Vol 9, Issue 2, June 2010
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MAGAZINEMAGAZINE OFOF THETHE GEOLOGISTS’GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIAASSOCIATIONTION Volume 9 No.2 June 2010 The Association Future Lectures Awards Presidential Lecture Tony Iles Obituary Association and Social Change Farnham GS - 40 yrs. CIRCULAR 983 The Lévy Catalogue CD and Book Review ROCKWATCH Obituary - Willy Wright Dalradian Guide Review Report of April Lecture Sand - a review BACK COVER - September one-day WARM CLIMATE Meeting Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Message from the new Volume 9 No. 2, 2010 President It is a great honour to become Published by the President of the Association, having Geologists’ Association. joined at the outset of my research in CONTENTS 1977, when I attended my first GA Four issues per year. field trip - in Suffolk, run by the pres- ISSN 1476-7600 3. The Association ent Editor of the Proceedings, Jim Rose, in the company of Peter Allen Production team: JOHN CROCKER, 4. Future Lectures 5. Awards and the late John Wymer. As I write Paula Carey, John Cosgrove, I have just attended the latest GA Vanessa Harley, Bill French 6. Presidential Lecture field trip to be led by Jim, to 7. Tony Iles Obituary Pleistocene sites in the vicinity of Printed by City Print, Milton Keynes 8. Association and Castle Bytham, Lincolnshire. Such Social Change occasions are extremely valuable and The GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIATION 9. Farnham GS - 40 yrs. enjoyable, and very much what the does not accept any responsibility for 11. CIRCULAR 983 GA is all about, as a glance through views and opinions expressed by indi- some of the back numbers of the 15. The Lévy Catalogue Proceedings will confirm. Of course vidual authors in this magazine. 17. CD and Book Review as GA members you can now browse 18. ROCKWATCH the back numbers on line, at Science The Geologists’ 20. Obit - Willy Wright Direct, right back to Volume 1, Issue Association 21. Dalradian Guide Review 1 (1859), and can download articles 22. Report of April Lecture as pdf files. Please note that these The Association, founded in 1858, exists to are searchable pdfs, not just images foster the progress and diffusion of the sci- 23. Sand - a review of the relevant pages. This is a ence of geology, and to encourage BACK COVER - tremendous resource and will greatly research and the development of new September one-day Meeting benefit those who wish to research methods. It holds meetings for the reading the history of geology. of papers and the delivery of lectures, organises museum demonstrations, pub- I would like to take this opportuni- lishes Proceedings and Guides, and con- Advertising Rates Full Page £360 Half Page £190 ty to thank my predecessor, Danielle ducts field meetings. Quarter Page £100 Schreve, who has served as President Annual Subscriptions for 2009 are £40.00, Other sizes by arrangement. these last two years and has done a Associates £30.00, Joint Members £58.00, very fine job. Thanks to her efforts, Students £18.00. and those of the rest of Council and For forms of Proposal for Membership and ADVERTISEMENTS the GA staff, it seems to me that the further information, apply to the Executive While precautions are taken to ensure the Association is in very good shape. I Secretary, The Geologists’ Association, validity of advertisements the Association am delighted to say that Danielle Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J is not responsible for the items offered, for remains as Senior Vice President for 0DU. any loss arising or for their compliance with the next year, and her experience will E-mail [email protected] regulations. be of considerable benefit to me in Telephone 020 7434 9298 the first half of my presidency. Like Fax 020 7287 0280 Danielle, my interests lie in the Website: http://www.geologistsassocia- © The Geologists’ Association. Quaternary; indeed, we have pub- tion.org.uk All rights reserved. No part of this publi- lished together, including in the cation may be reproduced, stored in a Proceedings, on topics such as the President: David Bridgland retrieval system or transmitted, in any Thames terraces. Also like Danielle, I Executive Secretary: Sarah Stafford form or by means, without the prior per- teach in a Geography Department, in mission in writing of the author and the my case at Durham University. I am, Geologists’ Association. however, a geologist by training and Curry Fund Dates for 2010 have applied my general geological Applications to Committee LAST Copy dates for the knowledge to the identification of the to be received by Date various rocks making up Quaternary February 20 March 12 Circular & Magazine gravels. Before I joined Durham I May 20 June 11 worked for the then Nature August 20 September 17 March Issue January 14 Conservancy Council (now Natural November 20 December 10 England) as part of the team con- June Issue April 22 ducting the Geological Conservation September