SCIENTIST GEO VOLUME 24 NO 2 u MARCH 2014 u WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST The Fellowship Magazine of the Geological Society of London UK / Overseas where sold to individuals: £3.95

society on facebook] [www.facebook.com/geolsoc

Her dark materials Kathryn Goodenough hunts for rare metals in Greenland

CRACKING UP VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! CLIMATE CHANGE How adverse soil conditions Time to make your choice Society publishes affect the local roads of Britain in the Council elections addendum to 2010 report

GEOSCIENTIST CONTENTS

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FEATURES IN THIS ISSUE... 14 Lincolnshire cracking How soil science can help the long-term repair and maintenance of our essential local roads network

REGULARS

05 Welcome Ted Nield hails the refurbishment of the Council Room at Burlington House 06 Society news What your Society is doing at home and abroad, in London and the regions 09 Council elections Exercise your democratic right 13 Soapbox Ben Topley wonders why university Earth ON THE COVER: science departments don’t show more support for 20 Hunting critical metals Geology A-Level Kathryn Goodenough uses a Society fieldwork 23 Calendar Society activities this month grant to find new sources of rare elements vital 24 Books and arts Ted Nield reviews the remodelling of to new and emerging technologies the Geological Society’s Council Room, Burlington House 26 People Geoscientists in the news and on the move

ONLINE SPECIAL Geikie request: Help Haslemere Educational Museum identify 28 Obituary Richard Allen Downing 1928-2013 the subjects in Sir ’s amazing field sketch archive! 29 Crossword Win a special publication of your choice

WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST | MARCH 2014 | 03 04 | MARCH 2014 | WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST

GEOSCIENTIST WELCOME Geoscientist is the ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE ~ Fellowship magazine of Jonathan Knight MOUNTAINS BEHIND NUUK, GREENLAND, CLOSE the Geological Society T 01727 739 193 of London E jonathan@centuryone TO THE BOUNDARY OF THE GREENLAND ICE SHEET publishing.ltd.uk Cover: Anders Peter Photography / Shutterstock.com The Geological Society, ~ Burlington House, Piccadilly, ART EDITOR London W1J 0BG Heena Gudka T +44 (0)20 7434 9944 F +44 (0)20 7439 8975 DESIGN & PRODUCTION E [email protected] Sarah Astington (Not for Editorial - Please contact the Editor) PRINTED BY Century One Publishing House Publishing Ltd. The Geological Society Publishing House, Unit 7, Copyright Brassmill Enterprise Centre, The Geological Society of Brassmill Lane, Bath London is a Registered BA1 3JN Charity, number 210161. T 01225 445046 ISSN (print) 0961-5628 FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK: F 01225 442836 ISSN (online) 2045-1784 Library The Geological Society of London T +44 (0)20 7432 0999 accepts no responsibility for the F +44 (0)20 7439 3470 views expressed in any article in Done proud E [email protected] this publication. All views expressed, except where explicitly EDITOR-IN-CHIEF stated otherwise, represent those Professor Peter Styles of the author, and not The Geological Society of London. ack in 2006, when the five of the new seating on day one after the All rights reserved. No paragraph EDITOR of this publication may be Courtyard Societies Lecture Theatre’s first major (1999) Dr Ted Nield reproduced, copied or transmitted collectively fought the refurb, but later, the Lower Library’s E [email protected] save with written permission. Users registered with Copyright Government in the High new carpet imposed its gentle EDITORIAL BOARD Clearance Center: the Journal is registered with CCC, 27 Congress Court of Chancery over their discipline on the bone-chuckers. Dr Sue Bowler Street, Salem, MA 01970, USA. B rights of occupancy at Burlington Visitors realised that Burlington House Mr Steve Branch 0961-5628/02/$15.00. Every Dr effort has been made to trace House, a debate opened up in was not to be treated as though it were Prof. Tony Harris copyright holders of material in Geoscientist’s letters column over some 1960s lavatory of learning. Dr Howard Falcon-Lang this publication. If any rights have Dr Jonathan Turner been omitted, the publishers offer whether we should bother to keep our Organisations wishing to be taken their apologies. Dr Jan Zalasiewicz Mayfair palace at all. Wouldn’t seriously in the wider world have to No responsibility is assumed by Trustees of the the Publisher for any injury and/or something functional, closer to the behave properly. This is a serious Geological Society damage to persons or property as geographical heart of Britain be more point. Maintaining the interiors of a of London a matter of products liability, Mr D T Shilston negligence or otherwise, or from appropriate ‘in our modern age’? Grade II* listed building, to an (President); any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or This argument – dubbed the ‘Arthur appropriate standard is an unequivocal Mrs N K Ala; Dr M G ideas contained in the material Scargill Gambit’, in honour of the stipulation of our lease. Yes, it’s Armitage; Prof R A Butler; herein. Although all advertising Prof N A Chapman; material is expected to conform to NUM leader who moved the Union’s expensive; but over and Dr A L Coe; Mr J Coppard; ethical (medical) standards, HQ away from London’s fleshpots to above our need to generate income Mr D J Cragg (Vice inclusion in this publication does president); Mrs N J not constitute a guarantee or wholesome oblivion in Barnsley - as a conference venue, it is worth it endorsement of the quality or Dottridge; Mr C S Eccles; value of such product or of the proved moot when the Trustees solely for the inestimable status-boost Dr M Edmonds; claims made by its manufacturer. Prof A J Fraser discovered that the cost of relocating we get from occupying a nationally (Secretary, Science); Subscriptions: All anywhere would bankrupt us. So we important home, on the ‘world’s most Mrs M P Henton (Secretary, correspondence relating to non- Professional Matters); member subscriptions should be fought on, and after mediation settled famous street’. addresses to the Journals Mr D A Jones (Vice Subscription Department, on an affordable rent. Years of With the refitting of the Council president); Dr A Law Geological Society Publishing planning blight were lifted and the Room (see review, p. 24) Phase Four of (Treasurer); Prof R J House, Unit 7 Brassmill Enterprise Lisle; Prof A R Lord Centre, Brassmill Lane, Bath, BA1 Bicentenary refurbishments followed. the refurbishments is finally complete. (Secretary, Foreign & 3JN, UK. Tel: 01225 445046. Fax: I harboured doubts of a different It is a tribute to the Trustees – and External Affairs); 01225 442836. Email: Prof D A C Manning [email protected]. The sort. As well as general neglect, I saw above all the Executive Secretary, who subscription price for Volume 24, (President designate); 2014 (11 issues) to institutions drawing pins being stuck in oak has brought continuity and personal Dr B R Marker; and non-members is £125 (UK) or Dr G Nichols; Dr L £143 / US$286 (Rest of World). doorcases, maps fixed to oil paintings commitment to this long-term Slater; Dr J P Turner with Blu-tack, gnawed chicken bones project - that the Society has been (Secretary, Publications); © 2014 The Geological Society Mr M E Young of London dropped onto the Lower Library’s prepared to budget for, and spend, grubby lino; and in my darker the sums made available by our Published on behalf of the moments wondered whether these improved finances on maintaining the Geological Society of London by ragamuffins really deserved a building national heritage - despite other Century One Publishing so evidently wasted on them. demands that might, superficially, Alban Row, 27–31 Verulam Road, St Albans, Herts, But enhancing the environment seem closer to home. AL3 4DG really does improve people, and Not so. Outsiders may finally T 01727 893 894 F 01727 893 895 behaviour slowly improved. Yes, I did conclude that geologists are not the E enquiries@centuryone find chewing gum stuck to the backs oiks they might once have taken us for. publishing.ltd.uk W www.centuryone DR TED NIELD, EDITOR - [email protected] publishing.ltd.uk

WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST | MARCH 2014 | 05 GEOSCIENTIST SOCIETY NEWS

What your society is doing SOCIETYNEWS at home and abroad, in London and the regions

Fellowship renewals, Council elections COUNCIL MEETINGS AND OGMS Every year at this time we remind Fellows to can call Burlington House and ask for the The dates for meetings of Council renew or face being struck off – with the Fellowship Department. and Ordinary General Meetings subsequent inconvenience of having to re- until June 2015 will be as follows: apply, writes Edmund Nickless. Vote! Vote! Vote! u For the Society, late payment results each year May I also encourage you to cast your votes for 2014: 2 April (Council), in additional costs and administration. In this Council (see p.09). The total number of Fellows 9 April (OGM), economic climate we ensure that optimum use is voting in 2013 was 1092, from an electorate of 18 June, made of Society resources and we rely on the around 10,500. Candidates running for Council 25 September, support of Fellows to achieve this. Time is have committed to give considerable their time to 26 November; u running out for you to renew your Fellowship. serve the Society if elected – so please, give a 2015: To ensure that you continue to support and very little of your time to vote. Unless there is a 4 February, belong to your professional body, please renew reasonable turnout, it will be difficult to 8 April. today, preferably online via the web site; or you encourage people to stand in future. Society Awards 2014

The Society is delighted to announce the names of the winners of its medals and funds and offers all its heartiest congratulations. Image: Kletr / Shutterstock.com Maureen Raymo,Wollaston Medal; Martin Brasier, ; Julian Pearce, ; Peter Styles, ; Jane Francis, Coke Medal; Christine Peirce,Coke Medal; John Maclennan, ; Max Coleman, ; Edward Rose, ; Robert Chandler, R H Worth Prize; Craig Barrie, Wollaston Fund; Claire Corkhill, William Smith Fund; Paul Butler, Lyell Fund; Katherine Joy, Murchison Fund; Maggie Williams, Distinguished Service Award; Michael Babechuk, President’s Award; Hannah Hughes, President’s Award; Oliver Shorttle, President’s Award. LONDON LECTURE SERIES ➤ The Awards will be presented at President’s Day on 4 June 2014 Nuclear waste Speaker: Rebecca Lunn Earth Science Week 2014 (University of Strathclyde) Date: 19 March Following the success of 2013’s Earth Science Week, the Society is keen to reach an even wider audience this year, writes Sarah Day. Programme UK Earth Science Week 2014 will take place on October 13-19, with a theme u Afternoon talk: 1430 Tea & Coffee: 1500 Lecture of ‘Our Geo-Heritage.’ begins: 1600 Event ends. We are hoping that events during Earth Science Week will help to promote the u Evening talk: 1730 Tea & Coffee: 1800 Lecture UK’s geological heritage sites, from famous landmarks like Giant’s Causeway, to begins: 1900 Reception. less well-known areas of geological significance - so do get in touch with ideas if you would like to take part. Further Information As ever, we want to promote guided and self-guided geology walks, in towns Please visit www.geolsoc.org.uk/gsllondon and cities as well as the lectures14. Entry to each lecture is by ticket only. countryside, so please To obtain a ticket please contact the Society around contact us if you are able to four weeks before the talk. Due to the popularity of this plan one during the week, lecture series, tickets are allocated in a monthly ballot and we will make sure it and cannot be guaranteed. gets publicised.

