GeoscientistThe Fellowship magazine of The Geological Society of London | www.geolsoc.org.uk | Volume 23 No 5 | June 2013 KERB CRAWLER Urban geologist struck by mysterious marks JOURNAL CUTS Should the Society be reducing journal subscriptions? LANDSLIDE BOOKS & ARTS SPECIAL] [REVIEWS BUMPER ISSUE YEAR? [ Was the increase] in UK landslides during 2012 real or apparent? Exploration, Resource and Mining Geology Conference 2013 Getting it right from the outset 21-22 October 2013, Cardiff, Wales, UK Registration opening soon THE CONFERENCE Sponsorship Opportunities Associate your organisation with the Exploration, Resource & Mining Geology The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (The AusIMM) and The Geological Conference 2013 and we will work alongside you to provide multiple opportunities to Society of London are pleased to announce the Exploration, Resource and Mining promote your organisation before and during the conference. This is an excellent Geology Conference 2013 and are calling for abstracts from intending authors for opportunity to maximise your business exposure in 2013. Contact event management consideration in the conference programme. today. We are operating in challenging times. Despite relatively high commodity prices, there are few mining projects where an easy dollar is to be made. There are particular challenges that must be faced, including the need for cost-effective discovery Proudly hosted by strategies and methods; evaluation and extraction of often lower-grade complex (geologically and/or metallurgically) deposits; understanding time-orebody variability to achieve the optimum mine plan; and predicting grades in geologically complex deposits that can be achieved by selective mining using wide-spaced data. These and other challenges can be ameliorated by ‘getting it right from the outset’ and building orebody knowledge. Topics to be discussed at the conference include: • Exploration value drivers and strategies • Geophysical and geochemical exploration tools and techniques Headline Sponsor • Benefits of geological mapping for exploration and exploitation • Regional and orebody scale controls to mineralisation • Geological modelling and uncertainty evaluation • Drilling, sampling, assaying and QA/QC • Resource estimation, classification and reporting • Mine geology, grade control and reconciliation • Geometallurgy • New technologies Event Supporters • Case studies. Conference Venue National Museum Cardiff, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF 10 3NP Web: www.museumwales.ac.uk Event Management For all enquiries including sponsorship, please contact: Sienna Deano, Coordinator, Events, The AusIMM Telephone: +61 3 9658 6126 | Email: [email protected] For registration enquiries, please contact: Georgina Worrall, Conference Manager, The Geological Society Telephone: +44 (0)20 7434 9944 | Email: [email protected] www.ermg2013.com CONTENTS GEOSCIENTIST IN THIS ISSUE JUNE 2013 FEATURES 16 STREET WALKER Peter Dolan has been sweeping the gutters of England for mysterious markings on old kerbstones. Does anyone know what they once meant? REGULARS 05 WELCOME Ted Nield on vanishing and redundant holes in the ground, and how we can preserve them 06 SOCIETY NEWS What your Society is doing at home and abroad, in London and the regions 09 SOAPBOX John Cope and Bernard Leake think that cutting journal subscriptions when the Society is flush 10 COVER FEATURE: LANDSLIDING 2012 is betraying future generations Catherine Pennington and Anna Harrison 20 BOOK & ARTS An exhibition and six books reviewed by Douglas Palmer, Steve Rowlatt, Colin Murray- investigate last year’s landslide record Wallace, Mark Burdett, Nigel Trewin, Richard Porter and Chris King 24 PEOPLE Geoscientists in the news and on the move 26 OBITUARY Two distinguished Fellows remembered 27 CALENDAR Society activities this month 29 CROSSWORD Win a special publication of your choice n ERRATUM In the previous issue we printed the wrong affiliation for co-author of the feature article Solid Achievement, Dr Brian McConnell. We are happy to point out that Dr McConnell works for the Geological Survey of 06 16 Ireland, and offer our apologies for the slip. JUNE 2013 03 04 JUNE 2013 ~ EDITOR’S COMMENT GEOSCIENTIST THE RAIN IT RAINETH EVERY DAY. WAS IT RESPONSIBLE FOR 2012’S LANDSLIP RECORD? Cover image: Clare Scott / Shutterstock.com ~ OVERLOOKED & UNDERFOOT ast month we featured Sandy Whyte and Geoscientist is the F 01727 893 895 Fellowship magazine of E enquiries@centuryone Hugh Black of Aberdeen, who are working the Geological Society publishing.ltd.uk to return Rubislaw Quarry, Europe’s of London W www.centuryone publishing.ltd.uk deepest open pit and Aberdeen’s longest- The Geological Society, lived granite quarry, to use. Though not, Burlington House, Piccadilly, ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE alas, as a quarry; those days are over, at London W1J 0BG Jonathan Knight T +44 (0)20 7434 9944 T 01727 739 193 least for Rubislaw. Rubislaw reborn will F +44 (0)20 7439 8975 E jonathan@centuryone Lbe a community resource and conference centre, with E [email