Tuesday 28 February 2012

In the shadows and over the heads of the Isle of Wight Dinosaurs

Bath Geological Society lecture - - 
March 1st
Dr. Steven Sweetman, University of Portsmouth
BRLSI Queen Square, Bath, 7.30 p.m.
Visitors welcome - £4 - free refreshments
Abstract on website.

Large, New Zealand fossil penguin

A large extinct penguin has been reconstructed from fossil remains discovered in New Zealand. Researchers used bones from two separate examples of the ancient birds, using the skeleton of a modern king penguin as a guide. They show the 25 million-year-old Kairuku penguin was tall at 1.2m (4ft 2in), with an elongated beak and large flippers. The reconstruction shows that the Kairuku penguin was easily the largest of the five species that were common to New Zealand during the Oligocene time period.
Twenty-five million years ago, New Zealand was an attractive location for penguins because it offered both food and safety. Most of the present day country was underwater at that time, leaving isolated, rocky land masses that protected the penguins from potential predators and provided them with a plentiful food supply.
Click here to read more.

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Dates for your Diary

Thursday 1st March, 7.30p.m.
'In the shadows and over the heads of the Isle of Wight dinosaurs' Dr. Steven Sweetman, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth
Further details here

Saturday 10th March, 6.30 for 7.00p.m.
Lyme Regis Museum's special event for National Science Week - an evening with Dr Ramues Gallois, Fellow of the Geological Society - 'Ever-moving landslides of the Devon-Dorset coast'.
Large landslides are more common on the Jurassic Coast than in any other part of the UK, and erosion of the rocks between Sidmouth and Lyme Regis has produced the most spectacular active landslides in Europe. Dr Gallois poses the question, 'Why do they occur and will we ever be able to predict them?'
Come early for a glass of something before his 7o'clock talk

Sat 17th March 2012, 10.30am - 1.00am
Chalk Links in the North Wessex Downs, talk in Croft Hall, The Croft, Hungerford, RG17 0GY followed by a Guided Walk around Hungerford from 13.30 lasting about one hour to look at landscape, building materials  - -
Free event. Anyone welcome

Tuesday 20th March, 6 for 6.30p.m.
Waste Classification - WRGS  
Click here for details 

Thursday 22nd March 
Public lecture to be given by Professor Colin Pillinger, regarding his analysis of meteorites and lunar dust.
Great Hall, University of Bristol
Tickets must be reserved.

Sat 24th March 2012, 11.00am
Kintbury - Bricks & Whiting: Both bricks and the production of whiting are dependent upon chalk. A short walk on footpaths of about 2 miles around Kintbury to look at the evidence of the industrial past.
Meet at 11am outside the church at SU384670. All welcome, no booking required.

Sat 31st March 2012, 1.30pm - 4.45am
The Cathedral Rocks - the Earth materials used in the construction of Salisbury Cathedral led by Steve Hannath.
Please book for lecture and tour - Bath Geological Society

Thursday 16 February 2012

Outcrop - The Blog of the Avon RIGS Group

Click here to see the new Avon RIGS blog.

20th March - Waste Classification - WRGS

Tuesday 20th March 2012, 'Dragging waste classification into the 21st Century'. Ian Bishop of Haswaste Online will discuss how the use of proprietary online software can assist waste producers, for example geo-environmental consultants and contractors, civil engineers and developers classify mirror entry wastes.
Refreshments will be available from 6.00 p.m. followed by the evening lecture which will commence at 6.30 p.m.  The event is open to non-fellows, so please feel free to invite your colleagues or friends.  As usual, the venue is the University of Bristol Earth Sciences Department.

El Hierro eruption - update

Four months after it began, the underwater volcanic eruption off El Hierro Island (Canaries) persists. This natural-colour satellite image, collected on February 10th, 2012, shows the site of the eruption, near the fishing village of La Restinga. Bright aquamarine water indicates high concentrations of volcanic material. Immediately above the vent, a patch of brown water resembles a turbulent hot tub and indicates when and where the eruption is strongest.   The volcano's summit is now only 120 metres beneath the ocean surface - 10 metres higher than it was in mid-January. The height of the erupting cone is about 210 metres above the former ocean bottom, with a total volume over 145 million cubic meters of new material.

Tuesday 7 February 2012

One space available on Bordeaux trip

GEOLOGY OF THE BORDELAIS
March 10-14  -  6 nights
Leaders: Jean-Pierre Tastet of the University of Bordeaux and Dr Graham Evans of Imperial College
This proposed trip has the full title 'Geology of the Bordelais: the control on the siting of vineyards and the character of the coastal zone'. The geology of various AOC (Appelations) vineyards will be demonstrated and illustrated by wine-tastings in the different chateaux.
Also, the evidence of the evolution of the coastline during the last 6000 years and the impact of man will be examined by visits to the coastal dune systems, especially the Dune du Pilat, the Lac de Sanguinet, the Bassin d'Arcachon and the Gironde estuary marshes. Visits to some local museums will provide opportunities to understand the history of human occupation of the area during the Holocene.
Transport will be by coach, and the approximate maximum cost will be 770 Euros, to include 6 nights hotel accommodation (extra for single occupancy), breakfasts, and lunches with Bordeaux wines. A geological tour of the city of Bordeaux and its building stones will be included. 
Interested members should contact Sarah at the G.A. Office, 020 7434 9298.

Sunday 5 February 2012

16th February - Rock Detectives in Devizes

Come to the Wiltshire Heritage Museum, Devizes to discover more about rocks and fossils through a variety of activities and find out what it was like to be there, millions of years ago.
Rock Detectives will discover more about rocks and fossils through a variety of activities. The emphasis will be on fun and discovery, providing an ideal environment for family learning if parents want to stay for the activities and join in the fun.
As 'members of the club' each child will receive a Rock Detectives kit bag with badge, hand lens, rock and fossil ID leaflet, pencil, sharpener and notebook ...
Two sessions:
11am to 12.30pm for ages 5 to 7
1.30pm to 3pm for over 7s
Siblings can be booked together, but under 8s must be accompanied by an adult.
Booking essential:
* Contact 01380 727369
* Send an e-mail.
Notes:
(1) To reserve a place payment must be made at time of booking, or 48 hours before the session.
(2) An activity may be cancelled at short notice if insufficient bookings are received. Any payments will be refunded.
Cost:   £5 per workshop for first child, £4 for other children in family.

Saturday 4 February 2012

Feb 15th - Meet the Ecosaurs at Lyme Regis

Half-term Family Fun Day at Lyme Regis Museum is on Wednesday February 15. Get creative with local artist Alison Bowskill and ideas inspired by a new children’s book Meet the Ecosaurs. Create your own dinosaur timeline, make fossil rubbings and colourful dinosaur pictures.
Free admission for adults and children and free art materials. Suitable for children ages 5 to 10 years.

Thursday 2 February 2012

Interested in the Arctic?

Frontier Scientists is a newsletter that shares the Arctic's newest discoveries.
Click here to read more