➤ Earth Science Week’s homepage www.geolsoc.org.uk/earthscienceweek will be ➤ Contact: Naomi Newbold, The Geological Society, continually updated through the year. Please email [email protected] to Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BG, T: +44 propose an idea, or find out about getting involved. (0)20 7432 0981 E: [email protected]

06 | MARCH 2014 | WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST FELLOWSHIP ELECTION The following are put forward for election to fellowship at the OGM 2 April 2014:

ABDULLAYEV Elshan; ADAMSON Peter William; AGUILERA Roberto Carlos; AGUSTDOTTIR Thorbjorg; ALEVIZOS Georgios; ANDERSON Ryan; ANKETELL-JONES Samuel; ARCHER Climate Change Statement – policy update Michael; ARMSTRONG Alan; ARMSTRONG James; ASEKHAUNO Oshioke S; ASKEW Rob; AU Wai Lun Warren; BAAH Kwaku; BABECHUK The Geological Society has published an Michael Gordon; BAIN Katharine Georgina; BAKER Sarah; BALLARD Matthew; BARIBAULT Mathieu; addendum to Climate Change: Evidence BARNES Ryan David; BARRINGTON Charlotte; from the Geological Record (November BASS Sarah Anne; BATES Neil; BEGG Joseph; BELLENGER Celine; BENGHIAT Philip; 2010) taking account of new research writes BLACKLEY Simon Geoffrey; BLAND Lynsey; BOHLIN Madeleine Sassaya; BONNEY Roslyn; Nic Bilham. BOOTH Adam; BRADBURY Harold John; The reconvened working group and BREISLIN Catherine; BRITLAND David; BRONSTON Mark; BROWN Rowan Katie; BUCK Council concluded that the 2010 Statement Jake; BURTON Tina Elizabeth; CALLIOLI SANTI remained valid, and did not need amending. Image: fivepointsix / Shutterstock.com Andrea; CAMPLIN David; CANNEAUX Daniel; CARLILE Kenneth; CARLISLE Charlie; CHAN The addendum sets out new research relevant to Jennifer Pui Chung; CHAPLIN Greg; CHEBBIHI the questions addressed in the original statement. Lynda; CHENDORAIN Michael; CHENG Ho Ming Edward; CLARKE Adam; CLARKE Amy Louise; Below follows the non-technical summary of CLEMSON Jon; COHU Laura; COLEBROOK Steven Gordon; COOKE Martin; COOMBES Henry; key points from the addendum. The full COWAN Robbie; COWTON Laurence; CURTIS technical version with references may be read Alexandra Lucy Adams; CUTTS Alexander; DA MATTA Rodrigo Antonio Melisan Amanci; online. It is intended to be read alongside the DARLING Jamie; DAVID Martin; DAVIDSON Craig; original 2010 Statement, and follows the same DI CUIA Raffaele; DICKESON Zachary; DIEU Nicolas; DIGNES Thomas William; DIXON Richard; Q&A format. DOLBY Matthew Robert; DOLSON John; DOMZIG Anne; DOUGLAS Chad; DOUNIS George; DUFFY Louise Marie; ELDER Douglas; Summary ELVY James; EMCI Mehmet Burak; ENDEBROCK Larry; FERRY John Martin; FINDLAY Dawn; “Since our original 2010 statement, new climate current temperatures, and estimated future FITZGERALD Ross; FITZROY Charles; FOLDER data from the geological record have arisen warming, are. Matthew; FORD Christopher James; FOWLER Mark; FRANCE Emily Rose; FREESE Rachel; which strengthen the statement’s original “Before the current warming trend began, FUNG Yun Ting; GAMBLE Richard; GIFFORD Owen; GILDER Charlotte; GOMERSALL Patrick; conclusion that CO2 is a major modifier of the temperatures in the Holocene (the last 11,000 GOODING Scott; GOUGH Peter Charles; climate system, and that human activities are years) were declining. This was due largely to GOZZARD Simon; GRACE John; GREED responsible for recent warming. insolation – the solar radiation received by the Catherine; GREEN Matthew Richard; GREEN Robert George; GREENFIELD Timothy Stephen; “Palaeoclimate records are now being used Earth’s surface – and dictated by the Earth’s orbit GREENWAY Simon Andrew; GREW Tony; GRIFFITH Lucy; GRIFFITHS Matthew; widely to test the validity of computer climate and the tilt of the Earth’s axis. Insolation declined GRIMSHAW Matthew; GROSVENOR Daniel; GU models used to predict climate change. throughout the Holocene. This cooling took Chunxiao; GUPTA Saibal; HADOUTH Suhail; HANDS Philip John; HARPER Matthew; HARRIS Palaeoclimate models can simulate the large- Earth’s climate into a Neoglacial period, Emily; HARRISON Mark; HAYES Paul; HAYMAN scale gradients of past change, but tend not to culminating in the ‘Little Ice Age’ (1450 – 1850). Guy Andrew; HAYNES Ronald; HAZEL Alexander James; HEATHERINGTON Elliot; HEFFERNAN accurately reproduce fine-scale spatial patterns. “Astronomical calculations indicate that this Christopher; HEPWORTH Luke; HILLS Nicholas; They also have a tendency to underestimate the period of low insolation and associated cool HO King Lam Taylor; HOCKER Christian; HODSON Paul; HOGGARD Mark James; HOLMES Kevin magnitude of past changes. Nevertheless they conditions should continue for about another Bryan; HOUGHTON Matthew; HOWARD Trevor; HOWELL Andrew Roy; HUGHES Joshua; are proving to be increasingly useful tools to aid 1000 years. Nevertheless, after 1900 the overall HUMPREYS-WILLIAMS Emma; HUNT Ryan; thinking about the nature and extent of past decline in temperature sharply reversed. HUTSON Rachael; ILOANI Nnaemeka; IND Jonathan; INGLE David John; JACKSON John; change, by providing a global picture where According to one recent study, it is likely that the JAMES Trystan; JANKOWSKI Robert Edward; palaeoclimate data are geographically limited. area-weighted global average temperature for the JEACOCK Tim; JENKINS Jennifer; JENKINS Marcus; JOHNSON Olivia; JOLLEY Elizabeth Jane; “Geologists have recently contributed to 30 year period from 1970 to 2000 was higher JONES Ben; JONES Daniel; JONES Emily; JONES improved estimates of climate sensitivity (defined than at any time in nearly 1400 years. Tree ring Richard; KAI Wing Wai Emily; KATHRINER Luzia; KEHINDE Michael Olatunde; KENCHINGTON as the increase in global mean temperature data confirm that recent warming is Charlotte Guenevere; KHAIRA Harminder; KIBBEY TAYLOR Brian; KING Niall Thomas; KIRBY resulting from a doubling in atmospheric CO2 unprecedented in central Europe over the past Matthew Edward; KLATT Stephanie; KLIMENTIDIS levels). Studies of the Last Glacial Maximum 2500 years, and in eastern Europe over the past Robert; KLOCKING Marthe Sophie; KORAI Despoina; KUUSANNIEMI-ABBOTTS Henrik; (about 20,000 years ago) suggest that the 1000 years. Palaeoclimate records from the LAGESSE Richard; LANCASTER Verone; LARTER climate sensitivity, based on rapidly acting factors Arctic show that the warmest 50-year interval of Stephen Richard; LAU Chi-Hing; LAU Wesley; LAVERY Rachael; LAVIS Shaun; LAWTON Gareth; like snow melt, ice melt and the behaviour of the past 2000 years occurred between 1950 and LAWTON Laura; LEPPARD Christopher William; clouds and water vapour, lies in the range 1.5°C 2000 AD. LEVICK Thomas; LEWIS Daniel Mostyn; LEWIS Edward; LEWIS Sirrocco; LI Yuting; LINCOLN Paul; to 6.4°C. Recent research has given rise to the “Atmospheric CO2 is currently just below 400 LLOYD Max; LODGE Mark David; LONGSTAFF Sarah Louise; LORD Andrew; LOWE Edward concept of ‘Earth System sensitivity’, which also parts per million (ppm) on average. It last Thomas; LUKER Richard; LYNCH Peter; takes account of slow acting factors like the reached similar levels during the Pliocene LYTHGOE Karen Helen; MA Noah; MADER KAYSER Nadine Katja; MAILEY Emma; MANI Lara decay of large ice sheets and the operation of (5.3-2.6 million years ago). At that time, Lucy Jane; MANNING David; MARKS Fiona Dawn; the full carbon cycle, to estimate the full temperatures rose to levels 2-3°C warmer than MARSHALL Peter; MASON Ben; MASON Frances; MCDONAGH Tom; MCELHINNEY Will; sensitivity of the Earth System to a doubling of today, and sea level rose by up to 20m in places. MCGILL Sean; MCLEAN Simon; MEDICI CO . It is estimated that this could be double Sea level takes a few hundred years to reach Giacomo; MESSENGER Jeffrey Charles; MICHIE 2 Emma; MILES Thomas; MILLER Robert; MILLER the climate sensitivity. equilibrium in response to changes in William; MINTON Paul Ralph; MOHR Peter; MORGAN Adam; MORRISON Alister; MORRISON “When viewed in the context of geological atmospheric CO2 and temperature, which may Cassius Isa; MORTON George Leo; MUDE time, today’s conditions are atypical. We are explain why sea level has not yet risen to the Omorefe; MUÑOZ Josep Anton; NAMSRAI Munkhbileg; NEWBERRY Richard; NORMAN Kate; living through an interglacial period, whose mean same levels seen in the Pliocene. O'DONOVAN John; O'LEARY John; O'REILLY Nick; OAK Justyna Paula; OSTCLIFFE Martyn; temperature is representative of only 10% of the “Atmospheric CO2 is increasing at around OWEN Fred; OWEN Matthew; OWENS Eleanor last 800,000 years. The other 90% of that time, 2ppm per year (1995-2010 average). If this Ruth; PACK Stephen; PARSONS Barry Eaton; temperatures were lower, ice sheets larger and rate continues, it may reach 600ppm by the PARSONS Emily; PATEL Sameer; PATTINSON Zoe Jade; PEASE Andrew; PERRY Helen; PIEDADE Aldina; PIZZI Ulisse; POLLOCK Andrew; sea levels lower. This highlights how unusual end of this century – a value that appears not ▼ GEOSCIENTIST SOCIETY NEWS

SOCIETYNEWS...

▼ to have been typical for at least 24 the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal million years. Maximum (PETM) 55 million years ago, CHARTERSHIP NEWS “Our 2010 statement suggested that this caused marine crises and the rise in Antarctic temperature at the extinctions. The Earth System usually Chartership Officer Bill Gaskarth reports on a end of the Last Glacial Maximum takes around 100,000 years to recover projected new logo for use by CGeols, advice on (approximately 20,000 years ago) from such events. applications and company training schemes. began a few centuries before CO2 “Given the above, based on a The Professional and Chartership Committees are to showed any reaction. New data now growing abundance of palaeoclimate produce a ‘kitemark’ for use by Chartered Geologists indicate that CO2 rose at the same data, there is now greater confidence on their reports, letters and other communications, to time as Antarctic temperature, and than in 2010 that the only plausible indicate that they are written by a Chartered Geologist ahead of the global rise in temperature. explanation for the rate and extent of in good standing. The logo will identify the author by This strengthens the argument that temperature increase since 1900 is the Chartership number. rises in CO2 levels triggered by regional exponential rise in CO2 and other factors were instrumental in triggering greenhouse gases in the atmosphere SI applications global temperature increases, with since the Industrial Revolution. This Geologists working in the SI industry have hitherto positive climate feedbacks magnifying rate of increase of CO2 is received no guidance with regard to demonstrating their this effect. unprecedented, even in comparison competencies, particularly against Chartership criteria i “There is now greater confidence with the massive injection of carbon and ii. David Norbury has now prepared one, which that a relatively modest rise in into the atmosphere 55 million years can be found on the website (go to ‘Apply for CGeol’ atmospheric CO2 levels and ago that led to the major PETM and scroll down). temperatures results in significant warming event, and is likely to lead to A number of Scrutineers have expressed concern (though not globally uniform) sea level a similar rise in both temperature and about many of the items submitted as Supporting rise. Increased CO2 in the atmosphere sea level.” Documents. Many appear not to be focused on also increases CO2 levels in the specific criteria, nor to indicate clearly the relevant parts oceans, making sea water slightly ➤ Read the full Addendum at www.ge of these documents, causing scrutineers unnecessary more acidic and less oxygenated. olsoc.org.uk/climatechange work. A guidance note on this will appear on the In past warming events, such as at website shortly (again, under ‘Apply for CGeol’). All Sponsors should look at this guidance and advise their candidates accordingly if, when they read the Geological Society Club Application, they find deficiencies.

