GA mag 18 GA mag 18 - geologistsassociation.org.uk · is published by the Geologists’ Association. Four issues are produced in the year. ISSN 1476-7600 Production team: Paula Carey,

MAGAZINE OF THE MAGAZINE OF THE

GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIATION GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIATION

Volume 5 No. 2 June 2006Volume 5 No. 2 June 2006GAGA

GA meetings June to July

GA Field trips toOman, South Wales

Ethiopia- a traveller’sobservations

Book Reviews,Art at the rockfacel

SesquicentenialCelebrations

is published by the Geologists’

Association. Four issues are

produced in the year. ISSN 1476-7600Production team: Paula Carey, Robin Cocks

John Crocker, Bill French

Printed by GRAYAM PRESS, Billericay.

The GEOLOGISTS’ ASSOCIATION does not

accept any responsibility for views and opinions

expressed by individual authors in this magazine.

The Geologists’ AssociationThe Association, founded in 1858, exists to foster the progress and

diffusion of the science of geology, and to encourage research and

the development of new methods. It holds meetings for the read-

ing of papers and the delivery of lectures, organises museum

demonstrations, publishes Proceedings and Guides, and conducts

field meetings.

Annual Subscription for 2006 are £39.00, Associates £29.00,

Joint Members £57.00, Students £17.00.

For forms of Proposal for Membership, and further information

apply to the Executive Secretary, The Geologists’ Association,

Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0DU.

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Telephone 020 7434 9298 Fax 020 7287 0280

Website: http://www.geologist.demon.co.uk

President: Mike Benton

Executive Secretary: Sarah Stafford

Magazine of the

Geologists’ Association

Volume 6 issue 2, 2006

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GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 5, No. 2, 20062

CONTENTS

3. The Association

4. GA Meetings June / JulyIMPORTANT NOTICE

5. Thanks to Maurice / In the Proceedings

6. GA Field Trip to Oman

8. The Shaping of Shropshire

9. FossilFest II

10. Rockwatch

14. Local Heros GA OU Prize

11. Ethiopia - a traveller’s observations

14. Festival of Geology

15. Book Review / Watchet Guide

16. Art at the Rockface

18. Oman Field Trip - an alternative view

19. Book Review

20. ESEU Reaches a million children

21. Whitman’s Hill Geodiversity

23. South Wales Field Trip (part1)

Cover picture:

Folded Ramp in Wadi Bimah Oman, Photo Mike

Cuming - see report on page 6

ADVERTISEMENTSWhile precautions are taken to ensure the validity of advertise-

ments the Association is not responsible for the items offered, for

any loss arising or for their compliance with regulations.

GAGA

NOTICE CONCERNING FIELD MEETINGS:

The Association now has a mobile phone for

emergency communications concerning field

meetings (UK only). If you have to cancel on the

day, or are lost or late for the start of a field meeting,

please call the GA mobile phone (07724133290).

The mobile phone will only be switched on just

before and during field meetings.

(For routine enquires, please call the Field Meetings

Secretary on the usual number.)

From the President

I am delighted to take over as Presidentof the Geologists' Association at this pro-pitious time. I have been a member ofthe GA for as long as I can remember, ashas my wife, Mary, also a geologist. Ihave hugely enjoyed attending GA meet-ings over the years, and especially serv-ing as Senior Vice President through2005-6. I must thank Robin Cocks,Sarah Stafford, and all the other GA offi-cials and committee members for theirwarm welcome and helpful advice.

My first job is to build up and promoteactivities for the 150th anniversary ofthe GA, in 2008. The technical term fora 150th anniversary is sesquicentenary,so, unless we can think of somethingsimpler, we're stuck with that for themoment. We are combining celebrationswith the Geological Society of London(GSL), which celebrates its bicentenarythe year before, in 2007. The presidentsof both societies agreed some time agoto cooperate, a marvellous idea, and thebest way to bring geology to the widestpublic.

Each society will lead on a number ofevents, and the other will collaborate.The first major programme for 2007 isled by the Geological Society, and this isthe 'Local Heroes' initiative. I want toencourage all members of the GA to getinvolved. The idea is to stage a series ofevents around the country that focus onlocal geological heroes - famous and notso famous, amateur and professional. Inparticular, each GA local group and affil-iate should consider bidding to hold aspecial event, or even more than oneevent, next year. The Geol. Soc. hasmoney available, and will provide help inplanning and advertising. We give moredetails of how to get involved later in themagazine.

The GA will host a variety of events,but I am keen we lead with a single biginitiative in 2008. Since the GA exists tofoster the widest involvement in geology,I suggest we target younger people inschools. I believe the message is'Geology (or earth sciences) is an inter-esting and exciting field, and we want toencourage involvement of people of allages, and we want to boost numbers ofyounger people entering the field.'

I propose the GA plans, jointly withGSL, but with us in the lead, an outreachactivity in late 2007 and throughout2008; Know your Earth. The idea is tocombine a poster campaign to allschools, with linked web materials, and aprogramme of talks in schools by stu-dents, coordinated by University earthscience/ geology departments.

The key aim is to get more kids study-ing science at school, and more of themapplying to study geology and relatedsubjects at University / College.Numbers of applicants to all British uni-versity geology courses have fallen to

1300-1400 in recent years. This soundsa large number, but it pales into insignif-icance beside the 11,000 applicants tostudy Psychology or 60,000 to study cre-ative arts and design. An added ironynow is that there have never been morejobs in the earth sciences sector world-wide.

This drop-off is part of a national trendaway from the serious sciences and lan-guages, and towards 'studies' kinds of A-levels.

I propose these linked actions:· Send a set of ten posters to every sci-ence/ geography/ chemistry teacher inthe country. My instinct is to focus onsecondary schools and GCSE time (i.e.ages 13-15).· Organise outreach talks in schools,using a supplied Powerpoint talk, butdelivered by enthusiastic students (man-aged and trained through Universitydepartments).. Create a GA / GSL website aimed atschool kids, with clear and easy informa-tion on key topics (deriving from theposters), and with extensive careersadvice, especially featuring 'people sto-ries'.

My first job then is to make this hap-pen. I shall be busy chasing up fundingand sponsorship to cover the setting-upcosts of creating professional postersand web sites. Once that is in motion, Iwill contact all suitable universities, col-leges, and other institutions to makesure we can provide good coverage ofthe country. I'll keep you informedabout this, and find ways to involve asmany GA members as possible over thenext couple of years.

Michael Benton, April 2006

Report from CouncilThis report is for the February and Marchmeetings of Council.

Council discussed the current arrange-ment of producing the magazine. Thisedition is the second magazine producedunder the present system with thePresident editing the content and theGeneral Secretary preparing the copy. DrCosgrove has offered to edit the thirdissue of 2006 but no permanent solutionhas so far been achieved. The suggestionof rolling editors was discussed.

Council discussed the suggestion thatthere should be a more formal contactwith the History of Geology Group(HOGG), which is affiliated to the GSL andDr Burek (who is on its Committee) hasagreed to be our official representative.

How to improve contact with LocalGroups and Affiliates was discussed byCouncil. Among the suggestions was thatit would be useful to categorise thegroups within a framework of regions, andto try to cultivate helpful contacts withineach region. We should aim to get thecontact information for all of the groupsprinted in the circular, even if the listings

of their ongoing activities are not. Listingsand website links should be built up in theGA Website. It was proposed that Councilshould have a Groups Co-ordinator, whowas a member of Council. Mrs Smith vol-unteered to undertake this, and DrWilliams will arrange a meeting to com-mence the initiative.

Council was informed that the GAEvening Meetings will not be held in theGSL Theatre in June and July, because ofthe building’s re-decorating programme.It has therefore been arranged that thesemeetings will be held in the Theatre of theAntiquaries Society, which is situated justacross the court from the GS entrance.

Council considered a paper - Re-launch-ing the “Festival of Geology” - incorporat-ing the GA Reunion. It was agreed thatthe proposed Title and Sub-title gave agood balance. It was agreed that weshould ask the Affiliated Groups to featurewebsite links to the event. It was sug-gested that an approach to LondonSchools that have a Science Specialitycould be useful. A flyer in “Geology Today”might also be effective. A special Websitewill be created for the event.

Among the suggestions consideredwere; that the event could be enlarged, torun from 11 am to 5 pm on the Saturday,and to feature a field trip on the Sunday,for visitors who would like to stop over inthe Capital, as well as London residents.Accommodation is generally expensive inthe Capital, but a Tourist InformationCentre might be able to provide satisfac-tory arrangements. The TheatrePresentation last year was well sub-scribed, and it was suggested that threesuch events should be provided for nextNovember’s event. A relatively shortBuilding Stone Walk (Eric Robinson orsimilar) could be a useful additionalevent, as long as it did not take peopleaway from the event for too long. It wasagreed that the Refreshments suppliedwere very agreeable, but the crampedspace available did not allow people tomeet and greet at the same venue, whichwas a shame. Council agreed that devel-opment of the scheme should continue.

The Field Meetings Secretary warnedthat there was an urgent need for areplacement for Dr Dixon as organiser ofthe overseas field trips. He explained thata promising Thailand Trip was now onhold because of this. All who had been onthe Oman trip were full of praise for theevent. Mrs Brown thanked Dr Dixon fororganizing a superb Oman trip, and saidthat she was hoping that it might be pos-sible to host a return visit for theGeological Society of Oman membersduring the GA’s Sesquicentenary celebra-tions.

Professor Benton (the next President)introduced a paper dealing with theapproach to the celebrations to com-memorate jointly the GS’ 200 years in2007 and the GA’s 150 years in 2008. John Crocker General Secretary

THE ASSOCIATION

GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 5, No. 2, 2006 3

GA magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 5, No.2, 20064

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Palaeo-forensics and establishing theimportance of predation as an evolu-tionary pressure

Dr Liz Harper

Dept of Earth Sciences,Cambridge University

June 2 2006

There is ample evidence in the modern oceans that 'na-ture is red in tooth and claw' and that predators

abound, capable of using a range different weapons andmethods to kill other organisms for food. It has oftenbeen suggested that predation levels have changed dra-matically over geological time and that these shifts havehad an important impact on the evolution of prey organ-isms, changing their behaviours, morphology and wherethey live. But how can we test these ideas? Can we trackthe relative importance of different predatory groups overtime? Can we assess a predatory groups impact on itsprey? This talk will examine the ways in which we can tryto establish cause of the death for long dead organisms,and how we can document changing levels of predationpressure and assess their relative importance. It will testthe popular suggestions that shells evolved to defendagainst explosion of predators at the PreCambrian/Cambrian boundary and that, once abundant,sessile, Palaeozoic invertebrates, such as brachiopods andcrinoids, have been forced today into refuges free of pred-ators.

Please Note: due the Geological Society being redecorated, the Juneand July meeting will be held in The Society of Antiquaries,Burlington House, Piccadilly. The Society is located across the court-yard in the far left corner if you are facing the Royal Academy of Arts.Tea will be served as usual at 5.30 and the talk starting at 6.00 p.m.Due to security reasons the doors have to be closed soon after thelecture begins. If you arrive late and the door is closed you can phoneSarah on 07962 700246 and she will let you in.

Geologists, the oil industry and coping with

change

Bryan LovellSenior Research Fellowin Earth Science

University of Cambridge

July 7 2006

In 1997, the year of the Kyoto Climate Summit, anAtlantic Divide in the oil industry became apparent. Exxonand Mobil (then separate companies) continued to statethat climate change may not be much influenced bymankind, while for the first time BP and Shell said publiclythat it was. At an international and cross-disciplinaryGeological Society meeting on Coping with ClimateChange in London in March 2003, senior executives of BPand ExxonMobil debated the issue (seewww.geolsoc.org.uk for a special matrix that includes acomplete transcript). The divide appeared to close signif-icantly: ExxonMobil were prepared to join BP in takingresponsibility for emissions of carbon dioxide resultingfrom both their own operations and for the ten timesgreater quantities of fossil carbon released through use oftheir products.

