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. We look for- eight new applications for its first meeting ward to hearing from you. Report from Council of the year, held in March.

This was the last Council before the David Pyle of the Earth Sciences depart- Susan Brown AGM when new Councillors are elected ment, University of Oxford, was awarded Curry Fund Secretary and the President thanked those £1000 for posters and educational mate- Councillors who were retiring for their rials for his geology display at the Royal commitment for the last three years (the Society's 350th Anniversary Summer length of tenure of Councillors). Exhibition. This will be held at the Royal Council were saddened to hear of the Festival Hall in London from 25th June to death of Tony Iles, the Minutes Secretary 4th July. The Exhibition is open to the for the last five years. The President public as well as pre-booked schools and remarked how much work Tony had put in will be a considerably larger exhibition Library Notes - for the Association and how much he than the Royal Society's usual Summer would be missed. See the obituary on Exhibition. £1,692 was awarded to SEE PAGE 23 page 7.A number of Councillors attended GeoSuffolk for erection of stock-proof his funeral. The death of Rhys Davies on fencing to protect current and future 3rd May was also noted and Mrs Susan plantings in Sutton Knoll Pliocene Forest Brown explained how much he had done extension. The GeoSuffolk group has for the Association and the Curry Fund as been very active at this site and the for-

GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 3 to examine Lower Palaeozoic July Meeting rocks you will be lucky to find bivalves and it is quite possible to spend a lifetime collecting in Cambrian or Ordovician rock and Early bivalve evolution never find a bivalve.

Prof. John Cope After a seemingly insignificant University of Cardiff early and mid Cambrian record when bivalves were minute and Friday 2 July 2010 extraordinarily rare, they are as Geological Society, yet unknown as fossils in the late Burlington House, Cambrian. They reappear in the Piccadily, W1V 0JU early Ordovician, but only around Falcatodonta costata Cope at 6.00 pm, tea at 5.30 pm. the Gondwanan shores, where Early Ordovician, they are known from a handful of Carmarthenshire Look at sections of marine rocks in localities worldwide; in these few and all the principal bivalve groups any part of the Mesozoic and Tertiary localities they are sometimes the had appeared in a truly explosive and you will usually find that amongst dominant fossils. This is when the evolutionary outburst. Later in the the commonest fossils are bivalves. main evolutionary developments took Ordovician bivalves became cosmo- There are genera that range through place and discoveries over the past politan, but were affected by the end- large parts of the Mesozoic and, apart two decades have allowed us to track Ordovician glaciation. from groups like the oysters or the the principal evolutionary paths. By rudists, very little seems to be hap- the end of the early Ordovician more pening evolutionarily. But if you go than 20 families of bivalves existed

August - No Meeting

September - One-Day Meeting

WARM CLIMATES : LINKING THE PAST TO THE PRESENT THURSDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER

Lecture Theatre of the Geological Society, Burlington House Booking is Essential so please register your interest with Sarah Stafford at the GA office as soon as possible.

SEE FULL NOTICE ON BACK PAGE.

November Meeting - Festival of Geology

Friday November 5 - Meeting of Local Groups

Saturday 6 November The Festival of Geology at University College London Local Groups Displays, Rock and mineral dealers, books, GA Enterprises, talks, Rockwatch etc, etc...

Sunday 7 November Field Trips - details to be announced in the next magazine

4 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No 2, 2010 Awards and Prizes given at the AGM

The Foulerton Award presented by the President to Professor Bernard Leake for “work of merit connected with the Asociation”

The Halstead Medal given to Elizabeth Devon for “work of outstanding merit to further the objectives of the Association and to promote geology”

The President Danielle Schreve giving her Presidential address

The President presenting the Richardson Award to Colin Prosser for the best paper by a member in the PGA in 2009

The President presents the Ivor Tupper award to Emma Naden of Keele University “ who demonstrates ..an outstanding academic excellence”

The President presenting the Curry Fund MSc awards for the best dissertations for 2010

Left: Karol Czanota,Royal Holloway, University of London,MSc Petroleum Geosciences Tectonostratigraphic and structural history of the Western Exmouth Sub-basin, NW Shelf, Western Australia Right: Nicholas Crumpton, University of Bristol, MSc Palaeobiology A quantitative microwear analysis of insectivorous bats, with implications for the dietary preference of early mammals James Cochrane,Cardiff University ,MSc Applied Environmental Geology, was not able to attend the AGM to receive the prize A geotechnical site investigation at the former iron ore wharf, Ferry Road Peninsula, Cardiff, for the proposed habitat mitigation site GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 5 Evening Lecture May 2010. Presidential Address by Dr Danielle Schreve Caves and Cannibals: a Mendip Perspective.

Having spent a good deal of my extend over the last 500,000 years undergraduate life crawling through and include evidence of both glacial the caves of the Mendip Hills I was and inter-glacial periods that can be very pleased not to have encountered related to deep-sea cores. To illus- some of their former inhabitants as trate this, Danielle took us on a tour described by Danielle Schreve. These of the caves and the fauna that had ranged from giant bears to lions and been collected. The first excavations early human cannibals. The caves were by Beard and Williams in 1828 in have been the subject of research for Hutton Cavern and they discovered over 150 years with one, exposed in a abundant bone remains that indicated quarry at Westbury-sub-Mendip, con- that many of the animals came in as taining a fauna dated at 500,000 BP complete carcases, including those of with bones bearing straight cut marks wolf (presumably denning in the indicating some of the earliest human cave) and horse. They also found a activity in the British Isles. There are small number of mammoth teeth of also many younger sites and here the the "Ilford-type mammoth" as well as story starts in the 19th century when remains of other carnivores and small two collectors, William Beard and the mammals. Bovine remains are rare ence of an earlier fauna that can be Rev. David Williams, began to take an and since carnivores are poor indica- equated with that at Banwell Bone interest in caves and their contents. tors of environment there is little evi- Cave. The two were quite different in their dence of the prevailing conditions but approach with Beard being somewhat the assemblage fits in well with late Bringing us right up to date, obsessive (he lived in "Bone Cottage") Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 7 which Danielle described her excavations in amassing a comprehensive, well places it at an age of around 200,000 Gully Cave in Ebbor Gorge. This was labelled and representative amount of years BP when the environment was a "cave with a view" looking out over material. In contrast, Williams was a much like present day grassland. The the tree-less plain of the Axe towards "cabinet" collector who paid little contents of the nearby Bleadon Cave the Bristol Channel and would have attention to location (his specimens are around the same age and are been ideal for observing prey. The were simply labelled "Wms"). Both renowned for the abundance of horse cave was almost completely inacces- collections were acquired by the and red deer that make up 50% of sible and initial excavations showed Somerset Archaeological and Natural the fauna. The assemblage points to that there was no talus heap suggest- History Society (SANHS) and housed a warm grassland environment and it ing that the site was undisturbed. It in Taunton Castle Museum in the care may represent a lion's den. In has now been excavated to a depth of of William Bidgood who made many of marked contrast, Banwell Bone Cave 2.5 m and over 5 tonnes has been the specimens available for descrip- shows evidence of cold conditions. It wet sieved providing high-resolution tion in early Palaeontological Society is located on land once owned by material and yielding a rich fauna that Monographs. After his death the col- George Henry Law, Bishop of Bath suggests a cool climate. This includes lection underwent a long period of and Wells, and contained so many occasional large mammals (wild horse benign neglect with parts being left bones that Beard stacked the more and red deer) small mammals (moun- on display and the rest shuffled from common ones around the edge of the tain hare and voles) and abundant place to place until someone ordered cave to form decorative blocks. birds (falcon, partridge, thrush, finch its disposal around 1970. Fortunately These formed the basis for a sort of and possibly an eagle owl) and even these orders were not fully carried out theme park for the Biblical Deluge amphibians, fish and molluscs. and A D Hallam is believed to have inspired by Law. The fauna is domi- Radiocarbon dating gives a Late gla- rescued much of the material, which nated by bison and reindeer but there cial Interstadial age (14,000 years was boxed and hidden in an old coal are also the remains of a large bear BP) for the material excavated to shed. The story fast forwards to the closely similar to modern polar bears date, however, the floor of the cave 1990s when Dennis Parsons rediscov- and wolves with very worn teeth sug- has not yet been seen. Its location is ered the collection and contacted gesting they were primarily bone-eat- interesting in being close to both Andrew Currant, Roger Jacobi, ing scavengers. The fauna is Wookey Hole and Gough's Cave in Danielle and others to see how much assigned to late MIS5 with an age of Cheddar Gorge, home of Cheddar could be retrieved. With careful around 100,000 BP. The last of these Man and his cannibalistic companions, forensic analysis much of it was early caves is the Wookey Hole Hyena and promises to throw new light onto restored both physically and with Den, part of which was lost during the recent history of this important regard to provenance and the manu- construction work associated with the area. script catalogue now runs to over paper mill. The cave is notable for the 10,000 entries. occurrence of Palaeolithic hand axes Dave Greenwood. that were found in a well-stratified The Carboniferous Limestone of the series of cave earths that contain the An excellent article on the Beard and Mendips is important because it is one remains of spotted hyenas and their Williams collection by Andrew Currant of the few areas of Palaeozoic lime- prey, chiefly woolly rhinoceros, indi- is available at: stones in England that lie well south cating rich grassland. They are dated http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives of the limits of glaciation. These at MIS 3 (Middle Devensian) but more /hes/downloads/HES_150_Years_Chapt areas contain caves with deposits that recent work has revealed the pres- er_7.pdf

6 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No 2, 2010 Obituary - Tony Iles 1936-2010

Tony Iles joined the Association in ocean ridge leading to the theory of 1962 shortly after graduating with a plate tectonics. degree in geology and physics from Tony graduated in 1961, which was Queen Mary College and was a regu- not a good year for geological lar at our monthly meetings at employment, so he followed his other Burlington House. interest and joined Kodak where he He was born in Clapham and was became an expert in cinematography educated locally remaining a and occupied several senior technical Londoner all his life. Like many of his posts. contemporaries he opted to do his He was awarded the Eastman Gold National Service, in The Prince of Medal in New York in 1999 by the Wales Dragoon Guards, before going Society of Motion Picture and up to university. Television Engineers and the Award At QMC he will be remembered as of Merit by the British a keen mountaineer and photogra- Kinematograph, Sound and pher acting in the latter role on the Television Society in 2006. Tony 1960 London University Geological returned to geology following his Expedition to Skidadalur (LUGES) in retirement in 1996 and served on Northern Iceland before leading a Council as Minutes Secretary from second expedition to Midnordurland 2002 onwards. He also played a part and most of all for his courage in the (LUGEM) in the same area the follow- in producing the GA Magazine provid- face of adversity. ing year. ing accounts of our monthly meet- As was his last wish, following a The object of both expeditions was ings, which he felt deserved a wider long fight against prostate cancer, to map basalt flows and relate these audience to members outside the Tony died peacefully in his own home to the frequency of dykes at different London area. on 19 April 2010 surrounded by fam- stratigraphic horizons; work that ulti- Tony was a splendid companion in ily and friends. mately provided some of the evi- the field and will be remembered for dence for crustal extension at a mid- his sense of humour, his enthusiasm Dave Greenwood.