The Geological Society Club, port. (The Founders' Dinner, in Company Training Schemes successor to the body that gave birth November, has its own price structure.) The Professional Committee has accredited three new to the Society in 1807, meets There is a cash bar for the purchase of Training Schemes - RPS Energy, CH2MHill and URS, monthly (except over the field aperitifs and wine. bringing the total number of accredited schemes to season!) at 18.30 for 19.00 in the u 2014: 5 March (Ath); 2 April; 14 May; eight. RPS Energy’s course is the first to be received Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, or at 24 September; 15 October. from the Hydrocarbons sector. The others mainly cover another venue, to be confirmed training of Engineering and Environmental Geologists. nearer the date. Once a year ➤ Fellows wishing to dine or Other companies have expressed intent to apply, there is also a buffet dinner at requesting further information including AECOM, Fugro and BG Group. Burlington House. about the Geological Society Club, New diners are always welcome, please email Cally Oldershaw especially from among younger (Hon Sec) at cally.oldershaw@bt ➤ For further information go online www.geolsoc.org.uk Fellows. Dinner costs £55 for a four- openworld.com or or email [email protected] course meal, including coffee and T: 07796 942361. DR

FELLOWSHIP ELECTION Michael John; RUDD Michael; RYAN Nathaniel; SPILSBURY Richard; STELTER WALKER-VERKUIL Kyle; WALSH Tanya Francesca Antonia Gabrielle; RYAN John; Sebastian; STEPHENSON Charlotte April; Klaasziena; WALVIN Rachel; WARD Kelsey; Continued from previous page: SADLER Matthew; SALEM Lois Claire; STEWART Matthew; STONE Ralph Arthur; WARDMAN John Blackburn; WESTOBY POPE-CARTER Finnegan; POWELL William; SALTER Timothy Mark; SANDBACH Harry; STONE Thomas; TALLETT-WILLIAMS Sarah; Laura; WESTON James; WIGGAN Nickolas PRICE Rebecca; PRIOR Jennifer; PRYOR SARGENT Sabine Wilhelmine; SAVAGE TAYLOR Benjamin; TAYLOR John; THOMAS James; WILD Thomas; WILKINS Timothy Robert; PUGH David James; PUTIRKA Keith; Bethany; SCHOONMAN Charlotte Maria; Deborah Leigh; THOMAS Neil; THOMPSON Conor; WILKINSON Darren; WILLEMSE PYLNOV Sergiy; RABAYROL Fabien; RACEY SEITKAN Ainur; SENIOR Mark; SHAW Mark; THOMPSON Matthew John; Willem; WILLIAMS Thomas John; WILSON Andrew; RAITHATHA Bansri Gitesh; RAJI Charlotte; SHAW-SMITH Edmund John; THOMPSON Maxwell; TORR Stephen Dominic Beth; WOJTUN Ewelina; WONG Hoi Kwan; Munira; RANKEN Christian Judith Elizabeth; SHELTON Robert George; SIEMERS Frederick Edward; TSAMAKI Maria; TSIKRAS Leandros; WOODIER James Peter; WRIGHT Kirstie; REDFEARN Stuart Norman; REECE Lewis; William; SIKDAR Elena; SIMMISTER Nick; TSITSANIS Pavlos; TSO Mandy Tsz Ying; YARR Katherine; YATES Andrew; YATES RHODES Christopher; RITZMANN Nicklas; SIMMONDS Vartan; SKIGGS Keith; SLOAN TURLEY Aled John; UMOREN Nyaknno Meryl; YEOMANS Chris; YU Long; YUNG Mo ROBERTS Jenny; ROBERTS Mark; Mark Livingstone; SMETHURST Nicholas; Anthony; URIEN Miren Edurne; VAN DER WAL Choi; YUSIFOV Mehdi; ZAPICO Pablo; ROBERTSON Donald Allan Thomas; SMITH Joanne; SMITH Robert Paul; Jorien; VICKERS Madeleine; WALKER Faye; ZHANG Jing; ZHAO Pu; ZIABEK Rachel; RODRIGUEZ TRIBALDOS Veronica; ROSE SPENCE-JONES Carl; SPENCER Scott WALKER Ricki; WALKER Stephanie; ZUEHLKE Rainer.

08 | MARCH 2014 | WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST GEOSCIENTIST SOCIETY NEWS

Elections to Council 2014-2015

The time has come for you to do your requires, Council endorses* his candidature. bit, read through the candidates’ Tricia Henton, Secretary, Professional statements and vote – online! Matters, is retiring from Council. Council The October issue of Geoscientist proposes that Natalyn Ala, a current invited Fellows to nominate new members member of Council, should succeed Tricia of Council. Eight nominations have been in that role. Image: Andrey Burmakin / Shutterstock.com received for the five vacancies on Council. Council proposes that Alan Lord, The results of this preliminary ballot will Secretary, Foreign & External Matters, determine the list for the formal vote at the remain on Council for a further year, to Annual General Meeting to be held on 4 smooth the rotation of Officers. June 2014. Below are the supporting statements of Jonathan Turner (Secretary, the candidates standing for election, Publications) is retiring from Council and together with a table showing the expertise Colin North, if elected, has agreed to serve of the present Council (biographies of in his place. Recognising the importance continuing members of Council are at of this role and the time commitment that it www.geolsoc.org.uk/biographies).

VOTING ONLINE SUPPORTING STATEMENTS Fellows are strongly encouraged to vote online, by logging on to the Fellows-only part of the website www.geolsoc.org.uk/vote14. Please follow the instructions. FOR COUNCIL NOMINEES POSTAL VOTING ➤ Nigel Cassidy Enclosed with this Geoscientist are a ballot paper and an envelope for its return by those unable to vote I am currently online. Fellows should make their mark against the names of up to five candidates. Papers with marks Reader in against more than five names will be invalid. The ballot paper should be placed in the envelope provided, which should be sealed and returned to Applied reach the Society not later than 31 March 2014. Unless we are able to determine your eligibility to vote the Geophysics envelope will not be opened and your vote will be invalid. Consequently, you are asked to include your full at Keele name on the back of the envelope. No other communication of any kind should be included. University, NOTE: Fellows may only vote once, either online or by postal ballot. having completed a BSc in COUNCIL MEMBERS Geophysics Present Council (2013-2014) Nominees for new Council (2014-2015) in 1997 (University of PRESIDENT Mr David Shilston Professor David Manning Liverpool) and VICE Dr Mike Armitage Dr Mike Armitage a PhD in Geophysics at Keele (2001). PRESIDENTS Mr David Cragg Mr David Cragg Originally an industrial electrical engineer, I Mr David Jones Mr David Jones have been a Fellow of the Geological Society Professor Al Fraser (Science) Mrs Natalyn Ala (Professional) for over 10 years, a Royal Society Industrial SECRETARIES Mrs Tricia Henton (Professional) Professor Al Fraser (Science) Fellow, Chair of the Near-Surface Geophysics Professor Alan Lord (Foreign & External Professor Alan Lord (Foreign & External Affairs) Affairs) Group (NSGG) (2003–07) and currently sit on Dr Jonathan Turner (Publications) Dr Colin North* (Publications) the Society’s Degree Accreditation Panel. As a practical geophysicist, I have always had TREASURER Dr Adam Law Dr Adam Law a passion for the technical and field-related OTHER Mrs Natalyn Ala Professor Neil Chapman aspects of the subject and have been MEMBERS OF Professor Rob Butler Dr Angela Coe involved in undergraduate, postgraduate and COUNCIL Professor Neil Chapman Mr Jim Coppard Dr Angela Coe Mrs Jane Dottridge professional training for most of my career. Mr Jim Coppard Mr Chris Eccles To me, nurturing newly-qualified Mrs Jane Dottridge Dr Marie Edmonds Mr Chris Eccles Dr Brian Marker geoscientists and developing their careers are Dr Marie Edmonds Dr Gary Nichols important aspects of the Society’s role, Professor Richard Lisle Dr Lucy Slater particularly as a highly respected international Professor David Manning Mr Michael Young Dr Brian Marker organisation. With my cross-disciplinary Dr Gary Nichols Nominations for Council experience (industrial and academic), Dr Lucy Slater Dr Nigel Cassidy Mr Michael Young Dr Anthony Cohen background in education/training and broad- Mr James Dodds based understanding of the geosciences Retiring members of Council Mr Graham Goffey sector, I feel that I can significantly contribute Professor Rob Butler Mr David Hopkins Mrs Tricia Henton Professor David Norbury to the Society’s professional development Professor Richard Lisle Dr Colin North* strategy and knowledge exchange activities. Mr David Shilston Mr Keith Seymour By being elected to Council, I aim to play an Dr Jonathan Turner

active role in the formulation, defence and ▼

WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST | MARCH 2014 | 09 GEOSCIENTIST SOCIETY NEWS

▼ delivery of these practices and hope to public lectures at Burlington House, and in particular. This extends from my own facilitate greater CPD-related collaboration serving on the committee producing the consultancy, to outreach with my children’s across all areas of the geosciences community. Society’s statement on Climate Change – and primary school (including collaboration with have been a Fellow for five years. If elected to the University of Leicester). Through this Proposer: Peter Styles Council, I would enthusiastically promote the experience, involvement and interest I would Supporters: Sheila Peacock, Jamie Pringle Earth sciences and the unique contributions look to help with the development and that Society geologists, both in industry and extension of the Society’s outreach program academia, can jointly make in dealing with the and link this through the Regional and 21st Century’s key challenges. Specialist groups as well as Chartership and ➤Anthony Cohen CPD. Getting the geological and Humankind Proposer: Alexander Finlay hydrogeological message out to the general depends Supporters: Hugh Jenkyns, Peter Sheldon population is critical in giving people a better increasingly appreciation of the world in which we live, on the Earth and how that may change in the future. Sciences for the ➤James Dodds Proposer: Paul Maliphant responsible I started my Supporters: Stephen Bennett, Bill Gaskarth delivery of career in crucial 1988 as a resources – hydrogeological energy, consultant and ➤Graham Goffey minerals, continue in this Having spent water – and role, owning 27 years in for an understanding of how the Earth System and managing the petroleum will respond to the demands of an ever my own industry in growing population. I have been captivated company. geosciences by the Earth Sciences ever since my I joined the and schooldays, when an enthusiastic teacher Institution of exploration introduced me to the rocks and fossils of Geologists in management Derbyshire and the Lake District. I gained my 1988 and the Society in 1992, gaining roles, I am first degree and a PhD in Geochemistry from Chartership in the same year. currently MD Cambridge University, and an MSc from I helped create the Southern Wales North Sea Leeds. I have worked as an Earth Scientist Regional Group and served as Secretary for a & West for over 30 years in academia (Cambridge period of years. Since that time I have Africa/Senior and The Open University) and industry supported the Hydrogeological Group and VP Exploration for PA Resources in (Johnson Matthey). been a member of the Chartership Committee London. My qualifications are BSc Currently a Senior Lecturer at The Open and the Panel of Scrutineers. Geological Sciences (Birmingham), MSc University, I recently served as Head of Earth I have played an active role within the Petroleum Geology (Imperial College) and Sciences. I have contributed to many GS Society for many years and through my career MBA (Warwick). activities - as a JGS subject editor, as have developed a strong interest in the I have been a Society Fellow for most of convener of two conferences, giving two communication of geology, and hydrogeology my career. From 2004 – 2010 I served on the committee of the Petroleum Group, including three years as Chair. During this BACKGROUND OF CONTINUING MEMBERS OF COUNCIL period I convened many Petroleum Group Name Expertise Sector workshops and conferences. I led the NW Europe section of the PGC VII conference in Natalyn Ala Expertise Sector 2009, and co-edited GS Special Publications Mike Armitage Hydrogeology Industry 254 (The Deliberate Search for the Neil Chapman Mining Industry Stratigraphic Trap) and 348 (Hydrocarbons in Angela Coe Radioactive Waste Management Industry Contractional Belts). Jim Coppard Sedimentology & Stratigraphy Academe David Cragg Mineral Exploration Industry Its history, reputation and scientific modus Jane Dottridge Engineering Geology Industry operandi are the Society’s strength, the basis Chris Eccles Hydrogeology Industry of its authority and of the respect which it Marie Edmonds Engineering Geology Industry commands. Through leading one of its most Al Fraser Igneous Petrology, Volcanology, Geochemistry Academe active Specialist Groups I have an insight into David Jones Petroleum Geology Academe/Industry how the Society can play an important role in Adam Law Hydrogeology Government both the advancement of our science and in Alan Lord Petroleum Geology Industry guiding policy makers and society on matters David Manning Micropalaeontology Museum of public concern. If elected to Council, I Brian Marker Mineralogy Academe would be keen to play a role in progressing Gary Nichols Environmental Geology Retired the Society’s mandate in these key areas. Lucy Slater Sedimentology Academe Michael Young Petroleum Geology/Geophysics Industry Proposer: Malcolm Brown Geophysics Government/Industry Supporters: Jonathan Craig, Mike Bowman

10 | MARCH 2014 | WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST GEOSCIENTIST SOCIETY NEWS