During that London meeting in 2003, participants con-sidered the geological record of climate change and theimpacts of those changes, whatever their causes mightbe. They then considered what practical contributionEarth scientists can make to dealing with the impacts ofclimate change, recognizing that change itself isinevitable. The overwhelming consensus was thatmankind should begin at once to exercise much more con-trol over the release of fossil carbon to the atmosphere.Proposed solutions involved both restricted consumptionof fossil fuels and carbon capture. Big questions remain,such as: can we cope using current technologies, asrecently suggested by Pacala and Socolow (Science 305,968-972)? What will be the role of China and India? Andof the national oil companies, which own by far thegreater part of the world’s oil?

Meanwhile, the scientific debate between geologistscontinues across the Atlantic (Discussion and Reply byLovell and Gerhard in AAPG Bulletin 90, 405-412, March2006). For Lovell, a key piece of geological evidence bear-ing on present concerns is provided by rocks recording thePaleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (Norris and Rohl,1999, Nature 401, 775-778). Then fossil carbon wasreleased to Earth’s surface at a rate comparable to thatarising from present-day activities of humankind. Earthtook over 100,000 years to recover. One thing is certainfrom our reading of the record of past climates recordedin ice and rocks: stability is not an option.

June Meeting

July Meeting


Thanks to Maurice Whiteley

In the Proceedings In the following paragraphs,

the Editor reviews the forthcomingarticles in the Proceedings of theGeologists’ Association.Issue 117 (2) contains papers commem-orating the life and work of ProfessorJohn Michael (‘Jake’) Hancock (1928-2004). These arise from a joint memori-al meeting of the GA, Geological Societyand Palaeontological Association, held inOctober 2004 and convened by ProfessorJohn Cope, who has also guest-editedthis issue and written an excellentIntroduction to it. There follows a rich,and often amusing, biographical accountof Jake’s life and work in John Michael(“Jake”) Hancock (1928-2004): apersonal memoir by his ex-student andfriend of many years, Jim Kennedy.Richard Selley and Jackie Lees, PaulBown and Jeremy Young recall othermemories of Jake’s life in Jake Hancockat Imperial College, London (1986-1993) and Jake Hancock: reminis-cences.

Jake’s geological interests werecentered on the Cretaceous and this isreflected by the papers in this issue,beginning with John Cope’s excellentreview of the Upper Cretaceouspalaeogeography of the British Islesand adjacent areas. In recent years,aspects of Cretaceous stratigraphy inBritain have proved quite contentious, inparticular, British Geological Survey(BGS) practice (readers may recallNorman Peake’s “A plea to subdivide the

Chalk on future maps in a manner appli-cable to the whole of Britain” and theensuing discussion, to which Jake con-tributed; Proceedings, 2002, 113, 345-362). This debate is continued in Thepalaeoenvironment and stratigraphyof Late Cretaceous Chalks by DavidWray and Andrew Gale, the ensuingInvited Comment from BGS staff PeterHopson, Mark Woods, Don Aldiss,Richard Ellison, Andrew Farrant, KathrynBooth and Ian Wilkinson, and theauthors’ Rejoinder.

Andrew Gale next describes theresults of a re-examination of TheCretaceous-Palaeogene boundary onthe Brazos River, Falls County, Texasand asks is there evidence forimpact-induced tsunami sedimenta-tion? The answer he provides showshow much care is needed in the inter-pretation of K-T boundary sequences andhas interesting implications for the inter-pretation of similar sequences else-where. This is followed by a comprehen-sive review of the historical developmentof the stratigraphy of The CenomanianStage by Jim Kennedy and Andrew Gale.The scene having been set, AndrewSmith, Neale Monks and Andrew Galenext describe the Echinoid distributionand sequence stratigraphy in theCenomanian (Upper Cretaceous) ofsouthern England. The evidence sug-gests that the Middle and UpperCenomanian of the Sussex coast wasprobably deposited in water depths ofbetween 100m and 150m in an environ-ment of increasing amplitude of sea-

level change. The depositional environ-ment of The Santonian-Campanianphosphatic chalks of England andFrance, once exploited commercially asa source of phosphatic fertilizer for agri-cultural use, is unraveled by Ian Jarvis,whose careful analysis shows just howthe phosphatisation occurred and whythe deposits are found concentrated inparticular districts.

As a noted bon viveur, Jake had akeen interest in wine, but also the geo-logical nature of vineyards, touched onalready in the biographical articles of JimKennedy and Richard Selley. In Geologyand Wine: a review, Jennifer Huggettnotes that Jake “was quick to realise thata lot of what is written about geology inwine books is at best misguided and atworst utterly wrong, and set about put-ting this to rights at every opportunity.”As Jenny’s article makes clear, that ismore to ensuring that a vineyard is opti-mally sited as regards soil composition,geomorphology and water retention thanone might think. Hopefully, this last arti-cle will prompt the reader to go off andtoast the memory of a splendid geologistwith a glass of something appropriate.On the other hand, maybe one shouldsimply read this entire issue with a bot-tle of a Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignonand glass to hand!

Richard Howarth

Maurice Whiteley being pre-sented with a plaque by RobinCocks, President, to thankMaurice, on his retirement, forbeing the Associations’ auditorand financial mentor for 17years. Taken in the GA office, atBurlington House, with (L-R)Bernard Leake (Treasurer),Sarah Stafford (ExecutiveSecretary) Maurice Whiteley,John Crocker (GeneralSecretary), Robin Cocks, BillFrench (Ex Treasurer andPresident)

GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 5, No 2, 20066

There were 21 of us, all fleeing thegrey skies of England and looking for-ward to seeing the famed Ophiolitecomplex and other formations in anenvironment where the geology liesunobscured by vegetation. We were avery mixed group, ranging fromexperts and teachers of geology toothers who were just keen amateursor even just faithful partners! On ourarrival, and a much needed rest, wehad a briefing from the top rankinggeologists of the GSO (GeologicalSociety of Oman) who had arrangedfor our the different days of the trip tobe led by specialists in their field, areal privilege for us. We were all keento get going.

There can be few field trips whichstart with a picnic, but Mia

VanSteenwinkel served us coffee andcake on the chocolate brown ophioliteformations, with the sea whence itcame visible to the north, the greatMesozoic carbonate ridge slopingupwards to the south and all with abackdrop of an unconformity of theTertiary conglomerate lying on theophiolite. There, in this superb set-ting, Mia set the scene by presentingthe plate tectonic history of Omanover the 600 million years since theassemblage of Gondwana , to the col-lision of the Arabian plate with the

Eurasian plate in Iran whichis still driving up the Omanmountains behind us. Thisplate tectonic theme was toenable us to see the linkagebetween the different for-mations we were to exam-ine ranging right acrossgeological history. Duringthe rest of the day we con-centrated on the palaeosolsand limestones of theTertiary exposed in excep-tional condition.

Having examined the lower levels ofthe mantle peridotite in the ophioliteon the previous day, Hugh Rollinsontook us to the Wadi Fanja where wecould examine a section of the man-tle transition zone, smoothed andpolished by occasional

torrents pour-ing down thew a d i .R e m o v i n gshoes, manygroup mem-bers crossedthe residualstream andclimbed up thesteep westernwadi face insearch of themoho.

Moving upthe Ophiolite complex,hand lenses were out allround to study theLayered Gabbros, cleanand freshly polished bythe intermittent floodswhich occasionally surgedown the wadi. The studyof the ophiolite complexwas completed by identi-fying pillow lavas andnearby sheeted dykes.

The day was completedby a return to Tertiary

depositsw i t hAbdul Rahman alHarthy, identifying anumber of unconfor-mities, collection offossils includingnummulites andending with anOligocene reef.

A day in the WadiBani Kharus was ledby Omar Al-Ja’aidi,the President ofGSO. This was thefirst day when westarted to realise

how the oil industry has led to somuch work on the geology of the areaand the carbonate platform in partic-ular. The wadi leads deep into theJebel Al Akhdair anticline, steep car-bonate walls on both sides partiallyhiding the sun. Two themes dominat-

ed the discussions and analysis: thedevelopment of the carbonate plat-form in the Mesozoic, prograding tothe east, and secondly, its transfor-mation through diagenesis due todeep burial under the overlying ophi-olite and other sediments. Here weresome of the reservoir rocks for theoilfields to the west, but transformed.Deep in the anticline, the group couldnot only admire the angular uncon-formity of the Precambrian with theoverlying Permian but also literallystand on it and handle the extensivetextbook basal conglomerate.Examination of the Precambrian rocks

Searching for the Moho inthe transition zone of

Wadi FanjaPicnic with the tertiary conglomerate lying unconformably

on the ophiolite near Quantab

Ophiolite in the foreground,Mezozoic carbonate ridge in the

background near Quantab

Eocene Rusayl Formation

Layered Gabbro in the Wadi Fanja


further on, with their detectable whiffof H2S, helped us to appreciate thatthe main source rocks for the oil inOman lay in the late Proterozoic. Atthe end of the day, a popular diver-sion was eagerly agreed to in order tosee evidence of ‘Snowball Earth’,viewing a Precambrian tillite withdropstones.

Two days were devoted to struc-tural geology, led by the leadingFrench expert Jean-Paul Breton. Andwhat structures there were! All clear-ly visible with no vegetation toobscure the view and on a gigantic,mountainous scale! Highlights were astupendous duplex with 5 or so slabs

superimposed, and a folded ramp,both of these on a massive scale (seefront cover). On a later day wecrossed the Saih Hatat Window withJean-Paul and were treated to somestunning examples of structural geol-ogy in the Wadi Mayh, includingrecumbant and ductile folds , face toface hinges and many other complexsites . All this was clear evidence ofmassive shear forces towards thenorth, concurrent with obduction ofthe ophiolite to the south, which fit-ted in with John-Paul’s theory of howthe emplacement on the carbonateplatform took place. It was very spe-cial to see how a theory could be builtup during two days in the field up to

a final denoument delivered on a sun-burnt beach!

Given the vital importance of thecarbonate platform as a reservoir

rock for oil, we were fasci-nated as Henk Droste gaveus a detailed analysis ofthe carbonate platformand its development dur-ing the Cretaceous, show-ing us how the prograda-tion of the strata can bedetected from seismicstudies, and how simulta-neous existence of differ-ent facies can complicatethe analysis and give theoil men a headache.

But dune deposits canalso be reservoir rocksand this had drawn SteveFryberger to Oman. He

shared his understanding of thestructure of the Wahiba Sands, giantdunes laid down during previousPleistocene ice ages and now beingreworked by the currentprevailing winds.Understanding theircomplex structure is vitalfor locating new oilreserves.

But we had rest daysfrom geology and thesegave us a much neededmoment to relax and tosavour some of thebeauties of this country.We had the opportunityto see Oman’s very own

‘ G r a n dCanyon’, andvisit one of thecharacteristicforts whichcan be foundall over thecountry. Oneday was spents a m p l i n gOmani hospi-tality at itsbest, and end-ing with an

unforgettable nightunder the starshigh on the dunes.Early risers wererewarded by see-ing the SouthernCross hanging lowon the southernhorizon, and manyattempted to deci-pher the numerousintriguing tracksleft in the dunes,trace fossils of thefuture.

We had the privi-lege of visiting a

simple village, home to one of ourdrivers, but one which sported asophisticated system of irrigation andterraces . In Sur, the group couldadmire the local dhow-building indus-try and the spectacular bloody returnof the tuna boats to on-beach barter-ing by locals armed with wads ofnotes, while at night we visited one ofthe turtle beaches and watched theawesome sight of these marine mon-sters laying eggs under a moonlessmilky way stretched out above us.

We all met up at the PDO for areception for a lecture on the oilindustry which has prompted so muchgeological research and had a chanceto thank our guides from the GSOonce more for helping to make ourtrip so very exciting and stimulating,before steeling ourselves for thereturn to the murk of the UK.

Mike Cuming

OMAN contd.....

