16th December 2019 to 5th January 2020

NEXT WEEKS EVENTS

16th December 2019 to 5th January 2020

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 16TH

tuesday 17th

SMFS Evening Meeting

When

Tue, 17 December, 19:30 – 21:30

Where

The Friends' Meeting House, 1A, Ordnance Rd, Southampton. SO15 2AZ (map)

Description

“Geological Cartoons; historical & modern” – presentation by our Chairman Phil James.

Members’ Display Table: Geological Funnies!

Details at http://www.sotonminfoss.org.uk/smfsprog.htm

Wednesday 18th

Thursday 19th

Thornbury Geology Group, 7.30pm, The Chantry, Thornbury

When

Thu, 19 December, 19:00 – 21:30

Description

Thornbury Geology Group, 7.30pm at The Chantry, Thornbury, and every 3rd Thursday in the month.  

Friday 20th

Saturday 21st

sunday 22nd

monday 23rd

Geostudies - Annual Dinner

When

Mon, 23 December, 19:30 – 22:00

Where

The Watersmeet Hartpury, Gloucester GL19 3BT, UK (map)

Description

Annual Geological Reunion Dinner at Watersmeet, Hartpury 7.30 for 8.00pm 

tuesday 24th

WEDNESDAY 25TH

THURSDAY 26TH

FRIDAY 27TH

SATURDAY 28th

SUNDAY 29th

MONDAY 30th

TUESDAY 31st

WEDNESDAY 1st

THURSDAY 2nd

FRIDAY 3rd

SATURDAY 4TH

SUNDAY 5TH

Dorset Building Stone

Dorset Building Stone

A correspondent has brought THIS FASCINATING SITE to my notice. And it has an accompanying BLOG. So far I have just skimmed a few articles but I am impressed by the thoroughness of the coverage. 

I now know that the Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Blandford was built by the Bastard brothers using Upper Greensand but they placed the bedding vertically rather than in the natural horizontal position and therefore it has weathered badly. Despite their unfortunate name the brothers produced the finest Georgian church outside London and rebuilt the town after a devastating fire in 1731. 

The site is full of such interesting detail and is obviously a labour of love - well worth looking at - again and again!

9th to 15th December 2019

NEXT WEEKS EVENTS

9th to 15th December 2019

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 9th

Geostudies - Lecture Series - Ordovician

When

Mon, 9 December, 19:30 – 21:30

Where

Wynstones School, Stroud Road, Whaddon, Gloucester (map)

Description

Geology of the Ordovician Period. 

The last Phanerozoic geological period to be named, after a bitter struggle between Murchison and Sedgwick. Lasting from 

485 to 444Ma ago, this period saw the enormous radiation of new forms of life and the earliest colonisation of the land by primitive plants “The Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event” . The two halves of Britain were separated by the Iapetus Ocean, but both were tectonically extremely active. The supercontinent of Gondwana drifted across the South Pole, possibly triggering a short and unusual (high CO2) glaciation and the second biggest mass extinction of life at the end of the period. As usual there is considerable debate about aspects of this period. 

Starts Mon 16th September  for 10 weeks (not 28th Oct nor 4th Nov nor 2nd Dec), until 9th December   Held at Wynstones School, Stroud Road, Whaddon, Gloucester from 7.30-9.30pm on Mondays. 

Cost £75 (including tea, coffee etc at break time!).  

TUESDAY 10th

WEGA Christmas Lunch

When

Tue, 10 December, 12:00 – 14:00

Where

The Eastfield Inn, 219 Henleaze Rd, Bristol BS9 4NQ, UK (map)

Description

Xmas lunch 12 noon at Eastfield Inn, Henleaze - please book through Treasurer

------------------------------------

Cardiff University Lecture - Volcanoes—all you need to know!

