DANGEROUSLIAISONS

Lord Elgin cuckolded by Society founder

SHALE GASEnergy saviour or another

environmental curse?

www.twitter.com/geoscientistmag

follow us on twitter[]

GeoscientistThe Fellowship magazine of The Geological Society of London | www.geolsoc.org.uk | Volume 21 No 4 | May 2011

WATER WALL The worst earthquake and tsunami to hit Japan

New and forthcoming Earth Science titles from Cambridge

Rock Fractures in Geological ProcessesAgust Gudmundsson, Royal Holloway, University of London Hardback9780521863926May 2011£45.00

Explores and explains fracture

the crust, with numerous worked

Transport in the EarthClaude Jaupart, Université Paris-

Globe de Paris. Jean-Claude Mareschal,

Hardback 9780521894883November 2010 £45.00

transport processes for advanced students and researchers of geophysics, geodynamics and

Ichnology: Organism-

Luis Buatois, University of

University

Hardback 9780521855556June 2011 £50.00

A comprehensive study of trace

paleontologists, sedimentologists

Cyberinfrastructure for

University of Chaitanya Baru,

Hardback 9780521897150May 2011 £80.00

Presents case studies from across the

Clive Oppenheimer,

Hardback9780521641128June 2011£19.99

of the history’s greatest volcanic events and their impacts on the history of

Through TimeJean-Pierre Cuif, Université de Paris-

Yannicke Dauphin, Université de Paris VI (Pierre et

State

Hardback 9780521874731December 2010 £75.00

Fossil biomineralizarion in a geologic framework for researchers in paleontology, Earth history,

for Geologists

Hardback9780521198004February 2011£35.00

Earth’s fundamental tectonic mechanism for students and researchers across a variety of

Hardback9780521896214July 2011£50.00

planetary processes for advanced students and researchers in Earth

MAY 2011 03

CONTENTS GEOSCIENTIST

14 20

26 COVER IMAGE: WAVE HELLOA great natural disaster is hi-jacked (p5) plus,the Englishman who first explained tsunamis

IN THIS ISSUE

14 SHALE GAS - BLESSING OR CURSE? Dick Selley onthe hottest potential new energy source

20 THE ELGIN SCANDAL Cherry Lewis on the mineralogistand Society founder who cuckolded Lord Elgin

05 EDITORIAL Fukushima emphasises need for a safenuclear repository, says Ted Nield

06 SOAPBOX Geoffrey Dearn begs for the return of realspecimens to our museums

07 GEONEWS What’s new in the world of geoscientific research

10 SOCIETY NEWS What your Society is doing at homeand abroad, in London and the regions

23 BOOK & ARTS Three reviews by Rob Reiser, BernardLeake and Joe McCall

24 PEOPLE Geoscientists in the news and on the move

26 LETTERS We welcome your thoughts

27 CALENDAR Society activities this month

28 OBITUARY A distinguished Fellow remembered

29 CROSSWORD Win a special publication of your choice

n INTERNATIONAL WATERS Connecting UK hydrogeology internationally – by John Rodda, Harry Dixon and Alan Jenkins

FEATURES

ONLINE SPECIALS

REGULARS

MAY 2011

WATER TABLE

100m–

200m–

300m–

400m–

500m–

600m–

700m–

800m–

900m–

1km–

1100m–

1200m–

1300m–

1400m–

1500m–

1600m–

1700m–

1800m–

1900m–

2km–

2100m–

2200m–

2300m–

2400m–

2500m–

2600m–

2700m–

2800m–

CAP ROCK(impermeable)

CAP ROCK(impermeable)

CAP ROCK(impermeable)

CAP ROCK(impermeable)

The Geological Society, LondonA joint meeting between the Geological Society and AAPG

A scientific conference bringing together geoscientists andreservoir engineers seeking to understand and quantifycapacity, integrity and injectivity of CO2 storage processes.

Speakers include:Stuart Haszeldine, University of EdinburghBryan Lovell, Geological Society/University of CambridgePeter Styring, University of Sheffield/CO2 NetMercedes Maroto-Valer, University of NottinghamDermot Roddy, University of NewcastleJohn Kaldi, CO2CRC Australia

Convenors: Jon Gluyas, University of DurhamPeter Kukla, RWTH Archen UniversityJohn Kaldi, CO2CRC AustraliaHannes Leetaru, ISGS, IllinoisMichael Stevenson, BGSMartin Blunt, Imperial CollegeRichard Worden, University of Liverpool

Carbon Capture & Storage22nd and 23rd November 2011

Call for Papers & Further information

T F E W

Image acknowledgement: Designed and produced by www.oncommunication.com for the CO2 Capture Project

Ndr32dnadn22

1102rebmevo

MAY 2011 05

DR TED NIELD EDITOR

Geoscientist is theFellowship magazine ofthe Geological Societyof London

ContactThe Geological Society,Burlington House, Piccadilly,London W1J 0BGT +44 (0)20 7434 9944F +44 (0)20 7439 8975E enquiries@geolsoc.org.ukW www.geolsoc.org.uk

Publishing HouseThe Geological SocietyPublishing House, Unit 7,Brassmill Enterprise Centre,Brassmill Lane, Bath BA1 3JNT 01225 445046F 01225 442836

Library T +44 (0)20 7432 0999F +44 (0)20 7439 3470E library@geolsoc.org.uk

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFProfessor Tony Harris FGS

EDITORDr Ted Nield NUJ FGS

EDITORIAL BOARDDr Sue Bowler FGSDr Robin Cocks FGSDr Martin Degg FGSDr Joe McCall FGSDr Jonathan Turner FGSDr Jan Zalasiewicz FGS

Trustees of the GeologicalSociety of LondonDr J P B Lovell OBE(President); Professor P AAllen (Secretary, Science);Miss S Brough; Mr MBrown; Professor R Butler;Dr M Daly; Professor A JFleet (Treasurer); Dr S AGibson; Dr R Herrington;Dr R A Hughes; Dr A Law;Professor A R Lord(Secretary, Foreign &External Affairs); ProfessorJ Ludden; Mr P Maliphant;Professor D A C Manning(Secretary, ProfessionalMatters); Professor SMarriott (Vice President);Professor S Monro OBE; DrC P Summerhayes (VicePresident); Professor J HTellam; Dr G W Tuckwell(Vice President); Dr J PTurner (Secretary,Publications); Professor DJ Vaughan; Mr N R GWalton.

Published on behalf of theGeological Society ofLondon byCentury One Publishing Alban Row, 27–31 VerulamRoad, St Albans, Herts, AL3 4DGT 01727 893 894F 01727 893 895

E enquiries@centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk

W www.centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk

CHIEF EXECUTIVENick SimpsonT 01727 893 894E nick@centuryone

publishing.ltd.uk

ADVERTISING EXECUTIVEJonathan KnightT 01727 739 193E jonathan@centuryone

publishing.ltd.uk

ART EDITORHeena Gudka

DESIGN & PRODUCTIONSarah AstingtonTanya Kant

PRINTED BY Century One Publishing Ltd.

Copyright The Geological Society ofLondon is a Registered Charity,number 210161.ISSN (print) 0961-5628 ISSN (online) 2045-1784

s our feature this month neatlyillustrates, sources of energy –especially new or unfamiliar ones –can also become sources of endlessangst in an age that takes power forgranted and is unaware of the fargreater evil that is not having

enough of it. Thus, one could be forgiven for thinking that the

main news story in recent months has not been thedeath of tens of thousands of people in the worstearthquake and tsunami to hit Japan in its long anddisaster-strewn history, but a relatively minorleakage of radioactivity from the Fukushimanuclear plant. This ludicrous distortion might beblackly comic, were it not for the fact that - just ashappened after the (completely non-lethal) 1978Three Mile Island “disaster” - the work of buildinga global nuclear capability to help us meet themuch greater evils that face us (a looming energygap, global warming) will now be stymied by thetwo most powerful forces in human nature -ignorance and hysteria.

The reactors at Fukushima shut down, as theywere supposed to, when the earthquake struck.But reactors, and the ponds containing theirrecently-removed spent fuel, still need cooling; sowhen the electricity grid failed (because so manyother plants did likewise) diesel generators keptthe water flowing. Until, that is, the tsunami tooktheir fuel tanks out. These could have beenengineered to withstand a 10 metre-high wall ofwater, but weren’t.

Fukushima shows us that adequate civilengineering in the face even of tsunamis iseminently possible – as long as we fullyunderstand what the Earth can do, and it isgeologists’ job to explain that to engineers. Second,it demonstrates the urgent need to create properlyengineered underground repositories.

Storing spent fuel on site, as happens at manynuclear facilities worldwide, turns them intopotential “dirty bombs” – a situation that has beenexacerbated by decades of dithering overgeological containment. This delay has beencynically fomented by some environmental groups,who know well that the longer waste remains anissue, the longer it remains ammunition in their ill-advised war against the single best hope we allhave of plugging the energy gap and cutting CO2emissions – namely, nuclear power. For surely, thebelief that with current technology, and a bit ofeconomy, “renewables” could somehow fuel anindustrialised nation on a combination of sunshineand wind, is surely moonshine and hot air.

ALOGICAL MELTDOWN

THE GREAT WAVEAT KANAGAWABy Hokusai

~

~EDITOR’S COMMENT GEOSCIENTIST

The Geological Society of Londonaccepts no responsibility for theviews expressed in any article in thispublication. All views expressed,except where explicitly statedotherwise, represent those of theauthor, and not The GeologicalSociety of London. All rights reserved.No paragraph of this publication maybe reproduced, copied or transmittedsave with written permission. Usersregistered with Copyright ClearanceCenter: the Journal is registered withCCC, 27 Congress Street, Salem, MA01970, USA. 0961-5628/02/$15.00. Every effort hasbeen made to trace copyright holdersof material in this publication. If anyrights have been omitted, thepublishers offer their apologies.

No responsibility is assumed by thePublisher for any injury and/ordamage to persons or property as amatter of products liability,negligence or otherwise, or from anyuse or operation of any methods,products, instructions or ideascontained in the material herein.Although all advertising material isexpected to conform to ethical(medical) standards, inclusion in thispublication does not constitute aguarantee or endorsement of thequality or value of such product or ofthe claims made by its manufacturer.

Subscriptions: All correspondencerelating to non-member subscriptionsshould be addresses to the JournalsSubscription Department, GeologicalSociety Publishing House, Unit 7Brassmill Enterprise Centre, BrassmillLane, Bath, BA1 3JN, UK. Tel: 01225445046. Fax: 01225 442836. Email:sales@geolsoc.org.uk. Thesubscription price for Volume 21,2011 (11 issues) to institutions andnon-members is £108 (UK) or £124 /US$247 (Rest of World).

© 2011 The Geological Society ofLondon

GEOSCIENTIST SOAPBOX

Many years ago, while I was stillat school, I took greatpleasure in Saturdayafternoon visitsto SouthKensington’sMuseum ofPracticalGeology. It was ashort journey on theDistrict Line fromWimbledon and just a brief walk throughthe tunnel from the Underground stationto the Museum. As time went by I took tocycling there, threading my way throughthe streets of Battersea and Chelsea andfeasting on a plate of chips at Joe Lyons.Next door was the Natural HistoryMuseum, where I would take fossils for identification to the Palaeontology Department.