Massive duplex in Wadi Sahtan

Precambrian tillite in the heart of theJebel Akhdar anticline

Ductile folds and shear planes inWadi Folded ramp in Wadi Bimyh

Folds, foliation and strain-slip cleav-age in the Wadi Mayh

Basal conglomerate on the Permian-Precambrian unconformity in Wadi

Bani Kharus

Shropshire is a magnet to geologists since, easilyaccessible over its 1,235 square miles, is a geologicalrecord spanning 700 million years. The only ages notseen in Shropshire are the Cretacious and thePaleogene. No other county in the UK possesses such avariety of stone.

The Shaping of Shropshire project, which has beenrunning for three years, is the joint effort of the WildlifeTrust and Shropshire Geological Society (an AffiliatedSociety) and has received the enthusiastic support ofthe 27 quarries in the county . The project was startedwith National Lottery funding, Aggregate Tax and isnow continuing with a further £68,000 from theAggregate Tax. The Shaping of Shropshire is designednot just to bring information about geology to peoplebut to encourage them to go out and explore it forthemselves. From ‘talking stones’ that tell their owngeological story for primary school children to learnedpapers from the Shropshire Geological Society, there issomething for every one in The Shaping of Shropshire.

The next phase is called Geodiversity in Shropshire andinvolves the National Trust, English Nature, The SevernGorge Countryside Trust and local authorities, all of whichown sizeable amounts of geologically significant land.Heading the project is Shropshire Wildlife Trust, whichoperates 30 nature reserves in the county, seven of whichare internationally important geological sites.

John Hughes, the development manager of ShropshireWildlife Trust and the project geologist Liz Etheridge, say“From our point of view quarrying hasn’t presented prob-lems, it has presented opportunities. What quarries leavebehind is normally infi nitely better for wildlife than whatwas there before. There’s very little farmland that’s goodfor wildlife these days.”

The Shaping of Shropshire project has involved studying20 key geological sites around the county and cataloguingthem in a 30-page booklet called The Shaping ofShropshire . Many shops in Shropshire have the book onsale. It costs £3.50.

There is also a website for the more-than-averagelyinterested visitor - www.shropshirerocks.org.

The Shropshire Geological Society has produced moredetailed brochures of each site thanks to the initial grantfrom the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund. For exam-ple: A geology trail at Wood Lane sand and gravel quarry,run by aggregates company, Tudor Griffiths, has beenestablished using Aggregates Levy money. At Lea Quarry,operated by Bardon Aggregates, three carvings have beenadded, two in wood and one - a crinoid, or Silurian sea lilly- carved in stone. The talking stones at Wood Lane arealso carved, the work being carried out one snowy day byBryan Gibbs and helpers including students he has taughtover the years. At Ercall, (source of the road stone for thenearby M54) a poem has been cut into a stone. There arestanding stones from around the county on the SecretHills trail, one of the 20 sites of the project.

There could be no better county for such a geologicalini tiative. For it was here that Charles Darwin started hisstudy of geology under Sir Roderick Murchison, that even -tually led to the ground-breaking Origin of Species bookMurchison’s definition of the Silurian system of rocks(named after an old Celtic tribe from theShropshire/Welsh borders) is still embedded in geologicalclassifications and Shropshire limestones form part of itssub-definitions.

A journey through the county reveals the impact thevariety of rocks has had on the local buildings. Go alongWenlock Edge itself and the adjacent Corvedale and lime-stone is prevalent - both in long-established build ings andon newly built hous es in villages such as Diddlebury. Headnorth and the buildings are dominated by sand stone,

ranging from the creamy buff of Grinshill to the red ofnearby Myddle. The towering church at Clive (a Victorianre-build) boasts both these local varieties in its make-up.The hard and angular dolomite under Clee Hill, heavi-ly quarried as a tough, long-lasting roadstone and knownlocally as Dhustone, has also had its impact on the sur -rounding area, with a nearby village named Dhustone andthe distinctive black rock in evidence in many local hous-es.

Inevitably this breadth of rock-types has meant a strongquarrying tradition in the county with abandoned delvestransformed into mossy, fern-filled caverns of green.

One of the two building stone quarriers in the county isPhilip Wrigley, owner of the Coppice Barn Quarry openedcommercially in 1995 and from which Delbury limestoneis produced - a light brown to light blue fine-grainedstone. The other dimension stone quarriers are GrinshillStone Quarries. They dig, saw and shape the familiarcream-coloured Triassic sandstone from their main site onthe hill, bringing in vibrant red sandstone from theirsmall er quarry at nearby Myddle for processing. Unlikemany sandstones it has not got a round grain - it is moreangular and the more pressure you put on it from anyangle the more it tightens up over time. As it dries itdevelops a hard crystallised outer cover making it incred-ibly durable: seawater or regular freeze- thaw environ-ments do not affect it. As a result it has been used for thesea defence walls in Aberystwyth and the ongoing flooddefence scheme for the River Severn from Welshpool toShrewsbury.

Warwick Castle, Liverpool Town Hall and the PrimeMinister’s residence at Chequers are all examples ofexten sive restoration projects using the stone.

For many today, stone is a material we build ourhomes with, drive on or walk across. But The Shapingof Shropshire project should help people understandmore about the material that has not only shaped thebuilt envi ronment but the very landscape that isShropshire. .

John Crocker – based on an article by Mark Sisson inNatural Stone Specialist October 2005

The Shaping of Shropshire

8 A Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 5, No.2, 2006

Bioherm in the Much Wenlock Limestone (Silurian) of Wenlock

Edge, Shropshire”.


FOSSIL FEST II – RETURN TO LATTON

The weather on Saturday 15thOctober proved to be a lot warmerand sunnier than on our first visit lastMarch. This time 31 GA members metby New Latton gravel pit on the edgeof the Cotswold Water Park between

Swindon and Cirencester. Once againthe meeting was led by Dr NevilleHollingworth from the Centre forEcology and Hydrology (CEH) inDorset.

Nev explained that New Lattonexposes Pleistocene “Thames” grav-els overlying fossiliferous KellawaysClay, Kellaways Sand and Lower

Oxford Clay. There is also a smallergravel pit nearby in the Coronatumzone (obductum subzone) of theOxford Clay. The gravels in NewLatton pit have now been worked outand it is being restored. At the time ofour visit the Oxford Clay was beingactively quarried to provide an imper-meable lining so that by the time youread this article the pit will have beenfully flooded.

Two phases of gravel depostion arepreserved. Older terrace gravels aredated at 240,000 years BP and have

yielded flint imple-ments. These areoverlain by flood plaingravels dated at50,000 years BP andcontaining a coldstage fauna(rhinoceras, mam-moth and deer). Thegravels are mainlycomposed of MiddleJurassic limestoneswith a small percent-age of sandstone andflint (probablyreworked from earlierterraces) . The lime-stone gravel produces amainly alkaline environment andcommonly contains well preservedmammal bones, although none werefound on this trip.

The Jurassic rocks dip at 1-2o to theSSE and about 6m of section areseen. The Kellaways Sand is a c 0.5mthick condensed sequence and itsjunction with the overlying OxfordClay is sharp, possibly indicating abreak in deposition. Concretions inthe Kellaways Clay contain some verylarge (up to 90cm in diameter)Proplanulites majesticus ammonitestogether with crystals of calcite andpyrite. However, the concretions areextremely hard as Eric Monk found tohis cost. Still, his broken hammermeant more business for GAEnterprises!

Nev once again demonstratedExtreme Fossil Collecting using a dig-ger to turn up some very large speci-mens of Cadoceras. In addition, plen-ty of other ammonites were found bymembers.

Terry Wakeman found a large piece offossil wood in the second pit. It was

so large that it took two people to getin the back of his car but Terry cer-tainly thought it was worth the effort.

Our thanks to Nev for organisingthe meeting and to CotswoldAggregates Ltd for permission toenter the pits. There are some verynice pictures of ammonites and otherfossils from this area on Nev’s web-site - http://www.odgc.freeserve.co.uk/index.htm - it’s well worth aclick. Hopefully he’ll find time to do amore detailed write up for the PGA.

Finally, don’t forget Fossil Fest IV isplanned for later this year.

Geoff Swann

New Latton – note the Oxford Clay being spread along the sides

of the pit. All this is now under water.

Terry Wakeman and his fossil tree trunk

(picture by Janna Roberts)

Di Clements looking pleased with her

latest find

Nev Hollingworth with a mass of

ammonites

Eric Monk after discovering just how

hard the Oxford Clay concretions could

be (picture by Janna Roberts)


Our Family Fun Days, held in muse-ums throughout the country, arealready firm favourites with thecognoscenti, but, are also attracting ahuge public following. We really enjoyseeing our Rockwatch members andtheir families at these events and it’sgood to know that we also seem to bedoing the right things to attract new-comers to Rockwatch events.

Family DaysThis year, we have already held

Family Days at the Bristol CityMuseum , the Sedgwick Museum inCambridge and at the BritishGeological Survey (BGS) in Keyworth.Interestingly, our observations of vis-itors at these events seem to reflectnational trends, in that it is oftengrandparents who accompany thechildren and they clearly enjoy help-ing the youngsters with the activitieson offer.

At the Sedgwick Museum hundredsof families joined us for a range ofRockwatch activities. Museum staff,including the Director, Dr. DavidNorman and some former Rockwatchmembers helped visitors to makeJurassic, Burgess Shale and Ice Agedioramas as well as wax rubbings andsolving challenging word games andpuzzles. The University Time Teamwere there explaining the concept ofgeological time to visitors and helpedwith fossil identification. A mini con-ference with short talks by PhD stu-dents was another highlight to add tothe many of the day, as a packed lec-ture theatre attested!

Our second Family Day with BGS atthe end of our joint Science Weekactivities, was voted even more suc-cessful than the first, with requestsfrom many visitors that we repeat theevent next year! Rockwatch activities,including Jurassic and Burgess Shaledioramas and fossil plaster casting,complemented “gold” panning, earth-quake demonstrations and manyother wonderful displays and activi-ties by BGS staff, who willingly gaveup their Saturday to ensure the day’ssuccess.

Rockwatch goes to school!Rockwatch spent an exciting day at

a Macclesfield primary school as aprelude to its Science week activities.We ran a range of workshops for thechildren on rocks, fossils and miner-als, helping to show them just howimportant geologists are to their

everyday lives in ways that many ofthem had never realized or everthought about! A number of the chil-dren were very knowledgeable aboutthe origin of rocks and fossils andwere really excited to be able to han-dle some of the fine specimens thatwe have. They were thrilled to dosome rather fine fossil rubbings, nowdecorating their classrooms. OtherRockwatch school activities this yearhave included a study of the geologyof St. Paul’s Cathedral with a Londonprimary school and three days ofworkshops for primary schools withBGS at Keyworth. Both of these wereScience Week events.

Microfossil Workshop In early March we held a very suc-

cessful microfossil workshop run byAdrian Rundle. We started the dayidentifying a range of fossil replicaswhich we then painted in quiteextraordinary ways! The children(and their parents!) then had to iden-tify lots of Cretaceous fossils from thebeach at Folkestone, which they werevery good at! After lunch, our bud-ding micropalaeontologists learnt howto select, prepare slides and thenidentify microfossils. They were allquite astonished at the range of fos-sils found in seemingly boring sandsamples! It was an excellent day anda fantastic opportunity forRockwatchers to add to their skillsunder expert tuition.

Future EventsWe have a busy members’ pro-

gramme planned, including field tripsto Warwickshire, Suffolk, Somerset,Derbyshire, West Midlands,Buckinghamshire and a residentialtrip to Dorset. Keep your eyes openfor public events scheduled later inthe year, including the Lyme RegisFossil Festival in April, the BritishGeological Survey in Edinburgh inSeptember and the Festival ofGeology (incorporating the GAReunion) in London in November.

We are enormously grateful to allthose people who so generously givetheir time and expertise to help withour events and to our sponsors. Wecouldn’t do it without you!

