Warwickshire Geological Conservation Group (WGCG)

AGM (Kenilworth)
2021-10-20 19:00 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | St Francis, 110 Warwick Road, Kenilworth, CV8 1HL
AGM followed by a short talk on ten years of the Holloway Bequest by Ian Fenwick and Brian Ellis

7.00pm for a 7.30 pm start. Venue: St Francis Church Hall, Warwick Road (Kenilworth main street), Kenilworth CV8 1HL

LLPS Lecture (Zoom)
2021-10-27 07:00 - 21:00
WGCG Members are invited to a talk by Dr Katie Strang,Scottish Geology Trust. Celebrating Scotland’s geological heritage with the Scottish Geology Trust.

The Scottish Geology Trust was launched in 2020 with the key objective of inspiring people everywhere to understand, love and care for Scotland’s incredible geological heritage, and its role in creating a sustainable future. From the 1st of September to the 17th October the Trust and partners will deliver a packed programme of activities as part of the Scottish Geology Festival from Stranraer to Shetland that will showcase and celebrate Scotland’s geology. Join the Trust’s Secretary Dr Katie Strang for a virtual tour around Scotland’s most loved geological sites and the fantastic festival events that are taking place around the country, and to hear more about the work the Trust has been doing to inspire and engage people with the rocks beneath their feet, and how important these are for exploring our future

Evening Lecture (Kenilworth)
2021-11-17 19:00 - 21:00 | St Francis, 110 Warwick Rd, Kenilworth, CV8 1HL
Emeritus Professor Stuart Burley, Keele University – A very British summer in the late Triassic: torrential rain, the Arden Sandstone and the dawn of the dinosaurs

7.00pm for a 7.30 pm start. Venue: St Francis Church Hall, Warwick Road (Kenilworth main street), Kenilworth CV8 1HL

LLPS: Volcanic Tsunamis: Krakatau, 1883 and 2018.
2021-11-24 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom Video Talk
LLPS Zoom talk by Dr Seb Watt

Social Evening (Kenilworth)
2021-12-08 07:00 - 09:00 | St Francis, 110 Warwick Road, Kenilworth, CV8 1HL
Christmas Social. Venue: St Francis Church Hall, Warwick Road (Kenilworth main street), Kenilworth CV8 1HL

Evening Lecture in Kenilworth and online via Zoom
2021-12-15 19:30 - 21:00 | Kenilworth Methodist Church, 60 Priory Rd,, Kenilworth, CV8 1LQ
Emeritus Professor Stuart Burley, Keele University – A very British summer in the late Triassic: torrential rain, the Arden Sandstone and the dawn of the dinosaurs.

To participate via Zoom please register in advance for this meeting:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkceytpjwrHtMmd_OWisTQFk5ldHA-66TI

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

LLPS: The secret life of the starfish/crinoid
2022-01-12 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom Video Talk
LLPS Zoom Lecture by Dr Aaron Hunter

Mining on the Iberian Peninsula (Zoom & KMC)
2022-01-19 19:30 - 21:00 | Kenilworth Methodist Church, 60 Priory Rd,, Kenilworth, CV8 1LQ
Talk by: Rob Vernon.

Hybrid meeting held at KMC & Via Zoom:

LLPS: Ethiopian volcanics
2022-02-09 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom Video Talk
Dr Ben Clarke

The Kilchrist Caldera, Skye (Zoom & KMC)
2022-02-16 19:30 - 21:00 | Kenilworth Methodist Church, 60 Priory Rd,, Kenilworth, CV8 1LQ
Talk by Simon Drake. Hybrid meeting at KMC and via Zoom

‘Catastrophic caldera forming eruptions spanning the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum at Kilchrist and Belig, Isle of Skye, NW Scotland’

Highly silicic Paleocene-Eocene ignimbrite deposits, and mafic lavas at Kilchrist and Belig, Isle of Skye, NW Scotland, form part of a ~800m thick extensive caldera fill which largely fringes the Eastern Red Hills on Skye. Magma was supplied to the growing caldera via the Moine-related Kishorn Thrust fault, and ponded against pre-existing Paleocene rocks of the Cuillin and Western Red Hills Centres. Silicic magma reservoirs which fed the Kilchrist Caldera were frequently replenished with basic magma. Such replenishment triggered eruptions. Later eruptions typically deposited extremely coarse ignimbrites, demonstrating catastrophic collapse of the caldera. Collapse was followed by caldera resurgence and formation of the Eastern Red Hills Granite Centre.