➤David Hopkins strengthen the national and built up with other international I have been a international position of organisations. This includes: Chair Fellow of the the Society as a learned of the GeoScienceWorld electronic Society since and professional body. publishing aggregate board of 1979 and a I am currently Director directors; Journal of Sedimentary Chartered of David Norbury Limited Research editor and SEPM Council Geologist after working for Soil Mechanics member; AAPG publications since 1990. I for over 30 years. I am Professor of committee Chair and Elected Editor was a Council Engineering Geology at Sussex University candidate; book editor; and article author and member for reflecting my teaching duties there and at reviewer. Above all is the need to protect the six years other universities. high standard of our Society’s science while (1987-93) I have been a Fellow of the Society fostering collaboration: quantity should never with the since graduation in 1974. I have served on trump quality. Institution of Council (1993–96) and Professional and Geologists and subsequently the Geological Fellowship Committees (1993-03 including Proposer: John Underhill Society. I served on several Society as Chair of the latter). I was Secretary Supporters: Jonathan Redfern, Stuart Archer committees and was Chairman of the General of the European Federation of * Council-endorsed candidate Regional Groups Committee during the Geologists and then Chair of the Registration 1980s. Employed in the quarrying industry Authority (2002-13). I am the GSL nominee for 34 years before my retirement from full- on the British Standards committee looking time employment in 2012, I was Director of after site investigation and testing. I am a ➤Keith Seymour Geological Services for Aggregate Industries member of the Engineering Group and Having with responsibility for geological teams in served on the committee from 1985-92, started out both the UK and USA. We developed strong including as Treasurer. as an links with Leicester University Geology I am Chartered as a Geologist, Civil engineering Department at both a professional level and Engineer and Scientist and a European geologist with ongoing student training. Geologist and Engineer. before I have been a strong advocate of the moving into importance of the Society to our profession Proposer: Martin Culshaw hydrogeology, since graduation and was a Council member Supporters: Ivan Hodgson, David Giles I currently at the important time of the formation of our work in a Chartered Geologist status in the late 1980s. national Personal family reasons have meant that I technical have been unable to commit seriously to the ➤Colin North* leadership Society in recent years but with retirement I Through its role in the Environment Agency, supporting feel that I can now give the time necessary for publications, and developing geoscience colleagues to such a commitment. If elected, I feel that I the Geological manage and protect our groundwater can add valuable and extensive industry Society has resources. Throughout my 37-year career, experience to Council membership. long led the starting in the old ‘Water Authority’ days, it world in has been the application of my geological Proposer: Bill Gaskarth communicating, and geoscience skills to understanding Supporters: Edward Bailey, Rick Brassington and thus and solving environmental issues that has stimulating, been so rewarding. the science Underpinning this has been being of Geology. recognised as a professional geoscientist. I ➤David Norbury The world of have been a Fellow of the Society since In my nearly publishing is graduating from Newcastle University in 1976 40 years’ changing rapidly, driven by innovative with a degree in Applied (Engineering) experience technology and new ways of sharing and Geology. I was a member of the former as an evaluating our science, meaning we must not Institution of Geologists and sat on the engineering become complacent. Change needs to be Committee of the North West Regional Group geologist I assessed carefully yet embraced positively; for a number of years. I was proud to have led the message remains more important than become a Chartered Geologist back in 1990. industry in the delivery mechanism. So why do I want to sit on Council? What deployment As a Fellow of the Society for 33 years, could I contribute? It would be a great of systematic Chartered for 20, working in the petroleum opportunity to ‘give something back’ to the soil and industry with BP and in university teaching institution and profession I have been a proud rock and research, currently at University of member of all this time. My particular interest description Aberdeen, I have admired the successful way is in promoting chartership and and professional practice. I have also served this activity has been managed sustainably professionalism among our practising for 30 years on committees of the Society, thus far. If I were the Publications Secretary, geoscience community. including 10 years representing the I would be able to help our Society navigate profession in Europe. I now want to bring this the new challenges by applying my wide- Proposer: Matt Whitehead combined experience to bear in helping to ranging publishing knowledge and experience Supporters: Anthony Peacock, Rick Brassington

WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST | MARCH 2014 | 11 Fermor Meeting 2014: Comparative Planetology

19-20 May 2014

The Geological Society, Burlington House

A great deal of new data on the terrestrial planets and moons has been produced recently from numerous planetary orbiters, together with rovers. This meeting is planned to bring together scientists who are studying aspects of planetary science on terrestrial planets in the inner solar system. Presentations will fall under three broad themes: Planetary crusts and interiors, planetary surfaces and surface processes (including volcanism, tectonic activity, sedimentation, and impact cratering), and planetary climates and atmospheres. Links between the three themes will be investigated, to develop ideas of exchange between the interior, exterior and atmosphere of planetary-scale bodies.

Topics for discussion: Further information: • Internal structures • Volcanism • Tectonics Naomi Newbold, Conference Office, • Sedimentation • Cratering • Analogues • Samples • Rovers • Remote sensing The Geological Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, Conveners: Speakers include: London W1J 0BG Professor Hilary Downes FGS Dr Ellen Stofan (NASA Chief T: 0207 434 9944 Venus-Earth-Mars- Professor Ian Crawford FRAS Scientist) E: [email protected] Titan: Comparing Surfaces, W: www.geolsoc.org.uk/fermor14 Dr Peter Grindrod FGS, FRAS Comparing Climates Follow this event on Twitter #fermor14 Dr David Catling (University of Registration fees: Washington, Seattle USA) GSL and RAS Fellows £100 Atmospheric evolution on Rocky Planets Non-Fellows £150 Retired £55 Dr Mary Bourke (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland) Students £50 Blows and flows on Martian dunes Professor Sanjeev Gupta (Imperial, London, UK) Recent explorations of the Curiosity rover Dr Nick Tosca (St Andrews, UK) Alien surfaces: interpreting the mineralogical record of early Earth and Mars Dr David W Mittlefehldt (JSC Houston) Dawn at Vesta GEOSCIENTIST SOAPBOX

Geology – poor relation?

Ben Topley* wishes university Earth science departments would shed their outdated obsession with maths, physics and chemistry and show a little more support for Geology A-Level... SOAPBOX CALLING!

Soapbox is open to contributions from all Fellows. You can always write a letter to the Editor, of course: but perhaps you feel you he idea, put were geology need more space? forward by included among Gordon Neighbour its own prime If you can write it entertainingly in in a Soapbox piece in last year’s requirements, especially if 500 words, the Editor would like T March issue (Geoscientist 23.02), that this fact were communicated to hear from you. Email your the Geological Society should have greater to students at an early stage, while they are piece, and a self-portrait, to input into A-Level and GCSE geology still making decisions that will ultimately ted.nield@geolsoc. org.uk. courses, is a good one. However I believe lead to their choice of A-Level. Copy can only be accepted the geological community’s overall aim electronically. No diagrams, tables should also be to improve the subject’s value Recognition or other illustrations please. as a science. In this, the community is Indeed, in common with many students in currently doing itself no favours. my position, I believe that taking a route Pictures should be of print embracing geography and biology will, if quality – please take photographs Soft option anything, better prepare us for tackling a on the largest setting on your I am a student doing Geology A-Level, with geology degree. Maths, chemistry and camera, with a plain background. the intention of studying the subject at physics should not be prioritised, in the way university (my subjects are Biology, they currently are, as ‘must have’ Precedence will always be given

Geography, Geology and Chemistry). Yet I qualifications. Only a basic knowledge of to more topical contributions. find many university departments of Earth these subjects is actually required to Any one contributor may not

science do not seem to regard A-Level understand geology, and most universities appear more often than once per Geology as a useful requirement at all. nowadays routinely offer top-up/refresher volume (once~ every 12 months). For example, departments in Russell Group courses across the board for any students universities tend to ask for one or two who need remedial work. Providing a science subjects from a list including biology, student has good-enough grades in other chemistry, physics and maths. Subjects such science subjects, especially geology, I feel UNIVERSITY as geography, geology and environmental confident - such is my own experience to DEPARTMENTS OF science seem to be sneered at as ‘soft options’. date at least - that they will be perfectly able EARTH SCIENCE DO Why do we voluntarily insult our own to deal with whatever maths, physics and subject in this way? I believe the current chemistry that geology is ever likely to NOT SEEM TO REGARD Geology A-Level (from the Welsh Joint throw at them. A-LEVEL GEOLOGY Education Committee (WJEC)) can hold its Why do ourselves down? Students own, any day, with a chemistry or physics studying geology are quite the equal of those AS A USEFUL A-Level, which in fact cover very little if any with maths, physics and chemistry, and REQUIREMENT AT maths, or confine themselves to basics. will be even better placed, surely, to do well ALL... WHY DO WE The idea - or prejudice - that students must in their first year in Higher Education. do chemistry, physics and maths at all costs Until we recognise the value of our own VOLUNTARILY INSULT in order to be deemed worthy of studying subject, how can we - indeed, why should OUR OWN SUBJECT IN geology in Higher Education is a piece of we - expect others to? THIS WAY? inverse academic snobbery that is frankly Ben Topley no longer tenable. The status of geology * Ben Topley is an A-level student and a Junior ~ as a subject would be greatly enhanced, Candidate Fellow of the Society

WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST | MARCH 2014 | 13 CRACKING UP IN LINCOLNSHIRE

ll the UK’s local roads are socially, especially given the county’s Oliver Pritchard, deteriorating, as most readers poor railway infrastructure. Road will no doubt be able to confirm defects therefore create strong public Stephen Hallett by personal experience. reaction – especially when left untended. A Currently the UK ranks 24th in A number of factors can lead to road and Timothy the world for the quality of its road deterioration, from traffic volume, road infrastructure1. Councils are facing works (Excavations for infrastructure Farewell* consider increasingly tight budget constraints, and services), poor construction or are finding their ability to provide reinstatement, cold weather and a case of ‘the wrong proactive (rather than reactive) road tarmacadam oxidation to local maintenance severely reduced. environmental conditions like soil-type, kind of soil’ Ninety-eight percent of the UK’s roads and proximity to trees and other large are ‘local’. The remaining 2%, including vegetation. Lincolnshire’s road the Highways Agency-controlled strategic condition appears to be among the worst motorways and ‘A’ trunk roads, carry the in the UK. The reason for this highlights largest volume of traffic. So for most, if the role played by the geoscientist. not all of us, journeys start and end predominantly on the local road network. Soils In this article we take the county The soils of Lincolnshire and East Anglia of Lincolnshire as a case study. are particularly prone to moisture- Lincolnshire’s remote and agricultural related soil-shrinkage. During the Above: Longitudinal cracking on setting underlines the importance of the droughts of 2003 Lincolnshire County Cowbridge Road, near Bicker local network, both economically and Council recorded damage estimated at

14 | MARCH 2014 | WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST ~ LINCOLNSHIRE’S ROAD CONDITION APPEARS TO BE AMONG THE WORST IN THE UK. THE REASON FOR THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE PLAYED BY THE GEOSCIENTIST ~ Image: Lincolnshire County Council Image: Rodney Burton Image: Reproduced from SSEW, 1984

Soil associations of the Fenland area Map data copyright 2013 Google Image: ©2013 DigitalGlobe, Getmapping plc, Infoterra Ltd & Bluesky,

Dendritic relict channels in the Fenland peat soil Fenlands

£7 million affecting over 200 road sections. predominantly used geological maps to Many modern roads still follow the More recently in 2010-11, more drought interpret areas of subsidence risk to road course of historic and ancient roadways – conditions caused damage to 154 sites, networks in the UK. In this article we known in the trade as ‘evolved’ roads, predominantly in the south-east of the suggest and describe practical uses and this term applies to much of county. Newspapers carried headlines for soil survey data and associated Lincolnshire (and indeed most of the that ran: ‘Is the drought wrecking our mapping, as an aid to asset-managing the UK). Evolved roads include rural roads, roads? As we bask in unseasonably high Lincolnshire local road network. We also estate roads and distributor roads4. Some temperatures, how cracks are appearing consider the integration of projected will have originated as, and developed on surfaces as soil shrinks’ 2. climate change data to aid in modelling from, historic tracks originally A consortium of East Anglian county soil-related subsidence. constructed during the Roman and councils including Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Bronze Age periods. Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Peterborough Evolved network Little, if any, engineering foundation City applied for additional emergency Road construction is nothing new, as our underlies evolved roads. The relatively funding after both 2003 and 2010 drought Roman roads attest. The inspiration for thin road surface is therefore often placed events. The latter bid, totaling £26 million this feature originated during Oliver in direct contact with, and is so directly in emergency funding, was unsuccessful. Pritchard’s MSc research, which influenced by, the underlying soil This spurred the Institution of Civil considered the environmental context of conditions. Engineers to regard improving the historic trackway construction across Irish condition of UK roads as a top priority3, peat bogs. These trackways, of which Soil survey mapping along with damage due to recent cold many similar examples have been found Many people still associate the Soil weather and floods. across Britain, are evidence of man’s early Survey of England and Wales (SSEW) Highways engineers, asset managers attempts at overcoming the engineering with agricultural research, which

and engineering geologists have implications of problematic soils. provided the impetus for its earliest ▼

WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST | MARCH 2014 | 15 Image: O. Pritchard Smartphone scale of differential settlement, Iron Bar Drove, near Spalding