Susan BrownChairman

Rockwatch News

Burgess Shale dioramas at the Sedgwick

Museum

Rockwatch at school in Macclesfield

Rockwatch at St Pauls

Microfossilworkshop 2

Painted fossil replicas


Who are the geological local heroes?The British isles are actually burstingwith such people, from William Smithand Mary Anning to Arthur Holmes andMarie Stopes. One of the core princi-ples of the GA is to involve as manypeople in geology as possible, and thisis a great opportunity to do just that!Many people have a passing interest inthe earth sciences, but a local historicalfigure can sometimes help focus inter-est - local councils and the local pressmay be more willing to promote anevent linked to, say Hugh Miller or JohnPhillips, than a field trip to look at theScottish Old Red, or a meeting aboutYorkshire coast geology.

The Geological Society of London(GSL) and GA are co-organizing a 'localheroes' initiative, a series of events tobe held throughout the country during2007 and 2008. The GSL is lead inthis, and has raised significant spon-sorship for these events from industry.Local geological bodies (societies,museums, University departments)have been invited to propose eventslinked to named historical figures asso-ciated with their areas.

The GSL has provided a list of sug-gested 'local heroes' to stimulate inter-est (see Box), and a simple way ofmaking proposals. There is moneyavailable to cover basic costs of stagingan event, and there will be help andadvice on how to achieve maximumpublicity and involvement by the publicin each event. We hope every GA localgroup and affiliate will bid for at leastone of these events.

The easiest way to find out more andto make a bid is to go to the 'Localheroes' website at

http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/template.cfm?name=BicentenaryLocalHeroes

or write to The Geological Society,Burlington House, Piccadilly, LondonW1J 0BG.

Possible topicsand heroes

· Basics of stratigraphy, superpo-sition and correlation: WilliamSmith (and John Phillips?) /Scarborough (lecture and field trip) · Geological time: opening up themillions of years: James Huttonthrough to Arthur Holmes via manyothers/ Edinburgh? (lecture and fieldtrip) · Evolution by natural selection:Charles Darwin, Erasmus Darwin andmany others / locality? / London · Discovery of the dinosaurs:Gideon Mantell and Richard Owen andothers / Brighton (Lecture and fieldtrip) · Lower Palaeozoic stratigraphy,Cambrian and Silurian: Sedgwick,Murchison and Lapworth /Aberystwyth? Birmingham? (lectureand field trip) · Ichthyosaurs and ammonites,unravelling the Jurassic: MaryAnning through to Arkell/Bournemouth or Oxford (lecture andfield trip) · Continental drift, from its originsto demonstration: Arthur Holmes,Keith Runcorn and others / Durham orNewcastle (Lecture) · Seafloor spreading and plate tec-tonics: Fred Vine, Dan McKenzie /Norwich or Cambridge (Lecture) · Moine thrust zone and the Assyntwindow: Peach and Horne and manyothers, with backward looks toMurchison and Lapworth / BGSNottingham or Edinburgh (lecture andfield trip?) · Volcanoes of Mull andArdnamurchan, Rum and Skye:Bailey and Richey and many others /BGS Nottingham or Edinburgh (lectureand field trip) · Magmas from the mantle to erup-tion: Harker, WQ Kennedy, Tilley,O?Hara / ?place? (lecture) · Understanding how rocks bendand break: Anderson, Ramsay, many

others / ?place? (lecture and possiblefield trip) · Discovering and understandingthe ocean floor: HMS Challenger(John Murray) through to NickShackleton / Southampton (lecture) · Discovering oil and gas:Mesopotamia to the North Sea:Falcon, Harrison, Kent and many oth-ers (lecture) · Origin of (and exploration for)metal ores in Cornwall and theNorth Pennines: Flett, Dunham /Durham? Plymouth? (Lecture and fieldtrip) · Man-made rock: bricks and con-crete: ancient times to Joseph Aspdin(look him up!) and others / ?Leeds · Engineering geology through thecenturies: William Smith to AlecSkempton · The origins of structural geology:early times through to John Ramsayand beyond./?place? · Understanding how explosiveeruptions work: George Walker,Steve Sparks / Imperial or Bristol? · The origins of sedimentology:Sorby through to Bagnold / Sheffield(lecture and field trip) · Origins and evolution of modernstratigraphy: Ramsbottom in theCarboniferous (first sequence strat),Harold Reading (facies models) (lec-ture and field trip) · Strange fossils from the Burgessshale: Harry Whittington and others /Cambridge (lecture) · Old Red Sandstone: Hugh Miller,Geikie / Inverness · Origin of granite: James Hutton,HH Read, Pitcher and many others /Liverpool (lecture and field trip) · Metamorphism: Barrow and hiszones · Coal geology and coal petrology:Marie Stopes · Discovering the Archaean world,the Lewisian: Sutton and Watson,many others / Imperial· Many more topics waiting to beidentified!Mike Benton

LOCAL HEROES (2007 - 2008)

The Geologists'Association Prize for theOpen University Course

SXR260, 2005.We are delighted to announce

that the GA prize for the best studenton the OU Course SXR260 for 2005, isJohn Denmark.

John's interest in geology wassparked off by an enthusiastic chem-istry teacher at school, who frequentlyshared his apparent love of geology bydiscussing with students such thingsas geological processes, geohazardsand plate tectonics. The latter was stillsomewhat controversial at the time!How lucky for John that he had the

good fortune tocome into contactwith such anenthusiast andwhat a fine illus-tration of theimpact a goodteacher can haveon a student,even after manyyears followingother careerpaths.

In John's recent work as a yachtbroker, he's seen many interestingcoastlines and wondered about thenature of the ocean floor. The OU gavehim the opportunity to study his geo-logical interests in a more structured

way and I hope that this GA prize willencourage him to continue his studiesand help him achieve his aim of a geo-science degree. We look forward toseeing John on some of our many andvaried field trips where he'll be able toput his new-found field skills to work!

The GA is particularly keen toencourage students in field skills andthis annual prize is one way we dothis. I hope that John will remain a GAmember for many years to come and,in turn, maybe share his love of geol-ogy, encouraging others to developsuch an interest.

Susan Brown.

“Afar - where it all began”. Suchwas the strapline on the postersadvertising the ‘Symposium onEthiopian Palaeo-Tourism in AfarRegion’ in January, 2004 - a lovely setof six posters illustrating variousaspects of hominid evolution to befound in the Afar Triangle. But alas -none were to be found for sale!

Nevertheless, the sentiment is well-founded, and has been since the dis-coveries in Ethiopia of “Lucy”(Australopithecus afarensis) at Hadarin 1974, and Ardipithecus ramidusfrom Aramis in the nearby MiddleAwash in 1992. However controver-sial the specimens, for they stillexcite considerable debate, it is quite

awe-inspiring actually to see them,and in their own country. AndEthiopia does boast sites for some ofthe oldest of ‘modern humans’ (Homosapiens) dated at about 130Ka fromthe Omo Basin, and has the oldestrecord of human stone technology -Oldowan tools dated at about 2.4Ma,from the Omo Basin and Gona Valley,and much more besides.

“Lucy” is kept in the NationalMuseum in Addis Ababa, and casts ofthe bones are on display in the base-ment. A further display case shows afull upright skeleton reconstruction.She is dated at 3.2Ma, although it isknown that her relatively long-livedspecies date from c.3-4Ma and hasbeen found elsewhere in the EastAfrican Rift. The display area is small,but on the ground floor is a recon-struction of a male A. afarensis head

by the palaeo-artist JohnGurche, presented to the muse-um by National Geographic.Also to be seen in the museumis part of the jaw of 4.4MaArdipithecus ramidus, whichalthough much more ape-likethan “Lucy”, is one of the earli-est hominids recorded. A speci-men can also be seen on displayin the Natural History Museumin London.

Part of my Ethiopian journeytook me eastwards, across thenorthern end of the Rift Valleyand the Awash River to skirt thesouthern flanks of the AfarTriangle, where the riftsof the Red Sea, Gulf ofAden and East Africameet, before the slowascent of the faultscarp to Harar. Theroad broadly followsthe watershed separat-ing the Afar to thenorth from the Ogadento the south. Wherepossible, qat is grownin small fields, withsorghum almost as anafterthought to bright-en the landscape.Almost nothing at allgrows on the cinderfields of the Fantale vol-cano; the lava flow ofthe last eruption, in1820, can clearly be seen from theroad. However, having already spentover two weeks elsewhere in Ethiopialooking at nothing but volcanics, itwas then a relief to see something ofthe Jurassic limestone and shalesequence and some fossils - the startof the Mesozoicand Tertiary sedi-mentary sequencethat extends outtowards the Hornof Africa.

East of Harar,along the road toBabille are goodoutcrops ofP r e C a m b r i a ngneisses, whichclearly demon-strate multiphasefolding and withfolded basic sheeti n t r u s i o n s .Babille’s ‘balanc-ing boulders’ inthe so-called‘Valley of Marvels’

are the main tourist attraction. Deepweathering of the well-jointed gneiss,followed by exhumation has created aspectacular landscape - not unlikeDartmoor’s granite tors, but withwart-hogs grunting around the valleyfloors. Babille otherwise has little torecommend it, for even the wild and

ETHIOPIA-A TRAVELLER’S GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS

GA Magazine of the Geologists’Association Vol. 5, No. 2, 200612

1. The Neogene basalt and volcanic plug landscape of

the Simien Mountains at Kossoye.

Deep trenches cut into the cone agglomerates

separate the famous ‘rock churches’ of Lalibela,

a World Heritage site.

The flat-lying lava flows create a step-like terraced landscape over much

of the volcanic region around Lalibela. Simply looking at the map shows

that the lava pile is well over 1,500m thick.

Spring-sapping of an ash layer has created a large cave underneath a

basalt roof, which provides shelter for the church of Yemrehanna Kristos.

An ossuary in the dark recesses at the back contains the bones of innu-

merable pilgrims.

13

desiccated Lantana,‘Adam’s Apple’Euphorbia and‘Prickly Pear’ strug-gle to survive, andthe elephant sanctu-ary was reported tohave closed sometime ago. Sitting onthe veranda of theHibret Hotel (andthat’s a euphemismif ever there was),among the dust andflies, watching thecrazy man high onqat, the comingsand goings of theToyota aid vehicles,and the scrappy chil-dren clamouring forballoons, the stronglocal coffee seemedbliss.

The next day I followed the road northwards from Hararto Dire Dawa. It drops steeply down the Afar rift fault zoneover 600m in a series of tortuous hair-pin bends, acrossthe gently folded Jurassic limestones, and onto Neogene

volcanics and Quaternary sediments. And the correspon-ding increase in temperature hits you! Nevertheless,

despite the heat - but mostly because of the dietary stric-tures of the previous few days, we fell like locusts ontolarge plates of steaming lasagne in the ParadisoRestaurant - to be recommended!

Ethiopia is a most fascinating country. In many ways itis a land of great contrast. From the green and fertileuplands to the dry and barren Afar; the Aksumite stelaeof the far north and Camelot-like history of the west atGondar to the early Christian rock churches of the north

at Lalibela; the Queen of Sheba’s bath and Ark of theCovenant chapel at Aksum to the palaces of HaileSelassie; swimming in Lake Langano and hot springs inthe southern Rift to walking in the breath-taking volcanics

of the Simien Mountains. It is truethat you don’t go for the culinaryexperience (although the spicy goatpil-pil at Harar was very tasty) orsophisticated hotels. The water maybe rationed; resources are limited;but Ethiopia is a land of surprises.Despite the recent history of war,poverty and famine, and the continu-ing internal political disturbances, thisis a Country that can be greatlyenjoyed. Prospective travellers coulddo no worse than to read EvelynWaugh’s 1931 “Remote People” - it isan Ethiopia that can still be foundtoday.

Roger Dixon

Part of the colourful market at Harar.

Refolded folds in the basement PreCambrian gneiss complex on the road to

Babille.

