordshire GS and continue to sell as ‘low-risk’ items I am staggered at how much the GA taken the West Sussex GS, Hastings without the need for a Trading does with a very small team. Sarah and District GS and the GA to various Company. We can also make up items and Geraldine are part-time in the GA parts of the Sussex coast and inland such as T-shirts for special events such office and all the officers of the pits. With nearly 50 affiliated societies as conferences and the festivals of Association and Council members are it would be good to think I could meet geology as these will be ‘low-risk’ small volunteers, including the editors of the most of you during the next two years, stock items.