Vol 10, Issue 1, March 2011
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MMAAGGAAZZIINNEE OOFF TTHHEE GGEEOOLLOOGGIISSTTSS’’ AASSSSOOCCIIAATTIIOONN Volume 10 No.1 March 2011 The Association Mole Valley goes to church Future Lectures Rockwatch News December Lecture Newhaven Field Trip Copenhagen Field Trip Meldon Field Trip January Lecture Letters, Geology Terrace at Riddlesdown Quarry Field Trip Bournemouth University Review of London Guide Field Meeting Sale ANNUAL DINNER NOTICE Quick Lime Slow Burn CIRCULAR GEOCONSERVATION MEETING Economic Aspects of German Field Trip Magazine of the Geologists’ Association From the President Volume 10 No. 1, 2011 Winter is nearly over and, after a difficult spell of pre-Christmas snow, Published by the has proved to be fairly benign. In the thick of the November-December white - Geologists’ Association. CONTENTS out I made the trip to the Scottish Four issues per year. National Heritage meeting on 3. The Association Geodiversity (December 1st) at Edinburgh's splendid geological venue ISSN 1476-7600 4. Future Lectures Production team: JOHN CROCKER, 'Our Dynamic Earth' (anyone visiting 5. December Lecture that fair city should have it on their itin - Paula Carey, John Cosgrove, 6. Copenhagen Field Trip erary). Amazingly all the speakers Vanessa Harley, Jon Trevelyan, 8. January Lecture managed to be present, despite the Chris Woolston 9. Riddlesdown Quarry Field Trip transport chaos. In January I attended 10. Review of London Guide Natural England's celebration of the Printed by City Print, Milton Keynes their successful programme (7 years ANNUAL DINNER NOTICE from 2003 to 2010) of SSSI improve - 11. CIRCULAR ment, at the culmination of which, on The GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIATION 15. Economic Aspects of German the last day of 2010, they could report does not accept any responsibility for Field Trip that 96.5% of the 4119 SSSIs (covering views and opinions expressed by indi - 18. Mole Valley goes to church 8.1% of the land surface of England) vidual authors in this magazine. are in 'favourable or recovering condi - 19. Rockwatch News tion'. This meeting, at the London 20. Newhaven Field Trip Wetland Centre in Barnes, saw the The Geologists’ 21. Meldon Field Trip launch of the report on this project, Association 22. Letters, Geology Terrace at attended by Richard Benyon, the Bournemouth University Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State The Association, founded in 1858, exists to 23. Field Meeting Sale at the Department for the Environment, foster the progress and diffusion of the sci - Food and Rural Affairs (Substituting for ence of geology, and to encourage Quick Lime Slow Burn Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State research and the development of new 24 Geoconservation Meeting for Environment, Food and Rural methods. It holds meetings for the reading Affairs). of papers and the delivery of lectures, Naturally I was interested to see how organises museum demonstrations, pub - Members of Council for 2011 geology faired in all this. It certainly lishes Proceedings and Guides, and con - didn't get mentioned by Mr Benyon; ducts field meetings. Officers nor, indeed, did it feature in either of Annual Subscriptions for 2011 are £40.00, David Bridgland, Mick Oates, the example presentations or in the Associates £30.00, Joint Members £58.00, Graham Williams, Diana Clements summary by Poul Christensen, the Chair Students £18.00. of Natural England. In the accompany - ing brochure however, amongst a set of For forms of Proposal for Membership and Post Holders 15 case studies, were three in which further information, apply to the Executive Elaine Bimpson, Susan Brown geology has a highly significant or even Secretary, The Geologists’ Association, John Cosgrove, Roger le Voir leading role. First was the Wren's Nest, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J Susan Marriott, Colin Prosser which will feature in the GA Elsevier 0DU. Michael Ridd, Geoff Swan meeting this coming September. Nearly E-mail [email protected] £800,000 from the Heritage Lottery Telephone 020 7434 9298 Members Fund is being put to good use here. Fax 020 7287 0280 Andrew Ashley, Diana Clements Second, the West Dorset Coast SSSI, Website: http://www.geologistsassocia - part of the Jurassic Coast World Barbara Cumbers, Keith Duff tion.org.uk Heritage Site, saw Britain's most com - Paul Olver, Charlie Underwood plete dinosaur (a Scelidosaurus) uncov - Chris Woolston President: David Bridgland ered between 2002 and 2005 and is benefitting from the development of the Executive Secretary: Sarah Members Retiring 'West Dorset Fossil Collecting Code'. Stafford Richard Bateman, John Crocker Third, Leck Beck Head, a limestone site Richard Howarth, Wendy Kirk that includes the longest cave system in © The Geologists’ Association. Danielle Schreve, Peter Riches the UK, beneath the Lancashire- All rights reserved. No part of this Cumbria border, provided an example of publication may be reproduced, stored in an SSSI that is one of the <5% that a retrieval system or transmitted, in any remain in a declining condition, in this form or by any