Within the caldera sequence, ignimbrites at Kilchrist have been dated at 56.15 Ma. This date is precisely coincident with the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). We suggest that the North Atlantic atmospheric temperature increases during the PETM were intimately linked to consumption of surrounding dolostone country rock by the Kilchrist caldera. We calculate such consumption released between ~5.32 – 8.52 Gt of CO2 into the Paleocene atmosphere. Our study provides the first unequivocal evidence of large-scale eruptions within the North Atlantic Igneous Province on the PETM.

Biography: Simon Drake is a research associate (and former associate lecturer) at Birkbeck College, University of London and was recently appointed North Downs Way Ambassador leading Geo walks on the North Downs Way and advising re Geopark status. Previously, Simon was part of the Metropolitan Police working on the Diplomatic Protection Group at Downing Street during the Major and Blair Premierships.

Geo Conservation, Rowington Canal Cutting
2022-02-26 09:30 - 16:00 | St Lawrence, Old Warwick Road, Rowington, CV35 7AB, United Kingdom
This pre clearance video gives an idea of the scope of the work to be undertaken. We will initially concentrate our efforts on a 20m section on the north side of the canal. This is a safe and easily accessable exposure. If we have time and sufficient volunteers we would like to get a start of clearing a section on the south side. Please wear suitable clothing and bring with you your own tools and refreshments. Meet in the car park opposite St Lawrence church between 09:45-10:00 hrs. All are welcome.

Wine, Whisky and Beer – the role of geology (Zoom & KMC)
2022-03-16 19:30 - 21:00 | Kenilworth Methodist Church, 60 Priory Rd,, Kenilworth, CV8 1LQ
Alex Maltman. Hybrid meeting held at KMC & via Zoom. We read that the taste of wine is affected by the geology of the vineyard and that whisky is influenced by the rocks the water encountered on its way to the distillery….(Download Poster).

Geohazards - A Recipe for Disaster (Zoom & KMC)
2022-04-20 19:30 - 21:00 | Kenilworth Methodist Church, 60 Priory Rd,, Kenilworth, CV8 1LQ
Talk by Sekbal Hussain – BGS. Hybrid meeting held at KMC & via Zoom

Field Outing Dudley Archives & Wrens Nest
2022-05-07 10:00 - 16:00
Contact: julieharrald@googlemail.com

Llandrindod Wells, Builth inlier, Weekend Field Trip led by Dr Joe Botting & Dr lucy Wells
2022-05-13 08:00 - 2022-05-15 16:00
WGCG residential field trip to Llandrindod Wells led by Joe and Lucy, who are are independent researchers working on ‘Burgess-Shale-type’ discoveries in Mid-Wales.

Programme:

Friday eve. Introductory talk on the ‘Builth Inlier’ – palaeontological and geological importance

Saturday a.m. Visit to the Radnorshire Museum (in Llandrindod Wells) to see their substantial displays (much from Joe and Lucy’s own collections)

Saturday p.m. Visit to the nearby Llanfawr Quarries – a Konservat-Lagerstatte with historically important igneous intrusions [which I have heard referred to as “bun-laccoliths”]

Sunday a.m. / Geological tour around Llandrindod Wells – mineral springs, Silurian sediments,

early p.m. erratics, Ordovician volcanics and general scenery

For more information please contact warwickshiregcg@gmail.com

Field Outing: Cannock Chase - leader is Ian Stimpson - Keele University
2022-06-26 10:00 - 16:00

Field Outing to Cleeve Hill. Leader - Nick Chidlaw
2022-07-16 10:00 - 16:00

Mendips Field Trip - Weekend Field Trip
2022-07-29 08:00 - 2022-07-31 17:00
The trip will be Led by Dr Martin Whiteley. The cost will include field notes, lunch and 2 days of mini bus travel around the study area. For more details email warwickshiregcg@gmail.com

To register contact: julieharrald@googlemail.com

Warwickshire Arden Sandstone Field Trip
2022-08-07 10:00
Leader: Stuart Burley

Stuart will take participants to 3 of 4 exposures of the Arden Sandstone to look at the sedimentary depositional setting of this locally important building stone – details to be announced. (An ice cream in Henley in Arden is very probable).

Contact: julieharrald@googlemail.com

Talk: Mike Benton. :‘Dinosaurs: New Visions of a Lost World’
2022-09-20 19:30 - 21:00 | St Francis, 110 Warwick Rd, Kenilworth CV8 1HL, 110 Warwick Road, Kenilworth, CV8 1HL, United Kingdom
Mike Benton. :‘Dinosaurs: New Visions of a Lost World’

This lecture will be held at St Francis of Assisi in Kenilworth. We will also attempt to share this on Zoom for those unable to make it in person. We will be trying out new technology and may incur technical hitches, therefore we recommend attending in person if at all possible.