HUNTING GROUND My favourite hunting grounds for thesewere the disused chalk quarries along theNorth Downs between Box Hill andReigate. In those days my sole guides wereBritish Fossils by Duncan Forbes and TheObserver’s Book of British Geology,affordable even on the limited pocket-money of the day. From time to time I hadto borrow a copy of Wood’s InvertebratePalaeontology from a school friend; at threeguineas a copy of my own was beyond myreach. In time, I acquired B. Webster

Smith’s TheWorld in thePast, boughtfor me during asummerholiday inBognor Regis.

Most of all, I treasured theBritish Regional Handbook on The Wealden District.

At this time it was still possible to visitthe Geological Museum and see a displayof specimens, photographs and maps foreach of the regions so well described in thepublished guides. Sadly, this is no longertrue. The Museum of Practical Geology,which had graced Exhibition Road sinceits move from Jermyn Street in 1935, hasfor some years now been absorbed into theNatural History Museum, itself anarchitectural masterpiece that still retainsan excellent minerals and meteorites room.

The area that once housed regionalgeology is now a poor reflection of itsnoble past; information displays anddioramas long gone, the bookshopreplaced by a souvenir stall. The lastedition of the British Regional Geology of theWealden District that so fired myimagination all those years ago waspublished in 1965, and is now onlyavailable as a print-on-demand digital reprint.

FORMER GLORYIs it now too late to reclaim learning frompopular entertainment? We can of coursevisit the Sedgwick Museum of EarthScience in Cambridge or the OxfordUniversity Museum of Natural History,excellent places in their own right, but theunique display of regional material inExhibition Road seems to have nocounterpart today. Is it too much to ask forthe Earth Science section of the NaturalHistory Museum to be restored to itsformer glory as a centre of education toinspire the next generation, as it was forme all those decades ago?

SOAPBOX

Soapbox is open tocontributions from all Fellows.You can always write a letter tothe Editor, of course: butperhaps you feel you needmore space?

If you can write it entertainingly in500 words, the Editor would liketo hear from you.

Email your piece, and a self-portrait, to ted.nield@geolsoc.org.uk. Copy can only beaccepted electrinically. Nodiagrams, tables or otherillustrations please.

Pictures should be of print quality – as a rule of thumb,anything over a few hundredkilobytes should do.

Precedence will always be givento more topical contributions.Any one contributor may notappear more often than once pervolume (once every 12 months).

IS IT TOO MUCHTO ASK FOR THE EARTHSCIENCE SECTION OFTHE NATURAL HISTORYMUSEUM TO BERESTORED TO ITSFORMER GLORY AS A CENTRE OFEDUCATION TO INSPIRE THE NEXTGENERATION?Geoffrey Dearn

~

~

Geoffrey Dearn makes a case for real specimens in hisquest to see the past brought back to life in ExhibitionRoad and museums of geology all over the UK

BY GEOFFREY DEARN

A plea for the past

06 MAY 2011

The Natural History Museum

MAY 2011 07

NEWS GEOSCIENTIST

Still waters run deepExactly a century after the first nakhlitemeteorite was discovered in El-Nakhla,Egypt, the same meteorite is beingused to discover how water may have flowed on martian surfaces1

(together with other samples fromLafayette, Yamoto and GovernadorValadares meteorites).

The Nakhla meteorite is a rare typeof meteorite, being a sample of theplanet Mars that was splashed off thesurface of the Red Planet by anotherimpact. Mars, having a much lowergravitational pull than the Earth,requires a much smaller impact toforce ejecta out of its gravity well, andinto interplanetary space. Some ofthese escaped ejecta then find theirway towards the Earth.

HYDROTHERMAL VEINSScientists from the University ofLeicester’s Space Research Centremilled micron-thin slices off themartian meteorite fragments andexamined them under the electronmicroscope in an attempt tounderstand the hydrothermalprocesses which formed thesecondary minerals infilling someprominent veins.

The veins formed when a brineflowed through the rock (a lava) while itwas still part of its parent planet.These veins were already known tohave contained ice, carbonate andclay minerals in amountscorresponding to their depth belowmartian surface (the shallower

meteorites contain soluble salts)2,which formed during the impact thatsent them hurtling towards the Earth.

Changela and Bridges suggest thefluid came from an undergroundsource, such as permafrost; and sincedeeper nakhlites, like Lafayette, showgreater amounts of alteration,Changela and Bridges realised that thewater had not percolated downwardsfrom the planet surface but insteadflowed upward, like water rising froman aquifer to a source spring.

Changela suggests that an impactshock caused the minerals to fracture,and the subsurface permafrost to meltand flow through nearby rock.Bridges, who is supervisor to HiteshChangela’s PhD, explains theimportance of this discovery: “We arenow starting to build a realistic modelfor how water-deposited mineralsformed on Mars, showing that impactheating was an important process.”

IMPACT SIZEBridges and Changela have been ableto identify what size of impact wouldbe needed to form such ahydrothermal system, and can matchthis to the age and hemisphere inwhich the nakhlites were born. Theyhave then been able to model howmuch fluid was likely to have been

formed, and how long the systemlasted for (one to 10 months).

This discovery comes soon afterMars orbiters revealed carbonate andphyllosilicates on the surface of theplanet, such as those found in the NiliFossae region, where surface fluvialactivity and shallow lake depositsmay have resulted in carbonateformation3. Clay minerals identified inthe walls of impact craters suggestlocal hydrothermal systems createdby impacts are common to themartian surface.

Above: Thin sectionof part of the Nakhlameteorite, showingmicroscopictunnels similar insize, shape anddistribution totracks left on Earth rocks byfeeding bacteria

METEORITICS

In 1911 a meteorite from Mars hurtled towards North Africa, splitting into forty small pieces,and (legend has it) killing a dog. Harriet Jarlett reports on Nakhla’s latest revelations

Read GeoNews first inGeoscientist Online

www.geolsoc.org.uk/geoscientist

[ ]

Image ©

Martin Fisk, U

niversity of Corvallis

WE ARE NOWSTARTING TO BUILD AREALISTIC MODEL FORHOW WATER-DEPOSITEDMINERALS FORMED ONMARS, SHOWING THATIMPACT HEATING WASAN IMPORTANTPROCESSHitesh Changela

~

~

1 Alteration assemblages in the nakhlites: Variation with depthon Mars (pp 1847–1867) H G Changela and J C BridgesMeteoritics & Planetary Science 45, Nr 12, 1847–1867 (2011)Article first published online: 6 JAN 2011 | DOI: 10 1111/j 1945-5100 2010 01123 x

2 Alteration assemblages in the Martian meteorites: Implicationsfor near-surface processes Bridges J C, Catling D C, Saxton J M,Swindle T D, Lyon I C, and Grady M M 2001. In: Chronology andevolution of Mars, edited by Kallenbach R, Geiss J, and HartmannW K Kluwer: Dordrecht pp 365–392

3 Hydrated silicate minerals on Mars observed by the MarsReconnaissance Orbiter CRISM Mustard J F, Murchie S L, PelkeyS M, Ehlmann B L, Milliken R E, Grant J A, Bibring J -P, Poulet F,Bishop J, Noe Dobrea E, Roach L, Seelos F, Arvidson R E,Wiseman S, Green R, Hash C, Humm D, Malaret E, McGovern J A,Seelos K, Clancy T, Clark R, Des Marais D, Izenberg N, Knudson A,Langevin Y, Martin T, McGuire P, Morris R, Robinson M, Roush T,Smith M, Swayze G, Taylor H, Titus T, and Wolff M 2008

FURTHER READING

08 MAY 2011

GEOSCIENTIST GEONEWS

Above: PaulMaliphant (VicePresident) presentsthe trophy to theWhitchurch HighSchool team

Below left and right:A selection from thesubmitted posters.See GeoeducationNews in GeoscientistOnline for details

Presentations and prizes

On 22 March, the Southern WalesRegional Group (SWRG) held theirannual Schools Geology Competitionat Cowbridge Comprehensive School.Five schools entered the competition,this year’s theme being ‘YourGeological Hero’. Each schoolsubmitted a poster reflecting theachievements of their chosen hero,followed by presentations defendingtheir choice. However after excellentpresentations from all teams, the quick-fire quiz decided the overall winner.

Thus, for the second year in a row,Society Vice-President Paul Maliphant(Halcrow, who devised the competition)presented the trophy to WhitchurchHigh School. Each team memberreceived a year’s free Junior Candidate

Fellowship.Will otherRegional

Groups take up the gauntlet throwndown by SWRG (Geoscientist 21.01February p24) and run their ownSchools Geology Competition?With more such events around thecountry, the aim would then be to hold a national final in Burlington House.

During the week of 21-25 March,the GSL played its part in the UK’sfirst Climate Change Week,highlighting GSL’s contribution to theClimate Change debate. Schoolsbelonging to the Schools AffiliatesScheme were asked to design aposter that best interpreted theGSL’s Climate Change poster andwe were overwhelmed with thequality of entries.

In the 11 -14 category thecommittee awarded joint first placeto Rebekah Bacon/AsiaPruchiewska, and Yuvraj Singh/ RajDhunna – both from The Highfield

School. These two postersattractively and clearlyillustrated the GeologicalSociety’s Climate Changestatement, so congratulationsto them all and their teacher,Miss Lindsay Snow. Thewinner in the 15 – 18 age groupwas Sam Bailey (King EdwardVI Grammar School). Sam’seye-catching and interestingposter successfully captured theessence of the Climate Change

GEOEDUCATION

March was a month of competitions for schoolsat GSL. Education Offier Joanna Mears reportson events in London and South Wales

For further information on the SchoolsGeology Competition or Climate ChangeWeek, E: joanna.mears@geolsoc.org.uk

Statement. Congratulations to Samand his teacher, Dr Stuart Hitch.

The winning posters, along with theshortlist, can be viewed on our website.

MAY 2011 09

n BOUNCE ROCKThe unusual ‘SNC’ meteoritescome from a planet rather thanan asteroid, and Mars has beenthe accepted source (thoughmeteorites splashed off Mercury,the only other possible rockyplanet source, will have reachedEarth, but are unrecognised).Hitherto, however, there has beenno correlation between rocksanalysed on the Martian surfaceand SNC (‘snick’) meteorites.

However, the rover Opportunityhas encountered a rock, named‘Bounce Rock’, on the surface ofMeridiani Planum, taken imageswith the Panoramic Camera, andobtained spectra with its thermalemission spectrometer. Theserevealed a Mössbauer spectrumindicating pyroxene-richmineralogy. Using the alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer, therock’s bulk chemistry is now alsoknown. Textural, mineralogicaland chemical properties aresimilar to those of basalticshergottite (SNC) meteoriteswhich fall to Earth: in particular,Elephant Moraine (EET) 79001and Queen Alexandra Range(QUE) 94201, from Antarctica.Only chrlorine, iron and titaniumexhibit deviations. Theiron:manganese and phosphorusconcentrations matched.

