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. day meeting on Geodiversity, might be Abberley & Malvern Hills Geopark 3: Geologische Karte Harz 1:100,000, a good place for a Festival if it could be GeoFest 2011 was refused. 1998 (Halle: Landesamt für Geologie organised. About 100 copies of the new There were two applications out - und Bergwesen. ISBN 3-929951-20-7). London Guide were sold at the GA standing from previous meetings. 4: Geologische Wanderkarte 1:100,000 Festival of Geology. Dorset County Museum's request for Braunschweiger Land, 1984. There had been a struggle to set the £4,000 to support the creation of a life- 5: Geologie und Bergbau von Halle und new website up and it was agreed that sized model of the head of the recently Umgebung 1:50,000, 2006 (Halle Barbara Silva, who set up the website, discovered Weymouth Bay pliosaur was (Saale): Landesamt für Geologie und should be the new web master. Mrs agreed. This model will tour most of the Bergwesen Sachsen-Anhalt). Barbara Cumbers agreed to audit the museums along the Jurassic Coast of 6: Bachmann, G.H. et al. 2006. Halle- website and make sure there are no Dorset and East Devon over the coming Storung (Mitteilungen zu Geologie und mistakes and that items are up to date. months and will then be on permanent Bergwesen in Sachsen-Anhalt, Bd.10, All members of Council agreed that display at Dorchester Museum. Dr T 154pp. ISSN 1861-8723). Peter Doyle has worked hard to improve Gernon's request for £2,702 towards 7: Bachmann, G.H. et al. 2008. Geology Today (a joint GA and GS pub - the cost of three information boards on Geologie von Sachsen-Anhalt lication) with circulation going up from the Fife coast was agreed. These will be (Stuttgart: E.Schweizerbart'sche 12,000 to 15,000. The use of more sited along a section of the coast which Verbuchhandlung (Nagele u. colour has greatly improved the look attracts a large number of visitors and Obermiller). 689pp. ISBN 987-3-510- and appeal of the magazine. which has an interesting geological his - 5240-2). Dr. Paul Olver reported on a meeting tory. Finally, the Field Guide to Marble 8: Kruger, F.J. et al. 2006. of the GA Membership Team Meeting Arch Caves Global Geopark, for which Braunschweiger Land. Wanderungen in held at BGS on 3rd November 2010, support of £4,553.58 was agreed some die Erdgeschichte, no.19 (München: Dr. which had included several people who time ago, is about to be published. The Friedrich Pfiel. 192pp.). were not GA members so as to get an guide is to be distributed free of charge 9: Leissmann, W. & Dornbrack, L. 2003. outside view. The meeting had come up to every secondary school in Northern Kupfer-Bergbau in Ilfeld.Sudharz: with a number of suggestions for how Ireland and also to those in all of the 6 Erkunungen auf den Spuren des his - the GA might attract more members. In border counties in the Republic of torischen Bergbaus. 29pp. respect of one of these, Council agreed Ireland (Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Library notes continued on page 5... GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 3 April Meeting The fossil record of the earliest and most not random: anatomical features allow - important stages in our own evolution is ing precise placement in the Tree-of-Life Revelations from rotting fish: limited to rare specimens lacking bones rot first, leaving remains that appear to Experimental decomposition and and shells. By investigating how our be those of more primitive, or ancestral the origin of vertebrates soft-bodied ancestors rotted, we have forms. Using this data allows us to trans - Dr. Rob Sansom shed new light on how these exceptional form our understanding of the origin of Friday April 1 2011 fossils should be interpreted. Our inves - the vertebrates, and the way we interpret Geological Society, Burlington House, tigations of morphological decay of lam - the earliest fossils of important groups Piccadilly, W1V 0JU prey, hagfish, lanclets and sharks in a of animals. at 6.00 pm, tea at 5.30 pm. laboratory setting reveals that decay is May Meeting - AGM and Presidential Address 2011 Late Cenozoic Fluvial Archives: a advances. First was the realisation that aggra - potential revolution in our under - dational terrace sequences are a worldwide standing of continental geology phenomenon and that they record progressive Dr. David R. Bridgland uplift on Late Pliocene-Quaternary timescales. Durham University Furthermore, there is evidence that the uplift Friday May 6 2011 that drove the formation of river terraces (and Geological Society, the highly dissected landscapes to which they Burlington House, belong) accelerated in the Middle Pleistocene, Piccadilly, W1V 0JU in all likelihood as a response to the enhanced at 6.00 pm, tea at 5.30 pm. climatic forcing that followed the 'Mid Pleistocene Revolution', when the 100 thou - The ambitious claim in the title stems from the Further afield W. Turkey (River gediz) sand year eccentricity Milankovitch cycles opportunity afforded to the author for compar - began. This implies coupling between climate cal proximity to modern valley floors, giving ison of fluvial records from the Late Tertiary and crustal processes; it provides an explana - rise to sequences that, although they can be and Quaternary worldwide, thanks to data tion for the long-recognized contrast between described as terraces, are poorly separated ver - amassed by successive projects within the subdued landscapes of the late Tertiary and tically and do not record tens of metres of UNESCO's International Geological the Early Pleistocene and the more dynamic lowering of the valley floor during the Correlation Programme (IGCP: now landscapes, with deeply incised valleys, that Quaternary. Sequences of this type character - International Geoscience Programme) that he have characterized the later Quaternary. ize peninsular India and the cratonic interior of co-led: the first (2000-2004) was entitled Second, the global comparisons enabled by the southern Africa, as well as parts of the 'Global correlation of Late Cenozoic fluvial IGCP data collection led to the observation Ukrainian Shield. Much of the last-mentioned deposits' and the second (2005-2007) 'Fluvial that terrace sequences, although found in all is, however, representative of crustal blocks of sequences as evidence for landscape and cli - ice-free continents and in all climatic zones, intermediate type (between highly stable and matic evolution in the Late Cenozoic'. These do not occur everywhere. This is because dynamic), typically of Early-Middle were nested within the broader activities of other types of fluvial sedimentary archive Proterozoic age, and showing evidence for FLAG (the FLuvial Archives Group), co- exist. The first of these has long been recog - alternation between subsidence and uplift. founded by the author in 1996, of which he is nized: stacked sediments in subsiding basins Amongst the key conclusions that can be the current Chairman. These interests build on with modern surfaces that are flat, such as the reached following study of this data is that a general expertise in Quaternary science, with Great Hungarian Plain or the Delta and Lower much of the uplift in plate-boundary regions emphasis on fluvial sequences and especially reaches of the Rhine. Another important vari - like the Mediterranean, which has in recent that of the River Thames, which has a ation, and one that was not widely recognized years been attributed to the effects of plate tec - Quaternary sequence of international impor - prior to the IGCP projects, characterizes cra - tonic activity, is nothing of the sort; the active tance that forms an excellent point of compari - tonic areas of highly stable and ancient fault movements in such areas have merely son with sequences from elsewhere. This (Archaean) crust. In these areas the extreme been overprinted onto background regional opportunity for global comparison of fluvial stability has precluded uplift, so that ancient uplift that has been affecting post-cratonic archives has led to a number of important fluvial sediments are preserved in close verti - crust worldwide. those forms sculpted into the channel bedrock June Meeting by erosion, have been neglected in their use as Reconstructing in-channel indicators of past flow conditions. With the conditions from sedimenatry increasing interest in the links between source regions where bedrock rivers are common and and bedrock bedforms in flu - sediments are produced and basins, where sed - vial environments iments are ultimately deposited, the informa - Dr. Andy Wilson tion contained in a bedrock bedform shape is University of Liverpool possibly of great use if properly understood. In this talk we look at bedforms in rivers from Friday June 3 2011 mountainous regions followed by those down - Sedimentary Bendform Geological Society, stream in lowland rivers. We take an in-depth Burlington House, look at a type of bedrock bedform called the some sedimentary bedforms from ancient river Piccadilly, W1V 0JU "upstream facing convex surface", how it deposits from the Permian of South Africa as at 6.00 pm, tea at 5.30 pm. forms and what information can be extracted an example of how flow conditions can be from its shape. Examples of bedforms found inferred from the sedimentary record. These Sedimentary structures (bedforms), such as in the field and produced in the laboratory are two types of bedform, though formed in com - ripples and dunes, have long been used to esti - presented, followed by a short look at some pletely different ways, provide clues to past mate properties of the river that created them. other well-understood bedrock bedforms. We conditions in the rivers in which they formed. However until recently bedrock bedforms, then turn to the downstream and take a look at 4 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 The December 2010 Lecture

Snowball Earth Gabrielle Walker Gabrielle Walker has always been interested in climate change and it came as no surprise to learn that she has car - ried out research into the ideas behind the great global catas - trophe termed 'Snowball Earth' that spawned life as we know it. During the 'Snowball Earth' period, the whole or almost the whole Earth was frozen over and looked like Antarctica. It has been suggested that there were four of these events, each of about 10 million years, all at 700 - 600 million years ago and that these events may have produced a change to the stro - matolites (slime-single cells that have lasted on Earth for the last 3.6 billion years) and led to evolution of multicellular life Brian Harland researching in Spitzbergen found, between beds of carbonate rocks, a layer of conglomerate made from boulders of other rocks and these have been identified as fos - sil glacial till, diamictites. Later these unusual rocks were also found on all the continents indicating a global glaciation event. The question these observations pose is "how could the earth have become frozen all over?" The trigger that initiated the global cooling is still unclear but once it started it would the movement of the continents and it is only when there is tend to accelerate as the growing ice caps reflected more and an equatorial supercontinent that a Snowball Earth is possi - more of the Sun's energy away from the planet. It could be ble. argued that, never the less, the exposed land would still Detractors tried to explain the diamictites as continental absorb the sun's rays which would lead to a warming. slope slumping but eventually they agreed about the idea of However, this would not occur if the ice grew on water. Thus Snowball Earth, and it is now generally accepted that if there was an equatorial supercontinent the oceanic water between 700-600 Mya all the oceans froze. could all freeze over and cause a run-away global cooling. So how close is the appearance of multi-cellular life on Earth This situation requires another mechanism to end the peri - to the end of Snowball Earth? In Australia Ediacaran fossils od of intense cooling caused by Snowball Earth. How did the have been found in the Cambrian explosion 543 Mya - but global freezing end? this is too long after the end of Snowball Earth for it to be One possibility is that volcanoes developed underneath the related. Dr Walker asked what the earliest post Snowball ice producing CO 2. This gas would build up in the atmosphere Earth fossils looked like. There are earlier Ediacaran fossils (since there was no land exposed to have an erosional cycle which have traces showing movement and are therefore com - removing CO 2) until there was an intense greenhouse effect plex and multi-cellular animals. At Mistaken Point in which would produce a rapid thawing. In addition the intense Newfoundland Canada , Edicaran fossils are overlain by vol - heat from the eruptions would create hurricanes. canic ash which enable these fossils to be dated at more than Paul Hoffman found diamictites in Namibia. The rocks 575 million years, i.e. much nearer the time of the end of immediately above them are carbonates separated from the Snowball Earth. diamictites by a knife sharp boundary. These carbonates con - The question as to why such complex animals should devel - tain strange "burrows" which seem not to have been caused op after the catastrophe of Snowball Earth remains unan - by worms or other organisims. He suggested that the hurri - swered. It could be argued that this event wiped out most of canes that would develop after the global warming could have the slime and thus there was more food available. Multi-cel - disturbed the carbonates to produce this effect. lular animals were then able to use the food quickly. In South Africa pillow lavas are found under and lying over Gabrielle Walker concluded that the main idea resulting diamictites and the magnetic signature showed that they from this theory, with respect to our worries about climate were deposited near the equator suggesting a Snowball change is that the planet and life on the planet does not care Earth. However these rocks are 2.4 billion years old com - about what we humans are doing to the planet. pared to the events discussed above which occurred between 700-600 million years ago. Perhaps the appearance of Snowball Earth at these two widely separated times reflects Jo Crocker

Library notes continued...... 13: Geopark Harz, Braunschweiger 16: Von der Salzwiese zum 10: Röber, S. & Zellmer, H. 2004. Das Land, Ostfalen [visitor centre informa - Steppenrasen: Erlebnispfad Heeseberg Geopark-Informationszentrum tion leaflets]. Landmark 4: Brocken; - Grosses Bruch – Hünenburg Königslutter (Königslutter: Freilicht- 6:Poppenbergturm; 9: Bode Valley (Königslutter: FEMO, 2008. 51pp. ISBN und Erlebnismuseum Ostfalen. 44pp. 'Teufelsmauer'; 10: Auerberg-Oberes 3-933380-17-0). ISBN 3-933380-13-8). Selketal; 12: Point Cone Mine Dump: 11: Wilde, V. & Ockenga E. 2007. Hohe Linde. Elaine Bimpson Wunderwelt versteinerter Pflanzen 14:Helmstedter Revier: Krafwerke Librarian (Geopark Harz) (München: Verlag Buschhaus und Tagebau Schöningen (e- Dr.Friedrich Pfeil. 48pp. ISBN 9783- on Kraftwerke). [Details of the open-pit 89937-082-9). brown coal workings]. 12: Die Bergbau- und Hüttenmuseen 15: Stadt Halle (Saale) [detailed infor - des Harzes [55pp. leaflet with details of mation on the Halle Fault] (Halle: FB local museums]. Umwelt, 2006). GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 5 GA Field Excursion to Copenhagen: October 23rd - 26th 2010