Poster

Zoom Registration

WGCG is delighted to host this evening lecture by Mike Benton, bringing some of his latest research on dinosaur appearance and evolution. Dinosaurs are not what you thought they were, or at least, they didn’t looklike you think they did. Rapid advances in technology and astounding new fossil finds have changed the way we visualise dinosaurs forever. This talk builds on Prof Benton’s latest book ‘New visions of a lost World’, which isillustrated by acclaimed palaeoartist Bob Nicholls, to display the latest and most exciting dinosaur discoveries in vibrant colour. Bob Nicolls also produced the Mid-Triassic and Jurassic reconstructions for Warwick Museum, supported by WGCG.

Mike Benton is an award-winning professor of vertebrate palaeontology in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. His extensive published work has concentrated on the evolution of Triassic reptiles, but hehas also worked on extinction events and faunal changes in the fossil record. Mike has written many books on dinosaurs, including some for children and a non-specialist audience. A rhynchosaur (Bentonyx) is named in his honour! He was appointed OBE in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to palaeontology and community engagement.

Lickey Hills Geo Walk
2022-10-09 10:30 - 12:30 | Lickey Hills Visitor Centre, Warren Lane, Lickey, Worcestershire, B45 8ER
A free guided walk for all the familyThe history of the Earth is written in the rocks beneath your feet.Your guide will take you back almost 500 million years to an ancient shoreline, when Britain lay in the southern hemisphere. You will explore the evidence for the convulsions the rocks suffered as Britain collided with North America, and see pebbles washed by rivers from France and deposited in a desert only 250 million years ago.Meet at the Lickey Hills Country Park Visitor Centre in time for a 10.30 start. No booking necessary. The walk is about 1.5 miles and may be rough and muddy in places.

AGM
2022-10-17 19:30 - 20:30 | St Francis, 110 Warwick Rd, Kenilworth, CV8 1HL
WGCG AGM – Members only event. Details to follow

Talk: The NW Highlands controversy: Geology, geologists and social climbing in Victorian times. Talk by Dr Peter Gutteridge
2022-11-17 19:30 - 21:00 | St Francis, 110 Warwick Rd, Kenilworth, CV8 1HL
The NW Highlands of Scotland probably has the best scenery and geology in the world. You can find the oldest rocks in the British Isles, the first evidence of life, ancient landscapes carved out by preCambrian rivers and beautifully exposed Lower Palaeozoic clastic and carbonate sediments.

These all form part of a major fold and thrust belt on which the metamorphosed Moine schists were emplaced.

However, geologist Roderick Impy Murchison saw this as a conformable succession. It is worth asking the question, why did Victorian geologists so completely miss evidence that is so obvious to geologists today?

The answers lie in the state of geological science at the time, geopolitics and social climbing. Resolution of the Moine thrust controversy was a turning point in the history of geology gave us the foundations of the science of geology as we now know it.

View the promotional video for this talk

Biography: As a carbonate sedimentologist Dr Gutteridge has worked on carbonate systems from all parts of the geological column throughout the world. He did his first degree at Leeds, which had a strong structural emphasis at that time. This included numerous lectures and field trips to NW Scotland, particularly to the Moine thrust. Dr Gutteridge has been back there many times since and this lecture offers a new perspective on an old controversy.

The talk will be given live at St Francis of Assisi in Kenilwoth. Members and guests are encouraged to attend in person if possible. Registration is not required and there is plenty of free car parking available at the venue.

We will attempt to transmit this talk live over Zoom to those who are unable to attend the venue. Zoom participants must register in advance using the following link;

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkc-ygrTosHN1ORd5Zkt_eWbPyrTqnUoEm

WGCG Christmas Social
2022-12-08 19:00 - 21:00 | St Francis of Assisi R C Church

LLP: New fossil finds in the Middle Jurassic of the Cotswolds: Tim Ewen
2023-01-11 19:00 - 21:00
LLP Talk: the presentations will be live, in theatre at the Leicester University campus, from whence they will be broadcast on-line via Zoom. More details to follow

‘Astronomical Cycles & Climate’ by Jim Riding
2023-01-19 19:30 - 21:00 | St Francis, 110 Warwick Road, Kenilworth, CV8 1HL
This talk will be held at St Francis of Assisi church hall in Kenilworth. We will also attempt to broadcast this talk live on Zoom. To participate via Zoom copy the following path to your web browser;https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81390717688?pwd=[REDACTED]

Alternatively log into Zoom using the following ;

Meeting ID: 813 9071 7688Passcode: [REDACTED]

Summary: In this talk Jim will describe how the Serbian scientist Milutin Milanković discovered the three astronomical cycles affecting our planet, their periodicities and how they can influence the deposition of sedimentary rocks. If we can recognise Milanković cycles, we can use them to work out the durations of major sedimentary successions and thereby refine the geological timescale. Four case histories are given, one Carboniferous, two Jurassic and one Pliocene. Next, I will explain how the use of stable isotope analysis can help us interpret past palaeoclimates and Milanković cycles.