Bounce Rock is thought tohave been ejected by impactfrom the 19.3km-diameter Bopalucrater, 75km away. This is thefirst time a match has been foundbetween a rock on the surface ofMars and an SNC meteorite.Reference: Zipfel, J, Schröder, BL, Jolliff, R et al. 2011. BounceRock – A shergottite-like basaltencountered at Meridiani Planum,Mars. Meteoritics & PlanetaryScience 46(1); 1-20.

Joe McCall, Geoscientist’s longest-serving Editorial Board member andDistinguished Service Medallist 2011,reflects on geology in the news

Tracked from space to Sudan!

The observed approach of a smallasteroid in October 2006 was followedby its recovery in Sudan, wherecalculations had predicted it would fall.Parties from the University of Khartoumrecovered numerous small pieces,including complete fusion-cust coatedoriented samples.

The meteorite was essentially anureilite breccia (a rare achondrite); butthere were numerous chondriticinclusions, of H5 and H4 and variousEH and EL classes, also a uniquechondrite akin to the R chondrites.Thus we not only had the first case ofan asteroid observed in space, linked toa material find on the ground (which

may now allow correlation of meteoriteclass to a known asteroid spectralgroup), but the first observed fall of abrecciated ureilite. The meteorite wasnamed Almahatta Sitta (“Station Six”).All the pieces contained short-livedcosmic isotopes, which mean thatthey were newly arrived on Earth, sothere was no mixing with any earliermeteoritic debris.

This event, in my view, ranks withthe Shoemaker-Levy comet strike onJupiter in importance. An entire issueof Meteoritics and Planetary Sciencehas been devoted to 21 papers on it.Reference: Meteoritcs and PlanetaryScience 45 (10-11); 1553-1885 withintroduction by P Jenniskens and M H Dhaddad 1553-1556.

Canada is not a country one associateswith excitement and certainly not of thevolcano kind, but my niece on VancouverIsland sends me BC Magazine, where Iwas surprised to read that BCpossesses 280 ‘young volcanoes’(active during the last 1.8Ma), 49 ofwhich have erupted in the last 10,000years. The last major eruption, from MtMeager, occurred a mere 2400 yearsago. Molten flows from Lava Fork in theextreme north flowed into Alaska only150 yrs ago, and swarms of

microseisms near Quesnel, alertedvolcanologists three years ago, thoughnothing happened. One is familiar withthe huge Mts Rainier and Baker, twinsof Mt St Helens, snowily looming justover the US border. The Pacific ‘ring offire’ is quite active in the USA and evenmore active in Alaska to the North, butalthough BC appears somnolent, itsnumerous dormant volcanoes couldreturn to activity at any time.Reference: Pynn, L 2010: Sleepinggiants: volcanoes are all aroundus. British Columbia Magazine52(2); 38-49.

METEORITICS

Spotting an incoming asteroid ‘as significant as Shoemaker-Levy’

Young BC volcanoes pose threat

VOLCANOLOGY

Above: TheAlmahata Sittameteorite #15 insitu on the desertfloor during its findon 8 December2008, much as itfell on October 7earlier that year

The placidity of British Columbia’s geology is only skin-deep

Image ©

P Jenniskens, S

ETI Institute

McCALL’SWORLD

IN BRIEF

n TIMETABLE11.00 Annual General Meeting (members only; 12.30 Lunch with the Awardwinners (members with tickets only); 14.00 Awards Ceremony; 15.30 Talks byLyell, Murchison and William Smith medallists; 16.45 Tea; 17.15 Talk by WollastonMedallist; 17.45 Presidential Address; 18.30-20.00 Drinks.

n AGM AGENDAApologies; Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 2 June 2010;Appointment of Scrutineers for the ballots for Council and Officers ; Ballot forCouncil; Annual Report and Accounts for 2010; President’s Report; Secretaries’Reports; Treasurer’s Report; Comments from Fellows; Formal acceptance of theAnnual Report and Accounts for 2010 and approval of the Budget for 2011;Fellowship subscriptions for 2012; Deaths; Report of Scrutineers on the ballot forCouncil; Ballot for Officers; Appointment of Auditors; Report of Scrutineers on theballot for Officers; Election of new Fellows; Any other business; Provisional date ofnext AGM.

n MEDALLIST TALKSChristopher Paola (Lyell Medal), Professor, Department of Geology andGeophysics and St Anthony Falls Laboratory, University of Minnesota: Smallworlds: what laboratory-scale experiments can tell us about sedimentary basinsand the stratigraphic record.Bruce Watson (Murchison Medal), Institute Professor, ExperimentalGeochemistry, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, The Pros and Cons of EquilibriumStuart Haszeldine (William Smith Medal), Professor of Carbon Capture andStorage, University of Edinburgh: Geological storage of CO2 and radioactivewaste: liability or giant green-business?Stephen Sparks CBE (Wollaston Medal), Director of the School of EarthSciences, University of Bristol: Global volcanic risk

President’s Day at Burlington House will begin with the Annual General Meeting at11.00am followed by a buffet lunch with the award winners (members with ticketonly – £27.50 per head). As in previous years, the recipients of the major medalshave been invited to give a short talk, and the Awards Ceremony will be followedby presentations by the Lyell, Murchison, William Smith and Wollaston medallists(details below). The timetable for President’s Day and AGM agenda are below.

To obtain luncheon tickets please send cheques (made payable to “The GeologicalSociety”) to Stephanie Jones at Burlington House or E: stephanie.jones@geolsoc.org.uk.Please also contact Stephanie if you wish to attend the afternoon events (for whichthere is no charge).

Abstracts are available online.

10 MAY 2011

GEOSCIENTIST SOCIETY NEWS

FUTURE MEETINGSn Council & OGMs: 22 June; 28 September; 30 November; Council1, 2 February (residential): OGM 1 February 2012 (6pm); 11 April.

SOCIETYNEWS

PRESIDENT-DESIGNATEIn all, 1020 valid votes were cast in the electronic andpostal consultative ballot for the President-designateand the result was: Professor Ian Fairchild 451 (44.2%);Mr David Shilston 569 (55.8%). David Shilston willtherefore go forward to the AGM for election asPresident Designate.

COUNCILThe ballot for Council closed on 31 March. In total, 1055valid votes were cast for the five vacancies on Council.There were 25 invalid votes. The results are as follows:The six candidates receiving the most votes will goforward to the AGM for election as Council members.

Election results

COUNCIL RESULTS

Name Votes

Tricia HentonJane FrancisDavid CraggAlastair FraserRichard Lisle

Richard BevinsHelen NattrassAndrew HowardMichael HarrisSarah Sherlock

578 (54.8%)573 (54.3%)490 (46.4%)439 (41.6%)425 (40.3%)

402 (38.1%)400 (37.9%)386 (36.6%)382 (36.2%)281 (26.6%)

PRESIDENT’S DAY - 8 JUNE

MAY 2011 11

SOCIETY NEWS GEOSCIENTIST

Rare book of the month!

The historie of the world. In five booksby Sir Walter Ralegh 1628 or 1634.

Explorer, privateer, Queen’s favourite,supposed introducer of the humblespud, finally imprisoned and executed –the story of Sir Walter Ralegh is wellknown. He also wrote many books,The historie of the world - written in theTower of London - being his mostambitious. Stretching to nearly a millionwords, it starts with Creation and endswith the second Macedonian war, in146 BC. With intricate maps depictinglegions crossing Europe and Asia, andillustrations of battles, it was a populartitle: there were at least eleven editionsin the 17th Century, and one each inthe 18th and 19th*.

At one point Ralegh ruminates on theage of the Earth, querying the Biblical

narrative: “many things have beendigged up out of the earth, of thatdepth, as supposed to have beeneburied by the generall floud, withoutany alteration either of substance orfigure”. Controversial for its time, hegoes on: “the gold which is daily foundin Mynes, and Rockes, underground,was created together with the Earth”.The book is, however, primarily ahistory of gods and men, not of rocksand nature. Ralegh’s initial belief that“the end and scope of all History, toteach by example of times past, suchwisdom as may guide our desires andactions” morphs into pessimism as the narrative deepens into continuous wars.

The Library operates a sponsorshipscheme to help preserve and restore itsrare books. For more information, contact Michael McKimm in the library, or see the Sponsor A Book page on theSociety’s website:www.geolsoc.org.uk/sponsorabook

FROM THE LIBRARYThe library is open to visitorsMonday-Friday 0930-1730.

For a list of new acquisitions clickthe appropriate link fromhttp://www.geolsoc.org.uk/gsl/info

n MYSTERY SOLVED!Assistant Librarian Wendy Cawthorne has discovered that the mystery bookdescribed in March’s Geoscientist was Naturhistorischer Atlas (1824-26) byAugust Goldfuss (1782 – 1848). Thanks to John Henry for his interest andsuggestions, and to Rupert Baker, Library Manager, Royal Society, forshowing us the complete work.

lectures][

Oil-rich limestones deposited in the now exhumedTethyan Ocean supply the energy that warms ourhomes and powers our cars – as well as stunninglandscapes for our vacations. They are among themost intensely studied rock formations on Earth andprovide a fascinating insight into a turbulent 250 millionyears of planetary history.

Keith Gerdes grew up in Dagenham, Essex. Hestudied Geology and Geophysics at Durham Universityand took part in geophysical research cruises in theArctic, Atlantic and Indian Oceans before obtaining hisPhD from the University of Swansea on the plate-tectonic evolution of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

n Programme – Afternoon talk: 1430 Tea & Coffee:1500 Lecture begins: 1600 Event ends.n Programme – Evening talk: 1730 Tea & Coffee:1800 Lecture begins: 1900 Reception.

FURTHER INFORMATIONPlease visit www.geolsoc.org.uk/shelllondonlectures11. Entry to each lecture is byticket only. To obtain a ticket please contact Leila Talebaround four weeks before the talk. Due to thepopularity of this lecture series, tickets are allocated in amonthly ballot and cannot be guaranteed.

Tethyan Carbonates - linking tropicalseas and crashing plates to some of thelargest oil and gas fields in the worldDr Keith Gerdes, Shell International Exploration and Production B.V.18 May 2011

Shell LondonLecture Series

Contact: Leila Taleb, Event Manager, The GeologicalSociety, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BG, T: +44 (0) 20 7432 0981 E: leila.taleb@geolsoc.org.uk

*Mark Nicholls and Penry Williams, ‘Ralegh,

Sir Walter (1554–1618)’ODNB (2004)

The Geological Society Club, the successor to the body that gave birth to the Societyin 1807, meets monthly (except over the field season!) at 18.30 for 19.00 in theAthenaeum Club, Pall Mall. Once a year there is also a special dinner at BurlingtonHouse. New diners are always welcome, especially from among younger Fellows. Dinnercosts £45 for a four-course meal, including coffee and port. (The Founders' Dinner, inNovember, has its own price structure.) There is a cash bar for the purchase of aperitifsand wine. Please note – you should keep checking dates here as they may be subject tochange without notice. 2011: 18 May. Dates for the new session will be advertised in theautumn. Any Fellow of the Society wishing to dine should contact Dr Andy Fleet,Secretary to the Geological Society Dining Club, Department of Mineralogy, The NaturalHistory Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD. Email: a.fleet@ nhm.ac.uk - fromwhom further details may be obtained. DR

Geological Society Club

▼

SUBSCRIPTIONS 2012Council agreed to the following subscription rates for 2012 at its meeting on 13April 2012. These will go forward to Fellows to agree at the AGM

Subscription type 2011 2012

Junior Candidate FellowsCandidate FellowsOne-off payment for undergraduate course21 and under22-2728-3334-5934-59 (Overseas)60-6970+ConcessionsFull time postgraduate MScFull time postgraduate PhDSupplement (to payer) for Joint FellowshipCGeol supplement payersCSci supplement payers

10.0015.0040.0031.0064.00117.00178.00137.0090.0062.0090.0036.0050.0052.0027.0022.00

10.0015.0040.0031.5065.50120.50183.50141.0092.5063.5092.5037.0051.5053.5028.0023.00

12 MAY 2011

GEOSCIENTIST SOCIETY NEWS

Earth Science CareersRob Butler writes: In February 2011over 200 students from across northernBritain gathered at Our Dynamic Earthin Edinburgh for a one-day conferenceto explore career opportunities. A runof 10 talks largely by early-careerscientists and a Q&A session chaired byStuart Monro supported an exhibitionby employers, societies and an array ofuniversity departments promotinghigher degree programmes.