Most of the 27 members of the east into Brolæggerstræde, we see Stevns Klint. party flew in to Copenhagen on 23rd the site of the original Carlsberg Bob Markham writes: October 2010 to meet up for a 'bond - brewery, owned by JC Jacobsen. Did "Monday - the Danian and the K/T ing' dinner in our hotel's Spanish you know his son was named Carl and boundary - this is what had drawn restaurant, Pintxos. The result was a the factory is on a hill or 'berg' - many of us to Denmark. Our leader most convivial evening in preparation hence the name? Today, the for the day was Professor Finn Surlyk, for the days ahead. Carlsberg Foundation provides much a leading authority on the geology of After a substantial breakfast the financial help to charitable organisa - the Stevns peninsula. Not only were next day, the group departed on a tions in Denmark. morning walking tour of the city. Then it is downhill into Gammel Caroline Markham writes of the Strand, the old fish market on what tour: was once the Baltic shore. Now, "It is autumn already in Copenhagen there is a man-made 'island' in front - steam is rising from the gratings in of us, on which sitsd the the Nørre Voldgade and everyone is Christiansborg Palace, Old Stock wearing long, quilted raincoats. We Exchange and Thorvaldsens Museum. are in one of the wide boulevards that The palace houses the Folketinget circle the city centre, with the Metro (Parliament), law courts and Prime below us heading out to the northern Minister's office. The Old Stock suburbs. Brad, our guide for the Exchange has a fabulous tower (also morning, leads us across the road (no jaywalking please!) into the medieval At Hojerup old church city and onto narrow streets paved with an impressive variety of igneous we treated to top-class geology and and metamorphic rocks. (We assume information, but also beautiful weath - they have come over the Øresund er, blue (Baltic) sea and golden, from Sweden.) In the Jewish Quarter, autumnal trees. The Danian was Brad takes us into two courtyards. recognised as a previously unde - The first, (through enormous creak - scribed time period by the Swiss geol - ing doors) is a delightful early eigh - ogist E.Desor in the 1840s, after teenth century carpenters' courtyard - five storeys high and half-timbered with hops growing up the walls. Then we enter an even earlier courtyard Igneous rocks tesselation, Hojbro Plads built by Christian IV (the 'Builder shopping area, Copenhagen

built by Christian IV) in the form of four Chinese dragons, indicating the importance of trade to this great city. We could see across to Christianshavn, Amager Island and the beautiful baroque tower of the Church of Our Saviour with its exter - nal spiral staircase. We then turned back towards the The K/T boundary (with iridium) at Rodrig. city and our tour ended in Højbro Plads, a modern shopping square, studying the fossil fauna from Faxe overlooked by a statue of Bishop and Stevns Klint, our two sites for the Absalon (Copenhagen's twelfth cen - day. Our first descent of the Klint was tury founder), and with spectacular at Højerup, having first visited the tessellated paving in a variety of abandoned cliff-top church, which igneous rocks. Thank you Brad for an local legend says moves a tiny step The party viewing The Round Tower (Tycho excellent introduction to this charm - Brahe Observatory) in Copenhagen. ing city." King'), with an excellent view of the Afterwards, members spent the Round Tower observatory used by afternoon at leisure - many visiting seventeenth century astronomer, the wonderful National Museum. Of Tycho Brahe. particular interest was the display on We emerge into Kannikestræde and Danish pre-history up to the Vikings, the Latin Quarter. There is a plaque occupying most of the ground floor - to Ole Rømer (he calculated the very well laid out and most informa - speed of light) and a bust of Niels tive. Bohr outside the University of That evening members recounted Copenhagen. At this point the road their experiences over a splendid din - widens into Gammel Torv (market ner in the hotel's Italian restaurant, square) with its seventeenth century La Rocca. whipping post outside the imposing After another good breakfast, the red sandstone courtroom. Walking members departed by coach for Danian limestone at Rodrig. 6 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 inland every Christmas Eve. Echinocorys, familiar to Cretaceous meteorite - the Widmanstätten struc - The cliff exposed Danian age bry - geologists in England, but here it had ture of its metals (89% iron, 8% nick - ozoan limestone overlying survived 'the meteorite' and contin - el) having been exposed using buck - Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) ued into the 'Tertiary'. There was an ets of nitric acid! Brownish inclusions Chalk. Between them, in troughs, impressive display of bryozoans and a of the mineral, troilite, FeS (the there was a nodular 'Cerithium set of gastropods surviving as moulds meteorite contained 2% sulphur) Limestone' and a thin (a few centime - in limestone that hardened before were orientated by the gravity of the tres) 'Fish Clay' ,formed when car - their aragonite shells were dissolved - small asteroid of which it was once bonate sedimentation 'switched off'. an interesting 'taphonomic window'. part. It was this thin layer we had come to An excellent geological museum." Greenland also provided many see, the second site in the world The following day members were palaeontological treasures - an early where the Iridium enrichment anom - escorted to the Geological Museum Cambrian soft-bodied fauna (often aly had been discovered, the K/T for a guided tour jointly led by Tonei guarded by polar bears!) from Sirius boundary, the 'day' the ammonites Zunic (mineral collections), Asger Passet; Late Devonian amphibians and dinosaurs died. Pedersen (petrological collections), from Kap Stosch (was the skull we Our second look at the boundary Arne Thorshoj (Palaeozoic collec - were shown from one of our ances - was at the superb coastal section tions), Sten Jacobsen and Jan Auden tors?); Mesozoic flora from Scoresby between Rødvig and Boesdal. As the (Cenozoic and Danekrae collections), Sound collected and illustrated by soft chalk is eroded by waves, an Arden Bashforth (type collections and Tom Harris (later Professor of Botany overhang of harder limestone is form - digitisation project), and Bent Lindow at Reading); and one of the world's ing, which we hurried past on the (vertebrate collections). Minik Rosing largest bivalves, a Cretaceous inoce - gave the formal welcome. ramid. Lunch was at the Geocentre with Bob Markham writes: local students - free copies of the "Tuesday was the day of our visit to magazine geologi og geograf were the Geological Museum at the available (in Danish). Back at the University of Copenhagen. The museum, Denmark was not forgotten excitement started even before we - we were told of the 'Danekræ' reached the front door - prominent (Danish creatures) legislation that among the 'big rocks' outside was the enabled the purchase of specimens of greater part of the 20 ton meteorite exceptional display and scientific Agpalilik from Greenland. We were value for Danish Museums, a fine soon inside to be greeted in a grotto- example being a block of bryozokalk like entrance hall decorated by an with 25 Temnocidaris from Faxe. An artist-geologist with, on the stairway, Eocene bird led to a fascinating dis - At the K/T boundary at Hojerup. a magnificent metallic colony of cussion on melanocells, pigment pat - crinoids with lights in the 'cups'. And terns and the origin of bird wings! modern storm-beach of flint cobbles. the real geology had yet to come! To the geologists at this 'must see' The bryozoan limestone formed large Specimens from Greenland were of museum who gave us so much of migrating mound-complexes on the particular interest. The Ilimaussaq their time, took us 'behind the Danian sea floor, their form shown complex of syenitic rocks, about scenes', shared their knowledge with well by lines of flints following fos - 1,170 million years old, is rich in min - us and entertained us with coffee, silised crustacean burrows into their erals, including Steenstrupine (with tea, wine and biscuits, a big thank flanks. Turning the Korsnæb head - uranium), Eudialyte (with zirconium you; you gave us a wonderful day." land we passed from cross-sections of and rare earth metals) and the red The visit closed with a wine and nib - the mounds to dip sections where mineral, Tugtupite, a popular gem - bles party hosted by our museum they were aligned in the direction of stone. The meteorite collection was leaders - very much appreciated and nutritional currents, a feature that 'out of this world' and not only for its giving us further opportunity to speak may be relevant to the excavation of origin. Outstanding was a slide (the to our hosts. building stone at this site. At the top world's largest) cut from the Agpalilik Many members spent a few extra of the cliff we passed through the days in Copenhagen. There is a abandoned Boesdal quarry with its wealth of museums to visit and much impressive 'pyramid' building former - else to do, including a boat trip round ly used for storage of agricultural the waterways. In addition there was limestone. always shopping for Christmas deco - Then on to the Geomuseum at rations! Faxe, on the edge of a working To David and Anne Bone and Alan Danian limestone quarry. As well as Lord, who together organised this softer bryozoan limestone, a hard excellent, top-class trip - a very big coral limestone was excavated. Sold thank you. We are all looking forward as 'coral marble', it was used in the to the next one! construction of the 'Marble Church' in Copenhagen. One of the corals, Bob & Caroline Markham Faksephyllia faxoensis, was named after the site. The museum informed Roger Dixon us that its Danian limestone was 63 Photographs by Caroline Markham million years old; the ammonites had gone, the mosasaurs had gone, but there were nautiloids and crocodiles Asger Pedersen with the meteorite 'Savik' at together with the echinoid the Geological Museum in Copenhagen

GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 7 Evening Lecture January 2011 The billion dollar volcano - understanding volcanoes from source to surface Dr Dougal Jerram. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Durham.

According to his website*, Dr into the crater taking their 3D-laser Jerram's main research interest is the scanning equipment with them. This geology of flood basalts, volcanic rift - scan, coupled with others taken ed margins and associated sedimenta - around the rim of the crater, provided ry basins as exemplified by the North a 3D virtual image of Erta Ale. From Atlantic Igneous Province, with partic - this it was possible to establish a num - ular emphasis on the British ber of important parameters, such as Palaeogene Igneous Province (BPIP - the volume of lava involved in each formerly "British Tertiary"). This area pulse of activity. The scan also pro - is becoming increasingly important to duced a picture of the surfaces in the the oil industry, as offshore explo - volcano down to millimetric scale that ration moves west of the Shetlands, to was so detailed it even showed the where the thick sequence of volcanics location of their climbing ropes! causes problems with seismic inter - Volcanoes, like dinosaurs and earth - pretation. In particular, different lava quakes, are one of the few geological lithologies, and the presence of sills, items that impinge on the conscious - dykes, weathered surfaces, interbed - ness of the general public and, given sons, causing localised crop failure. ded sediments and hyaloclastites, all Dougal's previous derring-do on Erta These had been before air travel and add to the difficulty of "seeing" Ale, it came as no surprise when he had not created a world-wide crisis through the Palaeogene to identify was called upon to comment on events (the recent one costing an estimated possible concealed Mesozoic sedimen - arising from the eruption of £3 billion). Historical records show tary basins - something we heard Eyjafjallajökull in April 2010. This that eruptions from the relatively about some time ago in relation to the covered contributions to serious small vent under Eyjafjallajökull were Rockall Bank (see GA Magazine, Vol 1, reporting on BBC News coupled with often followed by a larger eruption No 3, p 5 - September 2002). As a more light hearted events such as from the nearby Katla caldera where result, Dr Jerram and his team decid - appearing on the One Show (as "Dr the ice cover under Mýrdalsjökull is ed to look at detailed methods of map - Volcano"). On that occasion he illus - much thicker and the effects more ping the BPIP in the Western Isles and trated a volcanic eruption using a serious. For example in 1918 a rela - Faeroe Islands. They used laser-scan - model with baking powder, vinegar tively minor eruption on Katla , not ning technology to build up kilometre and a tyre pump, during which Adrian involving the whole caldera, had pro - scale 2D- and 3D-models of rock prop - Chiles challenged him to pronounce duced massive floods, known as jökul - erties that could be used to improve the Icelandic name on live TV (when laups , which had extended the seismic interpretation. the rest of the world had settled for Icelandic coastline by 3 km and had Work on the BPIP also led Dr Jerram "Icelandic Volcano"). carried lumps of ice the size of a tower to look at modern analogues, especial - Overall the media reaction to the block onto the surrounding area. ly the area of the Danakil Depression eruption was extremely varied. It However, Icelandic vulcanologists at the northern end of the East African ranged from a children's TV pro - have established that there is no Rift System. Here the Horn of Africa is gramme that used fish to illustrate a apparent connection between the slowly parting company with the rest descending plate with a whale (com - magma chambers of the two volca - of the continent, creating conditions plete with blowhole) acting as the noes. Therefore the threat of a related similar to those that existed in the stratovolcano to the ability to bet on- eruption on Katla is, at present. Atlantic some 60 Ma ago. Dougal line through Paddy Power on the next unconfirmed - but only time will tell. acted as the geoscientist on a BBC likely eruption (the odds on the erup - * Dr Jerram maintains a high profile expedition to the Erta Ale shield vol - tion of Colima in Mexico were particu - on the Internet and much of what he cano - one of only five to have a per - larly good at 14/1 since it already has showed during his talk may be found manent lava lake. The expedition has a lava dome). There was also, the on his website dougalearth.com . A been the subject of TV documentaries more serious consideration of the clip from the Erta Ale documentary, shown on BBC1, BBC Worldwide and problem involving experts from the showing his descent into the crater, is National Geographic under the title aerospace industry having to run an also available from the BBC. "The Hottest Place on Earth" reflecting emergency research programme to the extreme climate (average temper - establish safe levels of atmospheric atures around 45 ºC), vulcanicity, ash for flying aircraft (currently 2 mg/ Dave Greenwood active rifting, and a not entirely friend - m3). ly local population (the area lies on the Dougal explained that the initial disputed Ethiopian - Eritrean border). activity on Eyjafjallajökull had been a It began with an overview of Erta Ale typical quiet Icelandic fissure eruption, Curry Fund Dates for 2011 (which Dougal described as "a dream producing little ash in the area of come true") to establish the current Fimmvörðuháls where there is almost state of the volcano which varies from Applications to Committee no ice cover. However when the fissure to be received by Date having a lava lake in a small crater sit - extended to the west under thicker ice uated within the main one, to both there was a change in the temperature February 20 March 11 craters overflowing producing new and chemistry of the eruptive material May 20 June 10 flows down the side of the mountain. creating the now infamous ash cloud. August 20 September 16 Fortunately for the expedition the lake Similar events had occurred in the November 20 December 9 was at a low level making it feasible, past and had disrupted weather pat - after a long hot uphill trek, to abseil terns over Europe for one or two sea -

8 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 GA Festival Trip to Riddlesdown Quarry near Croydon 7 November 2010 leader Rory Mortimore

The huge Chalk quarry at ingly secure for the foreseeable future, The group walked around the quarry Riddlesdown may be more familiar to an SSSI status would be a sensible way and examined the important marker Members as the Rose and Crown Pit. forward. horizon of the Lewes Tubular Flint. From The quarry itself ceased operations in On this occasion our group was the steps leading up the scree adjacent 1964 and the pub is now demolished to accompanied by one of the rangers, to the face Rory pointed out the make way for housing. In my youth I Luke Barley. Luke was as keen as we remember riding over the then-working were to learn from Rory in order to pass quarry on the railway line that still on knowledge to the groups of school crosses the pit. Today we are warned children and the general public that the not to walk beneath it while a train is rangers lead around the site. We began crossing in case we are hit by bits of at the base of the quarry in the New Pit falling metal! Farm and Lewis Nodular Chalk Riddlesdown Quarry is now owned by the City of London Corporation and is run by their ranger service who have done a magnificent job of conserving the quarry, following the plan set out by

Fig. 5. Discussion on the importance of the quarry from the viewing platform. Note the Tertiary dissolution hollows at the top of the face behind.