FIELD TRIPS-A PERSONAL VIEW

THE PROBLEMS changing concepts and fresh aspects of geology e.g. - The waves crash, the shingle rattles, rain pours down a recent visit by the Dorset Group to Ham Hill in and the lightening flashes draw ever closer; Somerset introduced the party to bioclastic limestones, - Gales blow and scatter one's notes and folk cannot hear sedimentary structures, the extrusion theory of the - The foreshore is slippery and we oldies fear for our formation of gulls and cambering, the problems of bones working Ham Hill Stone, evidence for dextral faulting - There is always some dear soul who wanders off, stands and the wrenching of Somerset, reactivation of Variscan behind the speaker or engages in a private conversation structures, synsedimentary tectonics and crustal exten - Participants have different interests and attention sion, a mysterious pebble bed, the scarpland landforms spans, especially when they have been on their feet for of South Somerset and lastly, but not least, a conserva two hours tion warning (District Council and County Council sys - The subject matter may of a difficult and complex tems failure). These are all aspects which the partici nature pants can follow up. - Some demonstrations and explanations are best con - Meet other people, make new friends and enjoy their ducted in the lecture hall company and a pub lunch - There has to be someone who pops up with a question - Get out for the day on some divergent matter, or one which involves a lengthy digression ('Can we discuss this afterwards PERSONAL NOTE please') When I look back at my teaching career perhaps the most - Someone has to organise the meeting and find a leader useful thing I tried to do was stimulate an interest and willing to travel and give up a day, or week enthusiasm. And what do former pupils remember of my - Do not forget the risk assessment or big brother will lessons? A well aimed blackboard rubber, a liquid lunch at mark your card the pub in Montacute, tea on the lawn at 2 Yeovil Road, - Who has not been on a bus which has to back half a and leading them up the mudslides and backscars on the mile, turn in a field or get stuck in a narrow Welsh cliffs at Charmouth. Times be changing! Field work is bridge? more difficult or done on a computer; Health and Safety requires assessments and prohibits various activities. THE BENEFITS AND JOYS Blackboard rubbers are a definite no-no. - Being shown how to describe a rock face and question its features Hugh Prudden - Apply one's personal experience and knowledge - Meet the experts and enjoy their guidance Somerset Geology Group - Discover and explore: new places, recent research,

GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 7 The Association and Social Change

Not long after the foundation of our ingly made to several eminent friends giving the Fossil Species found at each Association, we became involved in a of the Saturday Half - holidays in Section (in the order of their abun- national campaign seeking to secure a London who had been pleased on pre- dance)and the characteristic species of Saturday half-day holiday for office and vious occasions to render important each formation exposed ". shop workers in their working week. It services to the movement. The Ten guineas in 1871 was a consider- was a drive hoping to allow the fulfil- responses to those representations able sum of money and must testify to ment of one of our prime aims as an was a most generous one; the object a serious purpose in the promotion of Association - the conducting of field was fully appreciated, and the natural history observation and collect- excursions as an essential step for the Committee have now the pleasure of ing. That is, in harmony with the suc- interested amateur becoming a geolo- being the medium of a number of cess of Charles Kingsley, Edmund gist. A social historian of the mid 19th prizes, which are offered for the com- Gosse and Joseph Prestwich as pro- century describes the scene in London petition of the field-naturalists and moters of outdoor science, it also iden- once the legislation achieved the microscopists of London " tifies for us the wealth and distinction release, with city workers rushing to Hidden within this long-winded state- of the "several eminent friends” who the railway stations on Saturday after- ment is the fact that by their campaign suppported the Saturday Half-holiday noons to join others in excursions deep the Committee had profited from sev- Committee. For us, it must be satisfac- into the weald or the Chilterns to get to eral important backers who revealed tion that the dedication of the twelve grips with the rocks. Working quarries, themselves in the competitions men- year old Geologists' Association to field new cuts for roads or extensions of the tioned. excursions had been recognised as railway systems were part of the objec- There were three separate categories fully in the spirit of the Saturday Half- tive, but otherwise it was simply to to the competition; botanic, micro- holiday Committee - a fact acknowl- walk the familiar landscape of the scopist, and finally, geological. edged in the quotation recorded in Vol outer suburbs of London. The botanical prizes were donated by 100 of the Proceedings (Green, p 19) . Healthy exercise was combined with the Duchess of Sutherland to the Sadly, we have no record of the win- that other stated purpose of the extent of ten guineas, divided into ners of those prizes* awarded in 1871 Association - collecting. This was of three prizes: or in subsequent years if they contin- great satisfaction to that campaigning "£5 5s for the best collection of Mosses ued. Nor do we know of the Saturday committee which had won that half day (including the Hepaticae) obtained Half-holiday Committee, apparently so release who commended the within twenty miles of London. well organised in 1872. How long did it Association for its field working activi- £3 3s for the second best collection survive ? To what ends? ties (Green, 1989,p.19). In 1872, they £2 2s for the third." Possible leads to follow could include published a list of field clubs from their The microscopists also shared ten the life and work of their Secretary, office at 100 Fleet Street, EC, adding guineas, provided by the Countess of Henry Walker, F.G.S. Apart from the details of prizes which had been Ducie, and involved three prizes: Guide to the popular Natural History offered "For the competition of Field "£3 3s for the best List of the Ponds Clubs of London which we have exten- Naturalists", with this preamble; and other aquatic resorts for the sively quoted, Walker was the author "The tendency to field recreation for Microscopist within twenty miles of of a 3d pamphlet "Saturday Afternoon Natural History purposes on the London Rambles, Rural and Geological". He Saturday afternoon has perhaps been £2 2s for the second best also led many GA field trips, as report- more marked within the past twelve £5 5s for the best List of the Ponds ed in the PGA between 1870 and and months than in any previous year and other aquatic resorts within twen- 1881 and presented a number of [1871] and the bearing of this fact ty miles of London, and the Microscopic papers to the Friday evening lectures. upon the further extension of the animals and Plants found in them dur- For the present, let us feel proud that Saturday half-holiday to departments ing the twelve months commencing the Association was an active element of business where it is still badly need- March 1, 1871" in the changes in social history occur- ed, is one which the Committee have Finally, there was a ten guinea prize ing in the 1870's and later. not been slow to notice. With the con- from the Marquis of Westminster for viction that this newer aspect of geologists, comprising: Eric Robinson Saturday afternoon would favourably "£3 3s for the best List of OPEN GEO- commend the half-holiday in quarters LOGICAL SECTIONS and EXPOSURES *Editor’s Comment where it has yet to confer its advan- of the Strata of the London district. In spite of the very large sums offerred tages, it was resolved that steps be £2 2s for the second best for these prizes, ten guineas would taken to encourage weekly Natural £5 5s for the best List of OPEN GEO- now be equivalent of about £500, there History excursions on the afternoon in LOGICAL SECTIONS and EXPOSURES seems to be no reference to the win- question. Representation were accord- of the Strata of the London district, ners in the press of the time.

From one of our members bipartitum. One of the group of the walk said he has seen in in Truro - Alan Holliday Cathedral. The leaflet supplied by North I led a geological walk around Pennines AONB records that it has been Dorchester based on the DGAG ‘Walk in used in Bombay (Mumbai) Cathedral! Coast and Country Geology’ walks pub- The variety of building stones used in lished in 2003 (now available as a CD Dorchester is much less than in from the DGAG). As a result of infor- Weymouth (leaflet available from me on mation from a friend who lives in receiving an A5 S.A.E.) with greater use Dorchester he drew my attention to of Portland and Purbeck Stone from the some Frosterley Marble in St Mary's Ridgeway Quarries as well as some church in Edward Road, Dorchester. Ham Stone and Bath Stone in North Pennines AONB have produced a Dorchester. Weymouth's shop fronts well as larvikite, phyllite, schist and leaflet on the stone. It is very hand- have many examples of 'foreign' rocks serpentinite to name but a few. some with abundant Dibunophyllum including various types of granite as 8 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 Farnham Geological Society Celebrates its 40th Anniversary This year Farnham Geological Society celebrates its 40th Anniversary on June 26th with an open day, to be held at the Maltings in Farnham, Surrey. The theme is climate change with talks from three eminent specialists - Susan Marriott, Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, (Late Silurian and early Devonian climates as revealed by the Old Red Sandstone of South Wales); Malcolm Hart, Professor of Micropalaeontology, University of Plymouth, Devon (Was the Cretaceous greenhouse world always so warm?) and Danielle Schreve, President of the Geologists' Association and Reader in Physical Geography, Royal Holloway College, Surrey (Quaternary climate change and fossil mammals: evolution, environment and extinction). This programme of talks will be followed by a short field trip on the nearby Hogs Back, examining the effects of climate on local geology and landscape. Full details about the open day are available on the Crater of Vesuvius with a message from FGS field trippers left in volcanic Society's website (www.farnhamgeosoc.org.uk). bombs on the crater floor - Farnham 1981. early member, an intrepid rockhound, always carried a 7 The Beginnings lb sledgehammer in his quest for chalcedony nodules. At the end of the first year the membership was 27 but The Farnham Geological Society was officially estab- lished on 1st January, 1971, as a separate entity to, but in some ways a successor of, the popular courses on geol- ogy run by the Council for Extra-Mural Studies at the University of London. These courses were well attended, had excellent lecturers and ran numerous field trips. One popular venue was the Coxbridge sandpit at Wrecklesham with exposures of the Folkestone Beds/Gault Clay junction and this is where, in 1969, a few individuals suggested that a Farnham Geological Society might be formed, inde- pendent of the extra-mural study courses.

The Inaugural Meeting was held on Monday 6th April 1970 in the Council Hut, South Street, Farnham and the first field meeting was held on Sunday 12th July 1970 when 12 members met at Burrington Coombe in the Mendips. 1987 - Field Trip to Whitby and the unearthing by FGS members of dinosaur bones (an ichthyosaurus tail) Lectures were on such varied subjects as continental drift, gemstones, the expanding Earth and Icelandic geol- this has grown through the years and currently stands at ogy. over 100 members, a mixture of professional, amateur and enthusiast geologists. FGS is now a member of the Other activities included wine, cheese & rock, wine & fos- Geologists' Association - one of 17 Local Groups. sil, and slide parties as well as social gatherings around The Society produced a newsletter in the autumn of 1970 Christmas time. Other field visits were made to Coxbridge - this was "optimistically numbered one". The optimism sandpit, Seale chalk quarry, Lyme Regis, Isle of Wight, was well founded and the newsletter continues to this Ringstead Bay, Portland Island, Church Stretton. One day.

The intervening years During these years meetings have covered all aspects of geology: from palaeontology, stratigraphy and fossil extinctions, to igneous, metamorphic and structural processes, and to environmental and planetary topics. The range of field trip locations has also expanded from local to more distant parts of the UK - Scotland, Wales, Lake District, Devon and Cornwall and to foreign parts including USA, France, Italy, Ireland, Austria, Hungary, Portugal, Greece, Germany. The Society has made interesting finds - dinosaur bones in the form of an ichthyosaurus tail were found by socie- ty members during a field trip near Whitby, which was donated to Bristol Museum where it is still housed today. On a very early trip to Coxbridge Sandpit (Farnham) a fish 1974 - Early days and a Field Trip to Pembrokeshire - More photos are on was found in an ironstone nodule by one of the members' the website children, it proved to be a new species and was named after the family. It too is in a museum. GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 9 and Madeira to examine modern ones.

