WINTER LECTURE PROGRAMME 2010/2011 · ‘British Earthquakes’ by Dr Ian Stimpson (Keele University) The British Isles have a surprising, long and varied history of earthquake activity

WINTER LECTURE PROGRAMME 2010/2011 Lectures are held in Room G6 in the William Smith Building, Keele University

Thursday 13th January at 19:30 ‘Bio-geochemical cycles; Bugs, bogs and labs’

by Dr Rebecca Bartlett (Birmingham University)

With over 4 billion years of evolution, microbes are ubiquitous in

all Earth’s environments, exploiting local conditions to support

their life. In the modern world, biogeochemistry describes the

interplay of microbes with the Earth – so how do microbes

behave in bogs, and how are they contributing to the carbon

budget?

The committee invites you to join them for a meal at 6pm in the

COMUS restaurant (01782 734121) before this lecture. Please

make your own booking with the restaurant mentioning that you

wish to join the NSGGA party. The cost is approximately £9 for a

two-course meal not including wine or coffee.

Thursday 10th February at 19:30 ‘Coal bed methane’ by Professor Peter Styles (Keele University)

With hydrocarbon reserves beginning to become more scarce,

attention is returning to coal as a source of energy. Keele has

been trialling coal bed methane extraction to heat the

university. Find out more about the process and the Keele

experiment.

This talk will be preceded at 6pm by a sherry reception and two

course buffet meal. The cost is £10 including wine. If you would

like to attend, please send £10 per person (before Friday 14th

January) to Brenda Kay, 9 Copthorne Drive, Audlem, Crewe,

Cheshire, CW3 0EQ (Tel. 01270 811650) or see Brenda at the

January meeting.

Thursday 10th March at 19:00 AGM and Chairman’s Address.

‘British Earthquakes’ by Dr Ian Stimpson (Keele University)

The British Isles have a surprising, long and varied history of

earthquake activity. This talk will predict whether the Earth will

move for you too.

(Image: University of Birmingham)

(Image: Ian G. Stimpson)

Bulletin of the North Staffordshire Group of the Geologists’ Association Number 96 Page 2

January 2011

NSGGA Field Weekend in Teesdale Saturday 4th - Sunday 5th June 2011

Leader: Eileen Fraser

This weekend field excursion will explore the geology in the spectacular Teesdale Valley in County

Durham. The first day will focus on the Whin Sill at High and Low Force and also the cyclic

Carboniferous sedimentation at Bowlees Nature Park. The second day will be a walk of about 1.5

miles each way alongside Cow Green reservoir to visit Cauldron Snout waterfalls and the geology en

route and a late lunch at Langdon Beck pub. There may also be an opportunity to visit the Mineral

Spar Boxes exhibition and museum at Killhope Mine.

Accommodation has been reserved for the group at The Teesdale Hotel, Market Place, Middleton-

in-Teesdale, County Durham, DL12 OQG. Dinner, bed and breakfast will be £54.00 per person, per

night. Light packed lunches can be booked upon arrival. If anyone wishes to stay an extra night on

the Sunday this will be at the same rate but please indicate this when booking. To book, a cheque

for £30 per person is required. (£20 hotel deposit + £10 field fee). At the time of publication places

are extremely limited so please contact Eileen Fraser (01260 271505 or [email protected])

before booking.

Minerals Make Mountains 19 February - 3 July 2011

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent

Victorian artist and thinker John Ruskin may not have got it

totally correct when he said that "Mountains are the

beginning and the end of all natural scenery". In a sense

there is no beginning and end to mountains as they are a

part of the endless rock cycle that is driven by the dynamic

Earth.

Mixing art and nature from the Museum’s permanent

collections, this exhibition illustrates the various stages of

the cycle that turns rocks into the minerals that make

mountains.

For an informative and fun explanation of the rock cycle,

have a look at the Oxford University Museum of Natural

History's 'The Learning Zone' web pages - Welcome to

Rocky's journey around the rock cycle!

www.oum.ox.ac.uk/thezone/rocks/cycle/index.htm

For details of the Museum opening times etc. please contact:

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery,

Bethesda Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3DW

Telephone: 01782 232323, email: [email protected]

www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag


January 2011

(Image: Richard Waller)

(Image: Richard Waller)

(Image: Patrick Cossey)

FIELD REPORT

Staffordshire RIGS on BBC Countryfile Monday 22th November 2010: Leaders: Pat Cossey and Sarah Taylor

BBC Countryfile joined the Staffordshire RIGS group, including several NSGGA members, to film

geoconservation of a regionally important geological site in the Peak District.