▼ activities. SSEW joined Cranfield University in 1987, forming first the Soil Survey and Land Research Centre (SSLRC), and then subsequently the National Soil Resources Institute (NSRI). From this time, efforts were made to diversify the uses to which soils information could be applied. The engineering characteristics of soil provided one such avenue. NSRI is the custodian of the national soil data archive, and holds many national and regional, as well as localised soil maps, associated data and soil samples. The collection and collation of datasets representing the spatial mg: NSRI, Cranfield University Image:© distribution of soils and their properties, formed the basis for ‘LandIS’, the computerised Land Information System (www.landis.org.uk)5. Commencing in the early 1990s, LandIS data have been applied to geohazard application modelling, leading to the Soil Associations of Lincolnshire development of the thematic ‘Natural Perils Directory’ (NPD)6. NPD provides continuous geographical assessment of a range of geohazard assessments across England and Wales (and by incorporating similar data from the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland also). Assessments are provided for a range of soil perils: clay-shrink swell; silt-frost heave; sand- erosion; and peat-shrinkage. Further assessments of flood-extent alluvial plains, as well as summary wind exposure data, are also included. The British Standards Institution7 highlights the usefulness of soil maps for depicting the occurrence of compressible Image: O. Pritchard materials, shrinkable clays, and unconsolidated sands. However, engineers in the UK have generally Embankment collapse B1165, neglected the data produced by the soil Ravens Bank survey as it only usually incorporates GEOSCIENTIST FEATURE

soil data to maximum depths of does not often occur instantaneously, approximately 1.5-2m below ground but as a chronic process occurring over level. The pedological description of a period of time. soils is also at variance with accepted civil engineering approaches, although Shrink-swell clays attempts have been made to harmonise Despite extensive research regarding the respective classifications. expansive clays, these soils remain one of the most persistent threats to the UK Drift built environment, causing some £300 Soil maps also have advantages over million damage every year. The term geological mapping for representing ‘clay’ refers to naturally occurring surface geohazards, portraying certain particles that are < 2μm in size. Clays are Image: O. Pritchard stratigraphic features not present on ‘colloidal’ substances – that is to say they geological maps, such as thin superficial have enormous surface-to-surface contact drift, or peat layers, sulphate or acid-rich characteristics that make them act as soils and highly expansible subsoils to sticky glue. The characteristics of clays name a few8. Approximately 50% of susceptible to shrink-swell can be Fenland peat is now less than one metre influenced strongly by the mineralogical thick. Geological mapping often does response to seasonal moisture fluxes. Above: Holme Fen Post showing peat shrinkage, not recognise these deposits; Clay soils with high vermiculite and Holme Fen, Cambridgeshire consequently, soil maps can provide a smectite content are moderately and Below: Drought susceptible roads in Lincolnshire more detailed assessment. highly expansive, respectively. ~ Internationally, in many countries (e.g. Clay soils vulnerable to shrinkage in USA, Australia and the Netherlands) the Lincolnshire include the Adventurers 2, use of soil survey data for highways Downholland, Wallasea 2 and Wisbech HIGHWAYS design and management is associations (detailed information about commonplace. US highway departments these can be found at www.landis.org.uk/ ENGINEERS, ASSET frequently have their own soil survey services/soilsguide). These associations MANAGERS AND teams who produce hazard maps prior to derive from superficial marine alluvium, ENGINEERING GEOLOGISTS highway construction. and are all, to some extent subject to Lincolnshire can boast a wide range of anthropic drainage practices. HAVE PREDOMINANTLY soils. Much of East Anglia is underlain In such expansive clays, soil USED GEOLOGICAL MAPS by geologically youthful peat, silt and moisture results in expansion (swell) as TO INTERPRET AREAS OF clay soils, derived from previous marine water is absorbed between the mineral inundations and regressions since the particles, which have a microscopic SUBSIDENCE RISK TO Pleistocene ice ages9. Chalk outcrops ‘dinner plate’ appearance. The very ROAD NETWORKS and extensive till deposits are found in minute size of these stacked, plate-like the north and east of the county in the structures permits huge volumes to be ~ Lincolnshire Wolds, and limestone retained per unit volume of mineral. occurs to the county’s north and west. Smectite crystals, for example, can have The peat deposits have now wasted to an astonishing surface area of 150 -175 such an extent that underlying silts and square metres per gram, depending on clays have become exposed. This can be their state! seen clearly in the creek patterns Decreasing soil moisture causes clay observed in aerial photographs. particles to lose adsorbed water and These fossilised tidal creek and historic move closer together, resulting in river courses are known as ‘roddons’, shrinkage. The lateral effects of clay- whose formation and distribution related soil shrinkage show up as have been recorded extensively10. shrinkage cracks in the ground. This, Roddons are predominantly silt rich, together with less evident vertical being generally less susceptible to shrinkage, can prove particularly ground movement processes. For this damaging to roads; however it is the reason road courses have historically differential settlement of the substrate that followed them, avoiding surrounding causes most damage. clay and peat soils. Roads are designed to be Many drivers desire flawless road impermeable, because water migrating surfaces, as evidence of their road-fund into road foundations can lead to taxes being well spent; though in 2010-11 softening and pumping of the substrate, only £9.2bn of the £33bn road tax causing structural failure. During collected was actually spent on the prolonged dryness, moisture within the UK’s highways12. Because it is a soil is more readily retained underneath subjective assessment, it is not always roads, whereas evaporation proceeds clear exactly when a road has ‘failed’11. unimpeded in the verges, which dry

With the exception of landslides, ‘failure’ more quickly. Vegetation, especially high ▼ GEOSCIENTIST FEATURE

▼ water-demand trees, exacerbate this. Cambridgeshire, is a good example of Soil hazard mapping Greater shrinkage therefore occurs the substantial peat shrinkage loss in UK climate projections13 indicate that the towards the edge of the road than in the the Fenlands. UK is likely to encounter hotter, drier centre, resulting in damaging differential The resultant lowering of ground level summers and wetter, warmer winters in settlement. Roads passing over roddons due to soil wastage has, in some areas, future. For clay soils, this will result in also suffer differential shrinkage as a left the highways high above the rest of greater soil moisture deficits, promoting result of the silt in the roddon not being the landscape - particularly those more serious shrink-swell. Peat soils will affected by moisture change, whereas sections that are built on roddons. continue to be subject to irreversible flanking peats and clays are. Such raised sections often have steep shrinkage and oxidation as the water Longitudinal cracking of road surfaces banks, with drainage dykes at their base. table draws ever lower, exacerbated by can cause a road to ‘break its back’. Roads These factors, together with the presence farmers needing more irrigation. are predominantly designed and built to of shrinkable clays, give rise to slope Lincolnshire’s roads in future will be partially flexible, allowing them to stability issues, resulting not only in road probably be even more at the mercy of absorb traffic stresses and subtle ground closures and high remediation costs, but soil-related geohazards. movement. In agricultural areas, the potentially in a threat to human life. The Natural Perils Directory (NPD) increasing size and weight of agricultural does not currently permit the machinery is also putting increased Remediation probabilistic modelling of soil subsidence pressures (literally) on the network. Many approaches have been adopted to hazards. We aim in our future research to the remediation of roads suffering soil- integrate probabilistic climate data with Peat shrinkage related problems. One particularly the NPD subsidence perils model, and so Peat is known for its poor bearing effective treatment has been applied to allow us to forecast future likely areas of capacity, a result of large pore spaces and the A1073 near Crowland, Lincolnshire. subsidence risk. Incorporating this high water content (up to ten times its Here, the installation of steel reinforcing approach with local road network data own mass). When water is lost, significant ‘geogrids’ below the road surface has will enable us to identify priority areas at consolidation may result, especially when prevented the damaging effects of risk, aiding asset management strategies overburden is applied (i.e. road structure ground movement. Before this trial was for the future. The All Parliamentary or traffic loading). undertaken, extensive cracks were Group on Highway Maintenance14 is Water loss from peats has been encountered, thought to be the calling for asset management planning to increased by industrial agricultural result of cyclic shrink-swell processes in become mandatory, in return for central drainage of the Fenlands since the 1600s. the underlying soils. This drainage government funds for road maintenance. This has resulted in oxidation and ditches along the sides of the road Geoscientists will play a key role in mineralisation of peats, leading to untold were also infilled, so reducing slope formulating these plans. and irreversible shrinkage. Holme Fen, stability issues. In preparation for this, the combining Image: O. Pritchard

Thickness of tarmacadam in-situ prior to Subsidence at Childers Lane re-surfacing treatment, unclassified road Nr Grantham near Spalding GEOSCIENTIST FEATURE

soil-related subsidence knowledge with with longer road life, should enable the maps of baseline soil-subsidence risk has Authority to undertake more proactive REFERENCES allowed Lincolnshire County Council to road maintenance in future. 1 World Economic Forum. 2012. Global further develop and re-assess their Few would envy the role of the many Competitiveness Report. current asset management and highway asset managers, at the mercy of 2 Daily Mail. 29th February, 2012. Is the drought maintenance practices, identifying areas diverse and problematic ground wrecking our roads? As we bask in unseasonably at highest risk of soil-related subsidence conditions, and who, under ever tighter high temperatures, how cracks are appearing on and so aiding the selection of appropriate budgets, often find their ability to surfaces as soil shrinks. Available at: cost-effective treatments. remediate and innovate restricted by http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2107734/ fiscal constraints. Prioritisation of highly Is-drought-wrecking-roads-As-bask-unseasonably- New methods limited funding is therefore paramount high-temperatures-cracks-appearing-surfaces- Approaches like that seen near Crowland in maintaining road networks, and will soil-shrinks.html are relatively expensive and their use site- remain so for the foreseeable future. Soil 3 Institution of Civil Engineers. 2013. State of The specific. Although the evolved road map-based evidence, together with Nation: Transport. network is important, it is predominantly future probabilistic climatic scenario 4 ADEPT (Association of Directors of Environment, rural with low traffic volumes, and new projections, can assist this difficult Economy, Planning and Transport). 2009. Climate methods might offer a more general decision-making process. u change and evolved pavements. CSS Research Project No. 78. solution. One such method involves in- situ recycling, whereby the existing road is 5 Keay CA, Hallett SH, Farewell TS, Rayner AP and planed, scarified, rolled and a new Jones RJA. (2009). Moving the National Soil ➤ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Database for England and Wales (LandIS) towards binding agent applied along with The research associated described in this INSPIRE Compliance. International Journal of Spatial imported surface chippings to provide a feature was funded by the UK Engineering Data Infrastructures Research, 134-155. new road surface. and Physical Sciences Research Council http://ijsdir.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.php/ijsdir/article/vie As part of a ‘soil-informed’ maintenance (EPSRC) under programme grant w/115/131 strategy, such planed tarmacadam can be EP/I01344X/1 to the UK Infrastructure u Further references can be found online used to reinforce road foundations in areas Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC). www.geolsoc.org.uk/geoscientist affected by soil shrinkage. Creation of a Mike Coates, Mark Heaton and their colleagues at Lincolnshire County Council deeper foundations in problematic areas for introducing us to the soil-related results in evolved roads that are less likely problems faced on Lincolnshire roads to interact with soils affected by damaging and allowing Oliver to visit affected sites, * Oliver Pritchard, Stephen Hallett and seasonal or extreme moisture change, so as well as providing many of the Timothy Farewell National Soil Resources prolonging their life. The added benefit of illustrations presented. Institute, School of Applied Sciences, Cranfield reduced waste disposal costs, combined University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL. Image: Lincolnshire County Council Image: Lincolnshire County Council

Varying depths of tarmacadam after coring investigation at Mole Drove CRITICAL METALS Image: Gentoo Multimedia Limited / Shutterstock.com Kathryn Goodenough* goes to Greenland on a Society-sponsored hunt for the rare metals that underpin new technologies

ake a look at your mobile phone. of ‘incompatible’ elements, and host some Do you know just how many of the largest known resources of critical different elements are used to metals such as REE and niobium (Nb). make it? Our modern lives rely However, developing a general T on technological innovations genetic model that can be applied to that have developed over the last few carbonatite complexes has proved decades - and those new technologies difficult. Their relationship to silicate need a range of elements from the magmas, the role of fractional periodic table. Demand for some of these crystallisation versus liquid immiscibility, essential elements is increasing rapidly; the controls on metal mobility in yet in some cases the world’s main supply carbonatitic magmas and fluids, and the comes from just one single country, or sources of magmas, all remain relatively even a single mine. poorly understood, and widely variable In 2010, the European Union between complexes. We know we need recognised a list of 14 elements (or groups these elements and where they might be of elements) for which demand is rapidly discovered; but how those resources come increasing, but supply is in some way into being remains mysterious, and a restricted. These elements are termed challenge for Earth science. ‘critical raw materials’. A number of recent UK and international studies have Qeqertaasaq used a wide range of metrics to measure A Greenlandic company, Nuna Minerals this criticality. They have delivered A/S (www.nunaminerals.com), which varying results, but the Rare Earth owns exploration licences in Greenland, is Elements (REE) feature towards the top of exploring for critical metals in the West most lists. Rare earths are vital to a wide Greenland Carbonatite province. In July range of modern technologies; yet 2013, Adrian Finch (St Andrews currently, almost all the world’s supply University) and I were invited to join Josh comes from a single mine in China. Hughes, Chief Geologist of Nuna Minerals, to do fieldwork at the Jurassic- Demand & security age Qeqertaasaq Phoscorite Carbonatite Increased demand, rising prices and Complex (QPCC). security of supply concerns have resulted This work had two objectives - to Above top: Kathryn Goodenough in the field at in a surge in global exploration for REE understand the evolution of the complex Qeqertaasaq – with modern mapping technology, a and other critical metals. Within Europe, itself, and to collect samples that would Panasonic Toughbook running the BGS∙SIGMAmobile digital data capture system Greenland is a key country in the hunt for help us build a bigger picture of the Above middle: Studying the outcrops at ‘Banana Lake’. these mineral deposits. Greenland is rich magma sources and tectonic setting for the A pair of major faults run along the lake and out through in a wide range of mineral resources and West Greenland Carbonatite province as a the twin valleys in the middle ground of the photo Above lower: Working on the fault scarp, on typical importantly, it has major areas of alkaline whole. The QPCC covers an area of vegetated slopes igneous rocks - the main hosts for a range around 15km2, to the north-east of Nuuk,

Left: Mountains in Dronning Marie Dal, Greenland – more of critical metals. These include the Greenland’s capital. Our team of five was dramatic than the typical scenery of the QPCC!