The FGS today The objective of the Society is "to promote interest in geology and its allied sciences" and this is done mainly through Meetings and Field Trips. Through the hard work of the Meetings and Field Trip Secretaries, the membership has grown to its current strength. Most members come from Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, Sussex, Dorset and Middlesex but Associate

April 2010: A group of FGS members braving the elements on a field trip to Charnwood Forest

Field trips, which have always been such an important part of life at the FGS, have taken place to celebrate the milestones. Some of these are recalled below by one member: "In 1981 FGS went to Italy to celebrate its 10th Anniversary. This field trip, led by one member, was to see the volcanoes of Southern Italy and Sicily. He pointed out the unconformity in Southern Lipari, described in his doc- torate. The unconformity represents a crucial event in the history of the recent acid volcanism on Lipari, as it defines two periods of pyroclastic eruptions - each associated with viscous dome intrusions - the unconformity occurring due to the uplift and deformation of the earlier pyroclastics by Two members on Sag hill, near Szombathely, Hungary, waiting for the solar eclipse. Sheets were placed on ground to watch shadow bands the rising dome lava prior to the deposition of pyroclastics pass across them just before totality - described as like a bubbling belonging to the second phase of acid volcanism." stream of air - exciting.

The FGS has continued to celebrate its important dates Members come from as far afield as Hereford, Milton - the 20th Anniversary with a trip to the Auvergne in1990; Keynes, Brecon, Nuneaton.

The Meetings and Field Trips remain the core strengths of the Society and the variety and quality of the lectures and field trips are exemplified by this year's programmes: with talks on - Antarctica, SE Asia and Thailand, Carboniferous Coal Forests, Cloning a Mammoth, the Santorini Supervolcano, Mineral Collecting and Geology & Disease; and further field trips to the Isle of Portland, Poxwell Pericline & Ringstead Bay, Dorset, Pas de Calais and Pinhay, Beer & Seaton.

The collection of geological specimens like the newslet- ter thrives and has grown through the years. The current newsletter is published together with much other infor- mation, including copies of many of the historical newslet- ters, on the Society's website: (www.farnhamgeosoc.org.uk). Liz Aston

Don’t forget to sign up for the exciting one- Volcanic rocks approximately 600 million years old in Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire day meeting on WARM CLIMATES - the 25th in 1996, with a trip to Yellowstone and Canyon Lands, Western USA; the 30th in 1999, to see the Total LINKING THE PAST Solar Eclipse in Hungary (this included Germany for the Solnhofen limestone and the Nördlingen Ries Crater AND PRESENT (believed to be of meteoritic origin), and Austria where we panned for emeralds); and the 35th Anniversary to Languedoc. see the back cover for This year FGS field trips have already been to full details Charnwood Forest to examine the Precambrian volcanics

10 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 CIRCULAR No. 983 June 2010 ask before booking. PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE for field meetings is provided but PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION FOR FIELD personal accident cover remains the responsibility of the participant. MEETINGS Further details are available on request from the GA office. ENQUIRIES & BOOKINGS Geoff Swann organises day and week- SAFETY is taken very seriously. Should you be unsure about either end meetings in the UK. Michael Ridd is responsible for overseas and the risks involved or your ability to participate, you must seek advice longer excursions. Sarah Stafford at the GA office is responsible for from the GA office before booking. Please make sure that you study bookings, payments and general administration. the risk assessment prepared for all GA field meetings and that you You must book through the GA office to confirm attendance. Please have all the safety equipment specified. You must declare, at the time do not contact the field meeting leader directly. Meeting times and of booking, any disabilities or medical conditions that may affect your locations will be confirmed on booking. These are not normally adver- ability to attend a field meeting safely. You may be asked to provide tised in advance, as there have been problems with members turning up further information on any prescription drugs etc that you may use without booking or paying and maximum numbers being exceeded. Field whilst attending a field meeting. In order to ensure the safety of all meetings are open to non-members although attendance by non-mem- participants, the GA reserves the right to limit or refuse attendance at bers is subject to a £5 surcharge on top of the normal administration field meetings. fee. Some meetings may have restrictions on age (especially for under EMERGENCY CONTACT: If you are lost or late for the start of a 16s) or be physically demanding. If you are uncertain, please ask. meeting, an emergency contact is available during UK field meetings by PAYMENTS for day and weekend meetings must be made before calling the GA mobile phone (07724 133290). PLEASE NOTE THIS attending any field meeting. Cheques should be made out to Geologists' NEW NUMBER. The mobile phone will only be switched on just before Association. A stamped addressed envelope is appreciated. Please give and during field meetings. For routine enquiries please call the GA a contact telephone number and, if possible, an email address and pro- office on the usual number. vide the names of any other persons that you are including in your book- TRAVEL REGULATIONS are observed. The GA acts as a retail agent ing. PLEASE ALSO PROVIDE AN EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME for ATOL holders in respect of air flights included in field meetings. All AND TELEPHONE NUMBER AT THE TIME OF BOOKING. flights are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority (see GA There are separate arrangements for overseas meetings. Circular No. 942, October 2000 for further details). Field meetings of TRANSPORT is normally via private car unless otherwise advertised. more than 24 hours duration or including accommodation are subject to If you are a rail traveller, it may be possible for the GA office to the Package Travel Regulations 1992. The information provided does arrange for another member to provide a lift or collect you from the not constitute a brochure under these Regulations. nearest railway station. This service cannot be guaranteed, but please

