March 4th - Life and Times of the Carboniferous 'Coal Age'

'The Joggins Fossil Cliffs of Nova Scotia - Dr. Howard Falcon-Lang, Royal Holloway, University of London. 7.30 p.m. 16 Queen Square, Bath
The Joggins Fossil Cliffs is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia. These remote and wild cliffs were first made famous by Charles Lyell and William Dawson, who found spectacular fossil forests and early reptile skeletons in the 1840s and 1850s. Dr. Falcon-Lang's talk will deal with the history of research at the site as well as the exciting new discoveries of more recent times - all of which shed a light on the life and times of the Carboniferous 'Coal Age'.
Everyone is welcome - visitors £4.00.
Other lectures organised by the Bath Geological Society can be viewed on the website.

Forensic Geoscience - 16th March

Forensic Geoscience, Tuesday 16th March
Dr Duncan Pirrie, University of Exeter.
Refreshments from 6.00, presentation at 6.30pm.
During the investigation of serious crimes, including murder and terrorism, a wide range of forensic techniques can be used. Recently, geological data has proved to be a valuable aid to such investigations, primarily in two ways; for search and location and as trace evidence. Developments, particularly in shallow geophysics but also in hydrogeology and ground water chemistry have aided the search for buried objects, including missing murder victims, weapons and drugs. In other investigations, geological trace evidence such as small rock fragments, dusts, soils and sediments can be used to establish a link between an individual and a place. In this talk, Dr Pirrie will focus on trace evidence; discuss the methods available and illustrate their use through a wide range of case studies based on his own experience in forensic geology.
Venue: S H Reynolds Lecture Theatre (Room G25), Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ. All welcome.
Further details from Western Regional Group or visit the Western Regional Group webpage.

Geology, landscape and stone industry of Purbeck

The Dorset RIGS group (DIGS) has produced an educational CD on the geology, landscape and stone industry of Purbeck.
It consists of a series of PowerPoint presentations based on five RIGS sites in Purbeck. Apart from a detailed survey of the five sites including logging by Paul Ensom, there is information on another site in Dorset where Purbeck strata are exposed and the environmental conditions experienced when the Purbeck strata were deposited. The CD can be used at various levels being well illustrated with pictures of Purbeck landscape, quarries and specimens that have been found locally.
The work was carried out over 3 years as a result of the DIGS group's involvement with the Keystone Project through Purbeck District Council and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The CD has been made available free to Dorset schools and is available to other interested parties for £5 including P& P (cheques made payable to D.I.G.S.) from Alan Holiday (7 Whitecross Drive, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 9PA).

Coal Measures and Ammonites - 24th April

Coal Measures and Ammonites - Saturday 24th April
led by Simon Carpenter and Alan Bentley.
The day starts at Radstock Museum where the story of coalmining in Somerset is told. The museum also contains spectacular fossil displays. Following the museum visit, several local geological sites will be visited including disused Lower Lias quarries and an old coal measures tip. Fossil collecting is permitted at some sites so don't forget to bring your hammers and goggles.
Meet at Radstock Museum at 10.30 a.m. GR 689 550 Bring packed lunch or money for cafe stop. There will be a small charge for entry to the museum. Finishes at 4pm.
It is essential to contact the GA office on 020 74349298 to make sure there is space - limit of 20 people.

Italian landslip in action

A reader sent this link to a page in the Corriere della Sera newspaper site, including an amazing video of a landslip in action in Maierato, Calabria in the toe of Italy.
Expand the video to full screen for best effect.

February 9th and 16th

9th February WEGA invites you to 'Reconstructing Dinosaur Colour' by Professor Mike Benton, from Bristol University.
Mike has stepped in to replace Prof. Bryony Coles who has had to cancel at short notice. We expect her to give her lecture on Doggerland in the autumn.
Mike's lecture follows on from Stuart Kearns' lecture of October 2008. He will be talking about exceptionally well preserved dinosaurs from China and particularly what we can tell about their colour. I wonder if any were yellow with purple spots?
Everyone welcome: S H Reynolds Lecture Theatre, Department of Geology, Wills Memorial Building, University of Bristol 7.30 p.m.

16th February Western Region of The Geological Society is organising:-
Landslide Assessment in the Himalayas - Dr. Andrew Hart
Landslide activity is a major issue increasing affecting the rapidly expanding rural road network of Nepal and Bhutan. Andrew looks at the techniques used by local government geologists and engineers to map, assess and mitigate landslide activity, and the socioeconomic impact of landslide activity on the region. The project involved working in a fascinating region of the world and balancing some very different technical and cultural approaches to dealing with the landslide problems.
S H Reynolds Lecture Theatre, Department of Geology, Wills Memorial Building, University of Bristol. Refreshments available from 6pm, with the meeting commencing at 6.30pm.

Bath Geological Society - 4th February

On Thursday 4th February, Bath Geological Society is holding its AGM at 7.00p.m. This will be followed at 7.30 by a talk from Dr Clive Trueman, School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton.
'Geochemical Landscapes, Ecology and Forensics' Douglas Adams’s holistic detective Dirk Gently explored the ‘fundamental interconnectedness of things’. This is a great description of modern Earth Sciences, which attempts to understand interactions between complex systems. In this talk Dr Trueman will illustrate some of these connections in a personal way, by describing his scientific journey from geology through palaeontology, archaeology, marine ecology and medical research - all through the eyes of an Earth Scientist. Eventually he hopes to convince his audience that geology and Earth Science is about a lot more than rocks, and in fact is an ideal preparation for understanding the main scientific dilemmas of our age.
Everyone is welcome - members free, visitors £4.00 - refreshments included.