MAGAZINE OF THE GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIATION GAGA Volume 5 No. 4 December 2006 FESTIVALFESTIVAL OFOF GEOLOGYGEOLOGY GAGA MEETINGSMEETINGS -- JANUARYJANUARY -- FEBRUARYFEBRUARY GA FIELDGA FIELD TRIPSTRIPS TOTO THETHE WEALD,WEALD, ATLANTICATLANTIC CANADA,CANADA, COTSWOLDS,COTSWOLDS, FRANKFURT,FRANKFURT, MUSEUMMUSEUM OFOF MONGOLIAMONGOLIA VOLCANOESVOLCANOES OFOF HAUTEHAUTE LOIRELOIRE SPECIALSPECIAL GEOLOGICALGEOLOGICAL SOCIETYSOCIETY MEETINGSMEETINGS ININ 20072007 Magazine of the Geologists’ Association GAGA Volume 5 issue 4, 2006 CONTENTS 3. The Association is published by the Geologists’ Association. Four issues are 4. GA Meetings January / February produced in the year. ISSN 1476-7600 5. FESTIVAL OF GEOLOGY - report Production team: Paula Carey, John Cosgrove, John Crocker, Vanessa Harley, Bill French 6. Museum of Mongolia Printed by GRAYAM PRESS, Billericay. 8. Wealden Field Meeting The GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIATION does not 10. In the Proceedings accept any responsibility for views and opinions expressed by individual authors in this magazine. 11. Curry Fund Reports The Geologists’ Association 12. Rockwatch The Association, founded in 1858, exists to foster the progress and diffusion of the science of geology, and to encourage research and 14. Atlantic Canada the development of new methods. It holds meetings for the read- ing of papers and the delivery of lectures, organises museum demonstrations, publishes Proceedings and Guides, and conducts 15. Mole Valley Geological Society field meetings. Annual Subscriptions for 2007 are £40.00, Associates £30.00, 16. Le Puy-en-Velay volcanoes of Joint Members £58.00, Students £18.00. Haute-Loire For forms of Proposal for Membership and further information, apply to the Executive Secretary, The Geologists’ Association, 19. Cotswold Geodelights Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0DU. E-mail [email protected] 20. Notes on Meetings Telephone 020 7434 9298 Fax 020 7287 0280 Website: http://www.geologist.demon.co.uk 21. Triassic meteorite impact President: Mike Benton 23. Field trip to Frankfurt Executive Secretary: Sarah Stafford 24. Geol. Soc. Celebrating 200 years Cover picture: Chapelle St-Michel d’Aiguilhe viewed from Espaly- St-Marcel to the west Join the GA Council - see article on page 16 Nominations are required for the 2007 Council. Please details to the General © The Geologists’ Association. Secretary, All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in Dr John Crocker by January 31st. any form or any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author and the Geologists’ Association. ADVERTISEMENTS While precautions are taken to ensure the validity of advertise- LAST Copy dates for the Circular ments the Association is not responsible for the items offered, for March Issue January 14th June Issue April 22nd any loss arising or for their compliance with regulations. September Issue July 22nd December Issue October 21st Please note that the dates given are for the Circular. They also NOTICE CONCERNING FIELD MEETINGS: represent dates at which the magazine will go to press. However, The Association now has a mobile phone for because of the greater time required to set the magazine, items emergency communications concerning field should be submitted as soon as possible and not targeted on these dates. We welcome contributions from Members and others. We are meetings (UK only). If you have to cancel on the currently limited to 24 pages. Pictures for publication can be as slides, pho- day, or are lost or late for the start of a field meeting, tographs or high resolution digital images - preferably on CD. please call the GA mobile phone (07724133290). The mobile phone will only be switched on just Advertising Rates before and during field meetings. Full Page £360 Half Page £190 Quarter Page £100 Other sizes by arrangement. (For routine enquires, please call the Field Meetings Secretary on the usual number.) 2 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 5, No. 4, 2006 THE ASSOCIATION FROM THE PRESIDENT 4. Do you like the concept of themat- sponsorship for an initiative to pre- The Council of the GA has been ic issues or not? pare a website and teaching materials discussing all aspects of our activities 5. Are the articles pitched at the right for schools but more would be wel- recently, and one topic has been the level or not? come. Proceedings. This journal was one of 6. Would you like to receive a larger An initiative is underway to the founding elements of the GA, and journal or not (assuming the sub- make the GA website more up-to- it has had a long and distinguished scription price remained the same)? date and friendly. Initially it will be a history since the establishment of the 7. Do you use the online version at new design with the present content, Association in 1858. all? after