FIELD MEETINGS IN 2010 fossil fish. Cost & booking: Numbers will be limited to Equipment: There will be four to five miles of 20. Further details will be available from We are hoping to arrange additional fossil walking including two quite steep climbs so Sarah Stafford at the GA office. Register collecting opportunities during the year. boots are essential together with clothing with Sarah sending an administration fee of There may not be time to advertise these in appropriate to the weather conditions. £5 per person to confirm your place. the Circular so if you would like details when Cost & booking: Numbers will be limited to they become available contact Sarah 20. Register with Sarah Stafford at the GA TAVISTOCK QUARRIES Stafford at the GA office. office sending an administration fee of £5 to Leaders: Eddie Bailey and Sam Rhodes confirm your place. Saturday 11th - Sunday 12th September PLEASE ALSO REFER TO OUR WEB SITE 2010 (http://www.geologists.org.uk/events_fieldt WEALDEN EXCURSION rips.html) FOR CHANGES TO THE PRO- Leaders: Pete Austen, Richard Agar, Dr Ed We will spend the first day in and around GRAMME AND FOR FINALISED DATES Jarzembowski and Geoff Toye Greystone Quarry near Tavistock. We will July 10 (tbc) 2010 look at the geology (dolerite sill intruded into THE GAULT CLAY OF FOLKESTONE - the Greystone Formation which is an abyssal JOINT MEETING WITH THE PALAEON- This trip continues the popular annual excur- siltstone - a stretch of hornfelsed siltstone is TOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION sion to working pits in the Weald Clay of clearly visible in the quarry). We may also be Leader: Professor Andy Gale south-east England, where the GA has already able to find one or two outcrops nearby that Saturday June 5 2010 participated in some superb fossil finds. The help expand the local geology being intro- venue(s) will be confirmed later so as to take duced. We will also introduce the quarry work- This meeting celebrates the forthcoming pub- advantage of conditions at the time. Numbers ings. The following day we will visit Meldon lication of the Palaeontological Association's may be limited. Quarry famous for its volcanics, hornfels and book "Fossils of the Gault Clay". Equipment: You must have suitable footwear, slates and complex structure, which has Equipment: Ask Sarah in the GA office. a high visibility jacket and hard hat. recently had to find a new purpose! The tradi- Cost and booking: Numbers will be limited. Cost & booking: Further details will be avail- tional rail ballast contract has been withdrawn Register with Sarah Stafford at the GA able from Sarah Stafford at the GA office. due to the recession but investigations found office sending an administration fee of £5 to Register with Sarah sending an administration that the quarry had materials that could be confirm your place. fee of £5 per person to confirm your place. worked competitively into the bulk fill market. This will help keep Meldon going until the bal- THE GEOLOGY ALONG THE MIMRAM WRABNESS AND HARWICH last market resumes. Boreholes were VALLEY AND THE CHILTERNS AROUND Leaders: Graham Ward and Bill George also recently drilled to help elucidate the HITCHIN Saturday 4th September 2010 geology to the south of the current excava- Leader: Mike Howgate tions - the first boreholes for years. Sunday 13th June 2010 10:30 We will examine the lithology of the London Althought the cores may not be available for Clay at Wrabness including seams of altered inspection next Sept (they will have been In the morning we will be looking at the evi- volcanic ash and then move on to collect fossil crushed and tested) they give an opportunity dence for the Anglian Ice margin including sharks' teeth from the foreshore at Harwich. to unravel the enigmatic thrusting and folding Kames and fluvio-glacial deposits, the diver- It will be possible to collect participants from that characterises Meldon. We will also intro- sion of the Mimram by the ice sheet and wells Wrabness station (09.18 train from London duce the Geodiversity plans AI have for feeding the local watercress industry. In the Liverpool Street arriving 10.35). Trains from Meldon and have lunch at our new rock park! afternoon we will look for the source of the Harwich Town are about one per hour, on the Equipment: Hard hats and hi-vis jackets Mimram, then ascend Deacon Hill for the view hour back to London. Cost and booking: Numbers will be limited to and visit Pirton church to see gigantic Equipment: Boots, waterproofs and a packed 30. Further details will be available from ammonites and hear the story of the missing lunch. Sarah Stafford at the GA office. Please note GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 11 the GA will not be arranging accommodation. 2010 and arrangements are complete. Ringstead Bay - Dorset. Register with Sarah sending an administration July 9 Members evening and presentations - Dr fee of £5 per person to confirm your place. THAILAND Alan Witts. Leader: Dr Mike Ridd September 2-6 Pas de Calais. MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE PRE-GLACIAL AND All arrangements are in hand for this field September 10 SE Asia - Thailand - Dr Michael GLACIAL DEPOSITS OF NORTH NORFOLK meeting in November-December 2010. Ridd. Leaders: Dr Jonathan Lee and Dr Emrys However, the UK Foreign Office is still rec- October 8 30 Years of mineral collecting - Phillips (BGS) ommending against visiting the country in view John Pearce. Saturday 18th September 2010 of the social unrest, and the meeting will not Contact - Mrs Shirley Stephens tel: 01252 go ahead until the FCO warning has been lift- 680215 This excursion will examine pre-glacial and gla- ed. Field Trip Contact - Dr Graham Williams tel: cial deposits at one of the most famous 01483 573802 Email secretary@farnham- Pleistocene sites in Britain. During the trip we FRANCE An introduction to its geology geosoc.org.uk will have the opportunity to examine three Leader: Dr Paul Olver www:farnhamgeosoc.org.uk. Pleistocene units: the West Runton 7th April - 19th April 2011 Harrow & Hillingdon Geological Society Freshwater Bed - temperate stage (Cromerian This circular geological tour by coach, starting June 9 Diamonds Through Time - Prof. Andy Complex) fluvial deposits of the Cromer at Cherbourg and finishing at St. Malo, Fleet. Forest-bed Formation; shallow marine sands includes the Jurassic successions of June 19-26 Field meeting: Western Ireland - and gravels of the Wroxham Crag and finally a Normandy, the spectacular volcanic Chaine des John Arthurs. highly deformed glacial succession including Puys in the Massif Centrale, the Triassic July 14 Scelidosaurus the Dorset Dinosaur - Dr multiple tills, evidence for large scale thrust- meteorite impact crater at Rochechouart near Tim Ewin. ing and the formation of extensional outwash Limoges and finally, the metamorphic terrains September 8 The Evolution of Wales - Ted basins. and Palaeozoic successions of Brittany. Wheeler. Equipment: Bring a hard hat and stout The tour will introduce a wide variety of sedi- Contact: Jean Sippy 020 8422 1859 footwear as the trip will involve standing adja- mentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks rang- Email: [email protected] Field trip cent to high cliffs and walking along stony ing from Precambrian to Quaternary in age. information Allan Wheeler 01344 455451. beaches. Packed or beach cafe lunch. The walking involved will be easy to moderate. www.hhgs.org.uk Cost & booking: Numbers will be limited to 25. Cost and booking Kent Geologists Group Further details will be available from Sarah Aiming at 20 - 30 participants, the tour cost June 15 Geology and Dust - Dr Brian Marker. Stafford at the GA office. Register with expected to be about £950-00 per person July 20 Volcanic Hazards - Dr Anne Padfield. August 17 Seeds and Fruits - Dr Adrian Rundle. Sarah sending an administration fee of £10 depending on numbers. Expressions of inter- September 21 The Early Development of per person to confirm your place. est welcome - please register with Sarah Geological Maps - John Henry. Stafford at the GA Office. Contact Indoor Secretary Mrs Ann Barrett LONG WEEKEND ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT Tel: 01233 623126 email: Leader: Prof Andy Gale JAPAN [email protected] October 16-17 2010 Leaders: Dr Francis Hirsch, Dr Mike Ridd, Contact information www.kgg.org.uk Mrs Mikiko Ridd The Kirkaldy Society (Alumni of Queen Mary Equipment: Ask Sarah in the GA office Plans are progressing well for this field meet- College) Cost & booking: Numbers will be limited. ing in November 2011. It will commence in July 2-4 Field trip to Scarborough - Professor Further details will be available from Sarah Kyoto and make its way across the island of Peter Rawson. Stafford at the GA office. Please note that Honshu to the Japan Sea and then back across October 2 AGM at University of London. the GA will not be booking accommodation. Honshu, the Inland Sea and the island of Contact David Greenwood 020 8449 6614 Register with Sarah sending an administration Tokushima, before taking the bullet train to email:[email protected]. fee of £ per person to confirm your place. Mount Fuji and finally Tokyo. Lancashire Contact Acting Secretary Jennifer Rhodes FOSSILFEST VI GEOLOGISTS' ASSOCIATION 01204 811203 Email:[email protected]. Leader: Nev Hollingworth LOCAL GROUPS Mole Valley Geological Society October 30 2010 June 10 Snowball Earth - Professor Philip Allen Cambridgeshire Geology Club June 19 Summer picnic at Box Hill Country Contact - Alan Murphy on 07768 821385 Location(s) have still to be decided but plenty Park. Email: [email protected] of fossils can be expected. July 25 Field trip to study the geology of St Dorset Local Group Equipment: You must have a hard hat, hi vis Barnabas Church, Ranmore Common. Contact Doreen Smith 01300 320811. vest and suitable footwear. September 9 The formation of the Zagros Email: [email protected] Cost & booking: Numbers will be limited to 25. Mountains of Iran - Prof. John Cosgrove. www.dorsetgeologistsassociation.com Register with Sarah Stafford at the GA September 10-12 Heritage Weekend. Essex Group office sending an administration fee of £5 to www.radix.demon.co.uk/dendron/mvgs/ Email: June 2 Asteroids - Professor Hilary Downes. confirm your place. Chas Cowie: [email protected] September 1 Carbonate Sedimentation - Dr North Staffordshire Group John Hill. OVERSEAS FIELD TRIPS 2010 June 5 Longcliffe Quarry/National Stone October 6 Fluorspar Mining in the North Centre - Nigel Weedon. Pennines - David Greenwood. COPENHAGEN MUSEUM VISIT Contact for details Eileen Fraser 01260 Contact Dr Trevor Greensmith 01268 785404 Organised by David Bone, Alan Lord, Roger 271505 Contact Field trips: Gerard Ford Farnham Geological Society Dixon 01630 673409. June 6 Field trip: Isle of Portland. Sat. 23rd October - Mon. 25th October Oxford Geology Group June 11 Dolerite emplacement in Antarctica - 2010 www.oum.ox.ac.uk/ogg.htm. or call programme Dr Donny Hutton. This trip is now full but waiting list enquiries secretary 01865 272960. June 26 40th Anniversary Celebration Event: welcome. Ravensbourne Geological Society Mammalian evolution in the Quaternary - Dr June 8 Diamonds Through Time - Andrew Danielle Schreve, Terrestrial Sediments of FURTHER AFIELD Fleet. the Siluro-Devonian - Prof. Susan Marriot, July 13 Ice Age - Barbara Silva. Microfaunas and Climate of the Cretaceous - NORTHERN GERMANY August 10 Some Specimens held at the NHM - Prof. Malcolm Hart. Leaders: Prof. Volker Wilde and Prof. Alan Alan Hart. June 26 Field trip afternoon Hogs Back. Lord September 14 Thames Tideway Project - July 4 Field trip: Pozwell Pericline and This field meeting will take place in August Jackie Skipper. 