Monday 31 March 2008

Step back into the Past - April 5th

Wiltshire Geology Group invites you to
Unveiling of Interpretation Board
by Professor Hugh Torrens
at Bradford on Avon Docks Clay Pit
Saturday 5th April, 11.30 a.m.
British Waterways car park at the end of
Baileys Barn Road, off Moulton Drive
The unveiling will be followed by a short walk looking at the Avon valley and local building stones, part of the route in the newly published trail guide exploring the landscape around Bradford on Avon.

Monday 24 March 2008

Now until 19th April

A Walk in the Park
An exhibition of artwork in response to a six months
residency undertaken by land artist,
Sandra Masterson at the Abberley and Malvern Hills Geopark
The exhibition is on until 19th April 2008
Gloucester City Museum and Art Gallery
Brunswick Road, Gloucester GL1 1HP
Details of opening times can be found on the Gallery website
The exhibition is sponsored by the Arts Council of Great Britain,
The Earth Heritage Trust and the University of Worcester

Fossil Hunt - March 30th

Fabulous Fossils and Awesome Ammonites!
Sunday March 30
10am or 2pm
Leader: Dr Neville Hollingworth
There is a chance to join in an organised Fossil Hunt in one of the quarries in the Cotswold Water Park. This hunt will give people an ideal opportunity to understand the local landscape in greater detail and to look for ammonites, belemnites, gryphaea etc!
Demand on these hunts is always extremely high, and places are limited for safety reasons. Please make sure you reserve your place early.
Minimum age for children: 5 No dogs allowed
Cost: Adults: £7.50 (Friends CWPS £6.50), Children under 14: £4 (£3)
Email to reserve places.
Further details about meeting place, safety points and equipment will be emailed to you a couple of days before the event.

Friday 21 March 2008

Geomap for the Forest of Dean

The Forest of Dean Local History Society has been awarded a grant to create a unique Geomap sculpture of the area. The strata of the Forest will be represented by the actual rock types, taken from both working and disused quarries. The flat sculpture will cover 84 square metres and, although the surface will be polished, it will be rough enough for people to walk on safely.
The Geomap is intended to demonstrate and celebrate the link between geology of the Forest of Dean and its long quarrying and mining history. It will be built on a site called New Fancy on a flat, grassy area opposite the Miners' Memorial

Monday 17 March 2008

March 20th 'Know your faults!'

Don't forget the lecture by Professor James Jackson from the University of Cambridge this Thursday - March 20th. 'Living with Earthquakes: know your faults'
The meeting starts at 7.30 p.m. at the BRLSI, 16 Queen Square. Everyone is welcome to attend - free to members of the Bath Geological Society, £3.oo for visitors.
Join us afterwards for wine and nibbles and a chat.

Friday 14 March 2008

In memory of Dr. Colin Parsons

I record with sadness the death of Dr Colin Parsons, who passed away peacefully on Tuesday 4th March, succumbing to the motor neurone disease which had been gaining the better of him for two years. Colin will be well known to workers on the Inferior Oolite formation from the many papers he published through the 1970s, working out the succession of ammonites in great detail, often from pits he painstakingly excavated by hand specially for the purpose. His comprehensive work covered the whole outcrop from the Dorset Coast, through Somerset and Yorkshire to the Isle of Skye, including re-determinations of many fossils and collections which had not been re-examined since the days of Buckman. After retreating from publication for almost thirty years due to his teaching commitments, he was embarking once more in retirement on a body of research. This included work in progress on the deposits at Dundry Hill and in north Dorset, benefiting from the assistance of mechanical plant for the excavations, but still applying his trademark meticulous observation, and contributing all the material to national academic collections.
I accompanied him on a number of his 'digs' and recall a kindly man whose immense knowledge never overshadowed his affable personality. He will be very much missed. Arrangements are in hand to publish obituaries in the Proceedings of the Bristol Naturalists' Society and other major geological journals. Further details on his funeral, his life's work, and proposals for memorial activities may be obtained from his close friend and working colleague John Huxtable, Telephone 01823 259395, e-mail johnhuxtable@hotmail.com
Alan Bentley

Tuesday 11 March 2008

Soudley Valley, Forest of Dean

Please don't forget the Bath Geological Society's field trip next Saturday - March 15th to Soudley Valley. It will be led by Dave Owen from the Gloucester Geology Trust and will be brilliant!
We are meeting at Dean Heritage Centre at 10.30 a.m. (SO664105). Strong boots and waterproofs are advisable. The published guide for the Soudley Valley at £1.95 will be available.
Non-members of the Society are very welcome (£3.00).