which it could be realistically What we want to know is what Michael Benton evaluated. The next step would be to you think of it. Does it offer a range President expand the style consistently into the of articles that you find interesting? rest of the GA publication and com- The Proceedings has carved out a munication material. niche and it attracts articles in a num- REPORT FROM COUNCIL This report covers the October John Crocker ber of specific fields. But Council is General Secretary keen to make sure it improves and Council meeting serves the members, and the wider There was an extended discus- international geological community, sion at this Council meeting on vari- CURRY FUND REPORT as well as it can. ous aspects of the future of the GA - The Committee received five It's important to remember that how to maintain and increase the applications at its September meet- the PGA is important to GA members, membership, how the publications ing, of which two were funded, one but that it has a wider life. Now, aca- could be developed, how to attract refused, one deferred and one partial- demics and students around the younger members, etc. One of the ly funded. world can readily search recent issues reasons for this discussion was the £500 was granted for a geologi- and download articles over the inter- new requirement of the Charity cal town trail leaflet for Warwick. Of net - and they don't have to be mem- Commission for the GA to produce a the series of geological leaflets pro- bers to do this. Equally, Council feels more detailed and forward-looking posed for a range of sites in North that this wider exposure is a good analysis in our Annual Report. A Way Wales, the first, "Pebbles on the thing - the articles can be read by Forward document had been pro- Beach", was awarded a grant of £525. many more people, and the GA bene- duced a few years ago and actions Others in the series will be presented fits financially from the arrangement. since then were discussed. Further for the Committee to consider in due We are keen that the PGA discussion on this topic is planned for course. A request from Friends of the retains its current position, but also the December Council. Sedgwick for support for enclosures that it looks ahead to the future. Members of Council were for two recently acquired specimens What might geologists in ten years be reminded that nominations are was deferred pending further infor- looking for? How do we compare required for next years awards for the mation. Funding for support for a field with other mainline geological jour- Fullerton and Halstead Medal. investigation of the basalt on Staffa, nals in Britain and overseas? How do Council appointed a representa- requested by the Earth Sciences we maintain our unique appeal to tive for The Festival of Department at Cambridge was professionals and enthusiasts alike? Geology/Reunion for 2007 which will refused. Gloucestershire Geology How do we balance the subscription be in Liverpool. Trust was awarded £200 towards the cost, the size of the journal, and Susan Brown announced that a cost of site clearance. future plans? Once we have looked at good programme for the Festival of responses of members, we would like Geology/GA Reunion 2006 was in Susan Brown, to explore the financial aspects to see place, with Displays, four Lectures, Curry Fund Secretary if there are new ways to make the and in a lighter vein Trilobite Racing. journal even bigger and better, but On the Sunday, there will be a.m. and LIBRARY NOTES without hurting the pockets of mem- p.m. field trips in London, and an all- Here are two guides for the trav- bers. Perhaps this is impossible! day trip in Surrey. She said that eller - one on and one off the popular We would like to know your feel- Natural England had provided wel- beaten track. ings about the following questions. If come sponsorship, and she requested Sloan, Doris. 2006. Geology of you have the time, please e-mail that we should also minute our sin- the San Francisco Bay region. comments to geol.assoc@btinter- cere appreciation to the Staff at UCL California Natural History Guide net.com, or send them to Sarah for their considerable assistance in Series no 79. Berkeley: University of Stafford at our office address. All organising this event. California Press 337pp. 19x13x3 cm. comments will be considered by The Association celebrates its ISBN 13, 978-0-520-24126-8 Council as we plan the future, and we 150th Anniversary in 2008, and the (pbk). Available in UK from CPCCP tel hope to publish some of the GS reaches its Bicentenary in 2007, 01243 842155 £11.95. best/most unusual in a future issue of and it has been agreed to share an Published in July, too late for my the GA Magazine. extended celebration: "Local Heroes" own visit to San Francisco, this is the - celebrating significant regional geo- sort of guide for which I was scouring 1.