means, without the prior case because the overground part of permission in writing of the author and the site suffers from overgrazing. Several of the other case studies over - the Geologists’ Association. Cover picture: lapped with Earth Science interests, notably geomorphology and landscape. LAST Copy dates for the Circular & Example of a type of bedrock bed - Also in the brochure, amongst a cluster Magazine form called an Upstream Facing Convex Surface, in marble, exposed of thumbnail images highlighting SSSIs that have received attention, was March Issue January 14 at low river levels from the Li Wu Cannoncourt Farm Pit, Maidenhead, June Issue April 22 River, Taiwan. Bedform is 2 metres which represents the Lynch Hill Terrace September Issue July 22 tall. - see June lecture. Photo Andy Wilson. of the Thames and was the location December Issue October 21 where numerous flint handaxes were discovered (including, at 32 cm long, 2 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 THE ASSOCIATION the largest known from anywhere). that the GA should organise a marquee Leitrim, Louth and Sligo). It is expect - Not only was I involved in the selection at the Three Counties Show on 17th to ed that it will also eventually be avail - of this site as a new SSSI (during my 19th June at the Malvern Showground able as a web download free of charge. work for the Geological Conservation (after costings have been approved). Although the number of new applica - Review, during the 1980s) but also I Earth Heritage already had a stand at tions for the December meeting was participated in work there last year, the Show but the marquee could hold somewhat lower than we have been conducted by Wessex Archaeology (on local groups and affiliated societies and getting over the past year or so, in gen - behalf of Natural England) in which all be done under the GA banner. eral, we seem to be getting more appli - sections were reopened to determine Fortunately there will be no shortage of cations for bigger grants than has whether mature trees were damaging bodies to help. Dr. Paul Olver would co- recently been the norm. The vagaries of the geological interest with their root ordinate it all. the current economic climate have systems. resulted in a considerable drop in the All of this is of relevance to the forth - John Crocker Fund's disposable income. This means coming GA-Elsevier Meeting, that difficult decisions will have to be September 9-10th: 'Geoconservation General Secretary made, so now might be a good time to for Science and Society: An Agenda for suggest to potential applicants that the 21st Century', the organization of Curry Fund Report they aim to keep their requests for sup - which continues to make progress. I At the December meeting of the port to the Curry Fund relatively mod - refer readers to the separate Curry Fund, we received four new appli - est, however worthy the cause. announcement in this Magazine. cations and made decisions on two from The Committee meets next in March the September meeting, which were and we look forward to receiving your David Bridgland awaiting supplementary information. applications. Guidelines and application The Scarborough Museums Trust forms can be downloaded from the GA Report from Council requested support for producing a geo - web site. logical trail around Scarborough, begin - Council doesn't meet in January so ning and ending at the Rotunda this is a report for the December and Susan Brown Museum. The Committee was minded February meetings Curry Fund Secretary to offer support, but a final decision will It was agreed that the Festival of be made at the March meeting once Geology went very well. Although it was supplementary information has been Library Notes felt that there were fewer people than received. The British Institute for Lack of space in the last issue meant last year the Discovery Room was well Geological Conservation applied for that the editor had to cut the bibliogra - attended with more children than support for geological interpretation phy that went with the German trip before. The question of holding the boards at Capel Horeg quarry. The report rather drastically so these Library Festival outside London was raised and Committee requested further informa - Notes are being used to make up for it was agreed Council was in favour of tion on a number of aspects of this this. additional Festivals outside London pro - application and will make a decision 1: Geologische Übersichskarte von vided they did not clash with the once this information has been Sachsen-Anhalt 1:400,000, 1993 London event. However, it will be up to received. Rockwatch was awarded £745 (Halle: Geologisches Landesamt members outside London to do the for printing membership application Sachsen-Anhalt. ISBN 3-929951-00-2). groundwork and organisation. The forms. The application from 2: Geologische Übersichtskart President mentioned that the 'Our Herefordshire & Worcestershire Earth 1:200,000 [sheets] CC3926 Dynamic Earth' venue in Edinburgh, Heritage Trust for £2,600 towards the Braunschweig; CC4726 Goslar; CC4734 which he has recently visited for a one- cost of publicity & facilitation of the Leipzig.