(Mesoproterozoic) Gardar Province in landed in this remote area by helicopter. South Greenland, and the The flight had taken us across spectacular (Neoproterozoic to Mesozoic) West rock platforms formed of Archaean gneiss, ~ Greenland Carbonatite province. and in comparison with that one’s first The West Greenland Carbonatite view of the QPCC is not quite as province lies at the northern margin of impressive - low, rolling hills, well WITHIN EUROPE, Greenland’s Archaean Craton, which has vegetated because of the phosphorus-rich GREENLAND IS A KEY seen repeated rifting events from soils that form above the Complex. Rock COUNTRY IN THE HUNT Archaean through to Jurassic time, exposure is therefore limited, and as a leading to the episodic generation of result the Complex takes time to yield FOR THESE MINERAL carbonatite magmas. Carbonatites are up its secrets. DEPOSITS. GREENLAND IS some of the Earth’s most unusual Our camp was set up in the central magmas, being dominated by carbonate ‘core’ of the QPCC. The camp consisted of RICH IN A WIDE RANGE OF minerals rather than silicates. They are one tent per team member, plus a MINERAL RESOURCES also commonly enriched in a wide range Weatherhaven portable shelter for ~ WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST | MARCH 2014 | 21 Top right: Outcrop of strongly foliated brown carbonatite dykes separated by screens of basement, near the margins of the QPCC. An undeformed, grey lamp- rophyre dyke cuts through from top left to The QPCC is bounded by fast flowing rivers lower right of the outcrop

Bottom left: A typical outcrop of the marginal part of the carbonatite complex, with brown carbonatite sheets anastomosing through basement gneisses. The mosquito net was an While the UK was basking in a heatwave, temperatures essential piece cooking, eating and drying clothes - dropped to freezing on some days in the field of field gear! invaluable during the first week’s wet weather. We were surprised on our arrival to find the campsite infested by a plague of end, we walked across the whole of the for transfer to a boat waiting on the fjord. small, black caterpillars. It will be a long Complex, in the process encountering Detailed mineralogical and geochemical time before I forget the image of waking several reindeer and a stunning white- investigation is now being carried out in up to the sight of caterpillars crawling all tailed eagle. We amassed a vast sample the labs back in St Andrews, to elucidate over the tent fabric above my head - suite, a substantial cairn of rocks slowly the history of this exciting Complex and thankfully on the outside! It has been growing back at camp. its critical metal mineralisation. suggested that caterpillars similar to these As we worked, we developed a revised Carbonatites the world over are not might have contributed to the demise of map of the Complex, during which well understood, and yet they contain the original Norse settlements in process it became increasingly clear that some of our most significant resources of Greenland - and having seen for myself syn-emplacement deformation had played critical metals. The British Geological how they destroyed the vegetation at a large role in the QPCC’s intrusion. The Survey, St Andrews University and Qeqertaasaq, this seems only too feasible. area is characterised by a suite of ENE- Camborne School of Mines are working WSW-trending shear zones and faults that together with a number of other Ring dykes have been reactivated many times, and it collaborators to develop research into how The complex had previously been mapped is evident that these faults were important the critical metals are concentrated by (Knudsen 1991) as a series of concentric during the development of the QPCC. geological processes, in carbonatites and carbonatite ring-dykes intruding, and Most importantly from the point of view in other settings. Work at Qeqertaasaq is metasomatising, Archaean basement of mineralisation, we recognised that a an important part of this, and I’d like to gneisses. Nuna Minerals have already major fault system in the south of the thank the Geological Society very much carried out significant drilling work in the complex had controlled the emplacement for its support for this fieldwork. u core of the QPCC, and as a result have of the carbonatite sheets associated with identified a suite of carbonatite veins Nb-rich fluids. Nb mineralisation appears * Dr Kathryn Goodenough is Senior enriched in REE (up to 13.2% Total Rare to extend along the length of the fault, Geologist at NERC British Geological Survey, Earth Oxides). These veins are of while the REE mineralisation is focused in based in Edinburgh. particular economic interest because the the area just to the north. REE are hosted in carbonate minerals, from which they can be easily separated in Mosquitoes ➤ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS mineral processing. The famous Greenland storms failed to I would like to thank Nuna Minerals for A key aim for us was to improve our materialise, and after some initial rain, providing extensive support and logistics for our fieldwork, and the Geological understanding of the context of this much of the trip was characterised by Society’s Gloyne Outdoor Research Fund mineralisation, through studying the sunshine, blue skies and, of course, the for additional funding. To find out more controls on magma emplacement, and inevitable mosquitoes. Departure from about Society fieldwork grants and how to collecting a series of samples that would the campsite rather rushed, packing up apply, visit www.geolsoc.org.uk and look provide information about magma and the samples and equipment into large for ‘Research Grants’ in ‘About Us’. fluid sources and element mobility. To this bags that were slung beneath a helicopter

22 | MARCH 2014 | WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST GEOSCIENTIST CALENDAR Can’t find your meeting? VISIT www.geolsoc.org.uk/listings] [full, accurate, up-to-date

ENDORSED TRAINING/CPD COURSE DATE VENUE AND DETAILS

Groundwater Contamination and Remediation 03 - 07 March Newcastle University School of Engineering and Geosciences. Fee: £1125.00 Fellows’ discount £1012.50. See website for details and contact.

Geohazard Risk Analysis & Communication 10 - 13 March University of Sussex. Cost: £1229 Fellows 10% discount. See website to enrol. E: [email protected]

Groundwater Modelling 17 - 21 March Newcastle University School of Engineering and Geosciences. Fee: £1125.00 Fellows’ discount £1012.50. See website for details and contact.

Risk Mitigation, Planning and Engineering 31 Mar - 04 Apr University of Sussex. Cost £1229 Fellows 10% discount. See website to enrol. E: [email protected]

DIARY OF MEETINGS MARCH 2014 MEETING DATE VENUE AND DETAILS

Reducing Subsurface Uncertainty & Risk through Field- 04 - 06 Venue: Geological Society, Burlington House. Please register for this event online. Fees apply. based Studies.Petroleum Group March Fellow: £200. No contact given at time of writing.

Shale UK Conference. Shale UK, The Geological 04 - 05 Venue: Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London. E: [email protected]. Please visit website for further Society, Global Event Partners March information, or directly at www.shaleuk.com.

Careers Afternoon. North West Regional 5 March Venue: Schuster Lecture Theatre, Schuster Building, Brunswick Street, Manchester University M13 9PL. Time: 1200. Careers talks from 1300. Contact: Nik Reynolds E: [email protected]

Research in Progress meeting 2014 5 March Venue: Open University, Milton Keynes. See website for details. Cost £30, payable on the door. Geochemistry Group E: [email protected]

London Crossrail. Home Counties North Regional 6 March All TBC at time of writing. Contact: E: [email protected]

Forensic Geology: The Applications of Geology to 7 March Venue: Burlington House. Tea from 1730. Speaker: Lawrence Donnelly. Contact: Sarah Stafford Policing and Law Enforcement. Geologists’ Association E: [email protected]

Lyell Meeting 2014: Deep sea chemosynthetic 12 March Venue: Burlington House. Conveners: Silvia Danise (Plymouth University) and Crispin Little (University of ecosystems. Geological Society Leeds). Free to Fellows, students and Corporate Affiliates. Contact: 020 7432 0981 F: 020 7494 0579 E: [email protected]

MSG Research Meeting. Metamorphic Studies Group 12 March Venue: Gass Building, Open University, Milton Keynes. No registration, but contact [email protected] if you intend to come.

SVOC and DNAPL - Challenges for Contamination in 14 March Speaker: Hazel Davidson. Venue: University of Manchester. See website for time, details etc. Bedrock. North West Regional Contact: Nik Reynolds E: [email protected]

Ash Clouds and Aeroplanes: Managing the Risk posed 25 March Venue: Main Building, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff. Speaker: Dr Matt Watson, University of Bristol. from Iceland's volcanoes. Southern Wales Regional Time: 1730 for 1800.

London Underground: The new Northern Line 25 March Venue: Room HJ302, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Speaker: Jonathan Gammon. Time: 1830 – Extension and the upgrade of Bond Street Station 1930. Contact: Kitty Chan E: [email protected] Hong Kong Regional

Petroleum Geoscience of the West Africa Margin 31 March - Venue: Burlington House. Fees apply. Fellows discount: £200. See online for details and registration. Petroleum Group 02 April Contact: Laura Griffiths T: 020 7432 0980 E: [email protected]

WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST | MARCH 2014 | 23 have no Internet access? CALL THE [Library Bookshop 0207 432 0999 for] BOOKS & ARTS advice and to purchase publications

The refurbished Council Room, with new tables and bespoke handmade chairs

One of the new ventilation The remodeled ceiling follows the original, grilles set into the floor but unrealized design of Barry & Banks

It is a resolutely Victorian re-imagining of Power, splendour and high camp Palladian style, exhibited by ‘Old’ Burlington House. Its profuse The 2013 Council Room makeover, phase four of the refurbishment grotesqueries and over-ripe of the Society’s apartments, succeeds brilliantly, says Ted Nield ornamentation make it quite clear that, for all its pastiche Classicism, it is no less The Council Room of the Society, its seat years, the room’s remaining integrity Victorian than St Pancras Station – a of power, was until recently greatly in (such as it was) was further eroded by brash, confident, gloriously vulgar need of a makeover far more radical than the addition of noisy, intrusive and product of London’s greatest building the one it received in 2006, when it rather ineffective aircon units and ugly boom, and in its enthusiastic became the home for much of the coffee-making facilities; as well as by a exaggeration of another age’s forms and Society’s portraiture and was given a lick persistent crack running centrally up the habits, architectural high camp. of paint. The colours chosen then south wall and across the ceiling. But when the contract for the redesign mirrored the colour scheme it received As Bob Sandford, architect came to be drawn up, the demands it during its last major refurb, in the 1970s superintending the current redesign, put made were not only aesthetic. As with when money was distinctly tight. it: “The decor fell well short of the the Lecture Theatre, the That palette of anaemic ‘Jane Austen’ quality expected of an important room in roles that the Council Room must now pastels, together with a disproportionate a Grade II* listed building”. fulfil have long exceeded its inherited 1950s-Georgian ceiling rose (and housing- capacity. A well as AV presentations, it estate-Georgian sideboards, tables and Re-imagining needed to be more versatile: for hire as a chairs in saggy, sweaty leatherette), Burlington House, completed in 1874 to banqueting suite, or an overflow to the embodied the architectural the designs of the noted architectural Janet Watson Theatre, or a seminar room. misconceptions under which that practice of Barry & Banks, is The air conditioning had to be made both makeover was carried out. Over the emphatically not a Georgian building. more effective and less physically and

24 | MARCH 2014 | WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST Would you like to receive a free book and write a review? Available titles are listed online, of which a small selection is shown below. Contact the editor for further information [email protected]

