Brisbane floods: before and after

High-resolution aerial photos taken over Brisbane last week have revealed the scale of devastation across dozens of suburbs and tens of thousands of homes and businesses.
The aerial photos of the Brisbane floods were taken in flyovers on January 13 and January 14.
Hover over each photo to view the devastation caused by flooding.
This is part one of an ABC News special presentation showing before and after photos of the floods.

WEGA - change of date and speaker

February 15th - North Pembrokeshire Volcanics – provenance of the Stonehenge Bluestones by Dr. Richard Bevins, Keeper of Geology, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
The Stonehenge ancient monument is constructed of Sarcens (locally sourced sedimentary rocks) and the so-called Bluestones, comprising principally intrusive, volcanic and pyroclastic rocks, along with minor sandstones. The origin of the Bluestones fuels emotive debate as to where they came from, how they were transported, and why these particular rocks came to be utilised.
Spotted dolerites form a main part of the Bluestones and the consensus is that they are derived from the Mynydd Preseli region in southwest Wales. However some bluestones are of rhyolitic composition and identifying their possible sources has attracted relatively little attention. This is largely because, unlike the coarser grained doleritic rocks, the rhyolites are ?ne-grained and lack any obvious distinctive characters, especially in hand specimen. However, recent work on the chemistry of the accessory mineral zircon in these rocks suggests that it can be used as a diagnostic provenancing tool. Using this approach, some of the rhyolitic Bluestones have been identified as coming from the Ordovician Fishguard Volcanic Group exposed in the Pont Saeson area of north Pembrokeshire. This identification will without doubt lead to fresh debates about the mechanisms of transport of this component of the bluestones to the Stonehenge site.
Further details on the WEGA website

Geotourism Conference - 7th March

Geotourism: An Opportunity for Sustainable Development
Monday 7th March 2011
The Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester
Geotourism can be defined as 'the provision of interpretive and service facilities to enable tourists to acquire knowledge and understanding of the geology and geomorphology of a site (including its contribution to the development of the Earth sciences) beyond the level of mere aesthetic appreciation' (Hose, 1995).
A broader concept than ecotourism, geotourism promotes a positive cycle in which tourism revenues provide an incentive to protect all attributes of a place. Geotourism incorporates sustainability principles and has the potential to play a vital role in sustainable development. This idea will be explored further during an exciting one day conference at the Royal Agricultural College.
Speakers and topics include:
Dr John Conway (GeoMon) - Geotourism Developments in GeoMon - Anglesey Geopark
Mr Julian Atkins (Forest Fawr Geopark) - Using Geopark designation as a catalyst for SD: Fforest Fawr Geopark, a case study
Nicola Greaves (Cotswolds Conservation Board) - Valuing the landscape/ developing sustainable tourism in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Mr Dave Owen (Gloucestershire Geology Trust) - Geodiversity in Gloucestershire: how geology influences landscape and heritage
Professor Malcolm Hart (University of Plymouth) - The South Western Regional Geodiversity Partnership
Dr Thomas Hose (Researcher and Consultant) - 3Gs for Sustainable Geotourism Using Geopark designation as a catalyst for SD: Fforest Fawr Geopark, a case study
Professor Ezzoura Errami (African Geoparks Network) - The African Geoparks Network, challenges and perspectives
Mr Mabvuto Percy Ngwira (Zambian Ministry of Tourism) - Geotourism Potential of the Victoria Falls - Zambia
Mr Jarrod Kyte (Steppes Discovery) - Sustainable Travel: Conservation in Action.

29th January - Fossil Hunting

Fossil hunting trip - Stonelands Quarry & Whitehill Quarry, near Burford.
Saturday 29th January, 10.00 - 13.30
Field trip to be led by Lesley Dunlop of the Oxfordshire Geology Trust
The Middle Jurassic Forest Marble is being worked at Stonelands Quarry. It is fossiliferous & contains plenty of corals & bivalves. The Whitehill Quarry is currently dormant. Here the White Limestone is exposed with some Forest Marble at the top. We have found numerous, small bivalves & gastropods at this site.
This trip is open to adults & children (aged 8 & over). There is no charge but pre-booking is essential. Please contact Oxford Geology Trust Meeting place & directions will be confirmed on booking.
As it’s likely to be muddy & cold we will need to wear warm clothes, hard hats (provided) and sturdy footwear.

Eminent geologists series - 13th January

A new 3 part TV series on some eminent geologists is coming to our screens this week. It starts on BBC2 on Thursday 13th Jan at 9.00.

Field trip - Highland Border, Scotland, April/May 2011

Field evidence for a Terrane Boundary:
The Highland Border, Scotland
led by Dr. Nicholas Chidlaw
Proposed dates 29th April to 8th May (involving only four working days)
Cost: £165 per person plus accommodation and travel expenses.
Click here for full details of this trip.
Click here to contact the leader.
If the proposal looks of interest to you, and you can attend, please contact Nick as soon as you can in order for him to gauge viability and begin looking into arrangements for accommodation as soon as possible.
The proposal should provide all necessary information, but if you have any queries, do let Nick know.
The focus of this field trip is a particularly intriguing subject, which continues to generate controversy over detail, although in essence is accepted. Our aim would be to consider the field evidence.

Bristol Naturalists' Society - Geology section

AGM and Members’ Night Wed 19 January 2011, 19:30
This is your opportunity to have a say in the future of the Section. Please come along if you can.
Nominations are needed for all committee members, and are actively sought for the positions of President and Honorary Secretary (both of which are currently held by Roger Steer, who dearly wishes to find someone to take over).
After the (very short) AGM, we have the opportunity for members to bring short talks, specimens and items of general interest. This has been very successful in the past. If you have an item to present, please let me know.
The AGM takes place in S H Reynolds lecture theatre, Wills Memorial Building, University of Bristol, BS8 1RJ.
Meetings: We usually meet on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. I've noticed that we often meet on the day after WEGA meets (on the 2nd or 3rd Tuesday of the month). This is not satisfactory for either group. As a result, I suggest that, from October 2011 we move our meetings to the 4th Wednesday. This does not appear to clash with any other BNS meetings.