12 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 October 12 AGM and Members evening. Black Country Geological Society Grassmarket, Colin Macfadyen Contact Carole McCarthy Secretary: 020 8854 June 19 Field meeting Buxton Volcanics - Chris August 21 Field meeting: Dumyat, Con Gillen 9138 email: [email protected] or Vernon Arkwright. www.edinburghgeolsoc.org Marks: 020 8460 2354. July 24 Field meeting: Joint with the Woolhope Earth Science Teachers Association Cymdeithas Daeaereg Gogledd Cymru: North Club - Martley Area - Dr Paul Olver. For membership contact: Mike Tuke mike- Wales Geology For information contact Barbara Russell 01902 [email protected] tel 01480457068 Contact Jonathan Wilkins 01492 583052 Email 650168. www.bcgs.info ESTA website www.esta-uk.net [email protected] www.ampyx.org.uk/cdgc Brighton & Hove Geological Society East Herts Geology Club South Wales Group - Cymdeithas Y Contact John Cooper 01273 292780 email: June 16 Field meeting: Scotts Grotto visit. Daearegwyr Grwp De Cymru- [email protected] August 7 Puddingstone Presentation 3pm at St June 19 Field meeting: The Quest for Gower's Bristol Naturalists' Society Albans Museum with Herts Geological Society Devensian ice limits - John Heimstra. Contact 01373 474086 September 11/12 Field trip to Northumberland. July 3-4 Rockwatch Weekend Llandrindod Email: [email protected] October 23 Club 10th Birthday party. Wells. Carn Brea Mining Society November 16 Seeing Underground using remote July 17 Field meeting: Climate change clues in June 15 Audio Memories - Chris Bount. sensing - Dr George Tuckwell. the landscape - Sid Howells. June 20 Field trip at Wheal Martin led by local Check website for venue or contact Diana August 21 Field meeting: The geology of the historian Colin Bristow. Perkins 01920 463755. Forest of Dean coal and iron ore field - Tom June 15 Audio Memories by Chris Bount www.ehgc.org.uk email: [email protected] Cotterell. Contact Lincoln James 01326 311420 Visitors most welcome - £2 September 18 The Old Red Sandstone in Cheltenham Mineral and Geological Society East Midlands Geological Society Gower, some interesting questions - John For more information on lectures contact Ann Contact Secretary Janet Slater email. J.slat- Davies. Kent 01452 610375 [email protected] Full details to follow. Contact Lynda Garfield For more information on Field trips contact www.emgs.org.uk at [email protected] Kath Vickers 01453 827007 Edinburgh Geological Society West of England Craven & Pendle Geological Society June 5 Field meeting: Sedimentation and tec- March 9 South Wales Coalfield - Peter Contact: [email protected] tonics at Scremerston Northumberland - Brabham. or www.cpgs.org.uk Professor Stuart Monro. April 20 AGM. Cumberland Geological Society June 19 Field meeting: Stockbridge to Dean Contact Graeme Churchard 0117 967 1066. June 2 Field meeting:Some Limestone Quarries Bridge - Dr Angus Miller. www.wega.org.uk at Lamplugh - Mervyn Dodd and David Powell. June 19 Field meeting: Cove and Pease Bay - West Sussex Geological Society June 12 Field meeting: Borrowdale Volcanic Mike Browne. June 3 A local church walk - David Bone. Group rocks on High Rigg and St John's in the June 23 Field meeting: Carlton Hill and Stones June 18 Island Britain; Formation of the Vale - Sue Loghlin. of Scotland - Cliff Porteous. English Channell - Dr Sanjeev Gupta. June 27 Field meeting: The Armboth Dyke and July 3-4 Weekend Excursion Ayrshire. June 27 Annual Downland walk - Tony Brook. nearby Borrowdale group rocks - Michael July 7 Field meeting Building Stones of South July 18 Geoff Mead's Car Ramble. Coates. Edinburgh - Andrew McMillan. September 17 Latest discoveries regarding Contact Susan Beale 016974 78353 July 21 Field meeting: Princes Street Gardens life around Black Smokers - Dr Richard July 10 Field meeting: Rocks, Structure and and the Grassmarket - Colin MacFadyen. Herrington. land forms around the northern end of August 21 Bridge of Allan, Dumyat and Ochil September 19 Field trip: Duncton Church and Ullswater - John Rodgers. Hills - Dr Con Gillen. the Downs - David Bone. [email protected]. www.edinburghgeolsoc.org. October 15 Scientists through Coelacanth www.cumberland-geol-soc-org.uk. Essex Rock and Mineral Society eyes - Dr Peter Forey. The Devonshire Association (Geology Section) June 8 Neptunea - Bob Markham. Contact Betty Steel 01903 209140 June 4-6 Association Annual Meeting at July 4 Field visit: Althorne, Essex - Rick Email: [email protected] Holsworthy. Johnson and Jeff Saward. June 26 Field meeting: Bridport area, Dorset - July 13 Jade - Ian Mercer. AFFILIATED SOCIETIES Dr Bob Symes and Dr Richard Edmonds. June 19 Field trip: Kensworth, Bedfordshlre - September 5-12 Field meeting: Czech Republic: David Turner. Amateur Geological Society The Geology and Mineralisation of Western July 25 Field trip: Crag Sites of Suffolk - Bob June 8 Extension tectonics in the afar Triangle Bohemia - Dr Richard Scrivener, Veronika Markham. - Dr Tony Waltham. Stredra, Jiri Konopasek. August 10 Members evening. July 13 Members' Evening - mini talks: The La October 23 Field meeting: Meldon Aplite August 21 Field visit Boreham, Essex - Dr Peter Brea Tar Pits Museum in Los Angeles - Mike Quarry - Dr Kevin Page. Allen. Cuming, Around Hitchin 100 Million years ago - Contact Jenny Bennett 01647 24033 email September 14 Titan, Saturn's Earth-like moon Mike Howgate. [email protected] - Gerry Workman. Enquiries: Julia Daniels 020 8346 1056. The Dinosaur Society Graham Ward for Lectures 01277 218473. Bath Geological Society www. Dinosaursociety.com. Contact: Prof www.erms.org March 4 The Joggins Fossil Cliffs of Nova Richard Moody [email protected] Friends of the Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge Scotia - Dr. Howard Falcon-Lang. Dorset Natural History & Archaeology Contact: Dr Peter Friend 01223-333400. May 6 Where Plates Go - Prof. Tim Elliot. Society Geological Society of Glasgow Contact Elizabeth Devon: Contact Jenny Cripps email:jenny@dor- Contact Dr Iain Allison email: Email:[email protected] mus.demon.co.uk [email protected] www.bathgeolsoc.org.uk Edinburgh Geological Society Geological Society of Norfolk Belfast Geologists' Society June 5 Field meeting: Berwick upon Tweed - Contact Email: [email protected]. June 12-13 Presidential Excursion: Delving the Stuart Monro Hastings and District Geological Society Depths of Donegal. June 9 Field meeting: Stockbridge to Dean Contact Diana Williams email: [email protected] July 1 Field meeting Belshaw's Quarry - a Bridge -Angus Miller www.hastingsgeolsoc.org.uk Gateway to the Geology of Co Antrim. - June 19 Field meeting: Cove-Pease Bay, Mike Hertfordshire Geological Society Bernard Adnerwon. Browne June 3 The Lost Chalks of Scotland - Prof Rory July 24 Field meeting Breaking the Ice - June 23 Field meeting: Calton Hill, Cliff Mortimore. Michael Dempster. Porteous June 13 Field meeting: to Hampstead Heath - August 21 Field meeting Some Mining July 3-4 Weekend Excursion: Ayrshire Diana Clements. Landscapes in Co Antrim - Geoff Warke. July 7 Building Stones of South Edinburgh, July 8 The Anthropocene - Dr Jan Zalaseiwicz, Contact Peter Millar 9064 2886, email: Andrew McMillan July 10 Field meeting:to Froghall and [email protected]. July 21 Princes Street Gardens & the Northmoor Hill Buckinghamshire - Dr Jill GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 13 Eyers. dates of our Field Meetings does not tie in very Community Centre, High St., Lyndhurst, Hants. August 7 Annual Soiree at Verulamium Museum. well with the copy dates for the GA Magazine. Admission: Adults £1, accompanied children September 10-12 Field meeting:to Charnwood Consequently the absolute earliest we could get under 14 and Rockwatch members free Forest - Dr Ian Sutton. any individual Field Meeting entries published Contact: Gary Morse, 01489 787300 Email: www.hertsgeolsoc.ology.org.uk would be for next season in the December 2010 [email protected] Contact Linda Hamling 01279 423815. Magazine issue. Therefore I feel sure you will Web site: http://members.lycos.co.uk/SMFS/ Horsham Geological Field Club understand why a standard entry, worded as smfsshow.htm June 9 Zeolites and other Minerals of above, in the Affiliated Societies listings per Contact Gary Morse 01489 787300. Northern Ireland - Dr Norman Moles. each Magazine would suit us best. Stamford and District Geological Society July 14 Wealden Fishes - Dr Peter Forey. Normally meets on the third Sunday of the June 12 "Lake Harrison Does it Hold Water?" September 8 The Lost World of the Arctic - month. A look at the post glacial effects on the Dr Bob Spicer. Details: www.ngsg.org.uk or Mike & Helen Midlands' landscape - Dr. Martyn Bradley. Contact Mrs Gill Woodhatch 01403 250371 01635 42190 July 17 Bradley Fen. Perhaps a last chance to Hull Geological Society Norfolk Mineral & Lapidary Society look for Jurassic fossils in this pit which usual- July 4 Field meeting: Hellwath Beck in the Meetings at St Georges Church Hall ly produces some interesting finds. North York Moors - Paul Hildreth. Churchfield Green, Norwich. 19.30hrs every August 6 Field meeting: Kirkby on Bain sand and August 28 Roadshow at Hornsea Museum - first Tuesday of the Month except August. Gravel pit - John Aram. Stuart Jones. [email protected] Contact: Bill Learoyd on 01780 752915 email: September 11 Field meeting:Whitby and North Eastern Geological Society [email protected], [email protected]; Whitby Museum with a fish and chips lunch - June 19 Field meeting: The Durham Permian in Ussher Society Paul Hildreth. Sunderalnd and South Shields - Maurice Contact Clive Nicholas 01392 271761. October 2 Field meeting: Hildenley Quarries Tucker. Warwickshire Geological Conservation Group and Brows Hill Quarry - Ricahrd Myerscough. July 10 or 11 Field meeting: Ingleton Glens March 24 Speaker to be confirmed Contact Mike Horne 01482 346784 Walk and Craven Fault - Gordon Little. Contact: Chris Hodgeson 01926 511097. Email:[email protected] www.northeast-geolsoc.50megs.com Email: Contact Martyn Bradley 01926 428835. Email: website http://go.to/hullgeolsoc [email protected] or 01207 545907 [email protected]. The Jurassic Coast www.dur.ac.uk/g.r.foulger/NEGS.html www.wgcg.co.uk Details are available on the web site at www. Open University Geological Society Wessex Lapidary and Mineral Society Jurassiccoast.com. Events - listed on http://ougs.org, or contact June 8 Cementation Brass and Electroforming - Leicester Literary & Philosophical Society Christine Arkwright [email protected] 01772 Rob Dunster. (Geology) 335316 July 13 Preparation for field trip to Leadhills June 4-6 Field meetingto Isle of Wight - Dr Membership - contact Stuart Bull member- and Wanlockhead, Scotland - Bob Stewart. Dave Martill. [email protected] 01244 676865 September 14 The Canadian Rockies - Mike June 22 Evening meeting to Tilton Railway Reading Geological Society Bowler. Cutting, Tilton, Leics - Dr Roy Clements. June 7 Evening Ramble Marlow - D. Riley October 12 Club night: Members finds from July 3 Field meeting:Bardon Hill Quarry - Dr July 5 Research Topic Student from Royal Scotland field trip. Frank Ince. Holloway Contact Pat Maxwell 02380 891890 email: August 14 Field meeting: Ancaster Lincs - John August 2 Evening Ramble - Dr. B. Skillerne de [email protected] Aram. Bristowe Westmorland Geological Society September 4 Field meeting: Must Farm nr Contact Christine Hooper- for lectures 0118 June 6 Field meeting: North Pennines Geology Bradley Fen - Cliff Nicklin. 9471597 and Landscape - Dr Elizabeth Pickett. Contact Andrew Swift 0116 2833127 email: [email protected] June 20 Field meeting: Baystone Bank Quarry Email: [email protected] Contact David Ward - for field trips 01344 and Hodbarrow Mine - Mike Dewey. Leeds Geological Association 483563 July 14 Field meeting: Jacob's Join - limestone August 21 Field visit : York Moraine; ter- Royal Geological Society of Cornwall pavements. races,strandlines, and evidence of the post-gla- June 9 Members evening where specimens can July 25 Field meeting: Copper Mines Valley - cial evolution of the Vale of York. be brought for identification and swopping or Mark Simpson and Peter Fleming. October 14 Volcano 0 Ice interactions In others. August 15 Field meeting: Capernwray - Mike Iceland - Dr Dave McGarvie. July 14 The Great Flat Lode and 3 Dimensional Balderstone and Peter Thomas. Details : Judith Dawson 0113 2781060 or model of South Crofty Mine - Dr Keith Russ. September 12 Field meeting: Honister Slate leedsga.org August 25 Mineral Planning by the Cornwall Mine and Borrowdale Valley Glacial features - Liverpool Geological Society Council - Tim Warne. Dr R Smith. June 12 Field meeting: Charnwood Forest - September 8 Cornish mining landscapes world- Contact Brian Kettle email: mr.briankettle@tis- Maurice Handley. wide - Barry Gamble. cali.co.uk July 23 The Iceland Reunion trip - Chris Hunt. The Russell Society The Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club Contact: Joe Crossley: 0151 426 1324 or email Email Frank Ince [email protected] June 19 Aust Cliff and Manor Farm - Simon [email protected]. www.russellsoc.org Carpenter. Manchester Geological Association Shropshire Geological Society July 24 Field trip: Martley area - Dr Paul Olver. July 4 Field trip: Quarry Bank Mill Styal June 21 Evening Rockhop meeting at 18.30 Lee August 7 Field trip: Kington area - Moira Country Park Open Day - Fred Owen. Brockhurst/Marchamley - Chris Rayner. Jenkins. July 17 Field trip: Geology of Jumbles Country June 23 The Quatenary of Wenlock Edge - September 4/5 Weekend in Aberystwyth - Dr Park - David Craven. Andrew Jenkinson. Bill Fitches. August 14 Field trip: Goodluck Lead Mine, July 10 Brymbo Fossil Forest - Dr Jacqui Contact Sue Hay on 01432 357138 or svh.gab- Matlock - Paul Chandler. Malpas. bros@btinternet .com September 4 Fred Broadhurst Memorial Walk - July 19 Evening Rockhop meeting at 18.30 All Yorkshire Geological Society Jane Michael. Stretton Batch Volcanics - Kieth Hotchkiss. June 12 -13: Weekend field meeting in Contact email: Sue Plumb, 0161 427 5835 email www.shropshiregeology.org.uk Teesdale: new ideas on mineralization in [email protected] . Sidcup Lapidary and Mineral Society Teesdale - Brian Young. All meetings in the Williamson Building, Meets every Monday evening at Sidcup Arts July North Field meeting: North Yorkshire: University of Manchester. Centre. Ironstone Mining in North Yorkshire - Simon Mid Wales Minerals, Fossils and Geology Club Contact Audrey Tampling 020 8303 9610 Email: Price, Jon Ford, and Rebecca Levell. Contact Bill Bagley 01686 412679. [email protected]. August Field meeting: Wadsley Fossil Forest, Newbury Geological Study Group Southampton Mineral and Fossil Society Sheffield - Ken Dorning. Our Field Meetings season runs from October September 5 Hampshire Mineral & Fossil Show Contact Trevor Morse 01833 638893 to July, but providing you with the individual - time: 10:00 to 16:30 Venue: Lyndhurst www.yorksgeolsoc.org.uk