Zoophycos Beds and the conspicuous sheet flints (Fig. 4). From a viewing platform at the top of the steps we had an excellent overview of the quarry. The dissolution pipes descending from the top, where Tertiary material is displayed

Fig. 1. The large Chalk quarry at Riddlesdown. Fig. 3. GA members examining the face at the base of the quarry. Rory Mortimore some ten years ago (Fig. 1). Access to the important faces has Formations where Rory was able to been maintained and a rudimentary show us the fracturing patterns in these staircase has been created up the scree lower horizons of the quarry which we slope beside the vertical face at the north later compared to different structures end which allows close examination. higher up the section (Fig. 3). Goats and sheep are employed to help to Paul Sowan, a local historian, pointed keep the vegetation down (Fig. 2). out the remains of old sorting machines and told us how the Chalk was processed. Apparently only large blocks

Fig. 6. GA Field Guide No. 68 put to good use on the day after publication! Rory Mortimore behind

in great Vs, is another interesting fea - ture of the site (Fig. 5). Rory has written a full description of Fig. 2. Goats curiously watching the group from Riddlesdown in the new GA Field Guide the top of the quarry. No. 68 on the Geology of London This quarry is extremely important for (Itinerary 9). He includes a sketch of demonstrating rocks in the field to engi - the face linked to the stratigraphical log neers who are examining bore-hole (Fig. 6). It is in the interests of the geo - data for the many projects under logical community to visit Riddlesdown London. At the moment it is an SSSI regularly to justify the conservation (Site of Special Scientific Interest) for work currently being carried out by the the wildlife and Rory would like to see City of London Corporation. Thank you Rory for helping to make this quarry this status applied for the geology as Fig. 4. GA members examining Zoophycos well. The London Geodiversity accessible to us, and for leading us on traces from the newly-created steps up the another excellent trip. Partnership is actively trying to con - scree. serve London's Geological sites and has already proposed it for RIGS status could be used for making lime, and as a Diana Clements (Regionally Important Geological Site) result the rejected smaller fraction now but although care of the quarry is seem - makes up the big scree slope running through the centre of the quarry. GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 9 Geologists’ Association Guide No. 68

Review - Guide No.68, The Geology of London,

6 Geology around the University Towns - Liverpool

compiled by Diana Clements 10 North Coast of Cornwall - Bude to Tintagel
e Geology of London 27 Geology of South Shropshire

32 Isle of Arran Compiled by Diana Clements "London geology ? What London a pp ro ach ho ld s good for Harefield and T HE ND CUR Y FU R Geology? " This could be the response P lum 43 st Costaea Blanca,d. SpainS uch chapters should be

of many geologists, some even living in r eco 46m m Isle ofe Mannd ed to our absolute begin - 47 The Coastal Landforms of West Dorset

London, to the idea of a G A Guide to n ers 50. T Southernho Cyprusse who have mastered the 51 Field Guide to the Island of Bute, Scotland London in 2010. Well, we have to admit n urs e ry s lopes can then proceed to the 53 Eastern and Central Jamaica that the Guide isn't really 'geology in c hro 54n o Thest Aberystwythratig Districtrap hy which goes with the 55 Early Cretaceous Environments of the Weald 56 The Castleton Area, Derbyshire your face', the kind tackled by the nor - d isu 57s ed The ChalkCh ofa Sussexlk andp Kentits and Thames Gravels

mal G A guide for the regions. What is of East London, and the Chalk of

61 Geology of the Western Front

more, many of the exposures and out - R idd 63l es Geologydow of then East Q Midlandsuar ry and Croham Hurst.

crops that were available when the orig - T he 65 a u Theth Originsor sof Stratigraphytrea d carefully through the

67 The Dalradian of Scotland inal Centenary Guides, 30A and 30B, r ecent revisions of nomenclature of the

North and South London, were pub - Ter t ia r y se q uences in which names, lished (in 1958, revised in 1967) have such as L am b et h G rou p, displace the

either degraded or totally disappeared, older and fami liar named units running making the task more difficult. through the unr iv al led record of London

I have to admit that the proposed new stratig raphical research and enshrined guide was something that I shrank in the volumes of our Proceedings . away from, uttering gloomy predictions. Those volumes are a unique archive of At the same time, I recognised that in British geology, so it is necessary to excursions to Hampstead Heath, employ a dual nomenclature, however downstream from Brentford. Charlton and Abbey Wood in the years cumbersome and archaic that may Having made that observation, it must between 1860 and 1900, the seem. Happily, honour is satisfied in be said that the maps, mainly devised Association cut its teeth as a society Guide 68. by Mike Ridd, are an important contri - easing the path for amateurs seeking If some of the ten themes tread a del - bution to the Guide. Clear and in full the geological experience. That, if noth - icate path, others should present no colour, they clarify all chapters, as does ing else, needed to be put on record for problems. These include the accounts of the photo-collage, which makes the the present generation. A dilemma. the Pinner Chalk Mines, the Chiselhurst cover so eye-catching. It has to be to the credit of the team Caves, and the ever-popular recon - In conclusion, the chosen mix is good. of eighteen contributors, guided and structions seen in Crystal Palace Park - Whoever buys Guide 68 should be able cajoled by Di Clements as overall Editor, our answer to Disneyland - accessible to pick and choose and hopefully, grow that Guide 68 was brought to Press to by red bus and free! An element of in geological comfort. After all, we are be available at the Festival of Geology exploration comes with the geological an observation-based science and, 2010, held at University College in approach to the Lost Rivers of London, guided by the eighteen contributors, November. Recognising the problems linked appropriately to the Thames should be able to look at the hidden alluded to already, London geology, riverside that is actively combed by London geology with the skills of a land - north and south, was summarised in ten would-be 'archaeologists' with metal scape detective. Of course the Guide themed chapters, at least three recog - detectors. This chapter has an excellent might also have dipped into the wealth nisable as survivors from 30A & 30B. 1 to 10km map of the entire basin. My of London street geology, a peculiarly For Hampstead Heath it remains the only regret is that an important water - G A hobby. I would say that wouldn't I? subtleties of geomorphology that trace shed near Highgate Woods could be However as the Princess in the Arabian the outcrops we used to call London overlooked. At one point, if you poured Nights says, "that is another story" and Clay, Claygate Beds, and Bagshot the contents of your essential bottled probably one for someone else to tell. Sands, helped by spring lines, vegeta - water on to the ground, some might My reservations about a guide to tion change, and rabbits. It is these that flow into the headwaters of the Mutton London Geology have clearly been allow us to create a map which will Brook, thence into the River Brent and countered by the work of Di and her always be a personal assessment liable the Thames at Brentford. Other trickles team, well done! to be modified by temporary exposures might join the Moselle River (Hornsey not seen by the original authors, version), flow into the Lea and reach Whittaker and Logan Lobley. The same the Thames at Canning Town, 30km Eric Robinson

Join us for The Geologists' Association Annual Dinner on Friday May 6th, 2011 in the Lower Library of Burlington House

This year our Annual Dinner is being held at Burlington House. After the AGM and the Presidential Address, there will be a chance to relax and meet up with old friends, new members and Award winners. We will be having a sherry reception followed by a two-course buffet dinner. The cost of the reception and meal is £32.00. To book please send your cheque, made out to the 'Geologists' Association', as soon as possible to Sarah Stafford at the GA Office stating any dietary requirements. Join us for an evening of delicious food and good company!

10 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 CIRCULAR No. 986 March 2011 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 weekend SAFETY is taken very seriously. Should you be unsure about either the meetings in the UK. Michael Ridd is responsible for overseas and longer risks involved or your ability to participate, you must seek advice from excursions. Sarah Stafford at the GA office is responsible for book - the GA office before booking. Please make sure that you study the risk ings, payments and general administration. assessment prepared for all GA field meetings and that you have all the You must book through the GA office to confirm attendance. Please do safety equipment specified. You must declare, at the time of booking, not contact the field meeting leader directly. Meeting times and loca - any disabilities or medical conditions that may affect your ability to tions will be confirmed on booking. These are not normally advertised in safely attend a field meeting. You may be asked to provide further advance, as there have been problems with members turning up without information on any prescription drugs etc that you may use whilst booking or paying and maximum numbers being exceeded. Field meetings attending a field meeting. In order to ensure the safety of all partici - are open to non-members although attendance by non-members is sub - pants, the GA reserves the right to limit or refuse attendance at field ject to a £5 surcharge on top of the normal administration fee. Some meetings. meetings may have restrictions on age (especially for under 16s) or be EMERGENCY CONTACT: if you are lost or late for the start of a meet - physically demanding. If you are uncertain, please ask. ing, an emergency contact is available during UK field meetings by call - PAYMENTS for day and weekend meetings must be made before ing the GA mobile phone (07724 133290). PLEASE NOTE THIS NEW attending any field meeting. Cheques should be made out to Geologists' NUMBER. The mobile phone will only be switched on just before and Association Field Meetings. Please give a contact telephone number and, during field meetings. For routine enquiries please call the GA office on if possible, an email address and provide the names of any other persons the usual number. that you are including in your booking. PLEASE ALSO PROVIDE AN TRAVEL REGULATIONS are observed. The GA acts as a retail agent EMERGENCY CONTACT NAME AND TELEPHONE NUMBER AT THE for ATOL holders in respect of air flights included in field meetings. All 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. If more than 24 hours duration or including accommodation are subject to you are a rail traveller, it may be possible for the GA office to arrange the Package Travel Regulations 1992. The information provided does not for another member to provide a lift or collect you from the nearest constitute a brochure under these Regulations. railway station. This service cannot be guaranteed, but please ask

FIELD MEETINGS IN 2011 Register with Sarah sending an administration mandatory. fee of £5 to confirm your place. Cost and booking : Numbers are limited to 20. We are hoping to arrange additional fossil col - Further details will be available from Sarah lecting opportunities during the year. There THE INFERIOR OOLITE OF DORSET & Stafford at the GA office. Register with Sarah may not be time to advertise these in the SOMERSET sending an administration fee of £5 to confirm Circular so if you would like details when they Leader Robert Chandler your place. become available contact Sarah Stafford at Saturday 30th April - Sunday 1st May the GA office. Dorset and Somerset has some of the most GEOLOGY AND BUILDING STONES OF NE fossiliferous exposures of Middle Jurassic, ENGLAND PLEASE ALSO REFER TO OUR WEB SITE Aalenian and Bajocian rocks in Britain, there Leader: Prof John Potter www.geologistsassociation.org.uk FOR ANY termed the Inferior Oolite. Exposures are Saturday - Monday 28th - 30th May CHANGES TO THE PROGRAMME AND FOR mostly located in long disused quarries and a Following the successful ‘Early Churches and coastal section from which fossils may be col - Fossils of the Welsh Borderland' in May 2010, LONG WEEKEND ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT lected from boulders on the beach. Some are a number of members asked if a geology and Leader: Prof Andy Gale classical key sections from which many figured building stones excursion might be conducted Friday March 11th - Sunday March 13th mollusc specimens have been obtained. The trip to North-East England. Given the costs mem - The Isle of Wight is a classic area of British will be used to describe the mode of deposition bers are asked to express their interest well geology. We will be examining the Cretaceous and startling variation in these rocks across in advance of the date of the excursion. and Tertiary rocks of the island both in terms very short distances and how these strata can The excursion would involve two (or possibly 3) of their sedimentology and structure. There be subdivided on the basis of fossils content. centres and involve members travelling by car, will be opportunities for fossil collecting. There Emphasis will be on the overall geology although a charge of £20 (2 days) or £30 (3 days) will be a fair amount of walking involved there will be adequate opportunity to collect would be made according to the length of the together with some cliff climbs. Attendees will fossils. excursion. We would visit and examine the need to be sure they are capable of achieving Members will need to be able to climb steep building stones of some of Britain's most inter - this. hills and walk moderate distances. As a number esting churches - such as Escomb, Jarrow, Equipment : You will need a hard hat and suit - of the sites have SSSI status strict adherence Monkwearmouth, Warden, Corbridge (and able clothing for the time of year. to the owners regulations will be enforced. Car Hadrian's Wall) and the Bywells, as well as a Cost & booking : Numbers will be limited to 20. sharing will be essential as some sites have range of geological localities such as Marsden Further details will be available from Sarah very restricted access. Beach (Britain's Best) to collect flexible sand - Stafford at the GA office. Please note that Equipment : Hard hats are advisable, together stone, etc; Permian fossil localities, the GA will not be booking accommodation. with clothing suitable for the conditions. Carboniferous and igneous rocks. Day 3 would Register with Sarah sending an administration Cost and booking : Numbers are limited to 20. involve Lindisfarne (Holy Island), and the rocks fee of £5 per person to confirm your place. If Further details will be available from Sarah of Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh Castles. Note there is sufficient interest we will arrange a Stafford at the GA office. Register with Sarah that 30th May is a Bank Holiday. meal on the Saturday evening, probably in sending an administration fee of £10 to con - Equipment : Bring a quality lens and binoculars. Shanklin. firm your place. Packed or pub lunches. Cost & booking : Please register now with Sarah RETURN TO EASTBOURNE THE MIDDLE JURASSIC OF RUTLAND AND Stafford at the GA Office, sending the appro - Leader: Geoff Toye SOUTH LINCOLNSHIRE priate administrative fee. A minimum of 15 per - Saturday 19th March Leader: Andy Swift sons will be required for the excursion to occur Another opportunity to collect from the chalk Saturday 14th May (maximum 25) and registration must be com - of the Eastbourne area with plenty of fossils in We will visit a number of quarries to examine pleted before the end of February 2011 for prospect. the Lincolnshire Limestone and associated stra - the excursion to take place. Money will be This trip involves a walk of over a mile along a ta. Although the emphasis will be on the sedi - returned if the numbers are insufficient. rocky foreshore. Attendees will need to be mentology of these rocks there will be oppor - Further details will be available from Sarah sure they are capable of achieving this. tunities for fossil collecting. Stafford at the GA office. Please note the GA Equipment : Hard hats are advisable, together Attendees will need to be sure they can safely will not be arranging accommodation. An alter - with clothing suitable for the conditions. cope with the conditions to be found in working native trip is planned for October if there are Cost and booking: Further details will be avail - quarries. insufficient numbers. able from Sarah Stafford at the GA office. Equipment : Hard hats and hi-vis vests are

GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 11 A JURASSIC RAMBLE IN THE BRISTOL PLEISTOCENE INTERGLACIAL SEDIMENTS Glyndebourne Pits. Each walk will be about 2-3 DISTRICT OF STUTTON, SUFFOLK km of relatively easy downland walking but will Saturday 4th June Leaders: Graham Ward and Bill George require good walking boots! Leader: Simon Carpenter Sunday 10th July Equipment : Hard hat and hi vis jacket are manda - A day exploring the Jurassic rocks of the Bristol This meeting follows on from our visit to tory. Wear suitable footwear. Packed lunches. Wrabness and Harwich in 2010. We will examine District starting in Saltford a small village close Cost & booking : Numbers will be limited to 20. the Pleistocene (Oxygen Isotope Stage 7) inter - to Bristol where Simon's interest in geology Further details will be available from Sarah glacial sediments exposed on the foreshore oppo - Stafford at the GA office. Register with Sarah began. Lower Jurassic fossils collected by Simon site Wrabness which have yielded a freshwater will be shown at the start of the day to illustrate sending an administration fee of £5 per person fauna including Corbicula fluminalis together with to confirm your place. the wealth of invertebrate and vertebrate fos - elephant tusks, teeth and bones. The London Clay sils likely to be found in the local Lias. is also present with excellent exposures of seams FOSSILFEST VII The morning will be spent examining a number of of altered volcanic ash. Leader: Nev Hollingworth geological exposures around Saltford. Following There is a walk of c 3 miles to and from the October (date to be confirmed) 2011 a pub lunch it is hoped that during the afternoon beach which is itself c 1 mile long. Participants will need to be sure they are up to this amount Location(s) have still to be decided but plenty of other Jurassic localities will be visited several fossils can be expected. Attendees will need to miles from Saltford. Bring hammers as some col - of walking. Equipment : Boots, waterproofs and a packed be sure they can safely cope with the conditions lecting will be possible. Attendees will need to be lunch. to be found in working quarries. sure they can safely cope with the conditions to Cost & booking : Numbers will be limited to 20. Equipment : You must have a hard hat, hi vis vest be found in working quarries. Further details will be available from Sarah and suitable footwear. Equipment : You will need a hard hat and hi-vis Stafford at the GA office. Register with Sarah Cost & booking : Numbers will be limited to 25. jacket together with suitable footwear. sending an administration fee of £5 per person Register with Sarah Stafford at the GA office Cost and Booking : Numbers will be limited to 20. to confirm your place. Note that there are no sending an administration fee of £5 to confirm Further details will be available from Sarah buses to Stutton on Sundays so that private your place. Stafford at the GA office. Register with Sarah transport is essential. sending an administration fee of £5 per person Overseas Trips 2011 to confirm your place. PRE-GLACIAL AND GLACIAL DEPOSITS OF NORTH NORFOLK - PART 2 France Leaders: Dr Jonathan Lee and Dr Emrys EXCURSION TO EXPLORE THE PRE- Leader: Dr Paul Olver (now full) Phillips (BGS) ANGLIAN DRAINAGE OF THE EAST MID - Saturday 10th September LANDS Japan This a follow-up to the successful 2010 Field Leaders: Dr Francis Hirsch, Dr Mike Ridd, Leaders Jim Rose, David Bridgland, Tom Excursion to West Runton. The trip will examine: Mrs Mikiko Ridd White, Rob Westaway, Jon Lee Martyn (1) Early Pleistocene shallow marine 'Crag' Plans are progressing well for this field meeting Bradley and John Sinclair deposits; (2) the highly-deformed glacial succes - in November 2011. It will commence in Kyoto and Saturday 11th - Sunday 12th June sion which includes evidence for several ice-mar - make its way across the island of Honshu to the ginal osciallations of the Middle Pleistocene Following the success of the 2010 visit to the Japan Sea and then back across Honshu, the British Ice Sheet; (3) multiple episodes of Castle Bytham area this is a two-day meeting Inland Sea and the island of Tokushima, before periglacial activity; and (4) the geomorphology of combining visits to quarries and consideration of taking the bullet train to Mount Fuji and finally the geomorphology of the area. To include (to be ice-marginal retreat. Attendees are actively encouraged to examine the sections and put for - Tokyo. confirmed): quarries at Waverley Wood, ward their own ideas. Huncote, Castle Bytham and the Hinckley, The trip will involve a walk of 6 miles in total, 2012 'Derby' and Ancaster palaeovalleys. On with a traverse along a pebble foreshore and Field Meeting in Turkey Saturday night we will stay in Newark and return over the cliffs. Attendees should be sure Provisional date: September 2012 arrange a group dinner if there is sufficient they are capable of this walk. Leaders: Dr Rob Westaway (The Open interest. We are planning on using one or more Equipment : Bring a hard hat and stout footwear University) and Dr David Bridgland (Durham minibuses picking up at Milton Keynes. Car shar - as the trip will involve standing adjacent to high University) ing may be necessary leaving some vehicles in cliffs and walking along stony beaches. Bring a Local guides: Professor Ali Seyrek and Dr Milton Keynes. packed lunch. Tuncer Demir (Harran University, ªanl¹urfa, Equipment : You will need a hard hat and hi-vis Cost & booking: Numbers will be limited to 25. Turkey) jacket. Attendees will need to be sure they can Further details will be available from Sarah Stafford at the GA office. Register with Sarah The field meeting will take place in central- safely cope with the conditions to be found in sending an administration fee of £5 per person southern and southeastern Turkey, starting and working quarries. to confirm your place. finishing at Antakya (the ancient city of Antioch) Cost and Booking : Numbers may be limited. on the NE corner of the Mediterranean Sea. It Further details will be available from Sarah The Geology of Early Middlesex Churches is planned to be an 8-day meeting, staying at Stafford at the GA office. It may be possible Leader: Prof John Potter hotels in Antakya, Osmaniye, Gölbaº¹, ªanl¹urfa for the GA to book some hotel rooms otherwise Saturday 1st October and Diyarbak¹r. The party will be limited to 24 attendees will need to make individual arrange - Should insufficient persons be interested in the members and will travel in minibuses. The field ments for accommodation in the general area. NE England excursion, John has agreed to conduct meeting will cover Quaternary fluvial sequences, The administration fee is still to be set. a day excursion to a range of early Middlesex active faulting, folding and landscape develop - churches particularly for the benefit of his regu - ment, Neogene and Quaternary volcanism, and WEALDEN EXCURSION lar attendees. The limited range of unusual build - bedrock geology, and will also provide an opportu - ing stones available for early builders in stone in Leaders: Pete Austen, Richard Agar, Dr Ed nity to visit key archaeological and historical the London Basin will be examined. Jarzembowski and Geoff Toye sites. Equipment : Bring a quality lens and binoculars. July (date to be confirmed) Estimated cost per participant (subject to possi - Packed or pub lunches. ble exchange rate fluctuations and subject to This trip continues the popular annual excursion Cost & booking : Numbers will be limited to 20. specific price quotations for minibus hire and to working pits in the Weald Clay of south-east Further details will be available from Sarah accommodation): £700. This will include trans - England, where the GA has already participated Stafford at the GA office. Register with Sarah port, all meals, admission fees to archaeological in some superb fossil finds. The venue(s) will be sending an administration fee of £10 per person sites, and overnight accommodation for the night confirmed later so as to take advantage of condi - to confirm your place. preceding the start of the trip and nights 1-8 tions at the time. Attendees will need to be sure A CHALK WALK ON THE CABURN BLOCK, inclusive. Participants will be required to arrange they can safely cope with the conditions to be their own return travel from the UK to Antakya found in working quarries. LEWES Leader: Rory Mortimer and to pay for their own visas (UK passport hold - Equipment : You must have suitable footwear, a Saturday 15th October ers can buy these on arrival in Turkey). A return high visibility jacket and hard hat. This walk will be to the Mount Caburn Pits, Lewes ticket from a British airport to Hatay Airport Cost & booking: Numbers may be limited. (see GA Guide No.57 (the airport for Antakya) via Turkish Airlines can Further details will be available from Sarah The Chalk of Sussex and Kent, Itinerary 1). We at present be bought for less than £350 if pur - Stafford at the GA office. Register with Sarah will spend the morning in the pit and on a short chased well in advance. sending an administration fee of £5 per person walk around Malling Hill past New Pit. In the Those interested in participating in this trip to confirm your place. afternoon we will walk to Mt Caburn via the should contact Sarah at the GA office. 12 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 GEOLOGISTS' ASSOCIATION Contact information www.kgg.org.uk AFFILIATED SOCIETIES LOCAL GROUPS The Kirkaldy Society (Alumni of Queen Mary Amateur Geological Society College) April 12 Climate change and Mammalian Extinction Cambridgeshire Geology Club April 1 Annual Dinner in the Quaternary - Prof Adrian Lister. 14 March That Sinking Feeling or Cambridge-on- April 16 One day excursion to the Chalk of north May 10 Cave Development at Home and Abroad - Sea- Dr J Patrick Doody Hertfordshire and South Cambridgeshire - Mike Dr Tony Waltham. Contact - Ken Rolfe on 01480 496973, mobile 07777 Howgate. June 14 Sapphire Mining in Montana - Dr Ron 678685. www.cambridgeshiregeologyclub.org.uk October 1 AGM and Aluat QMC. Bonewitz. Dorset Local Group Contact David Greenwood 020 8449 6614 Contact Julia Daniels 020 8346 1056. or Dave March 26 Field trip: Geomorphology of the Purbeck email:[email protected]. Greenwood [email protected] , field trips: Hills - John Chaffey. Lancashire [email protected] April tbc Field trip: Branscombe - Ramues Gallois. Contact Acting Secretary Jennifer Rhodes 01204 Bath Geological Society May 22 Field trip: Ham Hill Country Park - Sheila 811203 Email:[email protected]. March 12 Field trip: Landscape features of the Gault Alderman. Mole Valley Geological Society and Upper Greensand in the vicinity of the June 18 Field trip: Geology in the building stones of March 10. Gemstones - properties, occurrence and Warminster Fault - Isabel Buckingham Sherborne - Alan Holiday. economic value. Professor A Rankin. April 7 Caves and Cannibals: A Mendip Perspective Contact Doreen Smith 01300 320811. April 14 Fossils as Drugs (No free Samples) - Dr - Professor Danielle Schreve. Email: [email protected] Chris Duffin. May 14 Field trip: Saltford - a geological ramble - www.dorsetgeologistsassociation.com May 12 Evidence for Martian megafloods, lakes and Simon Carpenter. Essex Group climate change - Dr Nick Warner. Contact Elizabeth Devon: Email:chairman@bathge - April 6 Recent research on Geological Sites in Essex June 9 Mud Sand and fossils: The Palaeogene geolo - olsoc.org.uk - Gerald Lucy. gy of West Sussex - David Bone. www.bathgeolsoc.org.uk May 4 Unusual Microfossils - Dr Adrian Rundle. www.radix.demon.co.uk/dendron/mvgs/ Email: Chas Belfast Geologists' Society June 1 The Iron Ore deposits of West Cumbria - Cowie: [email protected] March 21 The Geo-Archaeology of Newgrange. Co David Greenwood. North Staffordshire Group Meath - Dr Ian Meighan. September 7 Geology of the Tendring District - Dr March 10 AGM and Chairman's Address: British Contact Peter Millar 9064 2886, email: peter.mil - Peter Allen. Earthquakes - Dr Ian Stimpson (Keele University) [email protected]. Contact Dr Trevor Greensmith 01268 785404 Contact for details Eileen Fraser 01260 271505 Black Country Geological Society Farnham Geological Society Contact Field trips: Gerard Ford 01630 673409. March 21 AGM followed by Problematic plesiosaurs March 11 Oceans, volcanoes and climate change: Oxford Geology Group - a unique group of extinct marine reptiles - Dr lessons from the Cretaceous - Dr Ian Jarvis. March 17 3D Geological Modelling at the British Adam Smith. April 3-10 Field trip: West Brittany, Crozon and Geological Survey - Gareth Jenkins. April 11 The Geology of Lundy - Dr Clive Roberts. Carnac - David Bates, Alan Bromley, Mike Rubra April 21 Whales during the ages of the dinosaurs: For information contact Barbara Russell 01902 and Graham Williams. 