COUNCIL ROOM PROJECT DETAILS introduced for extract ventilation, with remodelling of a truly prestige room. Client: The Geological Society of London the Society Roundel sensitively For me the design succeeds because, Project cost: c: £250,000* incorporated into the design. over and above its beauty, and its Architect: Robert Sandford (Julian Harrap Architects LLP) A retractable projection screen has enhanced technical and practical Main Contractor: NDB Construction Ltd. been built into the ceiling void above the capabilities as a space, its spirit matches Quantity Surveyor: D R Nolans & Co. fireplace, and the projector housed that of Burlington House itself. Yes, it Air Conditioning Subcontractor: within the wall-thickness opposite, does look a little as though it has been SUGOi Solutions Ltd. Data & AV Subcontractor: Whitwam Ltd. behind the existing doors to the (new) conceived by Decimus Burton, Fritz Lang Structural Engineers: Hockley and Dawson – kitchenette. Electrics and data sockets and Albert Speer over lunch in a Doug Murray are mostly concealed in floor boxes set Nicholson’s Ale and Pie House, but the Bespoke furnishing: Period Design Furniture Company Ltd. into the bespoke carpet. way it combines eclectic influences Electrical subcontractor: Allen Electrical Ltd. The lighting incorporates bespoke perfectly complements the flouncy, Chandelier light fittings: Great British Lighting Ltd. LED picture lights, together with two posturing mannerisms of the building Picture lights: Aktiva Systems Ltd. specially designed, bronze and opal whose interior it now enhances. *Indicative cost only glass chandeliers. The lights are controlled by a scene-setting control adjacent to the entrance doors, Available for review aurally intrusive. Finally, these demands providing a number of possible BOOKS had to be satisfied without ‘undermining lighting effects, linked to the audio Please contact [email protected] if you would the room’s historic character’. visual system. like to supply a review. You will be invited to keep the Bob Sandford told Geoscientist: To recreate the originally-intended review copy. See a full up-to-date list at “Research into the original construction ceiling design, as befits any fine room on www.geolsoc.org.uk/reviews drawings [of the apartments] indicated the piano nobile, decorative plaster u NEW! Geodiversity - valuing and conserving that the room was originally to have had mouldings were taken from casts of the abiotic nature by Murray Gray (2nd Edn., 2013). a highly decorative plaster ceiling similar Lyell Room ceiling. The ceiling crack 495pp (sbk) to that in the Lyell Room. This scheme has been cunningly concealed within u NEW! Fire on Earth - an introduction by Andrew C was never actually carried out; but we this, and flexible filler used to control Scott et al., 2014 Wiley-Blackwell 413pp (sbk) felt that a more decorative ceiling would future movement. Doors and windows u NEW! A History of Geology & Medicine by Duffin, enhance the room’s character and at the have been overhauled and French C J et al. (eds)., 2013 Geological Society Special same time provide an opportunity to polished. The windows and secondary Publication 375 490pp (hbk) address the crack, a disfiguring presence. glazing have been draught-stripped to u NEW! Foraminifera and their Applications by “The decorative scheme that we reduce traffic noise – which was their Robert Wynn Jones. Cambridge University Press proposed, of deep red and grey with an original purpose, of course, in an age 2014 319pp hbk off-white ceiling, was influenced by the when iron tyres on cobbles made u NEW! Geochemical Rate Models - an Dulwich Picture Gallery and Sir John Piccadilly a lot noisier than it is today. introduction to chemical kinetics by J Donald Soane’s Museum. These illustrated how Rimstidt. Cambridge University Press 2013 a similar scheme could be an authentic Power 232pp hbk background for the 19th Century The Victorians knew a thing or two u NEW! Sorby's Legacy: Geology at the Unviersity portraits, which form such an important about showing off paintings, and the of Sheffield by R Alison Hunter. Published by R Alison Hunter, 2013 201pp sbk element of the room. To give added ‘art-gallery’ red enhances the portraiture u richness, the paint finish to the main immeasurably. The ‘flying saucer’ The Seismic Analysis Code - a primer and user's guide by George Helfrich et al. Cambridge wall face was rag rolled and given a chandeliers, which, perhaps as a result University Press 2013 173pp sbk. protective varnish. of being modelled on originals in the u Life Beyond Earth: the search for habitable “The doors and windows were Berlin Library, have a certain Teutonic worlds in the universe by Athena Coustenis and stripped back to their natural colour and quality, are both effective and suitably Therese Encrenaz. Cambridge University Press French polished, while the secondary monumental in scale. 2013 287pp hbk glazing (discovered to be softwood rather Edmund Nickless, Executive u Upstream petroleum – Fiscal and Valuation than oak!) was grained to match the real Secretary, who oversaw the design of the Modelling in Excel by Ken Kasriel and David Wood. oak of the doors and windows. These scheme, told Geoscientist that he believes Wiley Finance 2013 253pp hbk colours were reflected in the purpose- the new colour scheme is ‘unequivocally u Atlas of Benthic Foraminifera by Ann Holbourne, made Wilton Carpet, with its red and boardroom’ and ‘bespeaks power’ - Andrew Henderson and Norman MacLeod. 2013 grey border and stone-coloured infill.” which it does. Wiley-Blackwell 642pp hbk By the same token, it might also foster u Forensic Seismology and Nuclear Test Bans by Aircon the delusion of power, something Alan Douglas. Cambridge University Press 2013 The new air conditioning, whose against which I hope the Trustees will be 514pp hbk installation was the most expensive single on their guard as they sit on the bespoke u Global Optimization Methods in Geophysical element of the work and occasioned the hand-made chairs, 32 of which now line Inversion (2nd Ed) by Mrinal K Sen and Paul L relocation of many staff for several the new (and more flexible) boardroom Stoffa. Cambridge University Press 2013 289pp hbk months over the summer, provides tables. These chairs, based on an u Continuum Mechanics in the Earth Sciences by treated fresh air and 80% recycled air. original design by Charles Rennie William I Newman Cambridge University Press The ductwork and air conditioning units Mackintosh, went through several u Theory of Reflectance and Emittance have been fully concealed behind the prototype iterations before reaching Spectroscopy (2nd Edn) by Bruce Hapke. Cambridge University Press walls and within the floor void. Purpose- their final form, and now provide the made cast iron floor grilles have been final grace-notes to this striking

WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST | MARCH 2014 | 25 PEOPLE NEWS CAROUSEL Fookes celebrated All Fellows of the Society are entitled to entries in this column. Please email [email protected], quoting your Fellowship number. Professor Peter Fookes (Imperial u Myra Keep College, London) honoured Myra Keep, Professor, of Structural Geology and Tectonics, UWA, has been named ‘Science Ambassador of the Year’ by the Western Australian Government’s Office of Science. Over the last 11 years Professor Keep has developed a range of geological research, teaching and outreach activities in East Timor through collaboration with all levels of government, schools and the local community. u Steve Matthews Steve Matthews has joined Hanson UK as Senior Engineering Geologist u Mark Pritchard and Rachel McAllister Mark Pritchard and Rachel McAllister have both joined GWP Consultants LLP Mark joins GWP as a Partner having previously been a Partner with PGW&A. Mark has a BSc in Engineering Geology and Geotechnics and an MSc in Mining Engineering. A celebration of from Helen Scholes Rachel has a BSc in Geology and Petroleum Geology and an Professor Peter Fookes, (Chair, EGGS), and MSc in Applied Geotechnics and has extensive experience in geotechnical and the work of the David Shilston. Ted site investigations and studies, mineral resource evaluation and environmental Engineering Group’s Nield gave an illustrated permitting issues relevant to the UK quarrying industry. Working Parties, talk about the was held at Burlington importance of regional u Willie Whitesmith House on 17 activities and Willie Whitesmith has joined the marketing team at Gas Data Ltd December 2013. engineering geology in in Coventry to assist in the launch of a new range of gas meters Peter received a the early history of the for use in the Site Investigation, Waste to Energy and Biogas bound copy of the Hot Society, and conducted fields. Willie was formerly head of Kenilworth-based Integrated Deserts Working Party the party on a tour of the Geotechnical & Environmental Services (IGES) Ltd and has many report in the presence of Apartments and their years’ of Gas Data’s instruments www.gasdata.co.uk. the President Mr David treasures, including the Shilston, and many newly refurbished u Bruce Yardley Working Party members Council Room, Bruce Yardley has been appointed to the new role of Chief past and present. John completed on that day Geologist by The Radioactive Waste Management Directorate Charman delivered a with the delivery of its (RWMD) of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). He tribute to Peter Fookes, 32 handmade chairs will advise RWMD and its stakeholders on all Earth-science followed by addresses (see p. 24). aspects of geological disposal. The appointment is part-time, and will run concurrently with his work as professor in the School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds. RWMD Managing Director Bruce McKirdy told Geoscientist: “Professor IN MEMORIAM WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/OBITUARIES Yardley has a long standing interest in issues associated with the disposal of radioactive waste. He is recognised internationally for his work in geology THE SOCIETY NOTES WITH SADNESS THE PASSING OF: and geochemistry and his experience will help us to further develop and Aldridge, Richard Jacqué, Maurice* Moffatt, William Stewart* explain our plans. Blackburn, James Kirk* Jones, Brian Lloyd* Robson, Geoffrey Robert* Bowler, Christopher Leckie, George Gallie* Spencer, Peter Murray* Bruce Yardley said: “Geological disposal is the only internationally Michael Lance* Little, Betsy A* Spurr, Arthur M M* recognised permanent solution for dealing with higher activity radioactive Chapman, W T* Middleton, John* waste safely and securely. It is vital that as a country we take responsibility Holroyd, J D* Miller, James* Hudson, Neal F C* Million, Ronald* for this legacy waste and focus on finding suitable sites for its long term

disposal. I am confident that we have sites in the UK where our geology will In the interests of recording its Fellows' work for posterity, the Society effectively isolate our waste, to help safeguard the future for countless publishes obituaries online, and in Geoscientist. The most recent additions generations to come.” to the list are shown in bold. Fellows for whom no obituarist has yet been commissioned are marked with an asterisk (*). The symbol § indicates that biographical material has been lodged with the Society. u Staff promotions If you would like to contribute an obituary, please email ted.nield@geolsoc. Nic Bilham, member of the recently formed ‘Senior Leadership Team’ org.uk to be commissioned. You can read the guidance for authors at (Edmund Nickless, Neal Marriott and the (newly appointed) Director of www.geolsoc.org.uk/obituaries. To save yourself unnecessary work, Finance & Operations Jonathan Silk, a former Senior Assistant Registrar please do not write anything until you have received a commissioning letter.

at Oxford University) has been awarded the new title of Director of Policy Deceased Fellows for whom no obituary is forthcoming have their names and and Communications. Michael McKimm now goes by the title User dates recorded in a Roll of Honour at www.geolsoc.org.uk/obituaries. Services Librarian.

26 | MARCH 2014 | WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST GEOSCIENTIST PEOPLE NEWS

Geoscientists in the news and on the move in the UK, Europe and worldwide

Top bananas Nancy Tupholme

The Science Council has Prof. Jane Francis, one of the UK’s top Nancy Tupholme (née Morris, succumbed to the latest Internet practising scientists, and friends 1912-2014) meme and published a list of Nancy Tupholme died 3 Britain’s ‘top 100 scientists’, January 2014, aged 101. Nancy notes Dwain Eldred... came to work in the Society in On 14 January, as part of its November 1940 and helped it tenth birthday celebrations, the through the difficult wartime Science Council announced a list years. She stayed until 1962, of the ‘top 100 UK Practising when she moved next door to Scientists’. You can see it for the Royal Society (then in the yourself at www.science Royal Society of Chemistry’s Secretary, continued to council.org/content/100- picture of the many different ways apartments) and stayed until organise President’s Day (then a leading-uk-practising-scientists. people work with science, making retirement. Nancy became ‘black tie’ event). She remained The Council canvassed its valuable contributions across UK Secretary of the European active until recently, remaining at members to create this list, and society and the economy.’ Association of Science Editors ‘Bruins’ near Farnham, which seven of the nine nominations GSL Fellows on the list are: Jane and maintained her attachment she had had built, looked after made by the Geological Society Francis (Explorer category); James to the Geological Society. Until by cousins and carers. Her made the final cut, which aims to Jackson (Explorer category); Trisha the 1990s she would be seen friends and associates will ‘highlight the different types of Henton (Monitor/regulator frequently in Burlington House remember her poems and her skills and challenges a career in category); Sir Mark Moody-Stuart undertaking various voluntary personal Christmas cards each science involves.’ (Business category); Andrew duties. She indexed the Council year. The Library has copies of The Science Council’s Mackenzie (Business category); Minutes for the Hon Archivist her memoir 'Titanic' to the competition was arranged around Alan Gibbs (Entrepreneur and, until Richard Bateman’s Millennium (2000 & 2001). 10 categories, each to contain 10 category); Lord Ron Oxburgh appointment as Executive Wendy Cawthorne members, in order ‘to give a broad (Policy category). DISTANT THUNDER Deja vu all over again