Maureen Traquair of OPITO, the Oiland Gas Academy, outlined the careeropportunities in the sector, before aseries of presentations by early careerscientists. Employment in the UK oiland gas industry is highly dispersed,with relatively few in the majorcorporations compared with smaller oilcompanies, consultancies and serviceproviders. This was reflected inpresentations by Hannah Suttill (BP),Adrian Rankin (Fugro Robertson), DavidTierney and Dan Campanile (Getech),Pat Coole (Neftex) and Jenny Ellis(Midland Valley Ltd.).

After lunch, presentations byCharlotte Vye (BGS) and Alex Brasier(Scottish Universities EnvironmentalResearch Centre) covered researchcareers. The final talks provided aglimpse of engineering geology. SarahWalker (Scotland Transerv) and JessicaSmith (Transport Research Laboratory)spoke of their work helping keepScotland’s transport network working.

The event, co-badged by theGeological Society and the PetroleumExploration Society of Great Britain, wassponsored by BP and Fugro Robertson.It is set to become a regular feature ofthe Scottish calendar, with the nextscheduled for 23 November 2011.

AFFILIATES SCHEME][

As members of the Corporate Affiliates scheme,companies large and small are investing in the scienceon which their businesses depend. Sixty five nowbelong to the scheme, from Bronze, through Silver andGold to Platinum (see www.geolsoc.org.uk/gsl/society/affiliates).

Affiliates and clients are invited to an annualcorporate hospitality and networking event. Last year(November 17) this featured volcanologist Prof. NickPetford (Vice-Chancellor, University of Northampton) onthe eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjällajökull, aspectacular example of how geological activity caninterfere with the world of business.

WORKSHOPOn July 6, the Society will begin a series of annualworkshops on topics of special interest to specificindustries. The first, organised by DFC members PeterDolan and Mark Steeves, will be for Upstream Oil & GasInsurance Underwriters, entitled “Between a Rock and aHard Market - the interface between insuranceunderwriting and subsurface/drilling risk assessment”.Please consult the Geoscientist Online version of thisstory for further details.

The Society, working with the Royal Academy of Arts,aims once again to arrange special access forCorporate Affiliates to the Summer Exhibition. This willbe combined with a reception hosted by the President,Bryan Lovell, and a lecture, most likely focusing on therecent earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan.

The Society can offer appropriate Affiliateship termsfor small consultancies and major multinationals alike.Many current Affiliates are from the oil & gas sector. Weare keen to extend into other commercial sectors, suchas engineering, water, environment and consultancies.We are also keen to engage with finance and insurance,sectors that clearly have an interest in geologicalprocesses and activities.

Corporate Affiliateshelp the Societymove forward, sayColin Summerhayes(Chairman,Development andFundraisingCommittee (DFC)),Peter Dolan andMark Steeves

Commercial breaksbring business

Further information on becoming a Corporate AffiliateE: georgina.worrall@geolsoc.org.uk or visitwww.geolsoc.org.uk/affiliates

SOCIETYNEWS...

n the USA, the recent boom inshale-gas production has boostedUS gas reserves to an all-time highand caused a drop in the gas pricefrom a recent high of $8 to the1970s price of $4. Shale gas

exploration is booming, from Argentinato India, from Canada to South Africa.The ‘land grab’ for shale gas acreage inEurope is over, with shale gas wellsbeing drilled in Sweden, Poland, andLancashire. By providing securedomestic gas supplies, shale gas yields ahigh ‘peace dividend’.

So, what’s not to like? Well, plenty ifyou listen to outraged environmentalists.A boom in shale gas production willcontinue to release carbon dioxide andmethane into the atmosphere and delaythe dawn of a non-carbon economy. Theartificial fracturing of shale gas reservoirsapparently triggers earthquakes, pollutesaquifers with carcinogens, ignitesmethane-laden water flowing from taps,causes the sky to rain flocks of dead birds- and probably fire and brimstone too inthe Bible Belt.

A LITTLE HISTORYIn 1821 gas was produced from a naturalseepage in fractured Devonian shales inthe Appalachian Mountains at Fredonia,New York. An enterprising entrepreneurpiped the gas through hollowed-out logs,later replaced by lead pipes, to illuminatea local bar. Thereafter shale gasproduction was carried on throughoutthe Appalachians as a ‘cottage business’by small-time operators. Profit marginswere too small to interest majorcompanies. Exploration methods werebasic. Seismic was out of the question as

too expensive. Serendipity ruled. Whenone British potential investor questionedthe geological rationale for picking aparticular well location, the landownerreplied ‘Well ma pappy has been drillin’wells along that thar creek bottom for years,so I guess I’ll jus’ carry on’.

Wells were air-drilled to save ondrilling mud. Fracturing, artificiallystimulating and compressing the gaswere also deemed too expensive.Instead, one well would be allowed toflow naturally - which it would often dofor many decades, supplying enough gas for an adjacent farm, school, hospital or shopping mall. There wereno pipelines, no infrastructure. A shale-gas well was silent, steady,undemanding and generated minimalenvironmental trauma.

The UK’s first well to encounter shalegas was drilled in 1875 by theSubwealden Exploration Company. This company was set up by a group ofacademics purely to investigate thedepth to the Palaeozoic rocks beneaththe Weald. According to Sir AndrewRamsay, then Director of the GeologicalSurvey, this was the last geologicalproblem that remained to be solved inGreat Britain. The borehole had nocommercial objectives. The companywas funded by private gentlemen(including one C Darwin) withsubventions from the Royal Society, the Geological Society of London and the British Association for theAdvancement of Science.

Two wells were drilled on the crest ofthe Battle anticline at Netherfield in WestSussex. Both were cored throughout bythe Diamond Boring Company. The first

I

Dick Selley* has held a torch for UK shale gasfor 30 years and was the first witness summonedto give evidence to the Parliamentary Energy &Climate Change Committee inquiry in February

SHALE GASBLESSING OR CURSE?

GEOSCIENTIST FEATURE

▼

Shale gas production plant in the Appalachians.Visually as intrusive as a piggery, and probably

generating far less methane into the atmosphere

16 MAY 2011

GEOSCIENTIST FEATURE

well stopped drilling for mechanicalreasons at 1018 feet TD. TheKimmeridge Clay had indications ofpetroleum throughout, smelt strongly ofpetroleum, was often brown in colourand burned with a brilliant flame. Asecond well drilled nearby reached 1905feet, having drilled though theKimmeridge Clay and penetrated theCoral Rag. Cores of the KimmeridgeClay were extensively fractured. Somefractures were cemented with calcite;others were open and saturated with oil.Subsequently while measuring thebottom-hole temperature a naked lightwas injudiciously lowered down thehole. This resulted in an explosion ofshale gas1.

In 1976 the US Department of Energyinitiated the Eastern Gas Shales Project ata cost of some $70 million. This workevaluated geology, geochemistry,exploration and production. At that timethe only shale gas production in the USA(indeed in the world) was fromDevonian and Mississippian (LowerCarboniferous) shales in the Appalachianbasin. The US Department of Energyreports2 led to the establishment of theGas Research Institute (Later GasTechnology Institute) and alsostimulated research at Imperial College,London, into an evaluation of UK shalegas resources.

CLOSING THE GAPPlate-tectonic reconstruction of theAtlantic Ocean implied that theAppalachian basin and fold beltextended across the United Kingdomand into mainland Europe. At this initialstage, Imperial College researchconcentrated on the US paradigm of‘cottage industry’ operations run bysmall private operators. It applied the‘Goldilocks’ model to the stratigraphicsequence. Old mudrocks,metamorphosed into slate, were toocooked and indurated to produce gas.At the other extreme, shallow un-compacted clays were both too immatureto generate gas, and too under-compacted to fracture, naturally orartificially. In between these twoextremes there is a ‘Goldilocks’ intervalof shales that are both thermally matureand naturally fractured, (or sufficientlyindurated to be artificially fractured).

Several potential shale gas sequenceswere identified within the Britishstratigraphic column. In the early 1980sit was generally believed that shale gascould only be generated by the thermalmaturation of kerogen beyond the oil

Upper:Approximatearea of earlyAppalachianshale gasproduction. Lower: Platetectonicreconstructionof the NorthAtlanticmarginsshowing thecontinuity of theAppalachianMississippianand CaledonideLowerCarboniferousbasins

Inset: Not thehouse at PoohCorner, butNetherfield No.1 Well, Sussexdrawn by ECooke, Esq, RA.Drilled in 1987purely foracademicenlightenmentthis was thefirst UK well todiscover shalegas. It, and theassociated oil,was of nointerest to thegeologists

▼

MAY 2011 17

FEATURE GEOSCIENTIST

window. The study concluded thatPreCambrian and Lower Palaeozoicshales were generally toometamorphosed to be potentialreservoirs. Most Cretaceous andyounger organic-rich mudrocks weredeemed too un-compacted to fracture,and too immature to generate gas.Carboniferous shales in general, andNamurian shales in particular, werethought to be ideally suited, both interms of maturity and in the degree ofnatural fracturing. At that time, profitmade by the extraction of petroleum wasliable for both Corporation Tax andPetroleum Revenue Tax (introduced1980). Shale gas production was noteconomic under this tax regime.

On 8 January 1985 the conclusions ofthe Imperial College study werepresented to the UK Department ofEnergy. The Department expressedpolite interest, but the exempting of shalegas from Petroleum Revenue Tax was anon-starter. Subsequent attempts toinform the wider world of the UK’spotential shale gas resources failedmiserably. Publication was rejected byseveral UK journals including Nature anda certain major geological society inLondon. (One editor returned themanuscript opining Janus-like that thepaper was too speculative and containednothing new.) Finally however, theconclusions of the research werepublished in the USA3.

WAGONS ROLLMeanwhile, back in the USA, the USDepartment of Energy research set theshale gas bandwagon rolling out fromthe Appalachians, geographically,stratigraphically and technologically.The Appalachian basin from New YorkState through Ohio to Kentucky andIllinois was the main historic area forshale gas production. But there wasshale gas production in other basins.

