NEXT WEEKS EVENTS
2nd to 15th April 2018
The following is an extract from Bristol and West Country Geology Calendars
More details can be found in the Bristol and the West Country Calendars and on the web sites of the relevant Society or organisation.
Monday 2nd
Tuesday 3rd
Wednesday 4th
Thursday 5th
Bath Geol Soc - Lecture
When
Thu, 5 April, 19:30 – 21:00
Where
Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, 16 Queen Square, Bath (map)
Description
"Why Giraffes have such short necks"
Dr. Michael Taylor, University of Bristol
The necks of sauropod dinosaurs were by far the longest of any animals, exceeding 15m. Four clades with very different cervical morphologies (mamenchisaurids, diplodocids, brachiosaurids, and titanosaurians) evolved ten-meter necks. By contrast, the neck of the giraffe, the longest of any extant animal, reaches only 2.4m. Those of theropods and pterosaurs attained at most 3m (Even among aquatic animals, the record is only 7m for elasmosaurs).
Four factors contributed to sauropod neck length: the sheer size of the animals, their distinctive vertebral architecture, air-sacs, and heads that merely gathered food without processing it. Cervical vertebral innovations included: extreme pneumatisation, which lightened the neck and increased bending resistance; elongate cervical ribs, which allowed hypaxial muscles to shift posteriorly; and, in several clades, bifid neural spines, which aided stability by shifting epaxial tension elements laterally. Bifid cervical neural spines evolved at least four times among sauropods and were never secondarily lost; they are otherwise found only in Rhea.
However, other aspects of sauropod cervical anatomy remain puzzling: low neural spines reduced the moment arm of epaxial tension members; ventrally displaced cervical ribs increased bulk; and epipophyses were not posteriorly elongated. These apparent flaws suggest our understanding of sauropod neck mechanics remains incomplete.
Friday 6th
Saturday 7th
South Glos. Mines Research Group - Walk
When
Sat, 7 April, 10:30 – 12:30
Where
10:30 at the entrance to Troopers Hill Field at the eastern end of Malvern Road, St George, BS5 8JA. Also parking on Diamond Road which leads to Malvern Road. (map)
Description
TROOPER’S HILL guided walk
Saturday 7th April 2018 at 10:30am
A guided walk led by local expert Rob Acton-Campbell. Meet by 10:30am at the entrance to Troopers Hill Field at the eastern end of Malvern Road, St George, BS5 8JA. Also parking on Diamond Road which leads to Malvern Road.
The walk will be around 2hrs and will include an exploration of Troopers Hill and adjacent River Avon Valley. May also be time to visit Handel Cossham's grave in Avon View Cemetery. There are many steps and some quite steep sections, so suitable footwear needed, top of the hill is also quite exposed.
Non members welcome - £2 each for the walk
(Membership is £17.50 per year, includes talks, newsletters)
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Bristol Nats @ Writhlington
When
Sat, 7 April, 12:00 – 16:00
Where
Meet up in the car park opposite Radstock Museum ST 690 550 (map)
Description
LOWER WRITHLINGTON COLLIERY TIP, RADSTOCK, 12.00 noon, Saturday 7 April 2018: Leader Simon Carpenter.
Lower Writhlington Colliery Tip is one of the premier sites in the country for Coal Measures plant fossils. Radstock Museum recently arranged for the tip to be turned over to expose fresh material. This was financed by grants from BNS, a local regeneration fund and Wessex Water. In addition to plant fossils there is also a chance of finding the remains of insects. Meet up in the car park opposite Radstock Museum ST 690 550. There will be an approximately 1.5 km walk along roads and the Colliers Way to the site. We will return to Radstock Museum (small entry charge) and attempt to identify the fossils found. There is a display of local fossils at the Museum.
It is intended to invite interested members of the public at the Bristol Rocks event to join BNS for this Field Meeting. Please let the Section Secretary know if you wish to attend.
Sunday 8th
Monday 9th
Tuesday 10th
Wednesday 11th
Thursday 12th
Friday 13th
Saturday 14th
Bath Geol Soc field trip (with Bristol Nats.)
When
Sat, 14 April, 10:30 – 16:00
Where
Watchet TA23, UK (map)
Description
Watchet
Professor Maurice Tucker, University of Bristol and Bath Geological Society
The north Somerset coast has brilliant exposures of the upper Triassic and lower Jurassic strata and these will be examined in the region of Watchet. Fossils are particularly abundant in the mudstones and thin limestones of the Lower Lias. We should find ammonites, bivalves, brachiopods, crinoids and belmnites, along with reptiles if we are lucky.
Meet at 10.30 am. Location to be determined. Transport by private car; lifts to be arranged (further details will be posted here at a later date).
Sunday 15th
OU Geol Soc Wessex - Excursion
When
15 – 20 Apr 2018
Where
Derwent Independent Lodge, The Lake District (map)
Description
Geology of the Lake District
Leaders: Professor Chris Wilson & John Rodgers
Venue: Derwent Independent Lodge
Location: The Lake Distirct
Date: April 15th–20th, 2018
Summary: Accommodation based in the scenic Borrowdale valley.
More info: The itinerary will consist of five full field study days from Monday to Friday and focus on Keswick, Shap and the Southern Vale of the Eden areas. The Lower Palaeozoic and glacial history of the Keswick area including the Borrowdale Volcanics the Shap granite and turbidite sequences and finally the Carboniferous/Permo-Triassic Succession in the Vale of Eden.
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Nick Chidlaw - Geological Maps
When
15 – 16 Apr 2018
Where
The Chantry, Thornbury, in South Gloucestershire. (map)
Description
Determining Geological Structure and History from Published Geological Maps
A weekend mid April: 15th and 16th
10.00 am – 5.00 pm each day.
Those studying geology, either formally or informally, sooner or later will likely come across published geological maps and these, although often visually impressive with their variety of colours and complexity of drawn lines, can be daunting to interpret. The course is suitable for those with a basic overall knowledge of geology, as well as those with more experience. Attendance on the course should provide those present with confidence in successfully interpreting parts of many geological maps in the future, and so broaden their understanding of this key form of geological data communication.
This course, arranged to run on the weekend of 3rd and 4th March, was postponed due to poor weather and travel conditions. Anyone who may have wished to attend the course on those dates but could not be available, may now be so for the rescheduled dates.
Tuition fee is £45.00 per person
Enrolments can be made and further details requested by contacting tutor Nick Chidlaw nickchidlaw@gmail.com
Deadline for new enrolments: Saturday 7th April