protected] publishing.ltd.uk (Not for Editorial) a signature building, cantilevered out over the abyss, ART EDITOR faced in granite. But granite from where? Publishing House Heena Gudka The Geological Society The beautiful and vastly over-budget Scottish Publishing House, Unit 7, DESIGN & PRODUCTION Parliament in Holyrood was faced in Aberdeen Brassmill Enterprise Centre, Sarah Astington Brassmill Lane, Bath granite, from Kemnay. Such an object of national BA1 3JN PRINTED BY pride could hardly have facings in imported Chinese T 01225 445046 Century One Publishing Ltd. granite; but that is what almost everyone else is using. F 01225 442836 Copyright Even Indian granite is now highly likely to be Library The Geological Society of exported first to China for finishing; while a certain T +44 (0)20 7432 0999 London is a Registered Charity, F +44 (0)20 7439 3470 number 210161. academic bathroom in Princeton, I am reliably told, is E [email protected] ISSN (print) 0961-5628 lined with British limestone that reached New Jersey ISSN (online) 2045-1784 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF via China, where the quarried block was sent for Professor Peter Styles FGS cutting and polishing. And although the Annenberg The Geological Society of London Courtyard at Burlington House uses a mix of British, EDITOR accepts no responsibility for the Dr Ted Nield NUJ FGS views expressed in any article in European and more exotic granites, setts recently used E [email protected] this publication. All views expressed, except where to re-pave the courtyard of Cardiff University came explicitly stated otherwise, exclusively from China. EDITORIAL BOARD represent those of the author, and Dr Sue Bowler FGS not The Geological Society of Messrs. Black and Whyte are salvaging Rubislaw Mr Steve Branch FGS London. All rights reserved. No Dr Robin Cocks FGS paragraph of this publication may granite from wherever they can, in the hope that it can Prof. Tony Harris FGS be reproduced, copied or be strategically re-used in their new building. But the Dr Howard Falcon- transmitted save with written permission. Users registered with staple business of the UK granite industry (namely, Lang FGS Copyright Clearance Center: the Dr Jonathan Turner FGS Journal is registered with CCC, kerbstones and setts) has long moved beyond even Dr Jan Zalasiewicz FGS 27 Congress Street, Salem, MA Europe’s shores. This process began in the early 20th 01970, USA. 0961- Trustees of the Geological 5628/02/$15.00. Century, when British quarrying (having enjoyed the Society of London Every effort has been made to Empire advantage) found itself unable to satisfy Mr D T Shilston (President); trace copyright holders of material in this publication. If any demand, and began to import from Europe. Mrs N K Ala; Dr M G rights have been omitted, the Armitage; Miss S Brough; publishers offer their apologies. A protectionist import tariff, lobbied for by quarry Professor R A Butler; Professor N A Chapman; No responsibility is assumed by firms themselves, failed to stem the tide, and resulted Mr D J Cragg; Professor J the Publisher for any injury and/or (for exchange rate reasons) chiefly in favouring damage to persons or property as Francis (Secretary, Science) a matter of products liability, imports from just one country – Finland. Finally, Professor A J Fraser; negligence or otherwise, or from Dr S A Gibson; Mrs M P any use or operation of any during the 1930s, the very first kerbs and setts from Henton (Secretary, methods, products, instructions India arrived here, bought at what the Quarry Professional Matters); or ideas contained in the material Dr R A Hughes; Mr D A herein. Although all advertising Managers Journal termed ‘coolie labour prices’ by Jones; Dr A Law (Treasurer), material is expected to conform to traitorous London boroughs. Now, India and China Professor R J Lisle; ethical (medical) standards, inclusion in this publication does command the entire base market of the granite trade. Professor A R Lord not constitute a guarantee or (Secretary, Foreign & endorsement of the quality or But kerbstones in British granite remain a staple of External Affairs); Mr P value of such product or of the Maliphant (Vice president); claims made by its manufacturer. urban geology. While visiting the London Book Fair Dr B R Marker OBE; recently I was pleased to note, in Seagrave Street Subscriptions: All Professor S B Marriott (Vice correspondence relating to non- near Earl’s Court, the canapé salmon squares of pink president); Dr G Nichols; member subscriptions should be Dr C P Summerhayes addresses to the Journals plagioclase typical of Shap Granite, gracing kerbs (Vice president); Professor Subscription Department, and quarter corners, polished by generations of J H Tellam; Dr J P Turner Geological Society Publishing (Secretary, Publications) House, Unit 7 Brassmill Enterprise shoe leather. Centre, Brassmill Lane, Bath, BA1 3JN, UK. Tel: 01225 445046. Fax: But all of us who spend our time wondering at such Published on behalf of 01225 442836. Email: everyday things will have asked – what are all those the Geological Society [email protected].