The event, run by Patrick Cossey

(Staffordshire University) and Sarah Taylor

(Keele University), cleared encroaching

vegetation and fallen rocks that prevented

access to the rock face at Lee Cutting.

The site is located on the old Manifold valley

railway, which forms part of the Hamps and

Manifold Geotrail. They unearthed a fold and

fault, and lots of fossil crinoids, which have

probably not been seen since the heyday of

the railway in the 1920s.

Patrick had the unenviable task of explaining the

geology of the Carboniferous of the Peak District

without using technical terms to befuddle the

average BBC1 viewer like ‘reef’!

He also did a magnificent job of explaining to

presenter Adam Henson why anyone in their right

mind would give up a day to scrub rocks, even

getting Adam involved.

Pat also explained to BBC1 viewers in words of one

syllable how Thor’s Cave was formed by ancient

rivers.

Staffs RIGS (now renamed

GeoConservation Staffordshire) are

planning another geoconservation site

clearance, this time at Sparrowlee Bridge

(and without the television cameras) on

Saturday March 19, 2011 and NSGGA

members are welcome to take part. Details

will be circulated to the NSGGA mailing list

and announced at the evening meetings in

the New Year.


January 2011

Calymene blumenbachii. This trilobite is more commonly known as the

Dudley Bug

(Image: Geology Matters / Black Country Museums)

OTHER SOCIETIES

Geology Matters Website

Geology Matters is a new website www.geologymatters.org.uk showcasing the best of the geology

collections of the Black Country museums. The website includes a huge range of geological

treasures from internationally important sites, including some of Sir Roderick Murchison’s original

specimens.

Collectively the Black Country geology collection forms one of the largest collective collections in

the UK with specimens housed in Dudley Museum & Art Gallery, Wednesbury Museum & Art

Gallery and Wolverhampton Art Gallery. These 30,000 specimens include some rare fossils such as

soft bodied worms to more common fossils including the ‘Dudley Bug’ trilobite. Dudley has the

largest collection with almost 18,000 specimens.

The website has almost 3,000 records of

geology specimens from across these

museums, with almost 2,000 of these

records having high quality images showing

a variety of views of the objects. Information

provided with specimens tells the story of

where it was found and its age. The

collections range the full geological history

of the UK from the Precambrian though to

the present day.

The Geology Matters blog introduces people

to the basics of geology including how fossils

form and how to care for geological

collections. This is done through a series of

short articles written by local geologists and

includes videos featuring the current Keeper

of Geology at Dudley Museum & Art Gallery

Graham Worton. The blog is constantly being updated with new content.

Find out about key people in history who have used the Black Country as a base for their geological

knowledge, including Sir Roderick Murchison who used fossils found at the Wrens Nest in his book

on the ‘Silurian System’ in the early 19th Century. The website also offers a brief overview of the

collectors who have made the collections special and unique within the geological world. Everyone

visiting the site will learn something new and find something interesting which they may not of

seen before. Both professional and amateur geologists will find this a useful resource.

Geology Matters has been funded by the Museums, Libraries and Archives council through their

“Renaissance in the Regions” programme. It includes information from Dudley Museums Service,

Sandwell Museums Service and Wolverhampton Arts and Museums Service


January 2011

Black Country Geological Society Indoor Meetings at the Dudley Museum & Art Gallery, St James's Road, Dudley

Monday 17th January @ 20:00 The new acquisition of the Wenlock Edge quarries. Peter Carty,

(National Trust Countryside Property Manager, Carding Mill

Valley).

Friday 21st January (tbc) Geoconservation field work. Please note the changed date!

Wren's Nest: Hedge laying.

Sunday 20th February (tbc) Geoconservation field work. Moorcroft Wood.

Monday 21st February @ 20:00 An introduction to Glaciers, Ice Ages and the British Landscape.

Dr. Richard Waller (Keele University).

Sunday 27th February @ 10:00 Barrow Hill/Saltwells, led by Alan Cutler and Julia Morris.

Monday 21st March @ 19:30 AGM followed by Problematic plesiosaurs - a unique group of

extinct marine reptiles. Dr. Adam Smith (Thinktank).