Deep weathering and exhumation of the ancient gneiss has formed the

‘balancing boulders of Babille’ - its main tourist attraction!

Looking across the cinder bed of a crater near the Fantale volcano. Note the small cinder cone on

the right.

Fishermen on the bank of Lake Awasa in the southern Rift Valley.



Leave your preconceptions at home and join us for thispre-Christmas Spectacular incorporating that perennialfavourite, the GA Reunion! We have noted comments fromprevious years, so, this year, responding to your com-ments, we are extending the time, the activities and thedisplays, for a truly memorable occasion that you can'tafford to miss.

There will be three lectures during the day and non-stopaction in the Discovery Room with Rockwatch, the KentGeologists' Group and University College Museums andCollections. Take this opportunity to buy that illusiveChristmas present from the fabulous range of fossils, min-erals, books and maps on sale. See how to make your for-tune with those colourful pebbles you're harbouring afterenjoying demonstrations of rock tumbling. Visit theRegional Planetary Image Facility - the UK repository forNASA images and maps of planets and their satellites,taken by solar system exploration spacecraft - or stop byat one of the UCL Museums to explore their collectionsafter sampling their activities in the Discovery Room.

Meet up with old friends, maybe even make new ones.There will be an opportunity to share your field trip mem-ories of the past year (remember to bring your photo-graphs!). Bring your neighbours, friends and relatives tojoin in the fun. Take a break for coffee or lunch in the student common room housed in the Earth Sciences depart-ment or explore one of the many local restaurants or bringa picnic!

We are expecting huge demand for display space fromall our Local Groups and Affiliated Societies, from dealersand agencies including the British Geological Survey,English Nature, the Jurassic World Heritage Coast andmany others. Letters and booking forms will bedespatched shortly. To ensure your space at this presti-gious event, I would suggest you return these promptlyotherwise…

In response to popular demand, we have also agreed tooffer geological walks the following day, Sunday 5thNovember. So why not plan a weekend in London and youcan enjoy all the activities on offer. Details of the walksand information on overnight accommodation will be cir-culated to all secretaries of Local Groups and AffiliatedSocieties, posted on the GA web site in due course andpublished in the next issue of the GA Magazine.

We look forward to seeing you all at this, not to bemissed, spectacular.

Susan Brown.

Geologists' Association Spectacular!

Festival of Geology - incorporating the GA REUNION

Curry Fund The Committee considered ten newapplications at its March meeting, ofwhich seven were supported in partor in full, one was granted an inter-est-free loan and two were refused.Of the two outstanding applicationsreferred from September andDecember 2005, the application fromthe Ravensbourne Group was referredback again for supplementary infor-mation and the Chester Museumapplication was refused.

The application from a student fromBristol University for a study of thepalaeoecology and taphonomy of the“Portland screw”, Aptyxiella portlandi-ca, was refused as it fell outside theremit of the guidelines. The applicantwas referred to the Earth HeritageProject Officer of Dorset CountyCouncil. Essex GA group’s applicationfor a power point projector was alsorefused. The offer of an interest-free

loan for publication of the booklet, “ARambler’s Guide to the BuildingStones of Warwickshire” was refusedby the author.

The Geologists’ Association wasawarded £3,147 towards the cost ofextra pages for the PGA during 2006.Timespan was awarded £2,000 forthe cost of a drystone wall formingpart of a geology garden at its muse-um in Sutherland. The Curry Fundplaque will be incorporated into thewall during its construction. TheEcton Hill Field Studies Associationwas awarded £1,000 to help with set-ting up a geology project for A and ASlevel teaching use at the site and pro-duction of student handouts. A grantof £1,700 was awarded to the NorfolkMuseums and Archaeology Servicetowards the documentation and con-servation of the Norman Peake collec-tion of fossils, rocks, minerals, crys-tals, books, journals and manu-scripts. Rockwatch was awarded asmall grant towards to cost of reprint-

ing its membership application forms.English Nature has agreed to con-tribute towards the cost, so theamount from the Curry Fund has yetto be determined. It was agreed toaward a grant towards informationleaflets and boards on the LangholmInitiative, but clarity of costings wasneeded before a final sum wasagreed. The City and County ofSwansea was awarded a grant of£1,397 for a booklet on the CityCentre Heritage with excellent photo-graphs and the text highlighting thegeology of the building stones used.

The Curry Fund meets four times ayear, March, June, September andDecember and we look forward toreceiving your applications.Guidelines and application forms canbe downloaded from the web site: http://www.geologist.demon.co.uk

Susan Brown,Curry Fund Secretary.

The date: Saturday 4th November.

The place: University College London.

The time: 10.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

festivalof

geology


Introduction to the Study of Dinosaurs(Second Edition) by Anthony J. Martin(Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 560 pp.).ISBN 1-4051-3413-5 (paperback, £39.99).

This is a marvellous book, but also a little puzzling to theBritish reader. It is one of a number of introductory booksabout dinosaurs that are clearly aimed at the Americanmarket, and it has clearly been a great success. The firstedition came out in 2001, and this new, second, edition isgraced with colour throughout, so it is clearly expected tosell well.

What is unusual about the book is its size (560 A4pages) and its seemingly very slow pace. There are chap-ters about the scientific method, systematics, basic geol-ogy, comparative anatomy, evolutionary theory, andtaphonomy, and I kept saying to myself ‘get on with it!’But of course, this book is aimed precisely at non-majorsfirst-year dinosaur courses in America. Most readers ofthe GA Magazine will be aware of the phenomenon. In the1980s and early 1990s, many earth sciences departmentsin American universities were hit by dramatic losses ofstudents. Just as in Britain, geology has always been aminority interest, and numbers of student applicants fellaway as the oil industry stopped hiring geologists. At onepoint, a few years ago, indeed there were about as manystudents studying geology in all American universities(some 1400) as there were in Britain.

Many American geology departments were saved byoffering ‘rocks for jocks’ courses. There is a requirementin most American universities that students take coursesfrom another faculty. So, arts and humanities studentshave to take a science course whether they like it or not(and science students likewise have to take a language orhumanities course). Science departments vie to offersuch courses, and the geology offerings are usually volca-noes, history of the Earth, or dinosaurs. I know Americancolleagues who teach classes of 500 arts students – whoare keen to know about science, but have a weak back-ground. Challenging as such classes may be to teach(imagine marking 500 essays at the end of the course!),they bring in the money. One such class may underwritemost of the budget for the department.

So, Anthony Martin is an instructor on such a course at

Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Thebook is an exquisite model of exactlywhat is required, and, since a ‘required’textbook is really required on Americancourses, all 500 students will rush out tobuy a copy.

Each chapter begins with a dramatictwo-page colour photograph, and a‘hook’ that is meant to draw the scientif-ically nervous student in. For example,chapter 2, on scientific method, is introduced by an imag-inary conversation the student might have on a plane. Afellow passenger says he has read on the internet thathumans and dinosaurs lived together at the same time,and this is proved by fossil tracks in the Paluxy Valley inTexas. The reader is invited to decide how to respond.How would you explain the difference between assertionand scientific evidence, hypothesis and testing, theoryand opinion, science and faith? Martin has to face up toCreationism, and this he does calmly and with devastat-ing clarity.

The style is clear and conversational. Sections areshort, and the text is broken up with sub-headings, sum-mary boxes, and tables. Illustrations are generally excel-lent, although I did not like the style of the colour recon-structions of dinosaurs – they look too much as if they arefrom a children’s book, a little bland and simplistic, andlacking the sharpness and vigour of many modern recon-structions. The material is up-to-date, and Martin pro-vides thorough summaries, discussion topics, and litera-ture lists.

I would recommend the book as probably the best onthe market for those American courses. It is also excel-lent for someone who is new to geology or to science ingeneral, and provides excellent introductory chapters.For someone who already knows those background areas,I feel the best textbook is still David Fastovsky and DavidWeishampel’s The Evolution and Extinction of theDinosaurs (Second Edition, 2005, Cambridge UniversityPress). And, if you want the last word on dinosaurs, thenbuy The Complete Dinosaur (edited by James Farlow andMichael Brett-Surman; Indiana University Press, 1999) orThe Dinosauria (Second edition; edited by DavidWeishampel, Peter Dodson, and Halszka Osmólska;University of California Press, Berkeley, 2004).Dinosaurologists are truly spoiled for choice!

Michael Benton

Bool Review

Eric Robinson, the author of this guide and now living in'retirement' at Watchet, is wellknown to members of theGeologists' Association and many others, not only fromhaving been President during 1991-1994 and recipient ofthe Foulerton Award, but also for his continuing wide-rang-ing activities in the fields of the use of natural materials inurban environments and in de-mystifying geology for thegeneral public. This latest G.A. Guide to the scenicallyattractive Watchet area carries all the inimitable charac-teristics of his approach to geology - thoughtful for thebeginners in geology, probing the assumptions of strati-graphical orthodoxies and placing the geology into a socialand industrial context.

A brief outline of the Palaeozoic foundations of the areais followed by six Mesozoic to Recent itineraries of variablebut short length very suitable and gentle for ageing mus-cles and aching limbs. You can opt for the New Red Sandstone with its pebbly horizons and gypsum veins, the

Rhaetian 'bone-beds' (Blue Anchor Formation), fossilifer-ous Liasssic shales and limestones, folded and in placeshighly faulted, and Pleistocene gravels and sands. Allthese are well exposed along the cliff-line but, if the moodtakes you (or the tides are not ~ quite right) you canperuse in the town the variety of rocks used over the cen-turies for building purposes or visit the local museum, oreven Watchet Station and its Jubilee Geological Wall whichbrings together all the minerals, fossils and rocks associ-ated with the town and district. This was built over twoyears, with Eric's support and guidance, by people withlearning difficulties. There is something for everyone inthis new guide whatever their age, including railway buffs.So, why not try it ?Geologists's Association Guide No. 66. The Geology ofWatch et and its Neighbourhood, Somerset. Eric Robinson,2006, 27 pages, 7 illustrations. ISBN 0-900717 60 2.

A Brand New G.A.Field Guie to the Watchet Area in Somerset


Introduction

Since time immemorial, Geologyand Art have been fundamentallylinked but this has perhaps becomeless obvious with time. NorwichCastle Museum & Art Gallery recentlysecured the top award offered by theEsmée Fairbairn Foundation’sRegional Museums Initiative fundingprogramme to bring this aspect of arthistory to the public, in associationwith Sheffield Museums and GalleriesTrust. It required a curator of geologyas well as an art historian to take ageological approach to understandingthe development of art. The resultingexhibition, titled ‘Art at the Rockface:The Fascination of Stone’, seeks topresent a multi-disciplinary andmulti-cultural history of art from cavepainting to the present day. Therange of selected artworks highlightthe diversity of our response to stoneand encourage different ways of see-ing art.

The exhibition examines the princi-pal ways by which artists haveexplored the geology of landscapes asa source of inspiration and alsosought forms within individual stonesin their quest for truth. Those whosculpt with the chisel, grind pigments,create landscapes, fashion jewelleryor work with graphite pencils are con-necting directly to the rock beneaththeir feet. Early people drew or paint-ed on the rockface and fashioned flintby which to live. More recentlyhumankind has selected stone tobuild and sculpt, often making sym-bols for worship, and we have consis-tently conferred values, propertiesand meanings upon specific types ofstones.

The Exhibition

The exhibition embraces many fineworks of art, including some iconicexamples ranging from prehistory -rock engravings, cup-and-ringmarked boulders, an Ogham stoneand an ancient Egyptian sandstonestatue - through to works by artistsincluding Salvator Rosa, JohannZoffany, Joseph Wright of Derby, JohnBrett, JMW Turner, Thomas Moran,Hokusai, Edward Lear, René Magritteand Edward Coley Burne-Jones.