650168. www.bcgs.info new insights from old fossils - Dr Matt Friedman. April Landslide activity at Paphos in Cyprus- Dr Brighton & Hove Geological Society May 19 Darwin's Lost World: The Hidden History of Andrew Hart March 2 The enigmatic volcanoes of Mongolia - Prof Life on Earth - Prof Martin Brassier. May 13 Wildfire: the geological history of fire - Prof Nigel Harris. March 20 Field meeting: Charnwood Forest. Andrew Scott. Contact John Cooper 01273 292780 email: May 22 Welsh Waterfalls. May 15 Chichester and Bracklesham - Mike Rubra [email protected] www.oxgg.org.uk.htm. or call programme secretary and David Bone. Bristol Naturalists' Society 01865 272960. June 10 Horsham stone and Sussex marble - Dr Contact 01373 474086 Ravensbourne Geological Society Roger Birch Email: [email protected] March 8th to be confirmed. June 5 Newhaven - Cuckmere Haven- Birling Gap, Carn Brea Mining Society April 12 Chalk from the Downs to the London Sussex - Martin Bates and Graham Williams. March 19 Society Annual Dinner, Tyacks Hotel Platform - Rory Mortimore, June 24 A Mid-Summer Geo Walk - Graham Camborne. May 10 Microfossils - Adrian Rundle. Williams. April 19 Society Annual General meeting followed June 14 Finding Oil - Stephen Wells. July 8 Farnham Geosoc New Zealand earthquake & by Holman archive film. Madeira DVD Dr John Gahan July 12 Pingos on Earth and Mars - Sheila Read. May 15 Mineral processing in Turkey - Ops Field Trip Contact - Dr Graham Williams tel: 01483 Contact Carole McCarthy Secretary: 020 8854 9138 Manager SGS Minerals Services UK. 573802 Email [email protected] email: [email protected] or Vernon Marks: 020 May 17 Mine Rescue -Terry Mankee. www:farnhamgeosoc.org.uk Contact - Mrs Shirley 8460 2354. Contact Lincoln James 01326 311420 Stephens tel: 01252 680215 Cymdeithas Daeaereg Gogledd Cymru: North Cheltenham Mineral and Geological Society Harrow & Hillingdon Geological Society Wales Geology For more information on lectures contact Ann Kent March 9 The Hydrogeology of Hertfordshire - Rob Contact Jonathan Wilkins 01492 583052 Email 01452 610375 Sage. [email protected] www.ampyx.org.uk/cdgc For more information on Field trips contact Kath March 26 Field meeting: Diamond Synchrotron Cymdeithas Y Daearegwyr Grwp De Cymru - Vickers 01453 827007. Harwell - Diamond Employees. South Wales Group - Craven & Pendle Geological Society April 7-11 Field meeting: Yorkshire Dales. Contact Lynda Garfield at [email protected] Contact: [email protected] or April 13 Application of Geophysics to Archaeology West of England www.cpgs.org.uk (investigation of Hebridean islands) - Revd Dr March 8 Dinosaur Island - Dr Steve Sweetman. Cumberland Geological Society Timothy Astin. March 12 Landscape features of the Gault and Upper March 9 AGM April 30 Field meeting: Sedgwick Museum. Greensand in the vicinity of Warminster Fault - www.cumberland-geol-soc-org.uk. May 11 AGM. Isabel Buckingham. The Devonshire Association (Geology Section) May 22 Field meeting: Chafford Hundred geological May 10 AGM. January 15 AGM Naturian Rocks to Dartmoor walk (Essex). May 14 Saltford, a geological ramble - Simon streams How have dragonflies evolved? Dr Robin June 8 Hertfordshire Puddingstone - some facts, Carpenter. Wootton. some theories and some unanswered questions. Contact Allan Insole email: [email protected] Contact Jenny Bennett 01647 24033 email Email: [email protected] Field trip infor - www.wega.org.uk [email protected] mation Allan Wheeler 01344 455451. West Sussex Geological Society The Dinosaur Society www.hhgs.org.uk March 18 Low Cost and remote sensing to aid disas - www. Dinosaursociety.com. Contact: Prof Richard Kent Geologists Group ter risk reduction - Dr Naomi Morris. Moody [email protected] March 15 AGM and Highgliffe - David Rayner. March 20 Mapping the Chalk in the Arun Valley - Dorset Natural History & Archaeology Society April 19 The Piltown Hoax - Nick Baker. Rory Mortimore. Contact Jenny Cripps email:jenny@dor- May 17 The first Billion Years - origins of the April 15 Space Science at MSSL - Dr Graziella mus.demon.co.uk Universe before the formation of the solar system - Branduardi. Earth Science Teachers Association Dr Chris Woolston. April 16 Fairlight Glen and Dinosaur Footprints - For membership contact: Mike Tuke miketuke@btin - June 21 Some Ups and downs of sea level - Dr Brian Ken Brooks. ternet.com. Tel 014804 57068 Marker. May 8 Geoff Meads car Ramble - the Ouse valley. ESTA website www.esta-uk.net Contact Indoor Secretary Mrs Ann Barrett Tel: Contact Betty Steel 01903 209140 East Herts Geology Club 01233 623126 email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] March 9 Earthquakes - Mike Tuke. GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 13 May Field trip to Guernsey. HOGG website www.geolsoc.org.uk/hogg email: [email protected] May 24 Geotechnical assets of Herts, Beds and The conference will cater for a wide range of inter - Contact David Ward - for field trips 01344 483563 Cambs. ests, and is open to all. For further information, con - Royal Geological Society of Cornwall June Wine and Geology. tact Nina Morgan [email protected]. We hope April 17 Field trip to Wheal Trewavas, Porthleven - July Geological Walk around Ware and picnic. to see you there! Stephen Polglase. October Field trip to Catalunya. Horsham Geological Field Club April 20 Social Impacts of Mining using examples Check website for venue or contact Diana Perkins March 9 The Lost World of the Arctic - Prof. Bob from Romania, Russia, Sweden, Bosnia Herzegovina 01920 463755. Spicer. and Cornwall - Dr EnAdey. www.ehgc.org.uk email: [email protected] April 13 Impact cratering and ejecta deposits - Dr May 18 Dr Chris Page discusses his work on Plants Visitors most welcome - £2 Kieran Howard. and Forests throughout Geological Time: What can East Midlands Geological Society May 11 AGM. we learn from combining Geology and Biology, and December 11 The Earth after us - Jan Zalasiewicz. June 8 A geological transect across the Himalaya - his next major book. January 15 Britain in the Freezer - a long term per - Dr Chris Duffin. Contact email: [email protected]. 01209 spective of Quaternary Ice Ages - Jonathan Lee. July 13 The Geology and Fossils of Bracklesham 860410. February 12 The Last 50 years of Mineral Bay - David Bone. The Russell Society Exploration in Britain - Tim Colman. Contact Mrs Gill Woodhatch 01403 250371 Email Frank Ince [email protected] Contact Secretary Janet Slater email. Hull Geological Society www.russellsoc.org [email protected] Contact Mike Horne 01482 346784 Shropshire Geological Society www.emgs.org.uk Email:[email protected] March 9 Stone Dr Ian Thomas, Director of the Edinburgh Geological Society http://www.hullgeolsoc.org.uk National Stone Centre. March 2 Natural Born Killers: the nature and haz - The Jurassic Coast www.shropshiregeology.org.uk ards of March 16 New Light on Dark - Dr Richard Details are available on the web site at www. Sidcup Lapidary and Mineral Society Brown Muds- Dr Sarah Davies Jurassiccoast.com. Meets every Monday evening at Sidcup Arts Centre. March 30 Global Nitrogen - Professor David Leicester Literary & Philosophical Society www.sidcuplapminsoc.org.duk Fowler (Geology) Contact Audrey Tampling 020 8303 9610 Email: www.edinburghgeolsoc.org. March 9 From Yorkshire to Argentina: an ammoni - [email protected]. Essex Rock and Mineral Society tologist's odyssey - Prof. Peter Rawson. Southampton Mineral and Fossil Society March 6 Field visit: Herne Bay. March 19 Annual Saturday Seminar, University of September 5 Hampshire Mineral & Fossil Show - March 8 The mineral Collector - Ivor Thurgood. Leicester: Theme: Glaciers, Ice Ages and Climate. time: 10:00 to 16:30 Venue: Lyndhurst March 27 Field Visit to Walton, Essex - Gerald Lucy. March 23 Annual General Meeting and Chairman's Community Centre, High St., Lyndhurst, Hants. April 10 Field visit: Erith Kent - Dr Peter Allen. Address (New Walk Museum, Leicester): Some new Admission: Adults £1, accompanied children under May 10 How hazardous is Britain ? Prof Martin plesiosaur discoveries - Mark Evans. 14 and Rockwatch members free Culshaw. Contact Joanne Norris 0116 283 3127 Email:j.e.nor - Contact: Gary Morse, 01489 787300 Email: June 14 Silicates - Dr Chris Duffin [email protected]. www.Charnia.org.uk [email protected] Graham Ward for Lectures 01277 218473. Leeds Geological Association Web site: http://members.lycos.co.uk/SMFS/smf - www.erms.org Both lectures at 7.00 pm at Ruport Beckett Lecture sshow.htm Friends of the Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge Theatre, Leeds University. Contact Gary Morse 01489 787300. Contact: Dr Peter Friend 01223-333400. Details : Judith Dawson 0113 2781060 or leedsga.org Stamford and District Geological Society Geological Society of Glasgow Liverpool Geological Society December 8 Icelandic Volcanoes 2010 and Beyond - Contact Dr Iain Allison email: Contact: Joe Crossley: 0151 426 1324 or email John Aram. [email protected] [email protected]. January 12 The Antartctic - Dr Alistaire Graham. Geological Society of Norfolk Manchester Geological Associatio n February 9 The Jambi Permian Flora of Sumatra and Contact Email: [email protected]. March 9 Are the things we do to protect against natu - its Geological Setting - Dr Mike Crow. Hastings and District Geological Society ral hazards just making things worse? - Dr. Jeff March 9th AGM. March 20 Members Day. Blackford. Contact: Bill Learoyd on 01780 752915 email: bill - April 17 The Polacanthus Story - Dr William Blows. Contact email: Sue Plumb, 0161 427 5835 email [email protected], [email protected]; May 22 Field trip. [email protected] . Ussher Society June 26 Barbecue. All meetings in the Williamson Building, University Contact Clive Nicholas 01392 271761. Contact Diana Williams email: [email protected] of Manchester. Warwickshire Geological Conservation Group www.hastingsgeolsoc.org.uk Mid Wales Minerals, Fossils and Geology Club March 16 Antarctica Rocks - Tom Sharpe. Hertfordshire Geological Society Contact Bill Bagley 01686 412679. Contact Ian Fenwick 01926 512531 emails March 4 Annual General Meeting, followed by wine Newbury Geological Study Group [email protected]. and cheese March 18-20 Barnstaple, North Devon www.wgcg.co.uk Exhibitions of specimens and slide shows by mem - April 17 Mendip Hills, Somerset Wessex Lapidary and Mineral Society bers of the society May 20-22 South Devon Contact Pat Maxwell 02380 891890 email: April 8 Radioactive particles in seabed sediments off June 19 Cotswold Hills, Gloucestershire [email protected] Scotland - a legacy of Britain's nuclear industry - July 17 Malvern Westmorland Geological Society Prof. Tim Atkinson (University College London) The Field Meetings season runs from October to July. March 16 Recent Activity on Mount Etna - Prof. Percy Evans Memorial Lecture: Normally meets on the third Sunday of the month. Harry Pinkerton, University of Lancaster. May 6 "Caves, climate change and human evolution Details www.ngsg.org.uk or Mike & Helen 01635 Contact Brian Kettle email: in South Africa - Dr Phil Hopley (University College 42190". [email protected] London). www.hertsgeolsoc.ology.org.uk Norfolk Mineral & Lapidary Society The Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club Contact Linda Hamling 01279 423815. Meetings at St Georges Church Hall, Churchfield, March 18 The Magallanes Basin in Southern History of Geology Group (HOGG) Green, Norwich. 19.30hrs every first Tuesday of the Patagonia - Dr Bill Fitches. The HOGG Conference on Geological Collectors Month except August. April 3 Gore Quarry and Stanner Rocks - Dr Geoff and Collecting will take place on 4-5 April 2011 at [email protected] Steel. the Flett Theatre at the Natural History Museum in North Eastern Geological Society Contact Sue Hay on 01432 357138 or svh.gab - London. It is timed to coincide with the Christies March 18 History of geology - Prof. David M. bros@btinternet .com Sale of Travel, Science and Natural History Artefacts Knight Yorkshire Geological Society on 6 April 2011. Convenors include John Henry www.northeast-geolsoc.50megs.com Email: mavis - March 27 Recent Advances in Carbon Capture and (HOGG member, and proprietor of 19th Century [email protected] or 01207 545907 Storage. Geological Maps), Sarah Long (Head of www.dur.ac.uk/g.r.foulger/NEGS.html September 24 Geolgoy and Industry: New Frontiers Palaeontology Collections at the Natural History Open University Geological Society joint meeting with West Yorkshire Geological Museum London), and Nina Morgan (Science writer Events - listed on http://ougs.org, or contact Christine Trust. and HOGG committee member). Arkwright [email protected] 01772 335316 Contact Trevor Morse 01833 638893 We are now beginning our registration process. A full Membership - contact Stuart Bull www.yorksgeolsoc.org.uk programme and timetable for the conference, a regis - [email protected] 01244 676865 tration form, which provides full details about the Reading Geological Society conference costs and how to register and a poster Hilary Jensen, General Secretary - for more details about the conference can be downloaded from the and general information tel: 0118 984 1600