Issue July 22 Review, eventually producing No. 7 in Cover picture: December Issue October 21 the GCR publication series, Quaternary of the Thames. I retain Frosterley Marble showing abun- considerable interest in the conserva- dant Dibunophyllum bipartitum Items should be submitted as soon as possible and not targeted on these tion of geological sites, something to found as a building stone in dates. We welcome contributions from which I know that the GA has made Dorchester - see page 8. Members and others. important contributions and contin- ues to have a strong commitment. I have just helped Danielle prepare sections at the Purfleet Thames 2 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 THE ASSOCIATION Message from the new President Treasurer. est is already taking on an interesting continued.. profile. As the Pliocene plantings mature, terrace SSSI for a TV programme to The President and Senior Vice President it is anticipated that the site will become appear on Channel 4. You should have met the Geological Society's a focus for encouraging other groups to watch out for this. The programme President to discuss the new GS Friends consider similar projects in other areas of will be presented by Tony Robinson and items of mutual interest. The meet- the country. and Danielle will be presenting the ing was helpful and friendly. The Society site at Purfleet and another Thames agreed to distribute the Association's Lyme Regis Museum was awarded £950 SSSI at Hornchurch Railway Cutting, leaflets at the Shell lectures on a more towards the re-creation of "Duria where the Anglian (glacial) till can be formal basis. Antiquior" by children and families under seen underlying the Boyn Hill Terrace the guidance of a local artist during the of the Thames. It is unlikely that It was agreed that, in future, there would autumn. "Duria Antiquior" is the famous such sites would have been available be an annual meetings between the water colour of Ancient Dorset painted by to the programme makers had it not Presidents. Henry de la Beche in 1830. The grant will been for their SSSI status, which also cover printing of posters for a new surely underlines the value of Earth The website is currently being upgrad- exhibition at the Museum, celebrating Science conservation to the commu- ed and members' comments would be "Mary Anning & the Men of Science". nity as a whole. incorporated in the new website. Keep an eye on the Museum's web site for details of the exhibition. A request from Finally I want to remind you of the The president thanked those who assist- Richard Moody for £460 for colour print- exciting meeting the GA is running in ed in selecting the winners of the Curry ing of plates for inclusion in a Geological late summer (Thursday 9th Fund MSc prizes from what had been a Society Special Publication of HOGG September). Sponsored by Elsevier very good entry. meeting on "Dinosaurs and Other Extinct (publishers of the Proceedings) and Saurians" was refused. Kathyrn the Department of Environment and The Treasurer reported that, on bal- Riddington successfully applied for a Climate Change, it is entitled 'Warm ance, there is no compelling reason to grant of £1000 for Cheshire RIGS towards Climates: Linking the Past and raise subscriptions immediately. The printing and publication of geodiversity Present'. There will be a broad Council thus agreed unanimously not to trail leaflets around Beeston Castle. The sweep of topics, with various parts of raise subscriptions for 2011 application from Westmorland Geological the geological record represented; it Society for £500 for purchasing digital will include palaeoclimate modelling, The in-coming President, Dr David equipment for visiting speakers was flora, fauna, deep ocean and sea- Bridgland thanked Dr Danielle Schreve refused. Gloucestershire Geology Trust's level records, all used to examine for her contribution to the Geologists' application for £1550 for producing a dis- how past landscapes, biotas and Association over the last two years as did play for the Cheltenham Science Festival environments responded and adapted the Council members. Dr Schreve was refused. The Geologists' Association to periods of exceptional warmth, thanked the retiring Council members for requested £4065 for publication of the thereby providing a context for their support. GA's London Guide. Funding for the understanding the likely impacts of guides is via the annual subvention from modern anthropogenic global warm- John Crocker the Curry Fund to the GA General Fund, ing. Further details and information and currently there is only £1,400 left on how to book are given on the back General Secretary from this year, so the reminder of the cost page of this issue of the Magazine. will be funded from the 2010-2011 sub- vention. David Bridgland Curry Fund Report Guidance for applicants: an application form and closure dates for submissions to the Curry Fund for grants are available on The Curry Fund Committee received the Association's web site.