11th May - The Anthropocene: A New Epoch of Geological Time?

This important international and interdisciplinary conference features:
Keynote Address from Nobel Laureate Professor Paul Crutzen
Eminent speakers from the worlds of geology, Earth systems science, ecology, law and the media – including Will Steffen, Dennis Dimick, Davor Vidas, Andrew Revkin, James Syvitski, Dorothy Merritts, Erle Ellis and Toby Tyrrell
Venue:  The Geological Society (Burlington House)
Has humanity’s impact on the Earth been so significant that it defines a new geological epoch?  In the blink of a geological eye, through our need for energy, food, water, minerals, for space in which to live and play, we have wrought changes to Earth’s environment and life that are as significant as any known in the geological record.
In 2000, Nobel Prize winner Paul Crutzen first characterised this ‘perfect storm’ of human impacts on the planet, its ecosystems and the geological record as constituting a new ‘Anthropocene’ geological epoch, and the concept has since gained a firm foothold, both in the geological community and more widely.  Its significance is not simply a matter of geological taxonomy – it constitutes a new organising principle for natural and social scientists from a wide range of disciplines studying our interactions with life and the planet, for policy makers addressing resource use and environmental challenges, and for a broader public engaging with these debates through traditional and new media.
Registration rates:
Fellow / corporate affiliate £45.00
Non-Fellow £90.00
Student £0.00
Retired £25.00
To register, or to find out more about this conference, visit our website.

Geology walk - Blaise Estate - 8th May

Sunday, 8th May - Blaise Estate Geology Walk 10.30am-12noon
Discover the secrets and stories behind the amazing limestone formations.
Pre-booking essential, meet at cafe. £4 per person
Contact Blaise Estate office on 0117 353 2266 for details

Lyme Regis Fossil Festival - 29th April - 1st May

There is a free Grand Marquee on the beach in Lyme from 10am to 5pm, with lots of hands-on art and science for the whole family. The Natural History Museum will have about 35 scientists on hand with activities and displays, and they are keen to chat to visitors too. There is a Fossil Fair with a dozen Lyme and Charmouth collectors, and other exhibitors, most with hands-on activities, including the Jurassic Coast team, Natural England, Lyme Regis Museum, Dorset AONB, D.I.G.S., RockWatch, Isle of Wight's Dinosaur Isle, National Museum of Wales, Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, National Oceanography Centre (including their research vessel, RV Callista moored in Cobb Harbour for visits), Plymouth University, the Buckland Club, and the Dorset Wildlife Trust, National Trust. We have guided Fossil Walks in the mornings, Rockpool Rambles, Shore Thing, Monocot Nature Walks, and workshops for kids from the Bristol Dinosaur Project. On Friday evening the Marine Theatre will host 'Desert Crossings', inspired by the Jurassic Coast, and on Sunday there are two shows of Forkbeard Fantasy 'All at Sea' cabaret.
The Festival is not just for youngsters either - we also have 18 great geo-talks in the afternoons and evenings.
Click here for further details.

Volcanoes, tropical reefs and copper ores - June 11/12th and 18/19th

Field Geology in Mid Wales: volcanoes, tropical reefs and copper ores led by Dr. Nicholas Chidlaw
Two consecutive weekends: Saturday 11th, Sunday 12th, Saturday 18th, Sunday 19th June 2011.
Base near the towns of Kington (first weekend) and Builth Wells (second weekend). For further information see website. All enrolments are via the University of Cardiff.
Note: this course is accredited, involving attendees agreeing to take an assessment (fairly painless) of their learning.
Highlights of the course include:
* Welsh Borderland landforms with hogsback hills and craggy uplands
* Precambrian sediments and igneous rocks correlated with Shropshire further north
* Coral-rich limestones of mid-Silurian age (collected unrestricted - working quarry)
* Oldest dated rocks in southern Britain
* Traces of copper ores within fissures in the rocks
* Igneous intrusions with baked margins
* Felsic lava domes and tuffs, and basaltic pillow lava.
This course is to be run through the Centre for Lifelong Learning at Cardiff University, and assumes no prior knowledge on the part of those enrolled.

April events - Oxford Geology Trust

Saturday 9th April - “Oxfordshire Goes Wild” at the Natural History Museum, Parks Road, Oxford. OGT staff will be on hand to tell you more about our work. Activities include handling dinosaur teeth & claws, digging in the sand for fossils, viewing specimens down a microscope and more!!
From 12 to 4pm. This annual family event is a chance to meet wildlife & conservation groups from around the county, and to find out more about their work.
At 4pm there is the opportunity to watch the premier showing of 'Devil Birds', narrated by David Attenborough, a film detailing the lives of the swifts in the Museum Tower. The film lasts 50 minutes.
All activities are free with no need to book.
Saturday 16th April - Fossil Hunting trip to Shorncote Quarry in the Cotswold Water Park, Gloucestershire.  Fossils are numerous in this Upper Jurassic Cornbrash Formation. We may also have time to search for fossils in some of the Quaternary Gravels.
Field trip to be led by Alan Banyard of the OGT.
From 10:30am until 2:30pm.
This trip is open to adults & children aged 10 plus. There is no charge but pre-booking is essential. Meeting place & directions will be confirmed on booking. Please wear suitable clothing and boots or wellingtons. Hard hats, high visibility jackets & safety glasses will be provided. Please bring your own if you have them.