14 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 Description d'une Collection de Mineraux, formee par M. Henri Heuland, et appartenant a M. Ch. Hampden Turner, de Rooksnest, dans le Comte de Surrey The Lévy Catalogue: en Angleterre”. Three volumes and an atlas, published in London by Richter and Haas 1838.

One of the most prominent mineral dealers in London, if not in Britain, in the 19th century was John Henry Heuland (1778-1856) (1). His uncle, Adolarius Jacob Forster (1739-1806) (2) was also a prominent mineral dealer having offices in Europe and Russia. When Forster died, he left his fine personal collection to Heuland, who continued to add to it. In 1820 the collection (which was only part of the total stock of Heuland) was sold to Charles Hampden Turner. Heuland and Turner agreed that an elaborate catalogue of the (7215 specimen) col- lection should be published, classified according to the system of Haüy and illustrated by an atlas of crystal draw- ings. They chose Armand Lévy (3) to make this catalogue. Lévy was not a mineralogist but a mathematician. However he must have learnt a lot of mineralogy during the 12 years it took him to produce this catalogue. From the introduction to volume 1 of the catalogue by Heuland, translated from the French, one can see the frustration and problems that occurred during its preparation.

"The Late Mr Jacob Forster formed, over the course of forty years, a very beautiful collection of minerals, in gen- eral of the two to three-inch format, which was continued from 1806 until 1820 by Mr Henry Heuland, and enriched by him with the most invaluable pieces. This collection was sold, in 1820, to Mr Charles Hampden Turner, and it was decided that a “Catalogue raisonne” would be pub- lished. Preparation of the catalogue was entrusted to Mr Armand Lévy who, at that time, was residing in London. In giving this task to Mr Lévy, Mr Heuland did not believe it necessary to have a formal contract with him: he sim- ply accounted to him a sum of so much per month but soon regretted this lack of foresight and precaution. After seven years, Mr Lévy, providing assurances that the Brooke, who, with his son, Doctor Charles Brooke, found drawings were finished, as well as the tables containing a young man in London Mr E. Brookes, whom they measurements of the angles of the crystals, proposed to charged with completing this work. This young man, with have the work printed in Brussels, where he was to form the help of their instructions, managed to carry out the a partnership with one of his friends, and where the print- drawings of the thirty-four plates which remained to be ing would be less expensive than in England. Mr Heuland made, and as well as Mr Lévy could have done himself. If accepted the proposal, and agreed to pay more than 100 this work, which contains descriptions and figures of the pounds sterling (note that £1 in 1827 was worth at least crystals of a great number of very rare substances and £800 in present day money based on average earnings!) many new varieties of form, is finally finished, it is not so that Mr Lévy could relocate himself to Belgium. This without grief as you have just seen" was in June 1827. Immediately upon arriving in Brussels, he went to work (printing the catalogue in French), and The compilation stands as one of the most elaborate Mr Wahlen, the printer. and Mr Pletinckx, the lithograph- and technically detailed catalogues of any mineral collec- er, each began to work on the project; meanwhile. Mr tion. During its preparation Lévy described a number of Lévy drew 15 pounds sterling per month from Mr Heuland new species based on specimens in the collection, includ- to supervise the printing of the text and the plates. This ing forsterite, babingtonite, brochantite, roselite brookite, operation began in August 1827, but in November 1828 herschelite, phillipsite and beudantite. Mr Lévy, after having received more than two thousand pounds sterling in emoluments, without regard for his I came upon this catalogue whilst, with a colleague, as commitment and despite the proper representations of Mr a volunteer at the Natural History Museum, we were try- Heuland, abandoned his work and the enterprise to take ing to assign descriptions and location of unknown miner- a professorship in Liege, a professorship which would not als from the Ludlam collection. These minerals had little have prevented him from continuing to supervise the white labels with numbers on them which we eventually printing of the work in his spare time. But it was not to found were associated with the Lévy catalogue. happen, and nothing was done from this time until 1832, when political events and changes caused the return of Mr All three volumes of the catalogue are separated into Lévy to France. This professor then promised sincerely to sections, so that volume 1 contains information on calcite, finish the plates, but it was always only promises, and he aragonite, dolomite,...,flourite...,baryte etc, and each sec- did not complete anything. However, so that the great tion starts at number 1 so that one has to find the correct sum of money already devoted to the execution of this section in the catalogue before it is possible to try to iden- work would not be lost, Mr Heuland availed himself of the tify the mineral. friendship and the extreme kindness of Mr Henry James

GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 15 Fgure 3. Just three of the drawings for the crystal shapes of pyrites in the Lévy plates. The indexes of the crystal faces can be related to the more modern Miller Indices Figure 1.French text for Pyrites and the English translation showing the detail given for each specimen years old but fortunately the catalogues have been scanned so that it is possible to view them via the web Iron Sulphide (4). This makes searching the volumes faster and less 21. Yellow of shiny brass, crystals engaged with each other, the invasive. most part flattened parallel to the opposite faces of the cube, with amorphous quartz, copper pyrites and lamellar zinc sul- The Lévy catalogue is an enormous tour-de-force phide. Freysburg, Saxony which cost an incredibly large sum and was only made 5th Variety, representative sign p(½b2) possible by the wealth of Heuland. I recommend mem- The cube,of which the edges are designated (Cubo-dodocahe- bers, if they have the chance, to look at it. dral,Haüy) 22. Brass yellow, isolated crystals, engaged with each other, John Crocker with little crystal cubes of the same substance on a group of hyalin quartz prisms and cubic flourite, Cornwall

The description of each mineral in the three volumes References: of the catalogue is given in great detail so that it is pos- sible to recognise what the mineral is and where it was 1. Biography of Henry Heuland can be found on found (see figure 1). www.minrec.org/labels.asp?colid=932

Each section of the catalogue has a chemical analysis 2. Biography of Jacob Forster can be found on of the mineral and it is surprising how comprehensive http://www.minrec.org/labels.asp?colid=726 the analysis is (see figure 2). Crystallographical infor- mation on each of the minerals is comprehensive and 3. Biography of Armand Lévy can be found on crystal forms are described, albeit idealised (see figure www.annales.org/archives/x/armandlevy.html 3 for an example). A book of 83 plates each contain- ing 16 drawings of mineral forms accompanies the three 4.Volume 1: volumes, unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be available http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=VGgEAAAAQAAJ&p on the web. g=PP14&dq=heuland+turner+collection+levy+vol- ume#v=onepage&q&f=false

Volume 2 : http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=dGgEAAAAQAAJ&p g=PP9&lpg=PP9&dq=heuland+turner+collection+levy& source=bl&ots=60cx1eps0p&sig=9evFlXffB4iKggpfDiJ_ 8tVhKGY&hl=en&ei=VTOmSquFI9yfjAfD07yzDg&sa=X& oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10#v=onepage&q& f=false

Volume 3 : http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=dWgEAAAAQAAJ& pg=PR8&dq=heuland+turner+collection+levy+tome+tr oisieme#v=onepage&q&f=false

Note: If you try to find the Lévy catalogue on a search engine such as Google you will often only get one of the three volumes. The long web address shows why this is.

Figure 2. An example of the analytical data available for each mineral

We were afraid that constant handling of these cata- logues would damage them since they are nearly 170 16 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 CD Review covers its history from Roman times to the present. The 6 quarries each have their own section with location maps, The Purbeck Limestone Group. lithological logs, simple geological Virtual geology field trips to maps, some definitions of terms used Purbeck limestone quarries in and excellent photographs throughout South Dorset. of the quarries and relevant fossils. CD available from: Alan Holiday, 7, Good use is also made of photographs Whitecross Drive, Weymouth, Dorset of present day environments that are DT4 9PA. Price £5 inc. p&p. thought to be similar to the palaeo- environments existing when these sed- A CD illustrating a number of virtual iments were laid down. The concluding geology field trips to the Purbeck lime- section shows how palaeo-environ- stone quarries in south Dorset is a "not ments during the late Jurassic and to be missed" bargain. The CD was early Cretaceous on the Isle of Purbeck part of a 3 year project funded by the can be determined from information Heritage Lottery Fund to support farm- gathered from the virtual field geology ing, stone working and outdoor educa- of the quarries. tion on the Isle of Purbeck. The project was undertaken in partnership with This CD will be of benefit to teachers of Dorset's Important Geological Sites "A" level geology and geography, stu- Group (DIGS), whose aim in producing dents and any groups or individuals the CD was to provide safe physical who wish to know about the geology of tant the world beneath our feet is to and intellectual access to the geology the Isle of Purbeck. I think it will also our everyday lives. of the Isle of Purbeck through virtual be of interest to anyone who has a field trips. curiosity about the development of Perhaps my one quibble is the lack of a landscape, of people, culture and uses scale on many of the photographs. This The CD is very user friendly. It covers of local natural resources. It will help would have been very helpful to all 5 quarries on the Isle of Purbeck and 1 to raise awareness of how the links users, not only those new to the sub- to the west of Dorchester. There's a between these things reflect the geodi- ject. But, that apart, don't let this bar- good introduction with some excellent versity of the area and show just how gain slip through your fingers. Get your photographs of the landscape and so many aspects of our daily lives are copy now! many buildings of the local stone, influenced by geology. I hope that it exhibiting a definite "local distinctive- will also enable users to recognise how Susan Brown ness". Then follows a section on the geodiversity underpins biodiversity and quarrying of Purbeck limestone. This to develop a recognition of how impor-

work was undertaken, although exten- BOOK REVIEW sive use was made published laborato- ry analyses. As one studies West's book, details FROM BRANDON TO emerge of the history and evolution of the Little Ouse and Waveney valleys BUNGAY over some 230,000 years. A lake An exploration of the landscape his- formed during the Wolstonian cold tory and geology of the Little Ouse stage in the Little Ouse river valley, and Waveney Rivers by Richard blocked by ice in the Fenland Basin; this lake overflowed east into the West, published by Suffolk Waveney river valley, and ceased to Naturalists' Society. flow when the Fenland ice melted. Numerous maps and aerial photo- In central East Anglia, a flat stretch graphs enable the walker to find, see of terrace at Lopham Ford crosses a and appreciate the distribution and major east-west valley and forms the significance of the geomorphology, watershed between the Waveney River heath-land and fenland, river terrace (which flows east into the North sea) sediments, areas of peat and alluvium, and the Little Ouse River (which flows and periglacial soil patterns. A sur- west to the Wash). How did it form? prising number (for a low-amplitude Extensive palaeolithic sites in the This intrigued Richard West as a stu- agricultural and heath-land topogra- area (Grimes Graves springs to mind) dent in the 1950's, and he returned phy) of quarry outcrops provide details seem to pre-date the formation of the again in 2002 to try and solve the of fluvial and lacustrine deposits, ter- Little Ouse lake and suggest a lengthy problem. race gravels, and glacial deposits such and important period of occupation. It Inevitably, the solution to this prob- as solifluction gravels and outwash is clear that subsequent to the, lem required investigation of a much deposits (with imbricated flints) from Wolstonian cold stage, transformation wider region, encompassing a survey the Anglian outwash train; there are of the landscape led to widespread area of some 80 x 20km from Brandon clear examples of cryoturbation. redistribution of many palaeolithic in the west to Bungay in the east. These features provide a rare insight artefacts. West's survey, both on the ground and into the evolution of the area and the I congratulate Richard West on pro- in the literature, involved a cdetailed dramatic effects that climatic changes ducing a book suitable for specialists in study of geology, stratigraphy, sedi- have wrought, both the active effects geology, geomorphology or archaeolo- ments, periglacial features, peat-land of cold climate, and the results of a gy, and also for the naturalist with a origins, landscape features and palae- temperate climate recorded by the general interest in the landscape and olithic archaeology, and included much lake and peat deposits of the meres the natural environment. energetic auguring!! No laboratory and wetlands. Dr Graham M Williams GA magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 17 ROCKWATCH NEWS

Our Spring events began with Science Week, a joint event with the BGS at Keyworth. We had almost a thousand local school children visiting during the week, enjoying a variety of geological activities. The Family Day at the end of that week, was, once again, a highly successful day. I'm delight- ed to report that we had Rockwatch families helping us and many members visited us during the day. It's always nice to catch up with members at public events such as this. Our most recent public event was a Family Day at Haslemere Museun during the Easter holidays. We had a steady stream of families, some even having travelled down from London, to enjoy the day. Our activities included Jurassic "dinora- We made this at Haslemere mas" and fossil plaster casting - easily the most popular of Pleuromya, Ctenostreon; brachiopods Microthyridina and our activities at public days. Obovothyris; echinoids like Nucleolites and Acrosalenia; a number of gastropod internal molds; ammonites such as We had a brilliant field trip to Shorncote Quarry in the Clydoniceras and Kepplerites, a beautiful section of juvenile Cotswold Water Park led by Neville Hollingworth. Lots of fos- mammoth tusk and a tooth of a Red Deer - not a bad haul! sils were found, including bivalves such as Pholadomya, The youngsters were thrilled with their finds and Neville was so enthusiastic that he gave some wonderful fossils to the youngsters with the three best finds of the day.

Family Day at BGS

Rockwatch briefing at Shorncote Quarry

BGS colleague helping Rockwatch

Shorncote - more prize winners for the great fossil find...