In the Williston Basin, for example,the Bakken Shale had produced gas since1953. Stimulated by the Department ofEnergy and the Gas Research Instituteshale gas plays were found in theCretaceous Lewis Shale of the San JuanBasin, the Mississippian (LowerCarboniferous) Barnett Shale of the FortWorth Basin and the Devonian AntrimShale of the Michigan Basin. The latterplay was of particular interest.Geochemical studies revealed that thegas was not thermogenic, but insteadproduced by bacterial methanogenesis.The bacteria had entered the fracturedshale from groundwater, percolating

Simplifiedstratigraphicsequence of thesedimentaryrocks of the UKshowing thehorizons ofinterest forshale gasproduction. Novertical scale

Monument tothe first shalegas well drilledto light a bar inFredonia, NewYork, in1821.Theplaque reads:‘The site of thefirst gas well inthe UnitedStates. Lightedin honour ofGeneralLafayette’s visit,4 June 1825.Placed byBenjaminPrescottChapter of theDaughter’s ofthe AmericanRevolution.June 4. 1925’

▼

from overlying glacial drift. This second process for gas

generation opened up new areas forexploration - areas where the source-rock was previously consideredimmature for thermogenic gasgeneration. The renaissance wasenhanced by improved methods ofdrilling and completion. The ability todrill multiple wells from a single padwas financially and environmentallyrewarding. While being able to drill notonly vertically, but horizontally, and tosteer the bit towards ‘sweet spots’,enabled permeable gas-charged zones tobe tapped into.

Seismic techniques, which could usethe fracturing process as an energysource, enabled gas charged ‘sweetspots’ to be imaged in 3D. Moredramatic hydraulic and explosivefracturing techniques were developed.So there is nothing new in artificialfracturing - it has been used in the oilindustry for some 60 years, and appliedto hydrogeology since the days ofMoses4 and Poseidon (according to thefoundation myth of Athens).

NO CHANGEMeanwhile back in the UK nothing hadchanged on the shale gas front.Published reviews of the futurepetroleum potential of the UK by staff ofthe Oil and Gas Directorate of theDepartment of Trade & Industry(successor to the Department of Energy)omitted any mention of shale gasresources. The only positive step wasthe repeal of the Petroleum Revenue Act (1 January 2003). The 6th PetroleumGeology Conference on the GlobalPerspectives of NW Europe took place at

the QueenElizabeth IIConferenceCentre,

London, in the same year. The three-dayprogramme concluded with a session onnon-conventional petroleum. The lastpresentation was on the shale gasresources of the UK. There were fourpeople in the vast auditorium: onedelegate, the session chairman, thespeaker and the projectionist. Thepresentation updated the conclusions ofthe earlier study of some 15 years before.It applied the advances in US shale gasexploration and production technologyto the UK, in particular recognition thatgas may have been generated, not onlyby the thermal maturation, but also bybacterial methanogenesis. New drillingand well completion techniques enabledhigher initial flow rates. Thepresentation was published two yearslater 5. More publications on the UK’sshale gas potential have now followed6 & 7.

Announcement of the UK’s 13thround of onshore licensing in 2006aroused the interest of several companiesin applying for shale-gas acreage. In2008, Wealden Petroleum DevelopmentLtd., on behalf of Eurenergy ResourcesInc., were successful in being awardedPEDL 247. This licence covered largeareas of the Weald, where the potentialfor shale gas had been recognised inLower Jurassic (Lias) and Upper Jurassic(Kimmeridge) shales. Island Oil & Gas(IGas), an established Coal-bed methaneproducer, holds acreage in several areasof the Midlands, notably Point of Ayr.Cuadrilla Resources Corporation holdsacreage to test for shale gas in Lancashireand has embarked on a three-wellexploration programme. The first well(Preese Hall No 1) was completed in lastDecember. At 0330 on 1 April there wasan earthquake of magnitude 2.2 somethree kilometres from the well site.Testing has since been halted. A secondwell is currently (March) being drilled atSingleton. Coastal Oil & Gas have

announced plans to drillwell to test for shale gasat Llandow (Vale ofGlamorgan).Interestingly, with theexception of Cuadrilla,

all the other operatorsare exploring for

shale gas incombination withconventionalpetroleum or

GEOSCIENTIST FEATURE

Single shale gasproduction well.Note warningflag for lowflying birds andskippinghedgehogs

Sketch mapshowing thesurface andsubsurfaceextent of LowerCarboniferoussediments ingeneral andshale basins inparticular

▼

MAY 2011 19

FEATURE GEOSCIENTIST

CBL. Watch this space8. The USA shale-gas boom is now over

- prices are now so low as to makefurther exploration uneconomic. US gasreserves are now reportedly oil-equivalent to Saudi Arabian oilreserves. The number of rigs drillingfor shale gas is in decline. The newboom is in now applying shale-gasfraccing technology to oil productionfrom the same shale formations, wherethey have yet to enter the gas generationzone, and are still in the oil window.The Eagleford, Niobrara and Bakkenshales are the major targets. The ‘landgrab’ for shale-gas acreage in Europe isalso now over, with active explorationtaking place in Sweden, Poland,Germany France and elsewhere.

OPPOSITIONShale-gas production is, however, beingviolently opposed by a range ofindividuals and organisations. Theopposition is led in particular by JoshFox’s film Gasland which is marketed asa “documentary”. This contains theastonishing film of one Mike Markham,of Weld County, Colorado, setting fireto water emerging from a his bathroomtap. This has nothing whatsoever to dowith adjacent shale gas production. Thephenomenon was investigated by theColorado Oil & Gas ConservationCommission in 2008 who concludedthat the gas was biogenic methane.

This conclusion was not as excitingas the film clip, and so has passed themedia by. In Texas last year there werereports of groundwater contaminationby shale gas. The EnvironmentalProtection Agency slapped anemergency protection order on RangeResources’ production of gas from theBarnett Shale in Parker County.Subsequent investigation revealed,however, that the contaminationpredated the shale-gas fraccing. Thecontaminating gas consists of a mix ofmethane and nitrogen, and nitrogendoes not occur in the Barnett Shale gas.It is, however, characteristic of gas fromthe Paluxy Sands in the much shallowerStrawn sequence. These were drilledseveral years ago and have beenproducing gas conventionally. A point-by-point rebuttal of these and otherallegations made in the Gasland filmhas been made by the American NaturalGas Alliance9.

Earlier this year, the ParliamentaryEnergy & Climate Change Committeelaunched an inquiry into UK shale gasunder the chairmanship of Tim Yeo.

1 Willett, H. 1875. Quarterly Reports of theSubwealden Exploration Company Ltd.Smith. Brighton. 146pp.

2 Zielinski, R.E. and McIver, R.D. 1982.Resources and Exploration Assessment ofthe oil and gas potential in the DevonianShale Gas of the Appalachian Basin. U.S.Dept. of Energy. Morgantown. 326pp.

3 Selley, R.C. 1987. British shale gaspotential scrutinized. Oil & Gas Jl. June15. 62-64

4 Anon. The Fourth Book of Moses calledNumbers. 20. 1-11.

5 Selley, R.C. 2005. UK shale-gasresources. In: Doré, A.G., Vining, B. A.(eds.) Petroleum Geology: North-WestEurope and Global Perspectives. Proc. 6thPetroleum Geology Conference. GeologicalSociety. London. 707-714

6 Harvey, T., and Gray, J. Theunconventional hydrocarbon resources ofBritain’s onshore basins – shale gas. © Department of Energy & Climate Change.www.og.decc.gov.uk/information/onshore.htm

7 Smith, N.J.P., Turner & G.Williams.2010. UK data and analysis for shale gasprospectivity. In: Vining, B.A. & Pickering,S.C. (Eds.) Proc. 7th Petroleum GeologyConf. Geol. Soc. Lond. 1807-1098.

8 Selley, R.C. In Press. UK Shale gas: Thestory so far. Mar. & Pet Geol. SpecialShale Gas Issue.

9 American Natural Gas Alliancewww.anga.us

REFERENCES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSPhotograph credits: Page 15 © J.B. Earl &Statoil. Top of page 16/17 courtesy of A Giebel.Bottom of page 16 From Selley, 1987 © Oil &Gas Journal. Top of page 18/19 From Selley, ©Oil & Gas Journal, locations of recent shale gasexploration activity added. Bottom of page 18/19courtesy Cuadrilla Resources.

Written evidence was submitted by 22individuals and organisations. Theseincluded BGS, The Old Rectory, IGasEnergy, CPRE, the Tyndall Centre forClimate Change, Cuadrilla ResourcesHoldings Ltd., Ofgem, Shell, The Co-op,Friends of the Earth, the World WildlifeFund, Imperial College - and theGeological Society, naturally. The firsthearings were held on 9 February(Imperial College, BGS, the WorldWildlife Fund and the Tyndall Centre)and are ongoing at the time of writing.The committee will submit a report of its findings and recommendations to Parliament. n

* Dick Selley, Senior Research Fellow, Departmentof Earth Science & Engineering, Imperial College.

obert Ferguson ofRaith (1767-1840) wasnot only the love-rivalof a member of thePeerage, but a Fellowand trustee of the

(then) newly-formed GeologicalSociety of London, and one of itsfirst four Vice Presidents (1810-1815). All four Vice Presidentswere also Fellows of the RoyalSociety who had established large and important mineralcollections, and whose patronagewas therefore keenly sought inorder to bestow prestige andcredibility on the young Society(despite the high-profile scandalin which Ferguson had recentlybeen embroiled).

Ferguson was born into anextremely wealthy Scottish family

and when a boy at Raith (thefamily estate in Fifeshire) he andhis brother Ronald were tutoredby John Playfair (1748-1818),James Hutton's defender, whoinstilled in Ferguson a love ofscience and literature1. In 1793Ferguson set out for theContinent, spending the next 11years travelling in Europe andseeking minerals to add to hiscollection that was eventually‘surpassed by few privatecollections in the kingdom’2.

While he was abroad, Britainand France were continually atwar except for one short peaceduring 1802. But in May 1803hostilities again broke out andFerguson, then in Paris, becametrapped there as a prisoner of war,along with Lord Elgin (1766-1841)

and his beautiful 25-year-old wifeMary (1778-1855), heiress to thevast Nisbet fortune. While theywere held in Paris, Ferguson wasfrequently invited to the Elgin'shotel and while Elgin wasimprisoned in Pau, he began apassionate relationship with Mary2.

LOVE AND MADNESSDuring his enforced stay in Paris,Ferguson became a member of theInstitute of France1, becoming‘acquainted with the mostcelebrated men of science in Paris'2.His relationship with these men,and the strings pulled from Britainby Joseph Banks (1743-1820)eventually led to his release. Hearrived back at Raith in October1804; however, it seems hesubsequently returned to France to

THE

We all know about the Elgin marbles; but who was mineral collector RobertFerguson, whom Elgin sued in a scandalous divorce? Cherry Lewis* reports

Above: The Greekslost their marblesto Lord Elgin. Elgin, however, lost his wife andshe her childrenR

ELGINSCANDAL

20 MAY 2011

WHO WAS ROBERT FERGUSON?