Also included are fine examples ofsculpture by Barbara Hepworth,Henry Moore, Jacob Epstein, EmilyYoung and Gary Breeze. The decora-tive arts include medieval and con-temporary jewellery, a royal crown,an early seventeenth century pietredure Collector’s cabinet and a GrandTourist’s pietre dure Collector’s table.Architecture will be represented by C.R. Cockerell’s astonishing TheProfessor’s Dream, which was recent-

ly the subject of an exhibition inits own right at the RoyalAcademy of Arts, London.

Eastern responses to stone willbe represented by materialincluding ‘scholar’s rocks’ andancient worked jade from Chinaand medieval Islamic amuletsmade of lapis lazuli, carnelianand quartz. Drawings and water-colours will include works byLeonardo da Vinci, John RobertCozens, John Ruskin and AndyGoldsworthy. Photographywill be represented by FrancisFrith, Cecil Beaton, Bill Brandt,Tadayuki Naitoh, Thomas JoshuaCooper and Victorian andEdwardian explorers.

Geological specimens have beenselected for display that are relevantvisually and historically to the manu-scripts, paintings, sculptures, booksand works ofdecorative arton show.These willi n c l u d eexamples ofminerals thathave beenm i n e d ,crushed andprocessed tomake the pig-ments thathave various-ly decoratedour bodies,caves, monu-

ments, buildings, and canvases overtens of thousands of years, describinghow geological resources have helpedshape the history of art.

Exploring the Themes

In order to tell a coherent story, theexhibition is divided into six sections.The Fundamental Landscape consid-ers how geological formations havealways had an impact upon thehuman imagination. Mountains pro-vide the habitat of the gods and ofmonsters and more literally theearth’s crust abounds with ochres andrubified earths providing the originalpalette of pigments. Travel andExploration examines how confronta-tion with new landscapes is madepossible through travel.Metamorphosis explores the power ofstones to change and be changed,whether by the human hand or theforces of nature - the change may bephysical, or it may be magical orsymbolic. The study of rocks has tra-

Art at the Rockface...........

John Brett (1831-1902)

Glacier of Rosenlaui, 1856

© Tate, London 2006

William Dyce (1806-1864)

Pegwell Bay, Kent:

A Recollection of October 5th 1858, 1858-1860


Thomas Moran (1837-1926)

Nearing Camp, Evening on the Upper Colorado River, Wyoming, 1882

© Bolton Museums, Art Gallery & Aquarium, Bolton BMC

ditionally inspired artists since atleast the Renaissance and this is thefocus of the fourth section, Studyingthe Rockface. The fifth section,Prayer and Meditation, examines howrocks have been used as metaphorsin religion and meditation from bibli-cal scenes to Zen gardens. The finalsection explores Memory, Myth andMeaning.

Building the exhibition

National and regional museumsresponded generously, as did privatecollectors, but inevitably our initialselections were compromised whenrequests to borrow some items wererefused, either because they werepromised for other exhibitions or areregarded as key elements of estab-lished displays. The breadth of thethesis, however, enabled us toapproach other lenders and mostmuseums were keen to participate inorder to support the objectives of theproject.

All the national museums havemade significant loans, in line withincreased commitments to lend to theregions. Both Norwich and Sheffieldhave enjoyed long-standing partner-ships with Tate, while Norwich also isa regional partner of the BritishMuseum and Sheffield with theVictoria & Albert Museum. For multi-disciplinary museums to lend to amulti-cultural show is a highly com-plex business for the lending and bor-rowing institutions involved. Lendingprocedures, photography, conserva-tion measures, copyright issues,transport and courier arrangementsall have to be co-ordinated betweeneach of the departments and between

the institutions. Theoverwhelming con-straint, however, isthe finite physicalspace available forthe show at eachvenue.

To help overcomethis, at Norwich weprogramme compli-mentary shows fromour permanent col-lections. In thisinstance a displayentitled RocksExtremely Grand!presents EnglishWatercolours fromthe Norwich collec-tion alongside pho-tographs by RogerWhitfield of Cadair

Idris, the mountain that so inspiredthe Norwich watercolourist John SellCotman. We will also dedicate addi-tional space in our geology gallery tominerals associated with the manu-facture of pigments through the ages.In Sheffield the exhibition will begiven an additional focus with a dis-play devoted to the critic, writer andartist John Ruskin, selected from theholdings of Sheffield Museums andGalleries Trust. John Ruskin is theprime example of the aestheticmotive behind the study of rocks andtheir representation in nineteenthcentury art.

An active public programme ofadult, school and family events willtake place in association with thisexhibition in the form of art work-shops, guided tours and lectures inboth Norwich and Sheffield.

Conclusion

We have received considerable sup-port from colleagues in Norfolk andSheffield, and from within the lendinginstitutions and private collections. Bylending to the exhibition, ownershave jointly encouraged an engage-ment with the works of art and geo-logical specimens in an entirely newway. We trust that this show will helpto increase awareness of the signifi-cant role that geology has played inour cultural heritage and the benefitsof establishing a national funding pro-gramme to encourage collaborativeenterprise across the UnitedKingdom. We trust that this articlehas whetted your appetite, and wehope you get to enjoy the show.

Dates of the exhibition:

Norwich Castle Museum & ArtGallery: 22nd May to 3rd September2006.The Millennium Galleries, Sheffield:23rd September 2006 to 7thJanuary 2007.

The book:

The accompanying book will be avail-able in softback from the venues(price £9.95 to be confirmed) - Art atthe Rockface: The Fascination ofStone, by Andrew Moore and NigelLarkin (eds.), Philip Wilson 2006, 96pp., 65 illustrations, with contribu-tions from Francesca Vanke Altman,Giorgia Bottinelli, Nicholas Thorntonand Norma Watt.

Nigel Larkin is Curator of Geology andAndrew Moore Senior Curator of Art,for Norfolk Museums and ArchaeologyService.

17

...Making an exhibition on the Fascination of Stone


Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-97)

Vesuvius in Eruption, with a View over the Islands in the Bay

of Naples, c.1776-80


Sandstone conglomerate statue of

Khaemwaset

19th Dynasty, about 1250 BC

From Asyut, perhaps originally from

Abydos, Egypt

© The Trustees of The British Museum

6 GA Magazine of the Geologists’ Association Vol. 5, No. 2, 200618

Whilst taking part in the wonderfultrip to Oman it occurred to me thatalthough logistics can be carefullyplanned there is no accounting for thevariety of character and personalitycontributing to the social dynamics ofsuch a trip.

We all have two eyes, a nose and amouth but no two people look exact-ly alike - one of my mothers favouritesayings. Not quite as profound per-haps as Freud or Jung, but similarlywith personalities, where the socialniceties of daily life and the sharedunderstandings of our small talk canhide a depth of diversity it would takemore than ten days to fathom!

The twenty one people on the triphad a rich tapestry of life experiencewhich gradually emerged as a degreeof trust developed and bonds becameestablished. Some knew each otheralready, either from past trips, or cur-rent involvement in local geologygroups or OU contacts, nearly all hadheard of or had contact with the ubiq-uitous and charming Dr Roger Dixon.Almost all were well travelled and allqualified and keen in varying degreeson geology, apart from one or two likemyself, along for moral support andsome welcome sunshine and scenery.

Sociologists and psychologistswould no doubt have had a field day,not to mention psychiatrists perhaps!

Our first chance to observe eachother and our different orientations tothe world came with Dr Mia’s wonder-ful field trip on the first day. Jung’spsychological type theory and all thatit encompasses could have been wellapplied - some organised, methodi-cal, serious, carrying everything:cameras, notebooks, lens, hammer,glasses, binoculars. Some lightheart-ed and less organised: camera inpocket and scrap of paper for notes.Some shy and quiet, some louder andconfident both in their knowledge andmanner. Her strategy was simple -put out the mats, pull up the chairs,coffee and cakes, tell them a back tobasics story - it united our knowl-edge and the group effectively beganto gel, drawing each of us in like anamoeba drawing in food. At the finishMia announced she was impressedwith our knowledge and stayingpower and we were the most knowl-edgeable of all the groups she hadtaken. To which Roger replied he was-n’t sure about that. Tongue in cheekwe hoped!

So we were defined as a group, bythe geology itself and things like theT shirts from the GSO giving us a sin-

gle identity, and, as the days went on,Roger approaching different people tothank the field trip leader on behalf ofthe group. By Friday and Saturday, aseach was able to recognise our‘types’, we seemed to gravitatetowards more distinct groups for non-geology/social time, and even intomicrogroups for travelling in the4x4’s. Once these car/driver groupshad been established a distinct ‘own-ership’ seemed to be felt by some anda reluctance to change, which wasthe source of probably the only fric-tion on the whole trip. According tothe sociologist Anthony Giddens,without realising it most of the timewe skilfully maintain over ourselves aclose and continuous control in theinteraction we carry on with others.This was evidenced in manyexchanges, sometimes hilariously,and if there were any personal dis-likes they were certainly not allowedto be obvious.

There was much concern and sup-port when two of the group wereunwell and also when Val and Vicky (they have to be named!) bravelydealt with their camel encounter.People seemed to feel as if part of the

whole was missing, like an octopuswith only seven legs. The ‘quiz night’produced a friendly rivalry with peo-ple now comfortable enough witheach other for the interaction todegenerate a little, the language usemuch more informal, although a fewglasses of wine may have helped. Andsimilarly the night in the desert. Nomatter how life was lived in the realworld each engaged with the unique-ness of the experience. Chattinground the fire, handing out food, find-ing sleeping bags, stargazing into thenight with much bantering andamusement and waking in the morn-ing cold and damp and complainingabout snoring, to see a fading Jupiterreplaced by a spectacular sunrise.Camaraderie in the desert!

Perhaps the success of this trip ona social level was all down to tact. Toquote Giddens: ‘Tact is a sort of pro-tective device which each partyinvolved employs in the expectationthat, in return, their own weaknesseswill not be deliberately exposed togeneral view’.

Judith Hall

The 2006 GA Field Trip to Oman - An Alternative View

Sunrise over the Wahibas

......pull up the chairs, coffee and cakes......


British Regional Geology: The Palaeogene vol-canic districts of Scotland (Fourth edition) byC. H. Emeleus & B. R. Bell, 2005. 212 pages.British Geological Survey.£18.00. ISBN 0852725191. Reviewed byBernard E. Leake.

This is the latest edition of ‘Scotland: The TertiaryVolcanic Districts’ now that the familiar word ‘Tertiary’ hasbeen banished by the nomenclature experts (leavingQuaternary inexplicable!). It is superb. It is magnificentlyillustrated with 42 coloured figures, 44 coloured plates, 17Tables and a folded colour-printed 1:625,000 geologicalmap of the region, all enclosed in a semi-stiff cover. Thetext is a marvellous summary of the geology in clear,terse English. The authors, from the Universities ofDurham (CHE) and Glasgow (BRB), are the two mostknowledgeable experts on these rocks and, together withBGS, are to be congratulated on an outstanding first classpublication.

The British Regional Geology Series was started as aseries of ‘Handbooks’ with the near-simultaneous produc-tion in 1935 of summaries of the geology of the variousparts of the British Isles to mark the centenary of theSurvey, and of the completion of the new purpose-builtSurvey Headquarters in the Geological Museum. The firstedition of this Handbook was in 1935, the second in 1948,and the third in 1961. The new edition is several timesbigger than each of these, hence the demise of the term‘Handbook.’

The 14 chapters are: 1 Introduction (a summary of thegeology); 2 Pre-Mesozoic; 3 Mesozoic; 4 Pre-Palaeogenestructure; 5 Palaeogene igneous geology; regional set-ting; 6 Palaeogene lava fields and associated sedimenta-ry rocks; 7 Dykes, dyke swarms and volcanic plugs; 8 Sillsand sill-complexes; 9 Central complexes; 10 Magmas; 11Palaeogene and later structure; 12 Late Palaeogene andNeogene; 13 Quaternary; 14 Economic geology,References and index. So, although the emphasis is onthe igneous rocks, the remaining rocks are not neglected,e.g. 21 pages on the Mesozoic rocks and 17 pages on theQuaternary with acknowledgements for J. D. Hudson, J.W. Merritt and J.D. Peacocks’ assistance.