14 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 Economic Aspects of the GA Trip to GEOPARK Harz - Braunschweiger Land - Ostfalen, Central Germany, August 2010.

Introduction plans to continue development as part of an overall energy Some of the earliest references to mining in the area are in strategy into the middle years of the century. This long-term De Re Metallica (Agricola [Georg Bauer] 1556 and Hoover planning (conspicuously absent in the UK) envisages the translation 1912 & 1950) who notes that the first mining development of a 1.2 Gt deposit near Stassfurt. Total charter for the Harz is dated 1219. He also refers to Halle in reserves in Saxony-Anhalt are estimated at 10.9 Gt and this a section on the medieval processes used in the salt industry has attracted international investors from the USA and (Book XII). There has, therefore, been a long history of min - Sweden. ing and mineral exploitation in the region, which is covered In addition to seeing the evidence of former workings by the following account. This is complementary to the daily around Halle, the party was able to tour a working mine at report of the trip given in the GA Magazine December 2010 Schöningen in Lower Saxony just across the former "internal (pp 18-24) and many of the locations mentioned below are border" (Iron Curtain) between the DDR and West Germany illustrated in that article. - indeed the deposit was mined on both sides leaving a pillar of unworked ground under the border. The open-pit is oper - Brown Coal ated by E.ON Kraftwerke GmbH and illustrates the interaction Evidence of brown coal working in Saxony-Anhalt was seen of the Palaeogene sedimentation with the salt tectonics in the from the air as we flew over a series of large lakes on the final underlying Permian evaporites. The Schöningen deposit is approach to Leipzig/ Halle Airport. These were the scars of preserved in an area of about 9 x 3 km within the 70 km long open-pit workings in Palaeogene (mainly Eocene) deposits and 4-7 km wide NW-SE trending Helmstedt-Stassfurt syn - that formed in gently subsiding basins as a result of haloki - cline. Movement continued after deposition producing a sim - nesis in underlying salt beds. The coal is interbedded with ilarly trending salt diapir that divided the initial basin into two soft silts and clays and is worked using giant bucket-wheel parallel synclines. The present workings are in the western excavators or Schaufelradbagger (see Fig 1). Unlike open - syncline, where 8 Mtpa overburden is removed to produce 2 cast workings in the UK, where sites are restored to approx - Mtpa of coal which goes directly by conveyor belt to a 380 imately the original ground level, brown coal working requires MW power station at Offleben. Other deposits occur nearby a large initial waste dump and at the end of operations leaves but are too deep to be economic and are unlikely to be a large hole in the landscape. In some cases this can be used worked. The coal has a calorific value of up to 11.5 MJ/kg, to advantage and can be developed for water sports but there higher than most brown coals (7.8-10.5 MJ/kg), but there are is a limit to the number of sites that can be used in this way. problems with high alkalis (2-10%) and sulphur (2-3%) due There were also extensive underground workings that are to groundwater contamination by brine and sulphates derived now liable to subsidence especially around old shafts or over from the rocksalt and gypsum in the diapir. The Offleben haulage levels. This type of mining, therefore, receives a power station is designed to cope with this and as a result it great deal of opposition from environmentalists. can also burn domestic waste. The Schöningen site is of great academic interest because it exposes mainly terrestrial Eocene beds (Thanetian to Priabonian) providing evidence of past climatic conditions. Brown coal is not only of value for its energy content but can sometimes be used as a chemical feedstock especially in relatively rare areas of high bitumen content. For example an extraction plant near Amsdorf (west of Halle) owned by ROMONTA GmbH produces montan (or lignite) wax from coal supplied by a nearby opencast mine. The wax consists of long-chain hydrocarbons (typically C24 - C30) that find many applications including bleaching, waterproofing and polishes - and it may well be present in your car wax. Production dates from 1922 when C.A. Riebeck'sche Montanwerke AG started processing the Amsdorf deposit. This aspect has not been left out of the long-term plans for the region and a joint local government/ industry initiative called Innovative Braunkohlen Integration (ibi) envisages the development of a "lignite chemical park" by 2020. Again another example of good long-term planning in the use of indigenous mineral resources that is so lacking in the UK. Brown coal was also used locally as a raw material for the production of synthetic oil (Fischer-Tropsch process) during WW II.

Fig. 1. Schöningen. A "medium sized" bucket wheel excavator used in Hard Coal the brown coal mine. Carboniferous and early Permian hard coals ( Steinkohlen ) played a small part in our visit and were seen at only two Nevertheless brown coal still accounts for 11 % of localities. The first was at Wettin between Halle and Germany's energy needs and 25 % of electricity generation Bernburg where evidence of mining could be seen in spoil tips with annual production of 175 Mt (2008) - mostly from the from over 30 small shafts that are now closed. The seams Rhineland. This is far lower than in the past when production are in the Wettin Subformation, thought to be of Stephanian reached 312 Mtpa in the former DDR alone. Much of this age, and occur in a complex structural situation that meant came from Saxony-Anhalt and concern over the environmen - that extraction could not be mechanised and all working was tal impact has led to the state having the highest concentra - done by hand. However, the coal was of coking quality as a tion of wind-farms in Europe. However that does not mean result of heat from the Permian intrusives of the Halle future brown coal working has been ruled out and there are Volcanic Complex and was in demand for smelting copper

GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 15 ores from the Kupferscheifer. It is thought to have formed in small lacustrine basins around 5 x 25 km in extent and is famous for its excellent plant remains some of which were found when we stopped off at the waste heap from the King George Shaft ( König Georg Schacht ). The second site was the Rabensteiner-Stollen near Ilfeld where a small area of coal occurs within a 900 m thick series of alluvial fan deposits (conglomerates and current bedded sandstones) and acid volcanics in the 120 km 2 Ilfeld Basin on the southern side of the Harz massif. It was worked from 1737-1896 with minor reopening during 1921-24 and 1946- 49 as a single seam of variable thickness but averaging around 600-800 mm. Attempts were made to mechanise extraction in the later workings by driving a 2.4 x 2.4 m drift dipping at about 15º along the line of an old low tunnel from 1820 that is still in use for mine drainage. Total production was 182 kt and the area is worked out. The quality was poor Fig. 2. Bernburg. The huge Solvay Quarry - the far wall is about 1 km with an ash content of 60-70%, however, it was the only coal away. available in the area and was in demand by smelters looking "Kalimandscharo" . There is one huge scar on the landscape for a source of fuel following the deforestation of the Harz at Bernburg, however, where the giant Solvay Quarry has Mountains. The geological setting is unusual with the coal been developed in the limestones of the Lower Muschelkalk forming in a post-Variscan intermontane basin that existed (see Fig 2). This quarry is unusual in being worked by two from the Stephanian to the Saxonian, the coal itself being separate companies, one (Solvay Chemicals GmbH) using the dated as Autunian. The adjacent beds contain abundant Solvay process to produce sodium carbonate from limestone plant remains but these have never been systematically stud - and brine and the other (SCHWENK Zement KG) manufactur - ied. Hard coal mining elsewhere in Germany is in decline with ing cement. This is a useful symbiosis because the Solvay only eight pits still working and these are scheduled to close process requires lump limestone around 60 mm in diameter by 2018 when under EU rules government subsidies have to and the cement works makes use of the finer material. end. In addition to the salt and potash workings, the Zechstein evaporites are also worked for their gypsum and anhydrite Salt and Other Evaporites. content around Nordhausen where these beds reach the sur - The city of Halle (Salle) was our base for the first half of face. The deposits have been both mined and quarried - evi - the trip and may take its name from the Pre-Germanic word dence of the latter being seen from the coach as we travelled "hall" for salt whilst the River Saale may have been similarly from Halle to Warberg at Rottleberode (KNAUF) and derived from the Germanic word "salz" ; both reflecting the Niedersachswerfen (inactive). Mining in the area also includ - importance of this mineral to the area. Salt harvesting from ed the workings used for the infamous Nordhausen brine springs dates to the Bronze Age and the first written Concentration Camp where the V2 rocket was assembled in record is in a charter of 968. The salt springs were situated mine tunnels during WW II. in what is now the city centre and resulted from brine rising along the Market Place Fault ( Hallesche Marktplatz Störung ) The Kupferschiefer from beds in the Zechstein 500 m lower on the downthrow The Kupferscheifer (translated variously as copper slate or side. Individual springs had a concentration of up to 25% shale) occurs at or near the base of the Zechstein and out - NaCl and salt was extracted by evaporating the brine on-site. crops along the southern margin of the Harz Mountains. It Subsequently in the 17th and 18th centuries rocksalt was rests unconformably on the Rotliegends and represents the mined locally and a large salt works was built on the outskirts beginning of the first cycle of Zechstein sedimentation (Z1). of Halle. There was a major breakthrough in 1856 when Uplift of the Harz massif resulted in Permian and later sedi - potassium salts were found during shaft sinking for a rocksalt ments being upturned close to the southern margin of the mine near Stassfurt giving rise to a major mining and chem - block so that workings in this area are more vein-like with ical industry. These deposits also gave their name to the typ - dips of up to 70º. Away from this boundary the deposit dips ical Permian evaporites seen elsewhere in Europe (for exam - gently southward at about 10-15º and the workings are sim - ple Cheshire and Cleveland in the UK) in which a sequence of ilar to those in other mines in stratified deposits using pillar beds starting with calcium and magnesium carbonates and and stall methods of extraction. The details of the geological sulphates pass upwards into halite and finally into relatively setting of the Kupferschiefer were demonstrated by Dr Carl- soluble potassium and magnesium salts (sylvite, carnallite, Heinz Friedel during our visit to the Röhrigschacht, one of the kainite and langbeinite). The first three components form mines in the Sangerhausen basin. As in many mines the best massive beds, but the potassium salts are of limited extent exposures were in the Main Haulage Level that cuts across only occurring in lenses up to 3 m thick within the rocksalt the bedding and, in between dodging mine trains, we were and have to be selectively mined. The situation is further able to see the stratigraphical setting of the deposit. The complicated because the beds are often near vertical as a Kupferschiefer itself is an unprepossessing dark pyritic and result of movement within the salt. organic-carbon rich shale or siltstone bed about 300-400 mm The deposits are currently being worked either by deep thick overlain first by limestone and later by anhydrite (see mining (around 400-1,400 m) or by solution mining at Fig 3). The mineralisation occurs in the Weissliegendes, a Bernburg and Zielitz by K+S Kali GmbH (and its subsidiary leached zone at the top of the Rotliegends (50%), in the esco ) - the largest salt company and fourth largest producer shale or siltstone itself (20%), and in the limestone and occa - of potash in the world. Use ranges from rocksalt used on sionally up into the anhydrite (30%). The copper content roads, through table salt, to specialist potassium rich fertilis - averages around 2-3 kg/m 2 but occasionally reaches 15 ers in which the potash is mixed with nitrogen and phospho - kg/m 2. Similar horizons occur higher up in the Zechstein but rus compounds to make a general-purpose product. Brine are not mineralised. The seam was mined by hand in very from solution mining is also used for table salt or as a feed - low workings and attempts at mechanisation were not suc - stock for the chemical industry. Unlike Cheshire, famous for cessful. its "flashes", there is little surface evidence of salt mining in The unconformity at the base of the Zechstein covers an Saxony-Anhalt although major subsidence has occurred in area of 600,000 km 2 (23,000 sq miles) extending from the the centre of Stassfurt. Elsewhere the salt mines look like east side of Britain (as the Marl Slate), across the North Sea normal factories dotted about the generally rolling country - into Germany and Poland. It is by no means mineralised over side marked only by heaps of white salt waste nicknamed this entire area, although it is of great economic importance 16 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 this activity housed in the museum in Bernburg Castle that has a wide range of ore and gangue minerals on display, including some rare examples such as zinkenite (a lead anti - mony sulphide described from the Harz in 1826 and named after J K L Zincken) in addition to the display of a range of copper minerals plus galena, sphalerite, fluorite, calcite, etc. Several other minor mineral operations were seen includ - ing clay pits (Tontagebauen) at Beesenlaublingen near Bernburg and at Altenburg near Quedlinburg; a silica sand quarry (Quarzsand Grube) at Uhry; and an iron ore mine (Eisenerz Grube) at Rottorf-am-Klei, the latter two both being near Helmstedt. The clay pit in the Lower Trias Bernburg Formation was not being worked but had been used in the past as a source of alumina for the cement works (SCHWENK Zement KG) fed by the Solvay Quarry in Bernburg (see above). Similarly, the pit at Altenburg was inactive although it had been economic in DDR times (Keramische Werke Fig. 3. Röhrigschacht. The Kupferschiefer exposed in the Main Quedlinburg GbR) and used Santonian clays and marls to Haulage Level of the mine. manufacture bricks and tiles using a poor quality local as the cap rock to the natural gas deposits in the Rotliegends Mesozoic coal as fuel. of the Southern North Sea basin. The Kupferschiefer shale is At the silica sand quarry near Uhry (Schlingmeier absent in some areas or is underlain by Zechstein sand - Quarzsand GmbH & Co. KG) the sand is worked with modern stones, conglomerates and occasionally a limestone in oth - suction dredgers from below groundwater level then washed ers, reflecting the uneven nature of the pre-Zechstein sur - and sized in hydroclassifiers. Parts are dry-sized with screen - face. Even within individual mining areas, the mineralisation ing machines to obtain very narrow size ranges and other is not continuous and a large scale mine plan showing adja - high-quality grades, with very low iron and titanium contents, cent mines seen during the Röhrigschacht visit indicated that are produced by gravity and magnetic separation. The sand worked areas were of the order of a few km 2 with barren is used in the glass, foundry, construction, water, ceramic, zones in between. Similar workings occur in the Mansfeld chemical and many other industries. The deposit is of Upper basin to the east. The mines are marked by huge conical Cretaceous to Lower Palaeogene age and the sand is believed heaps such as the Hohe Linde that contains 20 Mt of waste to have been derived from re-worked Triassic sandstones, rock and covers an area of 13 ha to a height of 150 m. These possibly with some additional leaching by descending acid deposits were considered economic in DDR times but have groundwaters from overlying Tertiary brown coal seams. The not been worked since 1990, although similar ones are still sand deposit is overlain by a few metres of glacial drift and being mined in the Polish Zechstein Basin where there is also this was the source of the boulders used in the on-going exploration such as the recent award of a six-year Findlingsgarten at Königslutter (see below) although several exploration licence to Strzelecki Metals Ltd to explore an area giant boulders, one estimated at 45 t, have been left at the of over 300 km 2 in SW Poland. information point overlooking the quarry. The origin of the deposits has long been the subject of The Ernst-August iron ore mine at Rottorf (inactive) was debate but it is known that the Cu, Pb and Zn and associat - worked from 1937-1950 and produced 350 kt of ore from a ed mineralisation (including some Au, Pt, Pd and Te) is locat - 10 m thick bed of oolitic ironstone of Pliensbachian age. The ed above or close to suture lines in the Carboniferous base - deposit is similar to British Jurassic iron ores and is low grade ment separating the Saxothuringian from the averaging only 22% Fe. The lime content is high, however, Rhenohercynian zones. In addition the presence of Lower enabling it to be used in place of limestone in smelting high - Permian volcanics in the Rotliegends seems to be a prerequi - er grade ores in the blast-furnace. In the Halle area, refer - site for Cu and in the case of the Polish deposits there is evi - ence was also made to the presence of small kaolinite work - dence of a geothermal anomaly in the lower crust. Some of ings in Permian rhyolites, thought to be due to tropical the Cu may also have been sourced from highly sheared ophi - weathering during the Tertiary (cf Devon and Cornwall), and olites in the basement. The current theory envisages the to the extensive quarrying of the Permian porphyry for build - development of deep-seated convective systems of highly ing stone, but none of these workings were visited. Similarly saline brines at temperatures of around 70-80ºC with a max - nothing was seen of the natural gas extraction nor of the imum of 120ºC. These leached Cu and other metals from the research into the underground gas storage that is taking country rock and these moved upwards (possibly as a result place in Saxony-Anhalt. of seismic pumping) into the porous dune sands of the Rotliegends where they came into contact with the sulphur- Geotourism rich shales and mudstones of the Kupferschiefer resulting in As in Britain, many parts of Germany, that were formerly the deposition of fine grained sulphide minerals. These are the site of heavy industry,GA are now in decline and atten - principally minerals of the Cu-S group (chalcocite, digenite tion is being focussed on developing service industries such and covellite) and the Cu-Fe-S group (bornite and chalcopy - as tourism (see Fig 4). In Central Germany this has led to rite) together with galena and sphalerite. The mineralisation the development of the large Harz - Braunschweiger Land - may have started soon after the deposition of the Ostfalen GEOPARK that covers an area of 120 x 100 km. The Kupferschiefer and there is strong evidence that it continued project involves three different Länder , Lower Saxony, during the Trias and possibly into the Jurassic. The local con - Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, the latter two having been in centration of the mineralisation at the kilometre scale seems the DDR prior to re-unification (or "the change" as it is to be related to the intersection of a conjugate set of NW-SE termed) and involves 18 other local authorities in the three and NE-SW faults. federal states - hence its rather long name. The area is for - tunate in having a very varied geology and a legacy of former Base Metals and Other Minerals mining activity that enables it to be illustrated (cf the North Like other Hercynian massifs, the Harz is famous for its Pennines AONB Geopark in the UK). It also hosts some base metal mineralisation and is the site of the Bergakademie unique features that are well worth the attention of visiting at Clausthal-Zellerfeld - the German equivalent of the geologists. The GEOPARK has several main visitor centres Camborne School of Mines. There are many show mines but that are being steadily expanded and four of these were vis - none were on our route and this aspect of local geology was ited at Rossla, Quedlinburg, the Brocken Summit and not covered - indeed this could well be made the subject of Königslutter. There is strong support from local authorities in another trip. However we were able to see the products of the area and signs of considerable investment in museums GA magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 17 1935. They were formed as a result of the Harz massif being pushed northwards during the Alpine orogeny against the Permian and Mesozoic sediments resulting in a complex zone where some beds were overturned and later selectively silici - fied. North of this is an area of generally flat lying Mesozoic strata that under normal circumstances would be relatively featureless, but movement in the underlying Permian salt has produced diapirs and salt ridges that have created a series of domes and anticlines that bring older strata to the surface. For example the Santonian clay noted above at Quedlinburg and limestones of Lower Buntersandstein age at Heeseberg famous as the locality for Kalkowsky's stromatolites. Salt tectonics is important in the North Sea oilfields and the area no doubt provides an excellent training ground for oil geolo - gists in a similar way to our use of the Jurassic Coast in the UK. Last but not least are the Findlings , the term given to the large glacial erratics up to 2 m in diameter that are scat - Fig. 4. Königslutter. Sign of the times - directions to the Geopark tered about the area and are uncovered during mining or Information Centre. construction. These are on display at many localities and a that are up-to-date and well laid out. Sites of geological special Findlingsgarten has been set up near Königslutter interest ( Geologisher Exkursionpunkt or Geopunkt for short) containing over 300 boulders, mainly of Scandinavian origin, are marked on maps and provided with excellent explanato - some of which have been cut and polished to show their min - ry boards (similar to those sponsored by the GA through the eralogy. The GEOPARK is now part of a network of 35 simi - Curry Fund ) the only problem being that the text is usually lar European locations and we will undoubtedly see further entirely in German - partly overcome by the use of good developments and further international links in future. It is explanatory diagrams. certainly worth another visit. Several items of particular interest were seen on the trip. These included the unusual karst landscape in the SOURCES. Nordhausen-Sangerhausen area south of the Harz where the The above account has been based on information given on bedrock is massive gypsum or anhydrite rather than lime - the trip together with the notes provided on the back of the stone. The two minerals are slightly soluble and develop all geological maps of the region prepared by the Landesamt für the features that one would see in a limestone region, Geologie und Bergwesen Sachsen-Anhalt (LAGB - State although there are slight differences because in this case the Agency for Geology and Mining for Saxony-Anhalt). This has process is entirely one of solution rather than chemical reac - been supplemented by information from the German govern - tion. For example an area of deeply weathered joints, simi - ment and company Internet sites and generally available lar to clints and grikes, together with small caves was seen geological literature. In particular the LAGB website near Questenberg, together with larger scale features such as www.lagb.sachsen-anhalt.de/ itself provides access to a very sink holes, dolines and dry-valleys. Moving to the northern wide range of on-line geological maps of the area. side of the Harz massif we were able to visit the Devil’s Wall (Teufelsmauer) near Weddersleben. These unusual forma - Dave Greenwood. tions were placed under the protection of the local authority as early as 1833 and the site has been a nature reserve since

