Quaternary Research Association Registered Charity no: 262124 OCTOBER 2005 CIRCULAR CONTENTS 1. QRA Administration 2. Proposed new members of the Executive Committee 3. Outreach activities: request for information 4. QRA Membership List Reminder 5. Quaternary Newsletter 6. Inaugural meeting of the British Permafrost and Periglacial Association, 14th December 2005. 7. Annual Discussion Meeting, University of Glasgow, 5th-6th January 2005, ‘Isotope (Radiogenic, Cosmogenic and Stable) and Noble Gas Analysis in Quaternary Research’ 8. Annual Field Meeting and AGM, Somerset, 2nd-7th April 2006 9. Joint meeting with the British Geomorphological Research Group on Geomorphology and Earth System Science, 28th-30th June 2006, University of Loughborough 10. Geoarchaeology 2006, University of Exeter, 12th-15th September 2006 11. Group Manche meeting, Cenozoic history of the English Channel, University of Southampton, 14th-17th september 2006 12. QRA Research and Conference Grants 13. Journal of Quaternary Science 14. Quaternary Science Reviews, The Holocene and Boreas 15. Calendar of QRA Meetings QRA CIRCULAR: October 2005 1. QRA ADMINISTRATION The Executive Committee has been struggling for a few years now to maintain efficient systems for membership subscriptions and publications. We are therefore delighted that we have been able to appoint Valerie Siviter as the QRA Administrator. She is already handling publications orders and dealing with the regular mailing of Quaternary Newsletter and the Circular. In due course she will also look after the membership database. Val can be contacted at [email protected]. Please send all orders for publications to Val. Alterations to membership details should continue to go to Jen Heathcote ([email protected]) for the time being. 2. PROPOSED NEW MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE We welcomed a new postgraduate member of the Executive Committee in September. Kathryn Rose from the University of Southampton replaces Fionna Ross and will represent the QRA postgraduate community for the next two years. Three members of the Executive committee complete their terms of office in April 2006. Danielle Schreve (Awards officer) and Della Murton (Ordinary Member with responsibility for outreach) have served the QRA extremely well and have earned a rest. As Secretary, I also come to the end of my period of office but won’t comment on whether I’ve done a good job or not! We have managed to convince a very able group of people to stand for these positions for the April 2006 AGM. An existing member of the committee, Mick Frogley, will assume responsibility for the awards. The proposed members of the Executive Committee are: Secretary: Dr Simon Lewis (Queen Mary) Ordinary member (Outreach): Dr David Anderson (Eton College) Ordinary member: Dr Becky Briant Unless other nominations are passed to the Secretary by January 1st 2006, the nominees named above will begin their terms of office in April 2006. If other nominations are made, there will be a ballot issued in the February 2006 circular. Dan Charman (Secretary) 3. OUTREACH ACTIVITIES: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION The outreach web page (http://www.qra.org.uk/outreach.htm) now contains listings of field and discussion meetings that may be of interest to either QRA members or accessible to the general public. If you know of any forthcoming meetings, organised by local geological/geographical societies for example, then please forward details (dates, time, venue, a brief description of the event and the organiser’s contact details) to me. Della Murton [email protected] 4. MEMBERSHIP LIST REMINDER Members are reminded that the membership list is now available on-line on a password protected area of the QRA website. This will enable us to provide more up to date information and to save the cost of printing and distributing the hard copy of the list. To obtain your password please email Jason Jordan ([email protected]), including your name, address and email details. The latter will be used to update the email distribution list. If you do not wish to be included on the email distribution list please mention this in your email. If you do not have access to the internet and would like to receive a paper copy of the membership list, please write to the membership secretary, Dr Jen Heathcote, English Heritage, 24 Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 2BU. 5. QUATERNARY NEWSLETTER Copy for the February 2006 QN should be in the hands of the Newsletter Editor, Dr Tim Mighall (Dr Email: [email protected], Department of Geography and Environment, University of Aberdeen, Elphinstone Road, Aberdeen, AB24 3UF, UK), no later than 1st January 2006. 6. INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE BRITISH PERMAFROST AND PERIGLACIAL ASSOCIATION, Weds 14th December 2005. The British Permafrost and Periglacial Association (BPPA) will hold its inaugural meeting at Cardiff University on Wednesday 14th December 2005. The BPPA has developed from the Cryostratigraphy Research Group of the QRA (1996–2000) and the UK Adhering Body of the International Permafrost Association (1983–2004). The BPPA will foster research in cryogenic processes and reconstruction of Quaternary periglacial environments, and promote public understanding of cold non-glacial environments. The Association will also act as the UK Adhering Body to the IPA, and provide a representative on the IPA Council. Understanding of permafrost and periglacial processes is increasingly important in view of the unusually rapid environmental changes underway in the Arctic and Subarctic, and their major impacts on the global climate system (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment 2004; see overview report at http://amap.no/acia/). It is also timely to coordinate and promote Britain’s permafrost and periglacial contribution to the International Polar Year 2007–8. Contributions to the Cardiff meeting are invited on topics covering all aspects of permafrost and periglacial research, or on interdisciplinary themes such as permafrost-glacier interactions, cold- climate fluvial systems, dating of periglacial deposits and palaeoecology of cold Pleistocene environments. Research students are particularly encouraged to present their work. Organisers: Professor Charles Harris (Cardiff University) & Dr Julian Murton (Sussex University). Please submit abstracts for oral presentations or posters to: Professor Charles Harris School of Earth, Ocean and Planetary Sciences, Cardiff University Main Building, PO Box 914, Park Place Cardiff, CF10 3YE Tel +44 (0) 2920 874336 Fax +44 (0) 2920 874326 e-mail: [email protected] 7. QRA ANNUAL DISCUSSION MEETING ISOTOPE (RADIOGENIC, COSMOGENIC AND STABLE) AND NOBLE GAS ANALYSIS IN QUATERNARY RESEARCH University of Glasgow, 5-6th January 2005 Organised jointly by the University of Glasgow, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, NERC Radiocarbon Laboratory and the University of Edinburgh. This two-day meeting will review the application of isotope analysis across a broad range of research problems in Quaternary Science and explore both technical and methodological challenges in the measurement process before focussing on the diverse applications and their specific requirements. The meeting will start with the 5th Annual John Wiley Lecture by Professor Darryl Granger of Purdue University whose title is “Deciphering exposure-burial histories with multiple cosmogenic nuclides” and conclude with Professor Chris Hawkesworth, FRS (Bristol) whose title is “Telling time in the Quaternary”. Other invited speakers include: Professor Melanie Leng (BGS) “Stable isotopes in lake sediments” Dr Tibor Dunai (Edinburgh) “Preservation and change of old landscapes – a continental climate archive” Dr Danny McCarroll (Swansea) “Reconstructing past climate using stable isotopes in tree rings” Dr Fin Stuart (SUERC) “Determining rates and processes of landscape development using stable cosmogenic nuclides” Dr Susan Ivy Ochs (Zurich) Title to be confirmed Professor Marshall McCabe (Ulster) “Marine records and ice sheet history in the British Isles” Dr Eric Wolff (BAS) “Use of stable and cosmogenic isotopes in ice core studies” Call for contributed papers and posters Contributed papers and posters are sought. If you would like to present a paper or poster on a topic related to the themes of the meeting, please complete the appropriate section of the registration form. Further programme information and registration details can also be found at the meeting web site http://www.qra.org.uk/QRA2006. The deadline for registration and paper and poster submission is 18th November. Further information Further information can be obtained from: Prof Marian Scott, Dept of Statistics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QW ([email protected]; t: 0141 330 5125, f: 0141 330 4814) 8. QRA ANNUAL FIELD MEETING: CHEDDAR, SOMERSET 2nd-8th APRIL 2006 Provisional Programme The meeting will held jointly with the International Quaternary Union (INQUA) working group on short term sea-level change and coastal vulnerability. Sunday 2nd April: Arrival. Short introductory evening talks on the conference themes – Pleistocene (Chris Hunt) and Holocene (Simon Haslett). Monday 3rd April: Pleistocene and Holocene section at Brean Down (Martin Bell, Andy Currant, Chris Hunt),Woodspring Raised Beach (Chris Hunt) and an interglacial site at Kenn. Tuesday 4th April: Mendip region. Holocene evolution of the Lox Yeo Valley (Huw Williams, Simon Haslett and Chris Hunt), Bleadon Bone cave (Andy Currant), Holocene tufa and Pleistocene gravels along south Mendip