MAY 2011 21

Above: Portrait ofMary Nisbet byBaron GérardFrançois, 1804

escort Mary Elgin home when shein turn was released from Paris inFebruary 1805, for it was reportsof Ferguson's presence on the boatto England that first alerted Elginto their affair3. He had themwatched and intercepted many oftheir letters that were described atthe ensuing trial as 'the mostridiculous medley of love andmadness' that would 'disgrace theworst novel of the last century'4.

Elgin was released in July 1806and confronted Mary, whoconfessed to the affair. Divorceat that time was almost unheardof; furthermore, it would benecessary to take the case throughboth the English and Scottishcourts, at huge expense andscandal for the loser.Nevertheless, believing he would

get his hands on his wife's money if he divorced her (heneeded it in order to bring the“Elgin Marbles” marbles from theParthenon to England), inDecember 1807 (just a month afterthe Geological Society wasfounded) Elgin sued Ferguson forthe breakdown of his marriage,claiming £20,000 in compensation.The Act of Parliament thatdivorced Elgin and Mary waspassed in 1808 and following thecase in Scotland, Elgin wasawarded damages of £10,000.However, Mary’s powerful familyconnections ensured that sheprotected her vast fortune,although Elgin retained solecustody of their four survivingchildren, forbidding them anycontact with their mother.

In March 1805 Ferguson hadbeen made a fellow of the RoyalSociety and in 1806, MP forFifeshire. Living in London, hebecame a patron of science and wasone of the 16 subscribers to Countde Bournon’s (1751-1825) treatiseon aragonite5. Meetings about thispublication eventually led to thefounding of the Geological Society.De Bournon, one of the Society's 13founders, had been a refugee fromthe French Revolution when hecame to England in 1792. He wasimmediately elected to the RoyalSociety because of his expertise inmineralogy. Mineral collecting wasvery much in vogue among thewealthy elite and de Bournon wasemployed by some of these men tolook after and enhance theircollections. Unfortunately, his ▼

22 MAY 2011

main patron, Sir Charles Greville(1749-1809), died unexpectedly,leaving de Bournon with a much-reduced income. Ferguson wasone of the four people asked byParliament to place a value onGreville's collection, which wasthen purchased by the British Museum for £13,727.

MOUNTING FRUSTRATIONDe Bournon had worked onGreville's collection for 18 yearsand rather naturally expected to beappointed to the job of cataloguingit for the British Museum, but anarchive of Ferguson’s papersrecently purchased from the familyby the University of Bristolcontains letters between Fergusonand de Bournon that reveal deBournon’s mounting frustrationwhen he is offered a derisorysalary for doing the job, and hislater despair when it transpiredthat Joseph Banks, then Presidentof the Royal Society, had appointedsomeone else. De Bournonconsequently determined to‘leave mineralogy for ever’,ignoring Ferguson’s attempts topersuade him otherwise.

As well as correspondencewith de Bournon and othermineralogists, the Fergusonarchive includes a rare copy of theGeological Society’s Charter, muchmaterial sent out by the Society in

its first few years and hiscontemporary notes onchemistry and geology.

Following the death ofhis father in 1810,Ferguson returned to Raithto manage the estate. By allaccounts he was a modellandlord to his tenants and wasso 'beloved by them'1 that theyerected a 45-foot-highmonument in Haddington to commemorate him. On top of the column is a colossal statueof the man, sculpted from a singleblock of granite. At the bottom are four allegorical figuresrepresenting justice, geology, art and agriculture – his four main interests.

Following their scandalousaffair, Ferguson and Mary livedquietly together at Raith but seemnot to have married until 18213.

When Ferguson became an MPin 1831 they moved to his house inPortman Square, London, where hedied in 1840. Mary then returnedto her family home and afterElgin’s death in 1841 was finallyreunited with her children. n

Right: Profile ofRobert Fergusonengraved byWilliam Penny ofMidcalder, nearEdinburgh, from abronze medallion.Ferguson gave it tohis wife as ‘a littlesurprise’. The RevDibdin consideredthat as a likenessof Ferguson itcould 'scarcely failto be satisfactory'

Letter from Countde Bournonaddressed toRobert Ferguson

1 Conolly, MF. 1866. Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Men of Fife. Inglis andJack, Edinburgh.

2 Lloyd, B. 2000. The journals of Robert Ferguson (1767–1840). Mineralogical Record, 1–19.

3 Vrettos, T. 1997. The Elgin Affair. Secker and Warburg, London.

4 Alger, JW. 1904. Napoleon's British visitors and captives 1801 - 1815. ArchibaldConstable and Co., Ltd, Westminster.

4 Lewis, CLE. 2009. Doctoring geology: the medical origins of the Geological Society.In: Lewis, CLE & Knell, SJ (eds) The Making of the Geological Society of London.Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 317.

REFERENCES

* Dr Cherry Lewis is Honorary ResearchFellow in the Department of EarthSciences, University of Bristol. E: Cherry.Lewis@bristol.ac.uk

▼

MAY 2011 23

n Davies, G.F. (2011), MantleConvection for Geologists, Cambridge.

n Stevens, R. (2010), MineralExploration and Mining Essentials,Pakawau GeoManagement Inc.

REVIEWS: COPIES AVAILABLE

Interested parties should contact theReviews Editor, Dr. Martin Degg 01244513173; m.degg@chester.ac.uk, only.Reviewers are invited to keep texts.Review titles are not available to orderfrom the Geological Society PublishingHouse unless otherwise stated.

Cyprus: Classic Geologyin Europe Series

This is a blow-by blow account of how asmall group of western Irish countrypeople resisted the bringing ashore ofnatural gas from the Corrib Gas Field(North Atlantic). There is no geology orscience in the story, written by the IrishTimes journalist who covered thecontroversy from its beginning. It isentirely political and for me the mostboring read I can remember inflictingupon myself. However, it has important“NIMBY” lessons for politicians anddevelopers of all kinds in a democracy.

The gas was discovered in 1996 byEnterprise Oil but nearly 15 years later, bywhich time Shell Oil had purchased mostof the company, local resistance had sodelayed the project that the pipelineashore was still not completed. Planningpermission for the final foreshore link was only given in January 2011, but wasimmediately the subject of appeal,despite Ireland’s desperate need for thegas as its only gas field, the Kinsale Field,becomes exhausted.

According to the author, much of theblame for local opposition lay with theextraordinarily generous terms agreedwith Enterprise Oil by inept IrishMinisters. These ensured the localcommunity received virtually no benefits.

Today when there is often NIMBYopposition to almost any development,most of which benefit the community asa whole but can degrade the localenvironment, there is a pressing need forbetter means of reaching compromises.This multidisciplinary subject is worthy of urgent university research.

Reviewed by Bernard Elgey Leake,School of Earth & Ocean SciencesCardiff University

Once upon a Time inthe West: The CorribGas controversyNot being familiar with the Classic Geology

in Europe series, I thought this would havebeen written in textbook format, orperhaps a series of reprints ofgroundbreaking articles. At first, I wasdisappointed; but this guide is presented insuch a way that readers can construct theirown itineraries. I found it well written,understandable and interesting (though Iadmit I had to brush the cobwebs off someold petrology textbooks!).

The introduction sets the stage for usingthe book, and explains what one should doif planning an excursion there. It alsopresents page-size maps with stops clearlylabelled. A brief, but concise geologicaloverview is presented in Chapter One.Although the book focuses on geology,it also covers other subjects, indirectlyacknowledging that geologists are a well-rounded group with many interests.

The focus of the guidebook is theTroodos ophiolite and related faulting; the plate tectonic interplay that created theMamonia terrane, and the surroundingsedimentary rocks that cover more than 80 million years of Earth history. Eachchapter has a good summary of thegeology that is viewed/discussed at thestops covered; then each stop has a moredetailed explanation of what to look for.Some of the landmarks used to locateoutcrops include cultural and topographicfeatures, but the authors provide GPScoordinates as needed.

For those who prefer a more structuredapproach, the final chapter presents day-long excursions that follow systematicroutes covering one or more themesdiscussed in other chapters. Sadly, all thephotos are black and white. However,I would recommend this book to allgeologists and geologists-at-heart.

Reviewed by Bob Rieser

CYPRUS: CLASSIC GEOLOGY IN EUROPE SERIES, NO.7STEPHEN EDWARDS, KAREN HUDSON-EDWARDS, JOECANN, JOHN MALPAS, COSTAS XENOPHONTOS Publishedby: Terra Publishing Publication Date: January 2010 ISBN:978-1-903544-15-0, 281ppList price: £17.95, www.terrapublishinghouse.com

BOOKS & ARTS GEOSCIENTIST

Crevasse Roulette:The First Trans-AntarcticCrossing 1957-8

CREVASSE ROULETTE: THE FIRST TRANS-ANTARCTIC CROSSING 1957-8JON STEPHENSON Published by: Rosenberg, New SouthWales, PO Box 6125 Publication date: 2009 ISBN:978187705866 (Hbk), 192pp List price: £22.50, E: sales@gazellebooks.co.uk

This unusual book is not by one of theexpedition leaders (Fuchs and Hillary), butby the youngest and most inexperiencedsupporting participant, 50 years after theevent, which provided samples of threeunexplored ranges (Theron Mountains,Shackleton Range and WhichawayNunataks).

The author writes well and there only afew minor slips. He is self-deprecating andhumorous about his scrapes. The near-disasters experienced by the Sno-Cats increvasses are horrifyingly illustrated. Fuchsneeded to bring in Hillary to get NewZealand on side. The two were highlyincompatible; Fuchs with early 1930sexperience in five rather amateur Cambridge expeditions to the Rift ValleyLakes, and later professional experience,running the TAE as flexible, ‘informal ship’(Hillary was much more rigid).

This book is difficult to put down.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST: THE CORRIB GAS CONTROVERSYLORNA SIGGINS Published by: Transworld IrelandPublication date: 2010 ISBN: 9781848270947, 470pp List price: £14.99, E: p.andrews@transworld-publishers.co.uk

Reviewed by Joe McCall

24 MAY 2011

GEOSCIENTIST PEOPLE

n JAN LEWISJan Lewis,Director, WardellArmstrong LLP,has been electedPresident of TheInstitute of

Materials, Minerals and Miningfor two years. He delivered hispresidential address on 8 March2011. E: jlewis@wardell-armstrong.com.

PEOPLEYoung authors Journal of the Geological Society (JGS) and QuarterlyJournal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology (QJEGH)award Young Author of the Year prizes for 2011

At the 2011 Editors’Reception, held atBurlington House on March2, John J Armitage (ImperialCollege London) receivedthe Young Author Award ofthe Journal of the GeologicalSociety for his paper, co-authored with Philip Allen:‘Cratonic basins and the long-term subsidence history ofcontinental interiors’published in 167.01, pp61-70.

DEARMANThe Professor William RDearman QJEGH YoungAuthor of the Year 2010 wasStuart A Dunning, whose

winning paper wasentitled: ‘The integrationof terrestrial laserscanning and numericalmodelling in landslideinvestigations’ which wasco-written with N JRosser & C I Massey(Quarterly Journal ofEngineering Geologyand Hydrogeology,43.02, p233). Theawards werepresented byJonathan Turner(PublicationsSecretary) and MikeWinter (Editor-in-Chief, QJEGH)respectively.

