SCIENTISTVOLUME 27 NO 8 ◆ SEPTEMBER 2017 ◆ WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST GEOThe Fellowship Magazine of the Geological Society of London UK / Overseas where sold to individuals: £3.95 [READ GEOLSOC BLOG! GEOLSOC.WORDPRESS.COM ] Hull’s salty problem Ellen Spencer on the aquifer that feeds the 2017 City of Culture AMATEUR PASSIONS MINING WOES BGS FINANCES Amateur geologists can still When on Earth did mining Director John Ludden says play a valuable role become a dirty word? the Survey is ‘secure’ GEOSCIENTIST CONTENTS 16 25 10 27 FEATURESFEATURES 16 AMATEUR PASSION IN THIS ISSUE... Liz Withington & Tiffany Slater on Bristol University’s Mike Curtis Collection REGULARS 05 Welcome Ted Nield reports on the recent Readership Survey 06 Society News What your Society is doing at home and abroad, in London and the regions. 09 Soapbox ‘They hate us’ – Chris Mackenzie asks: why not in your back yard? 20 Letters Coal lives, says Larry Thomas; George Bennison remembers the first ‘student instructional tour’ of 1946 22 Books and arts Six new books reviewed by Ted Nield, David Edwards, David Vaughan, John Milsom, Jonathan Scafidi and Richard Dawe ON THE COVER: 26 People Geoscientists in the news and on the move 10 CULTURE SHOCK 25 Calendar Society activities this month The chalk aquifer under Hull is suffering 28 Obituary Jon Paul Davidson 1959-2016 from salt intrusion. Ellen Spencer reports 29 Crossword Win a Special Publication of your choice WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST | SEPTEMBER 2017 | 03 Corporate Supporters: Registration Open Cross-border Exploration between UK & Norway – Comparisons, Contrasts and Collaborations Convenors: Gro Haatvedt Aker BP 27-28 November 2017 Ian Wilson Kitty Hall The Geological Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London Petroleum Group Confirmed Speakers from: Aker BP Azinor Catalyst Badley Ashton Can additional high value barrels be discovered through improved Dana Petroleum collaboration between UK and Norway? The objective of the conference Geus is to enhance technical understanding of the status of key plays on Hansa Hydrocarbons each side of the border, to establish points of similarity and difference in Hurricane Energy both activity and success, and to highlight new opportunities. Important Imperial College recent discoveries on either side of the border will be examined and the Maersk Oil conference will seek to establish where new plays in one country have NPD not yet been understood or exploited across the border. Key note presentations will be made by leading OGA figures from both Norway and UK. PGS This two day international conference will bring together explorationists from UK, Norway and other Statoil European countries with the following themes: TNO • Play opening discoveries as yet unexploited cross • Differences in how competence is organised and University Aberdeen border technology adopted University Durham • Examples of specific play knowledge being • Challenges on median line including data exploited cross border continuity and differences in nomenclature • How to build a geology-without-borders view • Issues for service industry • Differences in exploration performance • Danish and Dutch (and other) cross border Event Sponsors: • Impact of regulatory and fiscal frameworks examples To register: Please visit the conference webpage www.geolsoc.org.uk/PG-Cross-Border For further information please contact: Sarah Woodcock, The Geological Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BG. Tel: +44 (0)20 7434 9944 At the forefront of petroleum geoscience www.geolsoc.org.uk/petroleum 04 | SEPTEMBER 2017 | WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/GEOSCIENTIST GEOSCIENTIST WELCOME Geoscientist is the ADVERTISING SALES ~ Fellowship magazine of the Jonny Knight Geological Society T 01727 739 193 THE SOCIETY NOW HAS A CLEAR, OBJECTIVE PICTURE of London E jonathan@ centuryonepublishing.uk OF THE FELLOWSHIP MAGAZINE, AFTER ALMOST 20 YEARS The Geological Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, ART EDITOR OF GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT London W1J 0BG Heena Gudka T +44 (0)20 7434 9944 F +44 (0)20 7439 8975 DESIGN & PRODUCTION E [email protected] ~ Jonathan Coke (Not for Editorial - Please contact the Editor) PRINTED BY Century One Publishing House Publishing Ltd. The Geological Society Publishing House, Unit 7, Copyright Brassmill Enterprise Centre, The Geological Society of Brassmill Lane, Bath London is a Registered Charity, BA1 3JN number 210161. 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Mr Graham Goffey (Treasurer) Brassmill Enterprise Centre, Brassmill Dr Sarah Gordon (Secretary, Lane, Bath, BA1 3JN, UK. Tel: 01225 (as already reported – Geoscientist 27.6 Not everybody likes everything, Foreign & External Affairs) 445046. Fax: 01225 442836. Email: Mrs Tricia Henton [email protected]. The subscription July) interest in the magazine is extremely of course: we cannot hope to please Ms Naomi Jordan price for Volume 27, 2017 (11 issues) high (compared to comparable magazines everyone all the time. Nevertheless, we to institutions and non-members will Dr Robert Larter be £139 (UK) or £159/$319 (Rest of other membership organizations). In will take on board your constructive Dr Jennifer McKinley of World). Dr Colin North (Secretary, fact, the level of reaction achieved seems comments and do what we can to Publications) © 2017 The Geological Society Dr Sheila Peacock of London to break all records. accommodate them. We already share Prof Christine Peirce Geoscientist is printed on FSC® mixed Now that the quantitative survey has many of your expressed concerns. Not Mr Nicholas Reynolds credit - Mixed source products are a Prof Nick Rogers (President blend of FSC 100%, Recycled and/or been analysed we can also reveal that a all will be possible, but where it is, we Controlled fibre. Certified by the Forest designate) Stewardship Council®. staggering 91% of you read the magazine will do our best. Dr Katherine Royse (Secretary, Professional Matters) either ‘regularly’ (63%) or ‘occasionally’. Thank you again for your enthusiastic Mr Keith Seymour (Vice Of these, 59% have done so since joining, participation. I trust that this issue president, Regional Groups) Miss Jessica Smith and 23% say you read it more now than lives up to the rest! Thanks to you, the Mr John Talbot (Vice president, in the past. 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