Having the maps, other figures and photographs incolour really does make a tremendous improvement,

although I missedthe famous blackand white detaileddrawing of the cliffat Gribun, westernMull, whichbrought out moreclearly the sill inthe Cretaceousand, if it is stillcorrect, theRhaetic sitting onthe Trias, than thephotograph does.If you want to seethe venerable sen-ior author, heappears anony-mously in Plate 18as the scale mark-er against a mag-nificent coloured

photograph, the best I’ve everseen, of the even more venera-ble (by age nearly a milliontimes!) MacCulloch’s Tree, withits associated columnar jointingpar excellent, varying at anglesfrom vertical to horizontal. Suchjointing is described and illus-trated several times, but I amstill unclear as to exactly how the‘entablature’ formed above thecolumnar jointing. Perhaps theauthors themselves still haveproblems with this?

As with most BGS publications,especially this series, the priorityis rightly given to describingwhat is there with a brief sum-mary of the petrogenesis andwhy the rocks occur, because thefirst are facts and will change lit-tle with new work, while the sec-ond and third will change as newunderstanding and theoriesdevelop. Nevertheless there is a really good précis of themagmas and the magmatic processes, for this is a classicarea in which certain primary basaltic magma types werefirst identified. There are excellent summaries of the mainCentral complexes of Mull, Skye, Rum, Ardnamurchan,Arran and the submerged Blackstones body. Even theremote islands of Rockall and St Kilda are included, andfor curling stone devotees, Ailsa Craig.

Before I opened the new book, I wondered if therewould be a reconstruction of what at least one of themajor complexes such as Mull or Skye would have lookedlike before erosion stripped it down to its present level,because I think few appreciate just how extraordinary hasbeen the post-Palaeocene erosion of the NW region ofScotland compared with the east coast. I was not disap-pointed. Although there is no scale, Fig. 13, a cross-sec-tion through Mull, shows a conjectural Palaeocene peakabout twice the present height of Ben More, i.e. ~2000m.

The summary (Table 8) of the radiometric ages showshow short-lived this immense magmatic outburst was,probably no more than ~4 million years around 58 Maago, that is almost entirely Palaeocene (~65 to 55 Ma).The characters of the principal lava types are admirablysummarised in Table 10 except that the omission of anymention of possible alkali mineral groundmass couldmake the term ‘alkali olivine basalt’ puzzling to thoseunfamiliar with it. Indeed, although ‘crinanite’—olivineanalcite (now analcime) dolerite —is mentioned occasion-ally in inverted commas in brackets, only once is that dis-tinctive mineralogy mentioned, no doubt due to thenomenclature experts having banned crinanite. Examplesof ring complexes, dyke swarms, cone sheets and ring-dykes are described and the reasons for their formationoutlined and the intricate sequential history of the devel-opment of each of the igneous complexes is summarised,and what a complicated pattern of intrusions, extrusions,explosions, magma mixing and quiet cumulate sedimen-tation has been unravelled.

Overall then, this is an excellent account, unreserved-ly recommended as a thoroughly good read at home anda most useful companion in the field, even if it is not a‘handbook’. Written in an easily understood manner, andsuperbly illustrated, by two geologists who have hadenormous experience of mapping in detail, seeing andworking on these rocks, it is good value for £18 and willnot be bettered for decades.

BOOK REVIEW

Tholeiitic basalt lava resting on

bedded volcaniclastic rocks, with

columnar jointing overlain by irreg-

ular ‘entablature’, Isle of Staffa

(Plate 13).

Block of layered bytownite troctolite and felds-

pathic peridotite in a breccia of bytownite trocto-

lite, Rum Central Complex (Plate 32). Troctolite

is an olivine plagioclase rock.


ESEU reaches a million childrenThe Earth Science Education Unit haspresented workshops to more than3500 secondary science teachers whoteach at the schools of more than amillion pupils. So all these pupils haveaccess to practical activities like:‘plaster squashed trilobites’ (pic-ture1), ‘sedimentary cycle in a gutter’(picture2), ‘the candle wax volcano’and ‘Plasticine™ balls and the struc-ture of the Earth’.

Statistics in the recently publishedESEU Annual Report for 2005 showthat, since the beginning of its pilot in1999 and its national rollout in 2002,ESEU has presented its interactive

Earth science workshops to 3691teachers in England and Wales, aswell as to 3255 trainee science teach-ers. In addition, ESEU workshopshave been presented to more than1000 primary teachers in Scotlandduring the pilot and first year of roll-out there.

Over this time, ESEU has continuedto receive excellent feedback (scoredat an average of 1.6 on a scale of 1,high, to 5, low), some wonderful com-ments (like those shown in the ovals)and research findingswhich show that allthe schools returningdata six monthsafter an ESEU visithad developed theirEarth science teaching

So – what’s the secret?The secret seems to lie in the inter-

active hands on workshops whereteachers try out different practicalEarth science teaching activities andthen report back on them to their col-leagues. They talk about the goodpoints of the activities, any glitchesthey have found, and how they woulduse them in teaching – then theyclearly go on to use them in their sci-ence teaching soon afterwards. Thisapproach has worked not only for thesecondary science teachers ofEngland and Wales, but through spe-cially designed workshops, for pri-mary teachers in Scotland too.

All this has been possible due a

partnership between UKOOA, thetrade association of the offshore oiland gas industry, Keele University(where ESEU is based) and the EarthScience Teachers’ Association (thatdevised many of the materials). ESEUnow has a network of 35 trained facil-itators across England and Wales and12 facilitators in Scotland, some ofwhom are GA members. The GA hasalso helped, through the Curry Fund,by funding a ‘Geological map of theworld’ for every school where theESEU ‘Plate tectonics interactive’workshop is presented and providingfunds for the production of a CD ROMof ESEU materials to be left with everyschool. Though sponsorship byGeoEd, ESEU also leaves a BGS/OSmap of the geology of the British Isleswith every school that takes a‘Dynamic rock cycle’ workshop, whilstrock boxes are available to primaryschools across Scotland that take the‘Scotland’s journey’ workshop, thanksto Scottish Natural Heritage and theNationwide BuildingSociety. ESEUc o l l a b o r a t e sfruitfully withother organisa-tions as well.

That all this is crucial to the devel-opment of Earth science education inthis country has been shown by ESEUresearch. This shows that most sci-ence teachers have received little orno education in Earth science them-selves, let alone any training in how toteach Earth science – this despite thefact that Earth science has been partof the National Science Curriculum in

England and Wales for more than15 years. To support them intheir teaching of Earth sci-ence, most teachers useeither their colleagues (most

of whom also have poor Earthscience backgrounds) or the science

textbooks written for their pupils.Thus it is unfortunate that a surveythree years ago of all science text-books used in schools, showed a great

variation in quality,with some text-

books beingvery poorindeed, anda mean

error level ofone error per

page of Earth sci-ence content – with the worst bookhaving 66 errors in 22 pages. Thus itwas not surprising that many teachersattending the ‘Plate tectonics interac-tive’ workshop, when tested before

the workshop, showed major gapsand errors in their understanding. Allthis must lead to poor Earth scienceteaching – which is why the work ofthe ESEU has become so important.

What can GA members do to help?

Despite widespread publicity, ESEUstill finds it difficult to trigger invita-tions to secondary schools in Englandand Wales and to groups of primaryteachers in Scotland. So, if you knowa teacher or school that might benefitfrom an ESEU workshop (offered freeof charge, apart from travelling andincidental expenses), please point

them towards the ESEU website atww.earthscienceeducation.com , orinvite them to contact the ESEU

administrator at: 01782 584437,[email protected] . Then the cavalrycan come galloping in to enhancetheir Earth science teaching in waysthat they may not have even believedpossible!

Professor Chris King,Director, Earth Science Education Unit,administered from Keele University,Keele, ST5 5BG; [email protected]

Anexcellent well pre-

sented INSET willchange my teaching of

rocks dramatical-

An excellenteffort. Earth science

has long been a neglectedarea of NationalCurriculum. Sessions

like this

Thisis my second time.

I ve learnt loads butknow there is still

Mixing plaster to make ‘squashed trilo-

bites’ in deformed Plasticine

‘Sedimentary cycle in a gutter’ and other

‘dynamic rock cycle’ activities

The graveyard, part of ESEU’s ‘Earth

Science out of doors’ workshop

Ihave been teaching for 12

years and run a huge faculty. Thishas done more to refresh my brain andimprove teaching than most other

INSET has in the past 5 years (&I ve done a lot!)

21

WHITMAN'S HILL GEODIVERSITY DISCOVERY VENTURE

Whitman's Hill Quarry is the subjectof a new Geodiversity DiscoveryVenture, funded by English Naturethrough DEFRA's Aggregates LevySustainability Fund Grant Scheme.The site is close to theHerefordshire/Worcestershire border,near Malvern. Additionally, as part ofthis venture, other disused aggre-gates quarries in the area are beingsurveyed in order to designate 10 fur-

ther RIGS, adding to the overall geo-diversity interpretation.

Until 1988, Whitman's Hill was thesite of limestone extraction, for useas local aggregate. The quarry nowoffers excellent sections through theSilurian Coalbrookdale and MuchWenlock Limestone Formations andclearly illustrates re-colonisation byalkaline vegetation.

In 1999, the site was designated aRIGS for its Wenlock succession,impressive exposures, educationalvalue, and abundant palaeontology -mainly crinoids, corals, brachiopods,trilobites, algae and bryozoans. Therocks here are about 425 million

years old, and formed at a timewhen this area was about 15degrees south of the equator. Thefuture of this fascinating fossilisedsub-tropical reef system was, how-ever, threatened with uses such aslandfill and off road vehicle activi-ties.

A ten year lease has beenobtained by the Herefordshire andWorcestershire Earth HeritageTrust, and the site will now be used

as an educational andresearch resource, with abusy programme ofevents and activitiesplanned. The project wasofficially launched by BillWiggin, MP for Leominster, inJanuary 2006, at CradleyVillage Hall. As well as offer-ing guided visits to parties ofgeologists and other adultinterest groups, the Trust willbe inviting local schools, stu-dents at the nearby OutdoorCentre and communitygroups to visit the quarryfrom September 2006.

Seminars and workshops will be held(starting in April 2006) and a long-term display created for the local vil-lage hall, as well as leaflets and trailsdealing with the geology and wildlifeof the site and its quarryingheritage.

A comprehensive study ofthe stratigraphy andpalaeontology seen atWhitman's Hill is now under-way, with particular empha-sis on the bentonite (volcanicash fall) horizons. Numeroussamples from a small bio-herm at the site are beinganalysed by Chris Forster of

the University ofBirmingham, aspart of his PhDresearch into thearchitecture anddevelopment ofSilurian reef systems.RIGS designation in thearea is ongoing but so farincludes excellent sites inthe Mercia Mudstone, StMaughans and MuchWenlock LimestoneFormations.

At the same time,members of theWoolhope Naturalists'Field Club are conductinga long-term biodiversity

audit of the quarry and the

surrounding woodland, as well as sit-ing and monitoring bird and dor-mouse boxes. Cradley Heritage Groupare researching the historical aspectsof the quarry and associated limekilns and recording memories ofquarrying at Whitman's Hill from localcommunity members. Additionally,an ambitious range of digital educa-tional resources, including eLearningmaterials, virtual field trips and filmclips, are being prepared for theHerefordshire and WorcestershireEarth Heritage Trust website, aimedat teachers and group leaders prepar-ing to bring parties of visitors to thequarry as well as the potential world-

wide audience online. To find out more, or to arrange a

guided visit to Whitman's Hill (fromSeptember 2006), please contactAbigail Brown at the Herefordshire &Worcestershire Earth Heritage Trust,Geological Records Centre, Universityof Worcester, Henwick Grove,Worcester WR2 6AJ. Telephone:01905 855184 Email:[email protected] Website: www.EarthHeritageTrust.org

Abigail BrownGeological map of the area around Whitman's Hill.