As the debate over the Line of Railway laid down by you making any ruinous agreements Very Faithfully Yours, proposed HS2 high speed from Oxford to join the Great with Land Owners. – If this be Geo Stephenson Western near South Stoke & I accomplished, I myself and To Professor Buckland railway hots up, Nina have no hesitation whatever in friends are so satisfied of the P.S. I hope you will permit Morgan discovers that giving my opinion as to its being moderate outlays required for this yourself to be nominated some things never change... the best line which could be undertaking, as well as of the Chairman of this Company suggested for connecting Oxford Traffic it must command, that we (1784-1856) first with the above Railway, but also would undertake to lease it for Definitive evidence as to Reader in Geology at Oxford looking to the very small amount any term of years to be agreed on whether or not Buckland University is perhaps best of excavation required in its at 5 per Cent per Annum. accepted the nomination for the remembered - in the geological construction, the few roads With such prospect, I need only chairmanship of the Great sense - for his work on fossils. interfered with, and the observe that it rests entirely with Western Railway is not preserved But like many of the early inexpensive character of the the inhabitants of Oxford & the in the Oxford archives. But the geologists, engineering was also property intersected. I believe it Land Owners to come forward to fact that Buckland apparently apparently well within his remit. will be found to apply as many support the scheme with their recycled Stephenson's letter to As a letter to Buckland from the facilities in its construction as any influence and active co-operation use as a folder for some notes famous railway engineer, George Railway heretofore projected in to enable myself and connections about glaciation suggests that 'Rocket' Stevenson, preserved in this country. to raise any deficiency in the Buckland - who met his wife- the archives in the Hope Library at In order to forward the Capital that may be required. to-be on a train - felt his real the Oxford University Museum of proceedings for carrying into As soon as the views of the interests lay elsewhere. Natural History, illustrates, effect the proposed Railway, it is principal Land Owners are Buckland was willing and able to most requisite that a powerful & ascertained and you inform me of ➤ Acknowledgement lay aside his usual studies to respectable party should be got the result, I will send an Engineer Other sources for this vignette include The Life and take on a bit of outside together to represent the project to level the line previous to the Correspondence of William consultancy work. at Oxford, and thus obviate field survey. Buckland, D.D., F.R.S, by his landed opposition & secure the I herewith beg to return you daughter, Mrs Gordon, John No 35 ½ Great George Street Bill authorising the completion of the Ordnance sheet with the line Murray, 1894 and the DNB Westminster, August 1st 1842 the proposed Railway being laid on. entry for George Stephenson. My Dear Sir, I have examined the obtained without the necessity of And remain –My dear Sir More sources given online.

WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST | MARCH 2014 | 27 GEOSCIENTIST OBITUARY

OBITUARY RICHARD DOWNING 1928-2013

Leading British hydrogeologist who developed a r Richard Allen national water plan for England and Wales His contribution was further Downing, known recognised by the award of universally as the William Smith Medal Dick, collapsed in 1989. D and died in With John Rodda and Oxford on 28 June 2013. Frank Law he wrote One of Britain’s leading Systematic Hydrology (1976), hydrogeologists, he was one of the best summaries of born on 18 March 1928 in the hydrology of the UK ever Newcastle-upon-Tyne and produced; only its educated at Gateshead inappropriate title prevented Grammar School and it becoming more widely Durham University, where appreciated. After retirement he read Geology as a Shell in 1988 he was the instigator, Scholar. After graduating in lead editor and a major 1949 with 1st Class Honours contributor of two Clarendon he joined the Geological Press (OUP) monographs, Survey as a field geologist Applied Groundwater but his career was soon Hydrology (1991) and The interrupted by National Hydrogeology of the Chalk of Service, where he was North-West Europe (1993). commissioned in the Royal He was chosen to give the Engineers. His National inaugural Ineson Lecture of Service, followed by supervising multidisciplinary achieve that substantive the British chapter of the Reserve service in charge of projects involved with role for a long period. International Association of a well-drilling unit, developing a national water Everything he did was Hydrogeologists and the provided him with a fund of plan for England and Wales – meticulously planned and Society’s Hydrogeological anecdotes that could still an excellent document that executed. He was always at Group in 1992. With David amuse listeners more than was ignored by politicians pains to encourage and Gray he co-edited the 50 years later. and then reinvented by the acknowledge his junior BGS/HMSO publication on National Rivers Authority in colleagues and often gave Geothermal Energy: The Ineson the 1990s. With the them credit for work he had potential in the United Kingdom Back at the Survey, Dick was reorganisation of the water largely done himself. (1986). From 1993-99 he was initially posted to the South industry in 1974 and closure an Honorary Research Wales Coalfield, mapping of WRB he moved to similar Smith Medal Associate of BGS, for whom parts of the Swansea and work in the Central Water Dick Downing was head and he also wrote a popular Newport sheets and Planning Unit, on whose shoulders above most of his account of hydrogeology: publishing original findings, behalf he also did a short contemporaries both Groundwater: Our hidden but in 1954 he joined the spell in Saudi Arabia. physically (at well over six asset (1998). Water Department and In 1979 Dick returned to feet) and intellectually. He He remained active up to began his career in the Survey, by then BGS, as had an enormous breadth of his death, latterly helping to hydrogeology. Working Manager of the programme to knowledge in geology and write a history of Twyford, with Jack Ineson he was investigate the geothermal science generally, was very his home since 1960. Much of soon publishing on potential of the UK, widely read and had a his later life was devoted to groundwater chemistry and supervising hydrogeologists, prodigious output in papers caring for his wife, Dulcie, explaining the analysis of geophysicists, geochemists and books, recognised by the who died in 2012. He is the groundwater component and structural geologists. award of a DSc from Durham survived by their daughters of river flows. He retired from BGS in 1988, in 1977. Although the Helen and Julia and two In 1965 Dick moved with having served twice as Acting submission was nominally in grandchildren. Ineson to the Water Chief Hydrogeologist; it was Geology, in practice it was the Resources Board (WRB) on a loss to both him and the first UK DSc predominantly ➤ Written by Michael Price its formation and was soon country that he did not in Hydrogeology.

HELP YOUR OBITUARIST The Society operates a scheme for Fellows to deposit biographical material. The object is to assist obituarists by providing contacts, dates and other information, and thus ensure that Fellows’ lives are accorded appropriate and accurate commemoration. Please send your CV and a photograph to Ted Nield at the Society.

28 | MARCH 2014 | WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST GEOSCIENTIST CROSSWORD

CROSSWORD NO.177 SET BY PLATYPUS WIN A SPECIAL PUBLICATION!

The winner of the December/January Crossword puzzle prize draw was Iain Weir-Jones of Vancouver, BC.

All correct solutions will be placed in the draw, and the winner’s name printed in the May 2014 issue. The Editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Closing date - 24 March.

The competition is open to all Fellows, Candidate Fellows and Friends of the Geological Society who are not current Society employees, officers or trustees. This exclusion does not apply to officers of joint associations, specialist or regional groups.

Please return your completed crossword to Burlington House, marking your envelope “Crossword”. Do not enclose any other matter with your solution. Overseas Fellows are encouraged to scan the signed form and email it as a PDF to [email protected] ACROSS DOWN Name ...... 1 Cryptocrystalline silica (10) 1 Lithified plant remains (4) ...... 6 Leans closely against (4) 2 Toxic element found in many ores, including realgar (7) Membership number ...... 9 Tester of ores and minerals (7) 3 Disturbance due to freezing (13) Address for correspondence ...... 10 C6H12O6 (7) 4 County home of the Portland Stone 12 Not subject to external ...... (6) mechanical force (10) 5 Second city destroyed by A bomb, in ...... 13 Epochal subdivision (3) this case 'Fat Man', the first ...... 15 History as preserved in rocks plutonium weapon (8) (6) 7 Floating (7) ...... 16 Animal hard parts (8) 8 Beneath the object in question (10) ...... 18 Mineral containing water, for 11 The parcel that arrives when you are example (8) out (13) Postcode ...... 20 To cut off a meander (6) 14 Platonic pure form embodying the 23 Greek letter denoting shear essential characteristics of a thing stress in continuum mechanics (10) SOLUTIONS DEC/JAN (3) 17 Buckminster-Fuller sphere, for 24 Relating to extraction of example (8) ACROSS: resources or manufacturing of 1 Chromosome 6 NERC 9 Desists 10 Teheran 19 Element of 'Basket of eggs' commodities (10) topography (7) 12 Prospector 13 Ski 15 Steady 16 Conflate 26 Essential component of deep 18 Usufruct 20 Proust 23 Ore 24 Thermostat 21 More liable to sink, or betray secrets driven foundations (7) 26 Prussic 27 Aniline 28 Rile 29 Isothermal to the media, perhaps (7) 27 Inhabitants of The Shire (curly 22 Common chronic inflammatory hair between the toes) (7) DOWN: disease of the airways leading to 1 Coda 2 Reserve 3 Mesosiderites 4 System 28 One up from silt (4) breathing difficulties (6) 5 Mutation 7 Eurasia 8 Continents 29 Eight-faced polyhedron (10) 25 Every book must have one (1,1,1,1) 11 Hertfordshire 14 Pseudospar 17 Sciences 19 Unequal 21 Uranium 22 Impact 25 Keel

WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST | MARCH 2014 | 29 GEOSCIENTIST RECRUITMENT

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DISCOVER AND DOWNLOAD MAPS: UÊ Ó{]äää³Ê`œÜ˜œ>`>Liʓ>«ÃÊvÀœ“ÊÌ iÊÞiÊ œiV̈œ˜ UÊ £È]äää³Ê>Û>ˆ>LiÊ>ÃÊiœ/-ÊvœÀÊi>ÃÞʈ˜Ìi}À>̈œ˜ UÊ >V ʓ>«ÊˆÃÊ>VVœ“«>˜ˆi`ÊLÞʓiÌ>`>Ì> UÊ ˜VÕ`iÃÊÜÕÀViʈ˜vœÀ“>̈œ˜Ê>˜`ÊvՏ‡ÌiÝÌÊ*  UÊ œ˜Ìˆ˜ÕœÕÏÞÊÕ«`>Ìi`ÊÜˆÌ Ê˜i܏ÞÊ«ÕLˆÃ i`ʓ>«Ã

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30 | MARCH 2014 | WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST

Lyell Meeting 2014 Deep sea chemosynthetic ecosystems: where they are found, how they work and what they looked like in the geological past

1122 MMarcharch 22014014 Conveners: Silvia Danise (Plymouth University), The Geological Society, Burlington House Crispin Little (University of Leeds) Speakers include: The ocean exploration in the past 40 years has revolutionised our Jonathan Copley (University of knowledge of ecological adaptations of life in the deep sea and Southampton) Orbis non sufficit: associated mineralogical resources. In the cold and dark ocean depths going beyond biogeography in abundant animal communities flourish where fluids rich in methane, understanding the ecology of deep- hydrogen sulphide, hydrogen and other chemically reduced sea hydrothermal vents compounds are released from the sea floor at hydrothermal vents Nadine Le Bris (Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris, France) Intimate and cold seeps. Similar communities occur where large pieces of links between chemosynthetic fauna organic matter, such as whales and wood, have sunk to the bottom of and their chemical environment: a the sea. Life teems at these so-called chemosynthetic sites because of microhabitat perspective the huge amount of chemical energy available, and numerous Richard Herrington (Natural History symbiotic relationships of animals with chemoautotrophic bacteria. Museum) The economic importance of modern seafloor massive sulphide The same chemosynthesis-based communities are being increasingly deposits and their ancient analogues recognised in the geological record, giving important new insights Marina Cunha (Universidade de Aveiro, about the evolution of these communities through time. Part of this Portugal) Ecology and biogeography record comes from massive sulphide deposits, which are a significant of cold seep fauna, with insights from economic resource. the Northeast Atlantic Jörn Peckmann (Universität Wien, This meeting will bring together geologists, marine biologists and Austria) Biogeochemical processes at ecologists, palaeontologists and geomicrobiologists to highlight ancient and modern methane-seeps recent achievements in our understanding of chemosynthetic Jillian Petersen (Max Planck Institute ecosystems, past and present. We will explore the complex for Marine Microbiology, Germany) Chemosynthetic symbioses at vents relationships between geology and life at these sites; details of and seeps: Tapping dark energy in chemosymbiotic animal-microbial interactions; and how and when the deep sea animals adapted to life in these extreme environments. Finally, recent John Taylor (Natural History Museum) hypotheses about the existence of similar ecosystems on other Solar Chemosymbiotic bivalves from the System planets will be presented. intertidal to deep sea – multiple origins, diversity and evolution Adrian Glover (Natural History Museum) Chemosynthesis at whale- falls and their role in driving the Further information speciation and evolution of annelids in the deep sea For further information about the conference please contact: Steffen Kiel (Universität Göttingen, Naomi Newbold, Conference Office, The Geological Society, Germany) Chemosynthetic Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BG ecosystems through Earth history Tel: 0207 434 9944 Monica Grady (The Open University) Email: [email protected] Astrobiological implications of chemosynthesis and the possibility of Web: www.geolsoc.org.uk/lyell14 life beyond the Earth Follow this event on Twitter: #lyell14

Image © CSSF-ROPOS / NEPTUNE Canada