When

Tue, 10 December, 18:30 – 20:00

Where

School of Earth and Ocean Sciences will be held in the Wallace Lecture Theatre (0.13), Main Building, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT (map)

Description

The secrets of Vulcan: the hidden world of underwater volcanoes.    Chris MacLeod,  Cardiff

The 2019-2020 monthly Tuesday evening lecture series in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences will be held in the Wallace Lecture Theatre (0.13), Main Building, Cardiff University, Park Place,

 Cardiff CF10 3AT.  Lectures begin at 18.30.  Booking is not needed.  Should you require the Q&A sessions to be in Welsh, please email edwardsd2@cardiff.ac.uk at least two weeks before the event.

Did you know that the majority of volcanic eruptions – maybe even 90% – occur under water and of which we are largely unaware? There remains a very great deal we don't know about volcanoes, but many exciting new insights are emerging from ongoing research. This lecture series will encompass the diversity of volcanoes, their functioning and products, together with the nature of eruptions and their attendant problems of predictions plus their ensuing past and present environmental and biological impacts.

WEDNESDAY 11TH

Thursday 12th

Geostudies - Lecture Series - Miscellany

When

Thu, 12 December, 18:30 – 20:30

Where

John Kyrle High School, Ledbury Rd, Ross-on-Wye HR9 7ET, UK (map)

Description

Understanding the Earth – a Geological Miscellany

Thursday September 19th, 6.30-8.30pm, running for 10 weeks at the Adult Education Centre, John Kyrle High School until 12th December (missing out 24th, 31st October and 7th November) covering the following topics: Geological maps and structures, and their relationship to landscape development; Tectonics, mountain building and their effects on landforms; Geological resources – formation , occurrence and exploitation; Climate change in a geological context. 

Cost £75, including drinks at break time. 

friday 13th

Cheltenham Mineral and Geological Society - Lecture

When

Fri, 13 December, 19:00 – 21:00

Where

Shurdington at The Century Hall (map)

Description

Sale, Quiz,  and Raffle   

saturday 14th

sunday 15th

Did a Rainy Spell Start Dinosaur Evolution?

Did a Rainy Spell Start Dinosaur Evolution?

THIS ARTICLE tells a rather charming story of how a chance encounter led to a theory that a wet period in the mostly dry Triassic (the Carnian) encouraged (or demanded) evolution. Some crinoids died. Corals became more modern, mammals may have appeared. And dinosaurs - a rather rare group - evolved into a diverse group.

The article has lots of detail - was the Wrangellian eruptions in western North America responsible for global warming which led to increased precipitation? 

But now the Carnian is being intensively studied wherever it is found, including the Dolomites, which allows me to show one of my photos of a mountain with some red stuff - is that the Carnian?

How Life Survived Snowball Earth

How Life Survived Snowball Earth

THIS ARTICLE in the New York Times, based on THIS ARTICLE in a scientific journal (subscription required), describes research which found that some areas beneath the ice, separated from the atmosphere, had sufficient oxygen to sustain life. These areas were near the shoreline, land against sea ice.

The researchers reckon that glacial meltwater, running into the sub-ice oceans carried oxygen in sufficient quantity to let aerobic life to survive.

The articles describe the research which led to this conclusion, in much more detail than I give and the N Y Times article is very easy to read.

An artist’s concept of the Earth frozen in snow, during one of the planet’s most severe ice ages.Credit...Chris Butler/Science Source

2nd to 8th December 2019

NEXT WEEKS EVENTS

2nd to 8th December 2019

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

SGMRG - Lecture

When

Wednesday, 4 Dec 2019

Where

The miners Institute, BS36 2QB Badminton Rd, Coalpit Heath, Bristol (map)

Description

Trials, Tribulations & Triumphs, Rescuing Hemingfield Colliery, a talk by Steve Grudgings.

Non-members welcome; fee £2:00 ea.

(Membership £17:50/year)

7:30 pm for 8:00 pm start.

Events, Exhibitions & Publications:  Roger Gosling 01454 883607

thursday 5th

Geostudies - Lecture Series - Miscellany

When

Thu, 5 December, 18:30 – 20:30

Where

John Kyrle High School, Ledbury Rd, Ross-on-Wye HR9 7ET, UK (map)

Description

Understanding the Earth – a Geological Miscellany

Thursday September 19th, 6.30-8.30pm, running for 10 weeks at the Adult Education Centre, John Kyrle High School until 12th December (missing out 24th, 31st October and 7th November) covering the following topics: Geological maps and structures, and their relationship to landscape development; Tectonics, mountain building and their effects on landforms; Geological resources – formation , occurrence and exploitation; Climate change in a geological context. 