Copyright BGS

Bill Wiggin MP and Abigail

Brown at the project

launch event in January

2006 (photo: Worcester

News)

Whitman's Hill today, displaying Much Wenlock

Limestone Formation overlaying Coalbrookdale

Formation. The parallel lines are volcanic ash falls

(bentonites). (photo: Janet Parr)

Whitman's Hill in 1977, whilst still being worked for

aggregate (photo: John Milner)



SOUTH WALES GEOLOGY WEEKEND -11th - 12th March 2006 (Part 1)

A bright Saturday morning beliedthat day's weather forecast as ninemembers assembled in the carpark of the Angel Inn,Pontneddfechan. Our leader for theweekend was Steve Howe from theNational Museum of Wales inCardiff. Steve had organised a verysuccessful field trip at the GAReunion in Cardiff last year andthis weekend was designed to givea more detailed overview of thegeology of Southeast Wales. Wewere joined by Allan Cuthbertsonof the S Wales GA group and hiswife Anne. Allan is MineralsOfficer, Appeals & Enforcement,Neath Port Talbot County BoroughCouncil and so has a good knowl-

edge of mineral workings in SouthWales. He has an interesting website describing mineral develop-ment in South Wales (www.cuth-bertson.org).

Steve started the day by outliningthe general geology and structureof this part of South Wales. Thecoalfield is an east-west trendingasymmetric syncline formed duringthe Hercynian orogeny (lateCarboniferous - early Permian)whose main tectonic shape andtopographic outline had beenlargely formed by the late Triassic.Within the coalfield faulting isdominantly either east-west ornorthwest - southeast. However,the region is cut by two majornortheast - southwest lineaments;the Swansea Valley and NeathDisturbances. Both are complextectonic zones formed during theHercynian but controlled by pre-existing Caledonian features. TheNeath Disturbance is a narrowzone of intense monoclinal foldingaccompanied by trough faultingthat follows a fairly straight coursealong the Neath Valley. The verti-cal movement usually results in adownthrow to the north but south-

west of Aberpergwm, this isreversed. There is also somesinistral transcurrent move-ment. We were to see theeffects of the NeathDisturbance throughout theday.

We then drove a short dis-tance to the Selar OpencastMine (SN905060). This pit isoperated by Celtic Energy andworks anthracite coals of theWestphalian B (lower part ofthe Middle Coal Measures)between the Brass or Bute Coal,just above the Amman MarineBand, to the Cockshot Sandstone.The rocks exposed are typical ofthe Coal Measures - floodplain

mudstones with ironstonenodules, plant fossils andiron pyrites; floodplain silt-stones, floodplain/channelsandstones, seatearths,coals and marine bands.

The regional dip along thenorth crop of the coalfield is5°-10° to the south but atthis site the dips steependramatically into the hillsideand much thrusting occursin the lower, less competentbeds. A major feature of theback wall is the RhigosFault, a large NNW/SSEtrending normal fault with adownthrow of about 30m to

the west. The workable siteextends over 330 hectaresalthough only part of this is work-ing at any one time. The coalreserve totals 3.5 million tonnesand the ratio of overburden to coalis 16 cubic metres/1 tonne of coal.Altogether five main seams arebeing worked; the Four Foot, SixFoot, Red, Nine-Foot and Brass.

We then drove to Craig y Llyn(SN924030) whose impressiveescarpment is composed ofPennant Sandstones, the upperdivision of the Coal Measures inSouth Wales. Although we did nothave a particularly clear day therewere impressive views across thecoalfield summit plateau to theeast and south and north to theBrecon Beacons. Here outliers ofthe hard Devonian Plateau Bedsform the conspicuous flat-toppedmountains of Pen y fan and CornDdu.

Beneath the steep, north-facingescarpment is the corrie lake(since modified by damming) ofLlyn Fawr. This corrie, like manyalong the escarpment, was formedduring the final stages of ice activ-ity. Most have concentric ridges of

morainic material at their base.During the Pleistocene ice movingsouth off the Brecon Beacons cameinto contact with the Pennantescarpment of Craig y Llyn where itsplit into two lobes, one flowingeast down the Taff and Cynon val-leys and the other west down theNeath valley. The till associatedwith this ice sheet is rich in OldRed Sandstone. The ice flowingwest down the Neath valley (alongthe line of the Neath Disturbance)over-deepened the valley and atResolven the rock base is 64mbelow the present day valley floor.This is now buried by lake sedi-ments formed when the river wasdammed behind recessionalmoraines at Tonna and Clyne. Theover-deepening of the valley led tothe rejeuvenation of the headwa-ter streams and rivers and the for-mation of the numerous waterfallsto be found in the area. Over-steepening of the valleys, coupledwith the prominent jointing in thesandstones, has led to land-slip-ping. Another effect of glaciationand post glacial rejuvenation of therivers in the area is that of rivercapture and the presence today ofabandoned gaps in the topography.

By now it was lunchtime so theparty returned to the Angel Inn fora welcome bowl of Lamb Cawl - avery filling type of stew.

The first part of the afternoonwas spent walking up the PyrddinValley (SN901076 - 896093)which, exposes a near completesequence through the Namuriansuccession in this part of the coal-field. The valley also illustrateshow the stratigraphy affects thescenery in this part of South Wales,which is often referred to as the'Waterfall Country'.

At the entrance to the valley theFarewell Rock (SN901076) isexposed. It consists of 45m ofgrey, quartzitic coarse-grainedsandstones interbedded with siltyshales and intraformational con-glomerates, the latter often madeup of plant material. Palaeocurrent

Selar Opencast mine: note the increasing

amounts of sandstone towards the top of the

section. Photo by Allan Cuthbertson.

The Brecon Beacons from Craig y Llyn. Coal Measures in

the foreground rising to Millstone Grit and Carboniferous

Limestone in the middle distance with Devonian in the

background.

GA magazine Vol. 5, No. 2, 2006 23

measurements indicate derivationfrom the northeast. The unit con-tains slumps and syn-sedimentarydeformation structures and thinseastwards to wedge-out totally atHirwaun. The Cancelloceras sub-crenatum Marine Band, usuallytaken as the base of the CoalMeasures, occurs directly belowthe Farewell Rock although Clealand Thomas (2003) now considerthe Farewell Rock to be part of theNamurian.

The Namurian succession isdivided into two units; the BasalGrits and above the Shale Group.Here the Basal Grits consist ofabout 80m of mainly quartz con-glomerates and coarse quartziticsandstones with thin mudstoneinterbeds. The sandstones showcoarsening-upwards cycles and thethin mudstones also coarsenupwards and often have a thin coal

streak at their base. Some of themudstones are shallow watermarine mudstones and contain avaried fauna, including Lingula.The Basal Grits have been used formaking millstones (the stone atthe Grist Mill in the lower part ofthe valley is made of local BasalGrit) but around Pontneddfechanthey have been primarily workedfor use in the silica brick industry.

The Shale Group consists of asequence of about 80m of coarsen-ing-upwards cycles, partly marine,capped by thin rootlet beds andcoal smuts with some sandstones.The marine shales have a variedfauna, including goniatites andbrachiopods, while some of thefreshwater shales are rich in non-

marine bivalves. Two sandstones,the Twelve-Foot Sandstone andthe Cumbriense Quartzite areparticularly prominent. The bedsgenerally dip gently south (about5°), although minor anticlinalfolding causes repetition of thesequence. A number of small,often near north-south trending,faults also occur. The Namuriansuccession both oversteps andthins to the east (the Basal Gritsare 150m thick in the west andonly 35m in the east).Sedimentation was controlled by

the presence of St Georges Land tothe north and the active Usk Axisto the east, while the facies changebetween the two groups is proba-bly due to late Dinantian - earlyNamurain uplift and erosion.

Further up the valley is thewaterfall of Scwd Gladys(SN896093). It is formed bythe Twelve-Foot Sandstone,which is underlain by shalesof the Reticuloceras super-bilingue Marine Band. Thebase of the sandstone is high-ly erosional while the top sur-face is covered with rootimpressions. The tall cliff ofshales above the sandstoneyield Anthracoceras andCarbonicola.

We then walked back downthe valley passing the CwmGored Mine (SN899087), one

of many silica mines to befound in the Pontneddfechanarea. The track along the westside of the valley follows theline of the old tramroad thattook the stone from the minedown to the main Neath Valleyand stone sleeper blocks withtypical double spike holes arevisible in a number of places.This mine - also known as theCwm Coryn Sand Works - shutin 1909. Quite a few of theruined buildings remain,including the wheel pit, which

held a water driven waterwheelthat in turn drove the crusher.

A short drive throughPontneddfechan took us to Craig yDdinas (SN914080) a narrowridge, which separates the Mellteand Sychryd rivers. It lies withinthe Neath Disturbance, here repre-sented by the Dinas Fault. Theridge is composed of CarboniferousLimestone and the Basal Gritswhich have been heavily quarriedand mined. The quarry face expos-es Carboniferous limestones(Penderyn Oolite and PenwylltOolite) dipping steeply (70°) to thenorth. The Penderyn Oolite hashorizons rich in brachiopods andclay palaeosols while the lower17m of dark, bioclastic packstones

of the Penwyllt Oolite are knownlocally as the 'Black Lias'. The con-tact between the limestones andthe overlying Namurian can beseen in the bed of the Mellte closeto its confluence with the Sychryd.On the right bank of the Sychryd atthe confluence the highest beds ofthe limestone yield a rich fauna ofcorals and brachiopods.

We then moved on to Bwa Maen(SN914079). Here the valley of theSychryd runs within the crush zoneof the Dinas Fault, which is markedby limestones containing extensivecalcite veining. On the south sideof the Dinas Fault the sharp anticli-nal fold of Bwa Maen (the 'StoneBow') is well seen in the tall cliff.It is developed in the DowlaisLimestone, the oldest rocksexposed in this area. On the northside of the fault the tall vertical

limestone face is composed ofPenwyllt Limestone and PenderynOolite. At the base of the small cas-cade is a concrete platform, whichis the remains of an aerial rope-way that brought the silica rockdown to the valley floor from thefamous Dinas Silica Mines. In thecliff above are old pieces of metal-work and the remains of a pathwhich is the route the workerstook to the mines (SN 917 080).The Dinas Silica Mines are the mostfamous mines in the area andworked very pure quartzites withinthe Basal Grits. They were devel-oped by Richard Thomas &Baldwins Ltd to feed their brick-works in Llandore, near Swansea.The Dinas firebrick was inventedby William Weston Young in 1823but the Dinas Mines may haveopened in 1807 and had certainlydone so by the 1850s. During theirheyday Dinas firebricks achieved aEurope-wide reputation and eventoday 'Dinas' means silica brick inFrench, Russian and German. Themines closed in 1964 and thebrickworks followed in 1967. Thismarked the end of Saturday's pro-gramme. To be continued......Geoff Swann

The waterfall of Scwd Gladys formed by the Twelve-Foot

Sandstone and underlain by shales of the R superbilingue

Marine Band. Photo by Alan Cuthbertson

Steeply dipping Carboniferous Limestone at

Craig y Ddinas. Photo by Lynn Allen.

The party in the Pyrddin Valley - on the right

Kathy Maclean hides behind leader Steve Howe.

Photo by Allan Cuthbertson.

Above: Low-angle thrust separating two folds in the Saiq Formation (Permian) of Oman.

Both photos taken by Mike Cuming on the Oman Field Trip (pages 6-7)

Below: Permian Saiq Formation with iron-cemented basal conglomerate unconformably overlyingPrecambrian Kharus Formation stromatolites, Oman. The unconformity represents 300 million years.

Documents

GA mag 18 GA mag 18 - geologistsassociation.org.uk · is published by the Geologists’ Association. Four issues are produced in the year. ISSN 1476-7600 Production team: Paula Carey,