John Armitage (left) receives theJGS award from Publications

Secretary Jonathan Turner.Photos: Sarah Day

Geoscientists in the newsand on the move in the UK,Europe and worldwide

CAROUSEL

All fellows of the Society areentitled to entires in thiscolumn. Please email ted.nield@geolsoc.org.uk, quoting yourFellowship number.

QJEGH GOING FREEDavid Eastaff writes:Is there anyone whowould like to collect,free, from my MiltonKeynes home, acomplete set of theQuarterly Journal ofEngineering Geology,from Volume 1, Part 1(1967) to Volume 34,Part 1 (1999)? If so,please contact me on T: 01908 585995,07818 554297 (mob.),or E: david.eastaff@btinternet.com toarrange collection.

PERS

ONAL

S

Stuart Dunning (left) and QJEGHEditor-in-Chief, Mike Winter

MAY 2011 25

PEOPLE GEOSCIENTIST

Some faces can stop clocks. This one stopped a lava flow and saved a city. Nina Morgan explains

DISTANT THUNDER Not just a pretty face

The Island of Hawaii, known tothe natives as 'big island' sitsover a mid-Pacific hot-spot, andhas long been famous for its fouractive volcanoes – Kilauea,Mauna Loa, Hualalai andHaleakala. As an article in theNew York Times, dated 23October 1890, put it:

"The latest news andphotographs from the Volcano[Kilauea] supplemented withreliable stories from eye-witnesses testify that Hawaii'snatural wonder is probably atpresent the greatest volcanicphenomenon in the entire world."

The relatively non-explosiveeruptions on Hawaii, which arecharacterised by slow movinglava flows, provided spectacularviews that gripped theimaginations of a group of artistswho became known as theVolcano School. One of these,Charles Furneaux, who arrived inHawaii in July 1880, accuratelyrecorded in a series of paintingsthe nine-month eruption ofMauna Loa that began that year.Like many, Furneaux revelled inthe stunning sights it created.

But this eruption took on amore dangerous aspect in May

1881 when the lava flowincreased significantly andheaded towards the city of Hilo.Normally in such circumstancesnative Hawaiians would turn toPele – the goddess of fire,lightning, dance and volcanoes –for salvation. But on thisoccasion, the threat was soserious that more help wasneeded. It came – so legend hasit – in the considerable form ofPrincess Ruth Luka KeanolaniKauanahoahoa Ke'elikolani (1826 – 1883).

A member of the Hawaiianroyal family and Governor of theIsland of Hawaii, Princess Ruthwas a formidable figure. Over 1.8metres tall, weighing over 200 kg,and with broad features includinga nose flattened by surgery, shehad a voice described as a'distant rumble of thunder'.A staunch defender of ancientHawaiian traditions andcustoms, she stepped in,chanted prayers and gaveofferings to Pele . The lava flowstopped on 10 August 1881,not far from Hilo. Pele hadclearly met her match, andPrincess Ruth was dulycredited with saving the city.

If the past is the key to yourpresent interests, why not jointhe History of Geology Group(HOGG)? For more informationand to read the latest HOGGnewsletter, visit the website at

www.geolsoc.org.uk/hogg

HELP YOUR OBITUARISTThe Society operates a scheme for Fellows to depositbiographical material. The object is to assist obituaristsby providing contacts, dates and other information, andthus ensure that Fellows’ lives are accorded appropriateand accurate commemoration. Please send your CVand a photograph to Ted Nield at the Society.

IN MEMORIAM WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK/OBITUARIES

THE SOCIETY NOTES WITH SADNESS THE PASSING OF:

Baadsgaard, Peter *Brenchley, Patrick*Clasby, Paul*Coleman, John Arthur R*Craig, James*Harwood, H J*Henney, Paul*Hepworth, Barrie *John, Thomas Urias*Jones, James Peter*

Locke, Matthew*Mange-Rajetzky, Maria Anna (see Obituary)Mann, Paul Dunstan*McArthur, Alastair*Morley, William*Richardson, Alfred James *Roberts, David Ivor *Shi, Yafeng *Wilson, Henry Hugh *

In the interests of recording its Fellows' work for posterity, the Societypublishes obituaries online, and in Geoscientist. The most recent additionsto the list are in shown in bold. Fellows for whom no obituarist has yet beencommissioned are marked with an asterisk (*).

If you would like to contribute an obituary, please emailted.nield@geolsoc.org.uk to be commissioned. You can read the guidancefor authors at www.geolsoc.org.uk/obituaries. To save yourselfunnecessary work, please do not write anything until you have received acommissioning letter.

Deceased Fellows for whom no obituary is forthcoming have their namesand dates recorded in a Roll of Honour at www.geolsoc.org.uk/obituaries.

Acknowledgment : This vignettewas inspired by an exhibition ofpaintings by the Volcano Schoolat the Bishop Museum inHonolulu, Hawaii, and much ofthe information itcontains comesfrom captionsto thepictureson show.

* Nina Morgan is ageologist and science

writer basednear Oxford

26 MAY 2011

READERS’LETTERSMR “TSUNAMI” - UNCOVERING A FORGOTTEN GEOPHYSICAL PIONEER A NAME FAR TOO FAR

Sir, As I complete anotherenjoyable reading ofGeoscientist I am compelled tooffer admiration and support forthe Culshaw outcry (Letters,March 2011 p22). So heregoes. Bravo Martin Culshaw,for taking up the cudgelsagainst this attempt to hijackour humble scientific andtechnical turf in search of amoniker for that fool's blanket,“Geoengineering”.Allen Hatheway

ONLINE OBIT PIXSir, It would be nice if the onlineobituaries could include photos.I forwarded the recent one ofRhys Davies to my father (they overlapped in thechemistry department inAberystwyth) but without aphoto he was not sure if he wasremembering the right person.Antony WyattEditor writes: We intend to beginuploading online obituary photos this summer.

ROCK MILESSir, Don’t get me started(Soapbox, Geoscientist 21.02March 2011 p3). Please take amoment to look at the high-sided pallets on which all thisstone is being imported. Youwill find that it is invariablytropical hardwood. To importthis timber any other way would probably be highlyillegal…but as a pallet? It makes my blood boil, It should make everybody's blood boil! They are probablyshipping it from PNG to India,quarrying the sandstone patioflags and shipping it to UK as abuilding stone. They aremaking pallets out of therainforest and we're buyingthem - never mind the stone!ChristopherNolan

Geoscientist welcomes readers’ letters. These are published aspromptly as possible in Geoscientist Online and a selectionprinted each month. Please submit your letter (300 words orfewer, by email only please) to ted.nield@geolsoc.org.uk.Letters will be edited. For references cited in these letters,please see the full versions at www.geolsoc.org.uk/letters

Sir, As tragic events unforld in Japan it is timely toremember an unsung country clergyman who, inthe late 18th Century at Thornhill, near Dewsbury,was pursuing his interests in science. His namewas John Michell: a remarkable man who madefundamental advances to the development ofgeology, physics and astronomy.

Michell was born in 1724 or 1725 and is believedto have been a native of Nottingham. He enteredQueens College, Cambridge in 1724 taking adegree in mathematics in 1748, continuing to anMA and finally a BD in 1761. He remained atCambridge for 21 years, holding a variety of postsin the University, culminating as the WoodwardianProfessor of Geology - a position he held from1762 until 1764. Thereafter he relinquishedacademic life, married, and successively becameRector of Compton, and in 1767, of Thornhill.

Michell was a tubby man of dark complexionwho counted among his friends Henry Cavendish,Joseph Priestley and William Herschel as well asmany other prominent scientifically minded peopleof his day. In an ingenious paper in 1760, in thePhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, hesuggested earthquakes were natural phenomenathat produced seismic waves that travelled throughthe Earth. He recognised the importance of elasticcompression in producing vibratory movements; hedetermined the epicentre and depth of the major1755 earthquake that struck Lisbon so disastrously,and suggested that tsunamis were caused byearthquakes below the sea.

He made extensive geological field observationsduring travels across England which led to hisrecognition of the regular sequence of sedimentarystrata, as well as unconformable surfaces causedby denudation. He established the Mesozoicsequence in England by simply observing the orderof superposition.

Michell demonstrated that iron needles could bemagnetised and demagnetised by electricity,

anticipating work later credited to Franklin. He alsodiscovered that the force of repulsion between twolike magnetic poles obeys an inverse square law.These results were published in 1750 in A Treatiseon Artificial Magnets, anticipating in part the workthat became incorporated in Coulomb’s law.Towards the end of his life Michell invented thetorsion balance as a means of weighing the Earth.After his death the apparatus was given to HenryCavendish who successfully carried out, in 1798,the experiments Michell had designed.

Michell also made important advances inastronomy, displaying amazing acumen. He built a10-foot reflector telescope which, on his death,was bought by Herschel who found it more usefulthan his own. He was an early philosopher on thestructure of the universe, believing that nebulaewere separate “universes” of stars. In 1783 hespeculated that gravity may act on light in a similarfashion to matter, and that massive stars mayprevent light leaving them because of theirgravitational pull – the first suggestion that BlackHoles may exist. He also deduced that doublestars are companion stars bound together by anattractive force.

Michell died in 1793 at the age of 69 and isburied in Thornhill. He was not only a mostaccomplished geologist but also an ingeniousinnovative thinker, a pioneering scientist who playedan important role both in physics and in discussionsof revolutionary issues in astronomy. He wasundoubtedly one of the founders of seismology.Michell was often ahead of his time and like somany who have been in this position, the merit ofhis work went unrecognised. His accomplishmentsso astonished Archibald Geikie that he published,in 1918 through Cambridge University Press, ashort memoir on his life. Perhaps we should onceagain stop and pay homage to the value of thework of this exceptional 18th Century polymath.Richard Downing

MAY 2011 27

CALENDAR GEOSCIENTIST

ENDORSED TRAINING/CPDCONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) COURSES

Developing Geological Knowledge for CGeol Status, First Steps Ltd. For reservations and information contact Christine Butenuth,info@firststeps.uk.com, 0207 589 7394, www.firststeps.eu.com.Managing Performance through People, The Open University. Online Course. Contact David Robinson, d.t.robinson@open.ac.uk, 0870 900 9577,www.open.ac.uk.Effective Leadership Skills, The Open University. Online Course. Contact David Robinson, d.t.robinson@open.ac.uk, 0870 900 9577, www.open.ac.uk.Managing Organisational Performance, The Open University. Online Course. Contact David Robinson, d.t.robinson@open.ac.uk, 0870 900 9577,www.open.ac.uk.n For endorsed courses run by ESI Ltd, visit www.esinternational.com or contact CoursesUK-ESI@esinternational.comn For endorsed courses run by FUGRO Engineering Services, visit www.fes.co.uk/courses or contact s.poulter@fes.co.uk

DIARY OF MEETINGS MARCH 2011

CAN’T FIND YOUR MEETING? VISIT WWW.GEOLSOC.ORG.UK – FULL, ACCURATE, UP-TO-DATE

Meeting Date Venue and details

Advances in HydrogeologyNORTH WEST REGIONAL

Life and the Planet - new perspectivesin Earth system science

Geotechnical & Geological RiskSOUTH EAST REGIONAL / ICE

The Anthropocene: A New Epochof Geological Time?