Cost £75, including drinks at break time. 

--------------------------------

Bristol Museum Lecture

When

Thu, 5 December, 19:30 – 21:00

Where

Priory Road Lecture Theatre, University of Bristol, 8 Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1TN (map)

Description

Winter Lecture: Cosmochemistry – geology meets space science

Meteorites, the building blocks of the asteroids and the planets, are the most ancient rocks in the Solar System.

Containing the clues about how our Solar System was assembled, how the planets were built, and how long ago it all happened, deep time and space can be explored from a geological perspective.

Speaker: Tim Gregory, University of Bristol

Entry to the winter lectures is on a first come basis so we recommend arriving 15 minutes before the advertised start time to be assured of a seat.

All Winter Lectures take place at:

Priory Road Lecture Theatre,

University of Bristol,

8 Woodland Road,

Bristol

BS8 1TN

Parking in the area can be difficult so you may want to allow extra time to find a space.

A few more details at https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/bristol-museum-and-art-gallery/whats-on/winter-lecture-cosmochemistry-geology-space-science/

friday 6th

saturday 7th

OUGS Severnside - Lectures

When

Saturday, 7 Dec 2019

Where

Oriel Suite, National Museum of Wales (map)

Description

Day of talks 

The confirmed speakers are:

Professor Susan Marriott, University of Bristol - The early depositional record of the Old Red Sandstone in the Anglo-Welsh Basin - Ludlow- to Pridoli-age deposits in Wales and the Welsh Borderland record the final infill of the Lower Palaeozoic marine Welsh Basin and transition to the continental deposits of the Old Red Sandstone on the southern margin of the newly formed Laurussian continent. Deposition was largely structurally controlled, particularly by the Welsh Borderland Fault System, though eustatic sea-level fluctuations in the Silurian linked to glacial episodes have been identified. A range of depositional environments has been examined from the initial pediment surface to incised valley fill deposits in response to relative sea-level changes. The talk will describe the different facies exposed and show how they document the Late Silurian history of the basin.

Cindy Howells, Collections Manager, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff - Dinosaur Discoveries - she will be talking about dinosaurs from their very earliest discoveries, the history of some of the collectors, and how they have been interpreted through time.

Dr Ian Skilling, University of South Wales - What Triggers Magma-Water Explosions?: Evidence from Pyroclast and Peperite Textures - Magma interacting with water or wet sediment is a very common occurrence (there is no such thing as a dry and sediment-free vent!).   Sometimes this interaction is violently explosive but at other times is passive.  It is important from a hazard perspective to understand exactly what triggers explosions.  Ideas about these processes have come from theoretical and physical models, but this talk will focus on using evidence from rocks that preserve evidence of the interaction of magma and wet sediment (peperites) and from the textures of pyroclasts formed in magma-water explosions.

Professor J Huw Davies, Cardiff University - Mantle Engine - Earth’s surface responds to flow in its mantle. Over the past few decades we have been able to start mapping some of that flow using seismology. We are now starting to build models of the flow to test our understanding and try to make predictions of events in the past - so called ‘retro-dict’. Huw will present the background to this exciting new science of mantle circulation modelling, and mention some of its successes to date.

 There will be a charge for the day - £6 per person - excellent value for excellent talks!

Refreshments will be provided on arrival from 10am - included in the charge.

Lunch is not included, but the Museum's café and restaurant will be open as usual. Or you can bring a packed lunch.

The library will be available as normal for you to borrow and return books.

 "Dippy" is on tour of course, and is at the National Museum Cardiff from 19 October 2019 to 26 January 2020. You may have time to see it at lunchtime or after the talks are finished on 7th December, if the queue is not too long.

sunday 8th