MOLE VALLEY Dorset. The roof is covered with Delabole slate from Cornwall. Entering GEOLOGISTS GO the church over a slab of Cornish gran - ite one sees a font of Cornish serpenti - TO CHURCH nite. Though the inside of the church is On 25th July, under the guidance of largely built of Bath and Portland lime - MVGS President Dick Selley, over 30 stones, there is extensive use of a members and guests studied the geol - wide range of ornamental stones ogy of St Barnabas Church, Ranmore including granite, sandstone, alabaster, Common, on the North Downs over - and several types of marble. These looking Dorking. The church was rocks were brought to the site from all designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott over England, and from as far away as and built by George Cubitt, the First France and Italy. A booklet describing Baron Ashcombe in 1859. The church the geology of St Barnabas is available Prof. Selley pontificates is now listed Grade 2*. The object of at the church and from me the visit was not to study architecture, ([email protected]). however, but the amazing variety of After the tour members enjoyed the rocks with which the church is built. sunshine and tea in the churchyard The exterior is framed with Bath stone, waited on by Sir Hugh and Lady Cubitt, a middle Jurassic limestone from the descendants of Thomas Cubitt. St Cotswolds, and faced with flint cobbles. Barnabas's famous teas are served to These are certainly not derived from geologists, as well as the wider public, the local chalk or overlying 'Clay-with- on Sunday afternoons throughout the flints'. The cobbles are rounded and of summer. uniform size. Their surfaces are cov - Clare Hill ered with 'chatter marks' indicative of multiple subaqueous impacts. Members Press & Publicity Officer mused that they could have come from Tea at last! as far away as the Chesil Beach in

18 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 Rockwatch News

This is a relatively quiet time for ever in precious gems markets, Rockwatch, a time for reflection of the caveat emptor! year's events and planning for the The afternoon session began with forthcoming field trips, which is Ron Callender from whom we learnt always exciting and leaves me full of about Scotland's gold rush of the anticipation for some great fossil 1860's and of some of the uses of finds! that gold. From Maggie Campbell Our last few events in 2010 saw us Pedersen we heard how organic gem very busy at Manchester University materials (of plant and animal origin) Museum in mid-December at its have been used by man for the past Jurassic Day. Even an event just 40,000 years! She concentrated before Christmas drew lots of families mainly on amber with tips on how to keen to make Jurassic dioramas, do avoid many of the fakes on the mar - Dioramas at Manchester some fossil identification, enjoy the ket today. The NHM's meteorite cura - museum exhibits and meet Dr Phil tor, Caroline Smith, gave an interest - Manning on a live link from his ing overview of meteorite types and dinosaur expedition in the western the information that their analyses USA. He sent greetings to all the yield. She also looked at some mete - Rockwatchers at the Museum! It was orite falls - when and where - and a good day and we were lucky considered whether there is any sub - enough to have some of our members stantial evidence for life on Mars. The helping us that day - always a privi - final talk, from William Burgess, cov - lege, and they are keen to share their ered Arsenic in the Bengal Basin. This enthusiasm for Rockwatch with visi - environmental tragedy is affecting tors! the health of many millions of people A fast train journey back to London in the area and we heard how the after this and we were ready for a problem was discovered and what My Jurassic diorama - Manchester joint one day meeting with the steps are being taken to help amelio - Mineralogical Society, the Russell rate it. Society and GemA in association with It was a good meeting and I'm the Natural History Museum. Even delighted that Rockwatch was asked though it was a Sunday, just before to be a co-convenor. A number of our Christmas, it was a very well attend - members attended at a significantly ed meeting including a number of reduced rate, thanks to support from Rockwatch members and their fami - the Curry Fund . I'm sure that they lies. The morning session focussed on learnt a lot from the day, and who mineral analysis and identification knows, maybe for one or two of with a more general session in the them, it may have been the spark to afternoon. set them off on a career path allied to Fred Mosselmans gave an interest - mineralogy! I look forward to future ing talk on "Illuminating the sciences: joint events with the Mineralogical the Diamond Light Source". It was in Society. Rockwatch activities at Ipswich 2007 that use of the UK's national In January we had an excellent synchrotron - Diamond Light Source - Family Day, focusing on Suffolk in the was first offered to external experi - Ice Age, at the Ipswich Museum. This menters, and Fred told us how this was hosted by the Museum and by amazing facility is used across the members of GeoSuffolk and entire science spectrum and briefly Rockwatch. There was story telling - what it does and how it works. He tales of Lake Ipswich during the Ice was followed by Peter Treolar, who Age - geology trails around the took us through some of the non- Museum, fossil identification, quizzes, destructive analytical methods used plaster casting and making Ice Age for gemstones and minerals, explain - dioramas. A steady stream of visitors ing the importance of such methods, throughout the day meant that all the particularly when dealing with pre - helpers were kept very busy and cious gemstones. We heard about feedback from some of the visitors micro-computed tomography as showed that the day was highly suc - Rockwatch at Ipswich Museum applied to mineral samples from Terry cessful. Once again, we were fortu - the front of a whole range of activities Williams and the uses being devel - nate to have one of our young for youngsters and their families who oped for this newish analytical Rockwatch members helping out with are interested in learning more about method. The final talk of the morning activities, which was good fun for him Planet Earth and how it works. We session from Doug Garrod let us in to and very helpful for us! couldn't do it without you and the some of the methods currently used So, an excellent series of events for wonderful support of our sponsors. detect ways in which rubies are being the close of the year. As ever, our treated before going on to the market heartfelt thanks to all those who give Susan Brown and how such treated rubies can be their time so graciously to help keep detected. Most illuminating and, as Rockwatch on the road and firmly at Chairman

GA magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 19 GA Trip to Newhaven 27 March 2010 - leader Geoff Toye

In March 2010, a small band of GA trying to identify the various notches in members met Geoff Toye for a trip pri - the vertical cliff face that mark the pres - marily aimed at collecting fossils from ence of the specific marl seams. the Chalk on the foreshore between Having had a fine day up to this point, Newhaven and Peacehaven. a light drizzle set in for the long walk At 10 am the tide was high, so we back along the wave-cut platform on began by examining the Tertiary outlier the foreshore. This didn't stop the keen - on Castle Hill, Newhaven. Geoff showed est fossil collectors who tapped away us a fine example of the cauliflower-like and managed to extract some good mineral aluminite Al 2(SO 4)(OH) 4.7H 2O examples of echinoids,brachiopods and (Fig. 1) which can be found here at the the bivalve Spondylus and plates of the contact of the Chalk with the Upnor zonal crinoid Marsupites . The latter Formation. The basal Palaeocene were found more or less in the middle of Thanet Sand Formation, found further the walk towards where the lowest hori - east along the coast at Pegwell Bay, is zon of Chalk is exposed in the Old Nore Beds above the Brighton Marl. The rest

Fig. 3. The Woolwich Shell Bed (Lambeth Group) displayed in the cliff. Eventually the party set off on the 2 km walk along the cliff top to the next access to the foreshore (down the steps at Peacehaven). Steve Tracey explained how he had observed diggers excavat - Fig. 1. Aluminite (Al 2(SO 4)(OH) 4.7H 2O), ing to within a few metres of the cliff Fig. 5. The Chalk cliffs at Peacehaven. The collected by Geoff Toye on a previous steps are located in the recess in the middle of occasion. edge to provide a flattish area for the Park Homes complex, constructed a few the picture and allow close examination of the absent at Newhaven. There is a time years ago in a hollow behind Castle Hill section. gap of approximately 30 Ma at this to the south of Newhaven. We could see junction, marked by the eroded top of that the wheels of the mobile homes of us contented ourselves just looking, the Chalk, and a question mark as to had been firmly bricked in and the area taking photographs (Fig. 6) and collect - whether the earliest Cenozoic rocks now assumed the character of a hous - ing loose samples. A notable find, a were ever laid down here. ing estate. How the developer ever fine, flint echinoid was made by Theresa Where the Reading Formation is chan - managed to gain planning permission to MacIntyre. Thanks to Geoff for an inter - nelled through the Upnor Formation into dig behind the cliff remains a mystery. esting and productive day. the Chalk there is a convenient gully The remaining cliff-top path was very with a scree slope that can be clam - narrow at this point and had been seri - bered up allowing examination of the ously eroded by the severe winter of rocks and access to the cliff top (Fig. 2). 2009/2010 (Fig. 4). How long can this Crystals of selenite (the clear form of valley remain protected from the sea? gypsum) are commonly found washed Maybe by the time of the next GA visit Castle Hill will have become an island. The steps down to the foreshore at Peacehaven provided an excellent plat - form for viewing the succession of the Newhaven and Culver Chalk Formations, with the Castle Hill Flints and Marls and the Meeching Marls being prominent marker horizons (Fig. 5). We sat on the beach to eat our lunch while Fig. 6. Remains of a fossil sponge on the fore - shore between Peacehaven and Newhaven.