Jim Riding is a palynologist (fossilised pollen!) working at the British Geological Survey in Nottingham. He is formally retired but is still working as a ‘Honorary Research Associate’.

LLP: Dr Phil Bird (University of Leicester) The Circular Economy and Material Supply
2023-02-08 19:00 - 21:00
the presentations will be live, in theatre at the Leicester University campus, from whence they will be broadcast on-line via Zoom. Details to follow

Zoe Jackson on ‘Birmingham Erratics Project’
2023-02-16 19:30 - 21:00 | Kenilworth Senior Citizens Club, Abbey End, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ
Zoe Jackson

Talk summary:

In this talk, Zoë will discuss the Birmingham’s Erratic Boulders Project – a NLHF funded project which aims to document, promote and preserve the predominantly Arenig glacial erratics of SW Birmingham. The geology of the boulders will be described, including the most recent work carried out: XRF analysis and cosmogenic exposure dating. The fascinating social history of some of the boulders will be discussed, along with the pivotal characters involved in their discovery in the late 19th century, and the intriguing evolution of our understanding of the role of glaciers in the transport of the erratics. Public engagement, project outputs and work to preserve the boulders in the future will also be summarised.

Biography:

Zoë is a former mine and exploration geologist who spent her early career working on gold and nickel projects in Western Australia. Since returning to the UK, Zoë has been involved in geoconservation. She particularly enjoys public engagement.

This talk will be held at Kenilworth Senior Citizens Club, Abbey End, Kenilworth CV8 1QJ. We will also attempt to broadcast this talk live on Zoom. To participate via Zoom copy the following path into your browser; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88392257927?pwd=[REDACTED]

Alternatively, log into Zoom using the following Meeting ID: 883 9225 7927 and Passcode: [REDACTED]

The Geology of Warwickshire Workshop
2023-02-25 10:00 - 16:00 | Kenilworth Senior Citizens Club
This year, in response to requests from members, we are devoting our study day to an introduction to the geology of our county. With some of the oldest rocks in the country as well as others that were deposited just a few thousands of years ago, this will be a ‘broad-brush’ introduction. It will be especially appropriate for those who have little familiarity thus far with what lays under our feet, but, hopefully, will offer something to those who have been looking at Warwickshire’s rocks for many years.

Programme

The Precambrian and the Lower Palaeozoics – Dr Mike Howe, British Geological Survey

The Upper Palaeozoics, especially the Carboniferous – Mike Allen

The Permo-Trias – Dr Stuart Burley

The Jurassic – John Crossling

The Quaternary – Ian Fenwick

The Extractive Industries of Warwickshire – Brian Ellis

Each presentation will involve some ‘chalk and talk’, but will be accompanied by visuals and specimens. Each session will allow for examination of specimens and for discussion/questions. Numbers may have to be limited so early registration is recommended. Download registration form

There will be a nominal £10 charge to attend this event.

Peter Worsley on ‘The Voyage of the Beagle’
2023-03-16 19:30 - 21:00 | St Francis, 110 Warwick Rd, Kenilworth, CV8 1HL
In his time, Charles Darwin became one of the world’s leading geologists. The background to his geological training prior to embarkation on the Beagle will be outlined. Some of the geological highlights which occurred during the long voyage will be visited and discussed along with an assessment of his geological publications.

As an Emeritus Professor, Peter Worsley is affiliated to the School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Reading. Peter does research in Quaternary geology and the History of geology’. His specialisms are glacier and permafrost process ancient and modern. In addition he has developed an interest in the geological work of Charles Darwin. His book ‘The Darwin Farms: the Lincolnshire estates of Charles and Erasmus Darwin and their family’ was published in 2018

This talk will be held at St Francis of Assisi church hall in Kenilworth. We also plan to broadcast the talk live via Zoom. We encourage members and guests to attend the venue in person as there are some risk technical risks regarding broadcasting the talk on Zoom. This talk will not be recorded for viewing at a later date.

To Join the meeting via Zoom please copy and paste the following path to your browser.https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81727846342?pwd=[REDACTED]

Alternatively, log into Zoom using the following Meeting ID: 817 2784 6342 and Passcode: [REDACTED]

Download talk Poster
