Sunday 29 November 2015

December 3rd - Geology of Anglesey

Bath Geological Society - December 3rd
The Geology of Anglesey

Dave Green, Geostudies
For years the geology of Anglesey has caused controversy amongst those studying its complex arrangement of seemingly unrelated fault blocks, particularly the status of the PreCambrian (or are they?) granites and gneisses, sedimentary extrusive sequence, blueschists, ophiolitic/deep ocean facies and melange. So complex that the very stratigraphy has been completely overhauled and re-interpreted twice during the last 100 years. In comparison, the thin and deformed unconformably overlying Lower Palaeozoic rocks are simple, as are the Upper Palaeozoic sediments, with their excellent environmental indicators. On a final note of controversy - why is Anglesey, composed largely of ancient, resistant rocks, so flat in comparison to the nearby mountains of Snowdonia? This talk and the field trip to follow, will attempt to outline the main elements of the geology of the island and the evidence that has produced such geological controversy.
This talk will be followed by a visit to Anglesey in 2016.
7.30p.m. BRLSI, 16 Queen Square, Bath
Everyone welcome - visitors £4 - free refreshment

Cambrian explosion - amazing new discovery

The Journal of the Geological Society’s series of ‘Review Focus’ articles on fossil Lagerstätten continues with recently discovered fossils from Emu Bay, South Australia, which are casting new light on the early evolution of vision…

Friday 20 November 2015

Royal award for volcanology research by the University of Bristol

The University of Bristol has been awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education – the highest accolade for any academic institution – in recognition of its world-leading research in volcanology. 


Researchers from the group played a key advisory role following the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull.  Volcanic hazards are now explicit in the UK National Risk Register and the risk to aviation has been significantly reduced; ash clouds are better understood, monitored and predicted due to the implementation of the group’s research findings.  Their free web tool, PlumeRise, which gives more accurate estimates of the amount of ash injected into the atmosphere during a volcanic eruption, is now used by numerous institutions worldwide.

Large diamond discovered

Second largest gem quality diamond ever found recovered in Botswana


Colour-in Geology Map

Have you seen the Colour-in geology map of the UK and Ireland?


Another brilliant addition to the BGS website.

Wednesday 4 November 2015

17th November - 3D ground models for offshore wind farms

Western Regional Group 
3D ground models for offshore wind farms:
Integrated teams for integrated models
Sean Pearce 
S.H Reynolds Lecture Theatre, Bristol University, Bristol.  
6:30pm Start - everyone welcome

Dinosaur with tail feathers and skin tissue

Astonishingly well-preserved dinosaur found with fossilized tail feathers and skin tissue.
 Credit: Julius Csotonyi
 An illustration of Ornithomimus based on the findings of preserved tail feathers and soft tissue. While studying at the University of Alberta, a first-year palaeontology student stumbled across a surprisingly well-preserved dinosaur fossil, with its tail feathers and some soft tissue remarkably intact. This Ornithomimus ('bird mimic') dinosaur, existed in the Late Cretaceous period in what is now modern-day North America.