Mass ExtinctionsSOUTH WEST REGIONAL

Field Trip to Lai Chi Chong and PingChau HONG KONG REGIONAL

Climate Change Modelling &Catastrophe Risk ManagementLONDON MATHEMATICALSOCIETY / EPSRC

Plate tectonics in the Southern Oceanand Cenozoic climate changeTHAMES VALLEY REGIONAL

New Approaches to Chalk MineTreatment - Briars Lane, HatfieldSOUTH WALES REGIONAL

Borrowdale Volcanics Field Excursion

Lyon to Turin Rail Tunnel

5 May

5-6 May

10 May

11 May

12 May

14 May

16-20 May

17 May

18 May

22-25 May

26 May

Venue: The Centre Lecture Theatre, Birchwood Park, Warrington. 1800 for 1830. Speaker: Prof.Jonathan Smith. Contact: Chris Berryman T: 01925 291111E:chrisberryman@terraconsult.co.uk

Venue: Burlington House. Visit website to register. Contact: Georgina WorrallT: 020 7434 9944 E: georgina.worrall@geolsoc.org.uk

Venue: The Gatwick Manor Hotel, Crawley. Time: 1800 for 1830. Speaker: A O’Brian. Contact:Ron Williams T: 01737 553740 E: rew182@btinternet.com

Venue: Burlington House Visit www.geolsoc.org.uk top register. Contact: Leila TalebT: 020 7434 9944 E: leila.taleb@geolsoc.org.uk

Venue: Torquay Girls' Grammar School Time: 1830 for 1900. Speaker: Dr Richard Twitchett.Contact: Cathy Smith E: swrg@geolsoc.org.uk

Rendezvous: Ma Liu Shui – near the Chinese University. Time: -0900. Leader: Prof. Bernie Owen, Hong Kong Baptist University.

Venue: Oxford University. See website for details. Contact: Elizabeth Fisher E: elizabeth.fisher@lms.ac.uk

Venue: Royal Holloway University, Egham Time: 1830 for 1900. Speaker: Graham Eagles.Contact: Philip Charles E: philip.charles@ciria.org

Venue: School of Earth Sciences, Main Building, Cardiff University. Lecture Theatre 1.25.Time: 1730 for 1800. Speaker: Andrew O’Donovan - BAM Ritchies Contact: David JonesE: swales.rg@geolsoc.org.uk

Venue: The Lake District. Leaders: Dr. Mike Branney (Leicester) & Prof. Peter Kokelaar(Liverpool). See website for details and registration. Contact: Dr Mike WiddowsonT: 01908 652986 E: m.widdowson@open.ac.uk

Venue: Burlington House Time: Evening meeting. See website for details. Contact: Darren Page E: dpage@otbeng.com

Meeting Date Venue and details

Future Thames – London EarthSeminar

Introduction to Chemistry forContaminated Land

Introduction to Toxicology forContaminated Land

13 May

25 May

26 May

Venue: Institute of Physics, London. Contact: Andrea Mills T: 0115 936 3062 E: londonearth@bgs.ac.uk W: www.bgs.ac.uk/news/conferences/FTLEseminar/home.html

Venue: The Centre Lecture Theatre, Birchwood Park, Warrington. 1800 for 1830. Speaker: Prof.Jonathan Smith. Contact: Chris Berryman T: 01925 291111 E: chrisberryman@terraconsult.co.uk

Venue: Beeston, Notts. Contact: Land Quality Management LtdT: +44 (0)115 951 8030 W: http://www.lqm.co.uk

28 MAY 2011

GEOSCIENTIST OBITUARY

OBITUARY

aria Mangedied of canceron 30 Januaryin Davis,California,

where she was an EmeritusSenior Research Associate.She was born Maria AnnaRajetsky on 9 August 1935in Kaposvar, Hungary, asthe eldest of three sisters,Maria, Agnes and Zsuzsa,where she excelled inscience, skating, andgymnastics. She gainedher BSc, MSc and PhD on“Heavy Mineral Suites ofthe Hungarian Basin” fromthe University of Budapestat the time of the studentfoment and unrest duringthe Russian invasion ofHungary in the late 1950s,which developed herindependence andindomitable spirit of self-reliance and courage. As ageologist with theGeological Survey ofHungary inBudapest, sheacquiredprofoundskills in theuse ofdetritalheavyminerals,whichwere tobe the

foundation of a brilliantresearch career. She marriedIstvan Gedeon in 1956 andhad a son, Akos, who died in2002. In 1973, she wasdivorced, and married EmileMange DFC, a dualSwiss/British citizen andwar hero who captainedLancaster bombers duringthe Second World War.

GROVES FELLOWShe and Emile lived first inSouth Kensington and thenin Berne. In Imperial College,as a Groves Fellow, from1976 to 1980, she became aclose friend of Janet WatsonFRS, and was awarded a DICin 1979, under thesupervision of GrahamEvans, for her work on theheavy mineral suites of theTurkish Mediterranean. InBerne from 1980 to1988, withAlbert Matter, she workedon the Ebro Basin and didground-breaking work on

the heavy minerals ofthe Alpine molasseand flysch,recognising thehigh-pressurecomponentsglaucophane andlawsonite. InBerne, shedeveloped her

advancedtechniques of high-

resolution heavy-mineral analysis instratigraphicalcorrelation,provenance studies,and burial

diagenesis, whichshe taught to

dozens

Kollmann who was herdevoted friend to the end,her garden, and hercolleagues in the UCDavis GeologyDepartment, the happiestphase of her life. Mariawas a profoundlyknowledgeable andskilled mineralogist andpetrographer in themould of themineralogical geniusStuart Agrell. Like Stuart,one could not show her amineral that she could not identify. In 2007, she published amonumental work“Heavy Minerals in Use”,which she edited andlargely wrote and rewrote.She was the consummateperfectionist in herresearch and her life.

FINEST COFFEEAt every place in whichshe worked, she insistedon the finest coffee, andeducated her colleaguesin its finer points. At thetime of her death, shewas, with David Wright,completing a revision of“Schwermineralen inFarben”. She was a kindand generous person whospent her life giving butnever taking. She issurvived by her sister,Zsuzsa Rajetsky ofBudapest. Her deathleaves a sadness in herfamily, colleagues, andfriends, and a deep voidin the quantitative studyof heavy minerals.

of graduate students andcolleagues. While in Berne,she wrote, with HeinzMaurer, the heavy mineraltext, “Schwermineralen inFarben (Heavy Minerals in Colour)”.

In 1987, Maria accepted apart-time position in Oxfordbut Emile died that summer.Maria, nevertheless, came toOxford in 1988 where sherapidly became a highly-valued member of theDepartment of EarthSciences through herresearch on the Triassic andCretaceous sediments of theNorth Sea and her constantand selfless instruction of,and research co-operationwith and help for staff andresearch students, notablyLydia Lonergan, PhilipAllen, and John Dewey.Through this period, sheconsulted for petroleumcompanies and built aformidable reputation as theworld’s leading heavymineral expert, while co-operating with DavidWright in both academicand consulting work. Shedid ground-breaking workon the Lower Palaeozoicstrata of western Irelandand the Southern Uplands,the Ebro Basin, and the lateProterozoic of Oman.

In 2000, she accepted aposition in the University ofCalifornia at Davis, whichenabled her to pursuepurely academic researchand the teaching ofundergraduate and researchstudents. She lovedCalifornia, her friends inDavis, especially Elinor

‘

By John Dewey

MMARIA MANGE-RAJETSKY 1935-2011 Renowned Hungarian petrographer and world expert on detrital heavy-mineral analysis

MAY 2011 29

CROSSWORD GEOSCIENTIST

All correct solutions will be placed in thedraw, and the winner’s name printed inthe May issue. The Editor’s decision isfinal and no correspondence will beentered into. Closing date - May 24.

The competition is open to all Fellows,Candidate Fellows and Friends of theGeological Society who are not currentSociety employees, officers or trustees.This exclusion does not apply to officersof joint associations, specialist or regional groups.

Please return your completed crosswordto Burlington House, marking yourenvelope “Crossword”. Do not encloseany other matter with your solution.Overseas Fellows are encouraged toscan the signed form and email it as aPDF to ted.nield@geolsoc.org.uk

Name ....................................................

...............................................................

Membership number ...........................

Address for correspondence ..............

...............................................................

...............................................................

...............................................................

...............................................................

...............................................................

...............................................................

...............................................................

...............................................................

Postcode ..............................................

1 Q = KAdP/dx, according toMr poro-perm (5)

4 Amateur geologist -what a dog! (9)

9 Natural periodicity in a livingorganism (9)

10 The feminine of the twoalmost synonymousFrench rivers (5)

11 Directly into the circulatorysystem (14)

14 Don't worry, there are lines onthe fingerboard to help you (4)

15 Every two years (10)

18 Tear-jerking, Italianately (10)

19 Russian ruler (4)

21 Expressed affected andridiculous opinions (13)

24 Chess program and cartoon cat (5)

25 Digresses (9)

27 Tree root formerly prized fortreatment of another (reputed)American import (9)

28 Largest divisions ofgeological time (5)

1 Weathered material that drops from verticalor overhanging faces (6,4)

2 River, Hispanically (3)

3 Subsidiary fault in a shear zone, parallel tothe direction of shear (1,5)

4 Minor element component of platinum ores,named in 1844 for the Russian people (9)

5 Bas-relief carving of layered mineral usually toproduce colour-contrasted light images ona darker ground (5)

6 Having regard for the wholeness of things (8)

7 People who balance on one, where mostvelocipedes have two (11)

8 Song for two (4)

12 Cleric-led regimes (11)

13 Crosses the genetic barrier between species (10)

16 Plunges head-first - or over-runs, in showbiz (9)

17 Phylum of simple, single-celled eukaryotes (8)

20 Riddle, dedicated in one famous case to"my friends pictured within" (6)

22 Anglicised spelling of the great Welsh kingsand queens of England (4)

23 One should keep watching the skies for these,according to 1950s B movies (4)

26 Eastern metaphysical and religious concept (3)

ACROSS DOWN

WIN A SPECIAL PUBLICATION

The winner of the March Crosswordpuzzle prize draw was Richard

Blight of Reading

CROSSWORD NO. 136 SET BY PLATYPUS

SOLUTIONS DEC/JAN

ACROSS: 1 Rural 4 Tightwads 9 Diapirism 10 Ester11 Onomatopoetic 14 Ants 15 Nightshade18 Intermarry 19 Abut 21 Nomenclatural24 Edict 25 Annuities 27 Logistics 28 Shear

DOWN: 1 Radiolaria 2 Ria 3 Laical 4 Trilobita5 Gumbo 6 Treatise 7 Antechamber 8 Sark12 Outstanding 13 Fertiliser 16 Hirelings17 Eremites 20 Stoics 22 NAAFI 23 Zeal 26 Ice

30 MAY 2011

RECR

UITM

ENT