Roger Dixon and colleagues for GeoSuffolk led a splendid trip to St Andrew's Church in Alderton. This was as an excel- lent example of building materials used in Suffolk churches and demonstrated to the group aspects of local distinctive- ness. We then moved on for a picnic lunch at Buckanay Pit near Bawdsey and had a wonderful afternoon collecting fos- sils from the Red Crag including Glycimeris glycimeris, Turritella, shark teeth, Neptunea contraria, and a range of Fossil plaster casting at Haslemere gastropods. A "field trip with a difference" was led by Martyn Bradley, who took us on a train journey from London to 18 GA magazine of the Geologists’ Association Issue 9, No.2 , 2010 Geology on the train Sam’s juvenile mammoth tusk Shorncote

Geology on the High St. Leamington Sam’s prize for the day’s best find

Tasting the waters at Leamington We have lots of exciting trips organised for the summer Sam’s fossil fish prize months, but if any of our local groups would like to be more involved with Rockwatch and want to run field trips in their Leamington Spa, a journey covering some 200 million years areas, do get in touch with me and we'll put it in our pro- of geological history in 2 hours! The group followed the jour- gramme. ney on geological maps and identified relevant fossils from Martyn's collection as we travelled through geological time. As ever, we are indebted to all those who already help and After our picnic lunch at Leamington, we sampled the support Rockwatch. You are a splendid group of people and waters, unanimously declared to be awful, too salty, then we could not offer such an amazingly interesting and diverse set off on a geological walk around the town, guided by range of excursions without your generous help and sup- Martyn and a new Geology and Building Stones Guide (part- port. Thank you all. ly funded by the GA Curry Fund). Excursions like this encourage our members to think of geology in its widest Susan Brown sense and it helps them to realise that, however fascinating, geology isn't only about fossil collecting! Chairman

GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 19 Obituary - WILLY WRIGHT

C. W. Wright (Claud to his contem- Beds. poraries, Willy to everyone else), who The Wrights had encountered died on February 15, 2010 at the age Arkell, international authority on the of 93, was one of our 'amateur' Jurassic Period, at Oxford in 1937. He Presidents, serving between 1956 had been preparing the manuscript of and 1958, yet his reputation as a the Geological Survey memoir on the palaeontologist was an international Geology of the Country around one. He was that most English of Weymouth, Swanage, Corfe, and things: an amateur naturalist who Lulworth, and, recognising their was a world authority in more than expert knowledge of the Cretaceous one field while at the same time pur- of the area, invited them to write the suing a demanding professional appropriate chapters- an extraordi- career, in his case in the Civil Service. nary undertaking for two undergrad- Wright's interests in natural history uates with no formal training in geol- began in childhood as a schoolboy, ogy. exploring with his younger brother E. By 1939 Willy Wright had already collections, and for tea; we first met V. Wright (Ted) the country around published 20 articles. He entered the on one such occasion in the early their home in North Ferriby, on the Civil Service, and joined the War 60's. north bank of the Humber. The fami- Office as Assistant Principal Secretary Retirement to Seaborough in Dorset ly were great collectors, and an early a fortnight after war broke out. A iin 1977 gave time for further interest in butterflies soon gave way busy career followed: 1940, Private, research, in Oxford as a Research to fossils, at first from the local Essex Regiment; 1942, Second Fellow of Wolfson College, and in Boulder clay, but later from the Lieutenant, King's Royal Rifles; 1942- London as a Research Associate of Yorkshire coast and then Dorset. The 1945, War Office, rising to GSO2 the Natural History Museum. The earliest entry in the Wright's fossil (Major); 1944, Principal, War Office; Oxford link gave me the opportunity catalogue dated from 1931, and 1951, Principal, Ministry of Defence; to work with Willy on ammonites from records fossils collected in 1929 from 1961-1968, Assistant Secretary; across the world, and produce mono- the Coral Rag of North Brimston, 1968-1971,Assistant Under- graphs on the ammonites of the Yorkshire, Lower Greensand fossils Secretary of State. In 1971 he trans- English Chalk. Collaboration with from Bargate, Surrey, and the Upper ferred to the Department of Andrew Smith at the Natural History Chalk of Danes Dyke, Yorkshire (the Education as Deputy Secretary. In Museum resulted in the ongoing collection, in all some 25,537 speci- this position his career and his hob- monograph on British Cretaceous sea mens now resides in the Natural bies converged. Between 1971 and urchins. Willy Wright's last publication History Museum in London). 1973 he chaired the Committee on appeared in 2003. In all he was the Willy's first contact with a serious Provincial Museums and Art Galleries. author of over 150 papers, mono- scientist came, at the age of five, The Wright Report, as the subsequent graphs, and treatises. when the celebrated zoologist Sir publication became known, led to the His contributions were recognised Arthur D'Arcy Thomson stayed at the establishment of the Museums and by numerous awards, including the Wright's family home during the 1922 Galleries Commission, and the ren- Lyell Fund of the Geological Society of meeting of the British Association for aissance of provincial museums London in 1947, the Foulerton Award the Advancement of Science. Both nationwide. of our Association in 1955, the R. H. parties were deeply impressed. Throughout his career, Wright con- Worth Prize of the Geological Society The Headmaster of Bramcote tinued to publish and research in his of London in 1958, and the Stamford Preparatory School in Scarborough spare time. Collaborating with Arkell, Raffles Prize of the Zoological Society allowed the young Wright to collect he contributed to the section on of London in 1961. He received beetles outside the boundary of the Cretaceous ammonites to the Honorary Doctorates from the cricket pitch, rather than play, which Ammonoidea volume of the Treatise Universities of Uppsala (1977) and he loathed. The move to on Invertebrate Palaeontology in Hull (1987), the Prestwich Medal of Charterhouse School in Surrey in the 1957, and, with W. K. Spencer, to the the Geological Society of London in early 1930's corresponded to the con- Asterozoans for the Echinodermata 3 1987, and the Strimple Award of the struction of the nearby Guildford volume of the same work in 1966. Paleontological Society (USA) in Bypass through the Chalk ridge of the Throughout this period, he authored 1989. Hog's Back. The Wright brothers were (both with and without brother Ted) Fifteen genera or species of fossil allowed out from school to collect fos- numerous contributions to our bear his name: ammonites, starfish, sils, this time on condition that crick- Proceedings, including accounts of a brachiopod, snail, and crab. et was played on one day each week. the Lower Greensand of the Farnham His wife Alison (née Readman), a The first publication on fossils by District, the Chalk of the Yorkshire noted psephologist, predeceased him the teenage schoolboy brothers dates Wolds, (echinoids, starfish, crabs,) on 4 December 2003. He is survived from 1932. Wright went up to Christ and field excursion reports, the first by four daughters and a son. Church, Oxford in 1936, where he of these, to the Guildford and read Greats (Classics), graduating in Godalming Bypass, in 1944. There (for a fuller account of the career of 1939. This year saw the brothers first were also contributions to our Willy Wright, see: Kennedy, W. J. publication in our Proceedings, on the Associations Guides, to the Isle of 2006. C. W. Wright: a most profes- geology of the Guildford-Godalming Wight, and to the Yorkshire coast, sional amateur. Proceedings of the bypass road, with appendices by the The Wrights’ home in Phillimore Geologists' Association 117, 9-40). authorities of the day: L. R. Cox on Gardens in London became a mecca bivalves, and W. J. Arkell on the for palaeontologists from across the derived Oxford Clay ammonites the world. It was also the scene of Jim Kennedy Wrights had found in the Bargate Association visits to view the fossil 20 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 from the south end of Loch Lomond REVIEW: along the A82 to Crianlarich, thence to The Dalradian of Scotland Ballachulish and along the west coast to Kerrera. Geologically it cuts across Jack Treagus 2009 the Dalradian from its southern edge, the Highland Boundary Fault, to its GA Guide No. 67 northern boundary, the Great Glen Having this guide is probably the next Fault, passing from the inverted limb of best option to having Jack Treagus the SE-verging Tay nappe to the NW- himself leading the field party. It con- verging folds of the Loch Leven area. tains a wealth of information gained by Much of it is depicted on the cross-sec- its author over many years of detailed tion of figure 10, which is itself com- field study in Scotland, either alone or plementary to the extremely useful fig- in collaboration with colleagues such as ure 4, where most of the excursions in the late John Roberts. As a result, it the guide are positioned on a gener- instills confidence and the reader alised cross-section of the Dalradian. quickly appreciates that the features Traverse I is sub-divided into 10 excur- have been described from first-hand sions, dealing with, for example, both experience. shores of Loch Lomond, Tyndrum, Glen The guide is divided into four sec- Orchy, Glen Coe, Cuil Bay, Onich, Loch tions: an introduction and three long Leven, Benderloch and Kerrera. traverses, which cover respectively the Traverse II: The Central Highlands Southwest Highlands, the Central starts on the A9 from Perth, diverts to Highlands and the Banff Coast. Little Glen Shee, Dunkeld and Rotmell, exposures in the bushes at the SW end Starting with a brief statement on the then runs west past Loch Tay to Ben of the cutting') followed by a detailed Dalradian Supergoup in the context of Lawers and Glen Lyon. These excur- description of the rock types and struc- Scottish geology, the introduction sum- sions begin at the downward-facing tures and their relevance, with the marises the lithostratigraphy of the nose of the Tay Nappe at the Highland addition in some cases of a photo- Grampian, Appin, Argyll and Southern Border and cross the inverted limb graph. Emphasis is placed on the Highland Groups, which in broad terms ('Flat Belt'). The remaining three structures, noting the attitudes of bed- record the progression from shallow- excursions deal with the Loch Tay Fault, ding and cleavage and the style, ver- water shelf deposition to fault-bounded the 'steep belt' in the Schiehallion area gence and ages of folds in order to basins and then to deep oceanic condi- and a complex section of the A9 road position them within the overall pic- tions with turbidites and basic volcanic- along Glen Garry. Traverse III: The ture. Generally there is sufficient infor- ity. The next part deals with structure Banff Coast is a 20km section from mation for the reader to construct a and metamorphism and begins with a Cullen to east of Macduff which crosses progressive cross-section. sentence which will gladden the hearts the major D1 Boyndie Syncline. Some Sedimentology is also described with of structural geologists: "This guide tentative correlations are made with care, not only because of the impor- concentrates unashamedly on the formations and structures in Traverses tance of way-up criteria such as graded observation of small-scale structures - I and II. The section displays excep- and cross-bedding for structural inter- mostly folds and their associated cleav- tionally good exposures of a wide pretation, but because bed thickness, ages". For those less familiar with this range of Dalradian lithologies, including mineralogy and sedimentary structures branch of the subject, the principles of the Macduff Boulder Bed of glacial ori- indicate conditions of deposition. using small-scale features to deduce gin, and is particularly interesting for Similar detailed attention is devoted to larger structure and the terminology the variety of porphyroblastic minerals the growth of metamorphic minerals employed are explained using text and belonging to both the regional meta- and the nature of veins. diagrams (figures 6 and 7), whilst morphic Barrovian zones and silliman- The 202-page guide is A5 in size, words with precise meaning, such as ite, cordierite and andalusite of the printed on sturdy paper and ring- vergence and antiform, are printed in Buchan zones. bound, enabling it to be folded with bold type and defined in a glossary. Each excursion begins with a helpful covers back-to-back leaving any page Unfortunately, figure 7c has been introductory statement, summarising in view. The text is clearly written, drawn inaccurately with respect to the the main features of that outing, plac- concise and very readable, with just a first cleavage. A section on metamor- ing it in the broader context of few terminological lapses such as phism refers to the classical Barrovian Dalradian structure with cross-refer- plunging 'shallowly' instead of ‘gently’. and Buchan zones and illustrates the ences to other excursions and noting, It is supported by 26 maps, at various features of pre-, syn- and post-tecton- where relevant, the variations in struc- scales, 39 photographs, 10 cross-sec- ic mineral growth relative to deforma- tural style, attitude, sedimentology and tions and 11 line drawings, all of which tional phases, with a cautionary provi- metamorphism to be encountered. are well labelled, though with a few so on the need to use a microscope. The consecutively numbered localities errors. Consistently different line pat- The introduction closes with a section are shown on a route map, which is terns for the axial plane traces of D1, on travel, accommodation and attrac- generally a coloured geological map, D2 etc. folds would have been helpful. tions. Some of the locations in the and recorded by grid reference. It Some of the schematic drawings, e.g. guide can be reached using train or bus would be virtually impossible not to figures 45 and 56, are difficult to follow services, but the presumption is that a find them, because the travelling direc- and might have been better with vary- car will be used, the excursions being tions are excellent, giving details of ing line widths and placed in block dia- based on the road network plus acces- road numbers and distances, sign- grams to indicate viewing angle. That sible hill slopes and streams. Advice is posts, lay-bys, other parking places apart, this excellent guide is surely given on suitable bases and where to and distances along paths to the expo- destined to become a constant com- find information. sure. These are accompanied by panion for those wishing to share the The traverses are subdivided into a numerous further grid references, evident pleasure of its author in under- number of excursions, designated by mention of toilets and refreshment standing and enjoying the geology of letters, and then into a series of num- places and notes on road and stream the Dalradian. bered locations. Traverse I: The safety. Southwest Highlands takes a journey Once at the locality, the reader is Paul Garrard given precise instructions (e.g 'small GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 21 The April Lecture April the balance between "cut" and "fill" and had to resort to using borrow pits Dr Phil Wilby to construct a long embankment across the swampy ground of the Avon valley British Geological Survey, west of Swindon. At least one of these Preserving the unpreservable: a lost pits had revealed fossils in the Lower Oxford Clay (now Peterborough world rediscovered at Christian Member) in an exceptional state of Malford, Wiltshire preservation and these were soon in great demand by museums around the There has been a trend in recent world and attracted the attention of years for researchers to ignore any- leading scientists (eg Richard Owen). thing that has not been published in Unfortunately, from the point of view the present century. Fortunately, this of modern analytical research, most of fashion was ignored by Dr Wilby and these specimens had been heavily pre- his colleagues at the universities of pared and usually consisted of one Leicester and Plymouth who set about excellent fossil on a clean scraped slab frequently covered in resin. This limi- finding the lost Jurassic Lagerstätte at served. There was also an interesting teed the possibility of any research into Christian Malford. Before giving us association between individual coleids, associated fauna or the use of modern details of his find he reviewed the often of the same species, that had geochemistry and progress could only processes of fossilisation in general. been fossilised in close contact with be made if new material could be The fossil record is heavily biased each other. One explanation for this is found. However none of the early against soft-bodied creatures and the perhaps some form of mating behav- authors had recorded the exact loca- record of animal life is further compli- iour. However, the presence of other tion and the only clue was that the pits cated by the disarticulation and dam- associations between different species had been in the Oxford Clay by the rail- age of hard parts during fossilisation. and even different classes or animals way somewhere near Christian The probable soft anatomy of fossil (eg fish and coleoids) more likely indi- Malford. organisms with familiar body plans (eg cates the former presence a predator Fortunately Oxford Clay is well con- vertebrates) can usually be inferred trap. The paucity of benthic fauna sug- strained by ammonite zones and a fur- but it becomes more difficult to infer gests that there may have been some ther piece of evidence was provided by the further one goes back in geological form of stratification in the Oxford Clay the association of the zonal fossil time until we are faced with fossils with sea with an anoxic zone at the base of Kosmoceras phaenium with many of no obvious modern equivalent (eg the the water column, perhaps with occa- the 19th century specimens. As a Ediacaran biota). For example, without sional overturn resulting in the mass result, the BGS, with the support of the exceptionally wel preserved biotas, mortality of the pelagic fauna. These Curry Fund, drilled a series of ten bore- such as the Burgess Shale we would be dead and dying individuals in turn holes parallel with the line of the rail- missing significant evidence of early attracted other predators that them- way and the last of these positively life. Dr Wilby outlined the mechanisms selves became caught up in the prda- identified the right horizon. The site of soft tissue replication by early dia- tior trap. Much of this was still specu- was then investigated by means of a genetic minerals such as pyrite, quartz lation and more work is underway on large trial pit some 6 m deep covering and apatite. Pyrite is excellent in pre- the details of the material including 32 m2 that had provided around 240 t serving the gross outline, but rarely investigation of the significance of sta- of material in the form of large lumps preserving details; quartz often suffers toliths that occurred in unusually large excavated by a digger. An "archaeolog- from the disadvantage of being prone numbers. The deposit at Christian ical" style excavation proved impracti- to later overgrowth; and only phos- Malford is not quite unique; there is cable due to the presence of petroleum phatisation regularly preserves subcel- another locality nearby at Ashton gases and an inflow of water that lar details. For example the gills of Keynes at the same horizon which defeated the largest pump in the phosphatised fish from the Santana yields similar preservaton, and two southwest. Formation of Brazil provide precision others are known at different horizons The soft bodied material recovered down to one micron, which in some in the Oxford Clay, but the occurrence was phosphatised and included not cases was better than "fresh" fish from is certainly rare because the clay has only squid-like coleoids but also fish the local supermarket! been heavily worked for brick-making and crustaceans in an amazing state of The story at Christian Malford began along its entire outcrop. However, geo- preservation. Even details such as the in the 1840s when the railway engi- chemical investigation of the borehole structure of the veins on the external neers working on the main line of the cores had provided valuable informa- surface of a coleid’s ink-sac are pre- Great West Railway had a problem with tion that showed that there was a positive association between the phosphorus concentration and total organic carbon (TOC), and a negative one with silicon that suggests an organic source for the mineralisation. This in turn has led to a mechanism for locating other phosphatised biotas in the geological column.