Fig. 2. The Tertiary channel incised in the Chalk cliff allowing access to Castle Hill Diana Clements behind. È out on the scree slope and Geoff found some fine, in situ examples, probably from the slipped Woolwich Formation, a little further west along the cliff. Further up Castle Hill the party spent some time looking at exposures of the Woolwich Fig. 4. Park Homes behind the narrow ridge of Shelly Clays (Fig. 3) but the Tertiary cliff adjacent to Castle Hill. Where the develop - material was mostly slumped and it was ers have excavated into the cliff, recent erosion difficult to untangle the stratigraphy on has been at its greatest on the seaward side this part of the cliff. (fenced off in orange). 20 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 Meldon Field Trip 11 September 2010

I was keen to go on this field trip because, Meldon Anticline which is an asymmetric although there had been a Wessex OUGS field structure with both limbs dipping to the N.W. trip to Meldon Aplite Quarry a year or two The dip is apparent on the edge of a deep for - back, we hadn't been to the 'British Rail' mer quarry, now called Meldon Pool where Quarry which I had visited when I was study - lime-rich rocks were quarried in the 19th C ing for my degree in 1967! The field trip con - and used for agricultural purposes. The lime - vened at the car park at GR SX567925 on the stone is very dark in colour because of high Aplite Quarry approach road to the Meldon Quarries. organic content and there is significant radio - owned by Aggregate Industries. The contract Initially we played a plate tectonic 'game', larian chert possibly replacing the original for ballast for the rail network has been lost each person acting as a plate or part of one limestone. Unfortunately, access to the expo - from this quarry and this is now supplied from and being moved by our field trip leader sure is very difficult because of the deep water Mountsorell in Leicestershire. The quarry has Eddie Bailey to explain the plate tectonic evo - of the pool and is also obscured by abundant exposures of hornfels, chiastolite slate and lution of the area. We then followed a track tree growth A very well preserved lime kiln dolerite. The chiastolite slate shows typical westwards parallel to the A30, the noise from can be seen just south of the viaduct which evidence of contact metamorphism (Dartmoor which was extremely intrusive. On reaching used to carry the Launceston to Exeter rail Granite intrusion) with randomly orientated the Okement River we walked up stream link which closed in the 1960s with the crystals of chiastolite superimposed on the looking at and interpreting the exposures Beeching cuts. The viaduct is still accessible slatey cleavage from earlier regional meta - along the river bank. It was an extremely for walkers and cyclists. morphism (Variscan Orogeny). The dolerite is pleasant walk through the thickly wooded, After following the Okement River for some part of a couple of intrusions identified as deeply incised valley. Not only was there the way we joined a tributary stream, the Red-a- dykes; the rock is quite fine grained almost geology but an abundance of fungi in the ven Brook, to reach the Meldon Aplite basalt but porphyritic with feldspar phe - autumnal conditions. Quarries. Aplite is a very fine grained granitic nocrysts. The western side of the quarry is The rocks which are exposed in the Meldon rock formed from aqueous poor magma at the interesting but not very accessible because of area are late Devonian and early the risk of rock slides. The strata are folded Carboniferous in age, round about 330 Ma. and dip towards the quarry and there have There was basin subsidence in Devonian been failures along joints. There is evidence times with an east west trending trough where of small scale folding in the dipping strata too. deltaic sediments accumulated which covered On the bedding planes some interesting regu - most of what we now call Devon. lar depressions were noted, but could not be Gondwanaland was moving north to give rise explained. They could be prod marks but were to the Variscan Orogeny. Transform faulting probably too regular. The marks are elongated produced considerable dislocation. The rocks following the strike which is NE/SW on NW exposed in the area are varied with tuffs and Meldon Pool dipping bedding. The surfaces also appeared welded tuffs from volcanic activity as well as end of the igneous intrusion process, in this to have large scale ripples. On the NW face of slate with lenticles of sandstone. The sedi - case associated with the Dartmoor Granite. the quarry further ripple marks were observed ment supply was limited being part of a The Meldon aplite is unique in the U.K. but they were at right angles to those seen in starved basin. It is thought that the water because its composition (Na, K, Li, Be, F, Rb, the aplite quarry and on the opposite face of depth was no more than a few tens of metres. and B rich) gives rise to unusual minerals the Meldon Quarry. In the extreme east of the Presumably there were other basins to the such as petalite, lepidolite, fluorite, apatite quarry a large block of galena was found in north within the trough that intercepted the and tourmaline (in addition to quartz and the past, reportedly requiring three people to sediment supply from the erosion of the feldspar) associated with the volatiles in the lift it. Some of this specimen is still in the Caledonian land area further north; a BGS residual fraction of the magma. The aplite quarry offices and shows excellent cubic habit borehole at Cannington in north Devon was intruded into Meldon Shale, quartzite of the galena. During our visit the quarry floor records Waulsortian reefs and these too may beds and tuffs being part of a syncline to the showed a lot of bright orange mineral staining have acted to stem sediment supply. The rocks south of the Meldon anticline. Veins of aplite from run-off. are largely unfossiliferous and have been dif - can be seen invading the country rocks. The Despite the quarry being an SSSI there are ficult to date accurately. They have been dated associated country rocks have been converted areas on the NW side of the quarry operations stratigraphically based on fossiliferous rocks to hornfels by contact metamorphism associ - which could not be accessed because they are above and below in the succession and struc - ated with the Dartmoor Granite to the south. considered too dangerous. This is a great pity turally based on deformation characteristics. The tuffs are also well exposed on the banks and it is hoped that with support from Natural Moving south the first certain deposits of the of Red-a-ven Brook. In the more easterly of England the rock face can be made safe and Carboniferous outcrop - the Lower Culm the aplite quarries the country rock shows accessible so its geological interest can be Meldon Shale and Quartzite Formation were well developed symmetric ripples suggesting accessed. seen. The subsequent tectonics created the the marine origin of the original sediments. An excellent day and I was sorry not to be Here the rocks are dipping to the north west able to continue with the visit to the and the ripple crests run north east / south Greystone Quarry on the following day. west following the strike of the beds. Thanks to Eddie, Sam and the quarry manag - At lunchtime when we were joined by Sam er for giving up their time. Rhodes (also a geologist with Aggregate Industries) and spent time at the Meldon Quarry Rock Park, we were able to see a Alan Holiday range of rock types found in the Meldon Quarry explained by reference to a well designed information board. After lunch we visited the former British Rail Quarry now Meldon Quarry GA magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 21 Letters to the Editor...... The little grey cells got to work and I Stuart Baldwin writes..... deduced that this particular specimen Peter Worsley writes.... Seeing the picture of the Riddlesdown had been through the lime kiln former - In the Report from Council ( GA Quarry on page 6 of the GA Magazine , ly on the site, thereby converting the Magazine September 2010), the Vol.9 No. 3 September 2010, reminds chalk in the echinoid into lime: General Secretary says '..and Keele me of an amusing incident resulting University proposing to cease including from a visit there some 50 years ago Chalk (Calcium carbonate) CaCO 3 + geology as a module in its teaching just after it had stopped working. I lived heat = Lime (CaO) + Carbon dioxide course'. This set alarm bells ringing for only about two miles from this quarry (CO 2) me as a Keele Geology graduate. and in my early collecting days usually At the HOGG meeting I spoke with with Michael Durkin, each visit yielded The addition of water produced slaked Hugh Torrens and I now understand the many Chalk echinoids especially lime via an extremely exothermic situation. The closure threat was to the Micraster sp , particularly from fallen chemical reaction: 1 year PGCE Science Education course blocks. led by Chris King. It had nothing to do On arrival home, the relatively soft Lime (CaO) + Water (H 2O) = Slaked with the School of Earth Sciences and chalk matrix would be removed in the Lime Ca(OH) 2 + lots of heat. Geography. Happily with a change of VC kitchen sink under running water with and an increased intake of students the the aid of a stiff scrubbing brush and Regretfully the result was just an immediate threat has passed. the echinoids placed on the draining amorphous pile of slaked lime. I think that a note which removes the board to dry out. On one such occasion, ambiguity in the Keele situation would on returning to the draining board, I I look forward to seeing this little be helpful to those, who like me, had was amazed to see a column of hot episode HOT off the press. the wrong impression as to the situation water vapour rising from one of the at Keele. Micrasters. On picking it up it became apparent that it was very HOT and I dropped it as the proverbial potato.

The Geological Terrace at Bournemouth University .

The Geological Terrace at Bournemouth University is made up of a collection of nearly 200 rock types from around the United Kingdom (see picture 1). These were originally locat - ed at the Russell-Cotes Museum in Bournemouth, but over 20 years ago the rocks were put into store and in 2005 they were relocated to Bournemouth University. This was achieved through the support of the Curry Fund of the G.A. Unfortunately, although the origin of all the samples is known, because a catalogue was produced by Norman Silvester at the Museum, the samples have now nearly all lost their numbers and many are difficult to identify. The cata - logue in some cases gives a description of the rock sample but in many cases it records where the sample came from Fig. 1 and a building in which it was used, but little or no descrip - tive information on the rock sample itself. Most of the sam - ples are quite large and robust (see figure 2 - Penrhyn Slate any of the examples still to be identified. Refund of postage and figure 3 still to be firmly identified!) but some are miss - is possible. This so far has produced a limited response ing and others are suffering the ravages of time e.g. Chalk although a couple of people have shown they are interested samples. Since 2005 the Dorset Geologists' Association and one has provided useful photographic information. A Group (DGAG) has been trying to identify the rock samples spread sheet has been placed on the DGAG website which with the aim of producing an information board so passers by lists the samples in the original collection and those samples can learn more about the rock types. Some samples are easy (and their origin) still to be identified so anyone interested to identify e.g. Shap Granite but many are not so easy. For can focus their attention on the required samples. I wasn't example, there are several specimens of 'whinstone'. After aware of the Curry Fund support until it was mentioned very slow initial progress, recently some members of the DGAG recently by Eric Robinson - hence this item in the Magazine. have been collecting samples of rock from quarries men - If G.A. members can help as well it will be much appreciated. tioned in the catalogue when visiting nearby locations with For further information see the DGAG website: www.dorset - the aim of matching those collected with samples in the geologistsassociation.com Geological Terrace. However this is a fairly lengthy process. In order to speed up the collecting operation Down to Earth was contacted to Alan Holiday enlist their readers Chairman support. We pro - posed, by drawing the D.G.A.G. project to the atten - tion of their readers, that some of them might be willing to get involved by sending samples (5-10 cm in size) to DGAG if they Fig. 2 live near the source of Fig.3 22 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 GEOLOGISTS' ASSOCIATION FIELD GUIDES GRAND SALE MEMBER'S PRICE REDUCED PRICE GUIDE NO 7 MANCHESTER £11.00 £7.00 GUIDE NO 26 PEAK DISTRICT £11.00 £7.00 GUIDE NO 32 ARRAN £11.00 £7.00 GUIDE NO 47 COASTAL LANDFORMS Please add £1.50 postage to OF WEST DORSET £11.00 £7.00 orders and send with a GUIDE NO 50 CYPRUS £11.00 £7.00 cheque made payable to GUIDE NO 54 ABERYSTWYTH £11.00 £7.00 'The Geologists' Association' GUIDE NO 55 WEALD £11.00 £7.00 and send to The Geologists' GUIDE NO 56 CASTLETON - NORTH PEAK DISTRICT £11.00 £7.00 Association, Burlington GUIDE NO 59 HADRIAN'S WALL £11.00 £7.00 House, Piccadilly, London GUIDE NO 61 WESTERN FRONT £11.00 £7.00 W1J 0DU GUIDE NO 43 COSTA BLANCA £6.00 £4.00 GUIDE NO 62 LANZAROTE £6.00 £4.00 SALE ENDS 30 JUNE 2011

Quick Lime, Slow Burn - A With the help of members of Norfolk Overnight burn of the temporary field kiln Geodiversity Partnership, the Geological weekend in the woods at Society of Norfolk and Whitlingham Whitlingham Country Park, Country Park, and with sponsorship Norwich, September 10th to from Natural England and the Curry Fund of the Geologists' Association, 12th 2010 three years later Matt Muldoon of the Smoke hung in the Saturday morning Natural Building Company turned the air, and the smell of burnt chalk lingered 'burn' idea into reality. in a woodland dell at Whitlingham for The temporary field kiln was con - the first time in perhaps a hundred structed using a modified oil drum insu - years. Our bleary eyed and smoke lated with vermiculite, all set on raised stained lime burner raked out the cool - blocks on a concrete base. Inside were ing remnants of the overnight burn. Had stacked alternating layers of local chalk talk technical or to reminisce about he produced quicklime from Norfolk and coal. The kiln was lit on Friday their working lives or what they recalled chalk? evening for the first overnight burn. of the area from childhood. And the We do not know the date of the last Matt and helper Tim Holt-Wilson stayed children were fascinated; several insist - commercial lime-kiln burn at the site, up on guard. ing that their parents bring them on but our 'field' kiln was constructed near At one in the morning Tim retired to repeat visits to this remote bit of the to the remains of an East Anglian bed leaving the message, "Burn seems wood. 'doughnut' kiln. These kilns had a cen - to have reached high temperature and On Saturday evening we swapped the tral funnel shaped hopper that was fed quicklime formed. But vermiculite has damp smoky woods for the civilised dry from the hillside above, whilst the burnt caught fire and hessian and wood have of the Whitlingham visitor centre and a lime was drawn off from below via a cir - burnt up! Plan to reinforce barrel wall lecture on the history of Norwich's cular access chamber with a vaulted with compacted clay tomorrow morn - famous chalk pits and tunnels by roof. We intended that our re-enact - ing. On course for quicklime demo in researcher Geoffrey Kelly. And by ment lime burn would demonstrate to the afternoon ..." Sunday afternoon, we had left the the people of Norwich that chalk was So yes, Matt had produced quicklime woodland dell to its usual quietude, and and is a vital part of their landscape. from Norfolk chalk. He even stayed to the bats. Modern extraction geology is hidden by awake enough to present Saturday's We are grateful to the many people high bunds or tree planting. It was not visitors with entertaining demonstra - who made this event possible: the staff always so and generations have lost tions of slaking the quicklime with local and volunteers of Whitlingham Country contact with what lies beneath their river water, mixing it into plaster with Park, Anglia Lime Company who donat - feet. local sand, and plastering up a slatted ed the chalk, the rota of willing volun - The idea for our lime burn was long in mini wall. What is more, the damaged teers, Matt of The Natural Building Co, the preparation and was Norfolk's con - drum survived well enough for a second and of course to Natural England, Chalk tribution to Chalk East, a project burn on Saturday night and more quick - East and the Curry Fund of the designed to promote a greater under - lime was produced. Geologists' Association. standing of the importance of the Chalk As well as slaking and plastering, we in the landscape and life of the Geo- provided Whitlingham chalk for the chil - East region. We hoped that our tempo - dren to draw with, chalk fossils to han - Jenny Gladstone rary demonstration kiln would also pro - dle, and a tent to shelter from the rain! Geological Society of Norfolk duce useable quicklime for educational We think that about sixty people visited construction work at the Country Park. over the two days. Some lingered to

GA magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011 23