Monday 11th April @ 20:00 The Geology of Lundy. Dr. Clive Roberts (University of

Wolverhampton).

More details at www.bcgs.info

East Midlands Geological Society Lectures: B3, Biology Building of the University of Nottingham

Saturday 15 January @ 18:00 Britain in the Freezer - a long-term perspective of Quaternary Ice

Ages by Jon Lee

Saturday 12 February @ 18:00 The last 50 years of mineral exploration in Britain by Tim Colman

Saturday 12 March @ 18:30 Multiphase in Volcanoes by Barry Azzopardi (after AGM)

Saturday 16 April @ 18:30 Members' Evening

More details at www.emgs.org.uk

East Midlands Regional Group of the Geological Society More details at http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/gsl/groups/regional/emrg

Liverpool Geological Society Lectures: 19.30 James Parsons Building, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool

Tuesday 18 January Lecture Meeting TBA.

Tuesday 8 February The Distinguished Visitor's Address by Richard Fortey.

Tuesday 22 February “Does the answer lie in the rocks?” by Rick Brassington.

Tuesday 25 February Annual Society Dinner at The Mandarin Chinese Restaurant,

Victoria Street, Liverpool.

Tuesday 8 March Practical session on Soils by Jenny Jones

Sunday 13 March Practical session – Mega Fossil Hunt by Joe Crossley

Tuesday 22 March Distinguished Member's Address by Professor Tony Harris.

Tuesday 5 April Geology of the A55 by Frank Nicholson

Field Meetings:

Saturday 9 April Frodsham by Joe Crossley

Friday-Tuesday 15-19 April Ardnamurchan by Jeff Harris

Sunday 15 May A55, North Wales by Frank Nicholson

More details at liverpoolgeologicalsociety.org.uk


January 2011

Manchester Geological Association Lectures: Variable start times in the Williamson Building, Oxford Road, Manchester

Saturday 15 January @ 13:30 The Scottish Dalradian by Jack Treagus, Giles Droop, Richard

Pattrick (University of Manchester)

Wednesday 16 February @ 19:00 AGM followed by Presidential Address, Geology in Verse by Dr.

Tony Adams (University of Manchester)

Wednesday 9 March @ 18:30 Geohazards. Dr. Jeff Blackford (University of Manchester) Joint

Meeting with the Geographical Association

Fieldtrips:

Saturday 17 April Inner City Salford by Tony Adams

Sunday 23 May Llangollen by Jacqui Malpas

Friday 28 May-Thursday 3 June Germany by John Nudds (fully booked)

Sunday 4 July Styal Mill by Fred Owen

Saturday 17 July Park Bridge, Ashton-under-Lyne by Chantal Johnson

Saturday 14 August Goodluck Lead Mine, Matlock by Paul Chandler

Saturday 4 September Dovedale by Jane Michael

More Details at www.mangeolassoc.org.uk

North West Regional Group of the Geological Society Lectures:

Thursday 13 January @ 18:30 Quiz Night and AGM. TBC

Thursday 20 January @ 18:30 Your Continued Professional Development and route to

Chartership. Bill Gaskarth (Chartership Officer – Geological

Society of London) TBC

Thursday 10 February @ 18:30 Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) - Firth of Forth. Steve

Walters (Director – Thornton New Energy Ltd / BGC Energy Ltd)

Williamson Lecture Theatre, University of Manchester

Thursday 10 March @ 18:30 First Street remediation and redevelopment, Manchester.

Kate Canning (Senior Engineer - Arup). The Centre Lecture

Theatre, Warrington

Thursday 7 April @ 18:30 New Zealand Slope Stability and Highway Failures. Jonathan

Cahm (Principal Geotechnical Engineer – Opus International)

TBC

Thursday 5 May @ 18:30 Advances in Hydrogeology. Prof. Jonathan Smith (Shell Global

Solutions). The Centre Lecture Theatre, Warrington

Thursday 9 June @ 18:30 Manchester Metrolink Extension. TBC (Jacobs) Williamson

Lecture Theatre, University of Manchester

More details at www.geolsoc.org.uk/gsl/groups/regional/nwrg

Shropshire Geological Society Lectures: 7.30 at Shire Hall, Shrewsbury

Wednesday 12 January Shropshire Unconformities. Dr Peter Toghill

Wednesday 9 February Longmyndian fossils. Alex Liu (University of Oxford)