Note the site was completely back- filled after the excavation and is on private land. David Greenwood

Phosphatised fish muscle fibres from Christian Malford, one showing transverse banding (ie striated muscle). 22 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 Book Review be used to unlock the secrets held in ancient sands and how they can be used to determine ancient depositional SAND - A Journey through environments - the history of deep Science and the Imagination time. by Michael Welland. We learn of the vicissitudes of sand, it nature, the seductive, sensual and oft- times fickle qualities it displays. Oxford University Press 2009. 320pp. Welland takes us on a journey, a Price £9.99 in paperback. voyeur following a sand grain, if you ISBN 978 0 19 956318 0. like. We follow it as it breaks off from a rock and falls into a river on its pas- This amazing book about sand truly sage down to the sea. The effects of does take the reader on a journey water, wind and ice on a sand grain, on through science and the imagination. billions of sand grains, and their impact Welland not only has a keen eye for his on the landscape as they journey ever subject, but a gift for organising his onwards, makes fascinating reading. material. Not only is he a geologist with And all the while, Welland seamlessly a passion for his subject, but he's weaves art, history, imagination and clearly a highly competent author, mythology, as well as scientific infor- undaunted by writing such a wide- mation, into the narrative. We see how ranging book. The reader's interest is crucial the journeys of sand grains are claimed on the first page and held until to our understanding of the way our solar system at the end of the book, the last. planet works and we can learn much of giving much food for thought. There is how to, and how not, to manage our a comprehensive list of sources and Welland weaves together the geology, environment from this. There's much, further reading for those wishing to physics and chemistry of sand and then too, about deserts, their roles, their explore this amazing mineral in greater draws in art, history, imagination, composition and the behaviour of their depth. myths and stories of the great desert sediments. explorers, to present one of the most I am embarrassed to admit that this engaging narratives about such a The practical uses and importance of book sat on my bookshelf for some seemingly simple subject that I have sand to modern life is not neglected, in months before my curiosity got the read in a long time. manufacturing from concrete to glass better of me and I started to read it! to silicon chips and even to toothpaste, But once begun, I found it hard to put The story is essentially one of scale, is explained. And he doesn't forget down. It was a sheer joy to read, inter- beginning with individual sand grains, jewellery. Many semi-precious jewels esting, amazing and full of fascinating looking at their behaviour in the natu- are silicon dioxide. In fact, the reader information. I urge you to go out and ral world and their tribal affinity. He is taken on an amazing encyclopaedic buy it, you won't be disappointed. And compares their behaviour with that of journey from A to Z, illustrating the now I'm off to the beach to share some other granular materials. He looks at ubiquity of "Sand in Our Lives". of the secrets and magic of sand with local distinctiveness and properties of my grandchildren, who, I suspect, sand grains. The chemical composition Not just content with considering sand already know much about its magic! of sand gives clues as to its prove- on Planet Earth, Welland ventures to nance. We see how modern sands can consider sand on other planets in our Susan Brown

Library Notes holes) is given for lower formations and shown in expanded So far this year requests from you for information on your cross- sections. However you might want the earlier edition for various destinations has not been too problematical although figure 1:'Chalk Surface Contours'. The later version includes a a request for central China revealed something of a 'black hole' simplified bedrock map at 1:200,000. in our holdings. To fill the gap we have obtained the 'Geological Map of China' (8 sheets) at a scale of 1:2,500,000 published The listing of maps that I mentioned in the last notes has in 2004, together with a 430p. book edited by Cheng Yuqi been proceeding apace. Working alphabetically by country the (2000) entitled 'Concise Regional Geology of China'. Both were listing has got as far as Uganda. However some countries, for rather expensive at over £100,00 each and perhaps not giving which we have large holdings, have at present only a general the sort of detail that might be hoped for whilst navigating the entry which will be expanded later as will material on less Yangtse, but at least any area you may visit will have a broad accessible shelves! Of course this listing is not set in stone and geological context. It must be noted that Province map sets will be subject to constant modification as new material is are often more than 2/3 times more expensive where they are added. It is hoped to make this more generally available in the available. future.

Nearer to home we have received a copy of BGS England & Wales Sheet 207, Bedrock and Superficial Deposits for Elaine Bimpson Ipswich. The sheet is actually dated 2006 and the accompany- ing text 2007. The geological column has been expanded in Librarian detail since the 1990 edition. Fourteen Quaternary units are differentiated (7 originally); Norwich and Red Crags are sepa- rated and placed in the Pliocene; while more detail (from bore- GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 9, No. 2, 2010 23 THE GEOLOGISTS' ASSOCIATION ONE-DAY MEETING 2010

WARM CLIMATES: LINKING THE PAST AND PRESENT

Organisers: Dr Danielle Schreve and Dr Ian Candy Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London.

In the face of current concerns over climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, our geological record can offer important lessons concerning the impacts of past global warming on the environment and their relevance to today's trends.

This one-day Scientific Meeting of the Geologists' Association, sponsored by Elsevier and the Department of Environment and Climate Change focuses on periods in Earth's history when the climate was warmer than today, taking in a broad chronological sweep from over 300 million years ago to the present day.

A series of invited lectures will examine how we measure and model the evidence for elevated temperatures, drawing on a range of data including flora, fauna, ice-sheet, deep ocean and sea level records, and examining how past landscapes and environ- ments responded and adapted to these periods of exceptional warmth.

Confirmed keynote speakers include: Professor Mike Benton (University of Bristol), Professor Margaret Collinson (Royal Holloway, University of London), Dr Alan Haywood (University of Leeds), Dr Greg Price (University of Plymouth), Dr Ian Candy (Royal Holloway, University of London) and Professor Paul Valdes (University of Bristol).

Date: Thursday 9th September 2010

Venue: Lecture theatre of the Geological Society of London, Burlington House Time: 9.30am registration for 10.00am start

Price: £17 per person for GA members, £20 for non-members, to include abstract book, lunch and all refreshments. Please make cheques payable to ‘Geologists’ Association’ and mark them on the reverse 'GA Warm Climates'

Booking is essential so please register your interest with Sarah Stafford in the GA office as soon as possible (020 7434 9298, [email protected]). We look forward to seeing you at what promises to be an excellent meeting!