Wednesday 9 March Stone. Dr Ian Thomas (Director of the National Stone Centre)

More details at www.shropshiregeology.org.uk/SGS/SGSintro.html


January 2011

Warwickshire Geological Conservation Group Lectures 19:30 at the Senior Citizen's Club, Southbank Road, Kenilworth, CV8 1JZ

Wednesday 19 January More interesting fossils by Hugh Jones

Wednesday 16 February TBC

Wednesday 16 March Antarctica Rocks by Tom Sharpe (National Museum of Wales)

Wednesday 20 April TBC

More details at www.wgcg.co.uk

West Midlands Regional Group of the Geological Society Tuesday 11 January @ 19:00 Chartership Guidance Meeting. TBA. Old Joint Stock pub,

Temple Row, Birmingham City Centre

More details at www.geolsoc.org.uk/gsl/groups/regional/wmrg

Western Institute of Mining and Minerals Lectures 19:00 at the William Smith Building, Keele University

Monday 7 February Tailings Dam Remediation Scheme and Electron Micro analysis of

Tailings, Mauritania. Dr Richard White (CERAM) & Christine

Blackmore (Wardell Armstrong LLP)

Monday 7 March Forensic Geoscience: How to find a dead body? Dr Jamie Pringle

(Keele University)

Monday 9 May Kellingley YZ502’s Coal Face Project. Wyn Griffith (UK Coal)

More details at www.iom3.org/wimm

NSGGA COMMITTEE VACANCIES 2011 A couple of NSGGA committee members are stepping down in the new year, most noticeably the

Meetings Secretary and the Field Secretary, and we would be very interested to hear from

anyone interested to joining the committee in March to help this group keep thriving. Help will

be given in easing the new person into the position. If you are interested in becoming a

committee member, or have any questions in what the job might involve, please contact the

chair, Ian Stimpson ([email protected]) before the next committee meeting (see

below).


January 2011

NSGGA - Next Committee Meeting Thursday 20 January @ 19:00 In F34, the William Smith Building, Keele University

Contacts List: NSGGA Committee 2010-11 Chairman: Dr Ian Stimpson

24 Sorrell Gardens, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 3FA Tel. 077790 83243

e-mail; [email protected]

Vice-chairman: David Osborn

Stretton, 2 Croyde Place, Meir Park, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 7XD. Tel 01782 336692

email: [email protected]

General Secretary: Eileen Fraser,

47 Longdown Road, Congleton, Cheshire CW12 4QH Tel. 01260 271505


Treasurer: Brenda Kay,

9 Copthorne Drive, Audlem, Crewe, Cheshire, CW3 0EQ Tel. 01270 811650


Membership Sec.: Mike Brown,

6 Spring Close, Rode Heath, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 3TQ Tel. 01270 878130


Speakers Sec: Dr Bob Fletcher,

40 Oaklands, Guilden Sutton, Chester, CH3 7HE Tel. 01244 300705


Field Sec.: Nick Hulley

3 Honeysuckle Close, Upper Tean, Staffs, ST10 4LZ Tel. 01538 722017


RIGS Liaison Officer: Dr Richard Waller,

2 Bunts Lane, Stockton Brook, Stoke-on-Trent, ST9 9PR Tel. 01782 505282


Bulletin Sec.: Dr Ian Stimpson,

24 Sorrell Gardens, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 3FA Tel. 077790 83243

e-mail; [email protected]

Executive Committee (honorary):

Dr. Colin Exley; Terry Jones; David Thompson; Ted Watkin.

Honorary Life Member: Ann Myatt

Executive Committee (elected):

Dr Lloyd Boardman; Dr Peter Floyd; Janet Osborn (Minutes Secretary); Gerald Ford; Vicky

Tunstall (John Myers Awards); Elizabeth Hallam, Carol Fereday;

Mike Fereday

Executive Committee (co-opted):

Don Steward, John Reynolds

Why not visit the NSGGA web pages: www.esci.keele.ac.uk/nsgga

Produced for the NSGGA by Ian G. Stimpson, Earth Sciences & Geography, Keele University, Staffs, ST5 5BG

Documents

WINTER LECTURE PROGRAMME 2010/2011 · ‘British Earthquakes’ by Dr Ian Stimpson (Keele University) The British Isles have a surprising, long and varied history of earthquake activity