Warwickshire Geological Conservation Group (WGCG)

Bradgate Park, Charnwood Field Trip - Dr Nick Chidlaw
2025-06-01 10:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London)
A few miles north west of Leicester the landforms of the east Midlands are conspicuously interrupted by the craggy, locally-wooded hills of Charnwood Forest. Here are found rocks formed from explosive volcanic eruptions about 600 million years ago, together with lavas and igneous intrusions; these comprise the Charnian Supergroup. Most of the rocks are thought to have formed in submarine environments, where turbidite deposition was common, and landslides repeatedly took place. Within the rocks are found remains of world-famous organisms that predate the earliest shelly fossils. Overlying these rocks are others formed in a contrasting shallow marine environment. On this one-day field visit, we look at these rocks in accessible exposures in Bradgate Country Park, on the SE margin of Charnwood.

The trip will be led by Dr Nick Chidlaw. To view trip details and registration information please click here.

There are 15 places available, which will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. There is a charge of £5 per person for this trip, payable by cash or cheque on the day. There is also a charge of about £5 for parking and on a fine weekend, the car parks at Bradgate Park can be busy, so lift sharing would be sensible where possible – please therefore indicate whether you can offer or need a lift when you register.

Bradgate Sliding Stone Slump BrecciaBradgate – view towards Old JohnBradgate – view towards Old John

WGCG Field Trip to Shropshire - Dr Martin Whiteley
2025-06-13 15:00 - 2025-06-15 16:00
Residential Field Trip to Field Trip to Church Stretton, Shropshire to be led by Dr Martin Whiteley.

For more information on this event, please view the flyer by clicking here

Places are limited to 15 participants – first come, first served. If you would like to attend, please complete the below form and return it to, Julie Harrald, as soon as possible.

Event Form

Please note that you are asked to book your own accommodation for this trip, so don’t leave that too late in this popular area of the country.

WGCG: Ask a Geologist
2025-07-05 10:30 - 13:30, 2025-08-30 10:30 - 13:30, 2025-12-06 10:30 - 13:30, 2026-03-07 10:30 - 13:30, 2026-06-06 10:30 - 13:30 | Market Hall Museum, Market Hall Museum, Market Pl, Warwick,, CV34 4SA, United Kingdom
The WGCG shall be holding a special Ask a Geologist session at Market Hall Museum in Warwick. WGCG geological experts will be at hand to discuss geology in our everyday lives, geological careers, and geological science in general. Come along and examine specimens in super detail with our blue tooth microscope. We will have a number of rocks, minerals and fossils on hand to be viewed and discussed, a number of posters, geological references and free brochures of nearby geology trails.

This is a drop in event, no need to book ahead.

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Lickey Hills Field Trip - Ray Pratt
2025-07-20 10:00 - 16:00
A WGCG visit on the Landscape and Geology of the Likely Hills Country Park, Birmingham to be led by Ray Pratt. This field trip will include a visit to three quarries examine the structural, sedimentological and lithological features of the Ordovician Lickey Quartzite. Unconformities and and folding found with the Palaeozoic Strata found here will also be explained in more detail.

Distance: approx. 2.5 miles. There are a few steep stretches both up and down, with one awkwardshort section to a ‘surprise’ geological feature (optional). Wear strong footwear and suitableclothes. Hard hats recommended for close inspection of rock face (bring your own if possible.Walking poles may be useful. Lunch timing is approximate. The itinerary and schedule may varyslightly according to weather conditions. The plan is to complete the geo walk by 16:00 hrs.

For more details on this field trip please view the flyer by clicking here.

A ‘Geowalk’ around the “Dudley Volcano”- Mike Allen
2025-08-03 11:00 - 15:30
A ‘Geowalk’ to be led by Mike Allen at Barrow Hill Nature Reserve, north of the A4101, 3 km west of Dudley. The walk will offer a glimpse of the Midlands in late Carboniferous times, with a mixed sequence of sedimentary and volcanic rocks including small intrusive bodies of microgabbro (dolerite). The walk will include a visit to the summit of Barrow Hill, from which there are good views of surrounding hills if conditions are favorable.

Exposures are, unfortunately, not at their best but are sufficient to present a record of the geological, prehistorical and industrial history of the area, as we follow trails over Barrow Hill and around the wider vicinity.

Approximate walking distance 2-3 miles (3-5 km) mostly on gravel tracks, locally muddy, steep or stepped in places; with ‘off-piste’ options into thickly wooded and overgrown (!) areas on rough and narrow tracks. A short diversion into Tansey Green claypit can be wet and muddy underfoot.

Progress will be at a modest pace, planning to finish around 3.00 – 3.30 p.m.

For more information please click here

The summit cross on Barrow Hill

An ‘honest’ current (April) view of columnar jointing in the Eastern Quarry

Geological field trip to the north Malvern Hills - Adrian Wyatt
2025-08-19 10:00 - 16:30
An opportunity to see a selection of unique geological features including examples of a fault, a dyke, a sill and micro folding together with panoramic views (weather permitting).

To view the flyer containing full details of the trip and geological features, please click here. Note that there is a small charge of £3 for this trip and a parking charge on the Malvern Hills.

Itinerary

Assemble at Wyche Cutting car park (09.45 for 10.00hrs start).

Circular walk (approx. 2 km) to various sites (at least 5).

Lunch (picnic or local café); (approx. 12.30-13.30hrs).

Drive to North Quarry (approx. 4km).

Walk (approx. 1 km) to various sites (at least 5).

Drive to church hall (approx. 0.75km).

Discussion, Q & A, (approx. 45 mins).

Close and disperse at 16.30hrs.

The Malvern Hills

Field Trip to Northumberland, N. E. England - Karl Egeland-Erikson
2025-09-12 08:00 - 2025-09-15 17:00
Residential Field Trip to Northumberland, N. E. England to be led by Karl Egeland-Erikson. This trip will include exposures at Seahouses (Snook Point ). The Cheviots (Brough Law). Holy Island (Southern coastline). Cocklawburn (Saltpan Rocks to Far Skerr).

For more information please click here

To register for this event please complete the form by clicking here and return by Friday 19th July.

Preserving Earth’s first complex life - Dr Ross Anderson
2025-09-18 19:30 - 21:00
Blurb:Fossils have been used to track the history of life on Earth from trilobites, through to dinosaurs, woolly mammoths, and eventually humans. Yet, most fossils only preserve skeletons or shells, the hard parts of organisms. Soft tissues, like skin and internal organs, are rare in the fossil record. So how do we understand the early history of life before skeletons evolved? In this talk, we will see how antibacterial clay-rich rocks hold the key. Their exceptionally preserved fossils illuminate life on Earth before 500 million years ago when multicellular organisms were first evolving.

Bio:Dr Ross Anderson is a palaeontologist studying how multicellular life first evolved on our planet over 500 million years ago. His research uses innovative techniques to examine fossils and their host rocks, focusing on the interactions between microbes and minerals. This research is key to improving our understanding of how ancient fossils are preserved and what they can reveal about the original biology and chemistry of early life.

Ross received a bachelor’s degree (2012) in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University, before master’s (2014) and doctoral (2017) degrees in Geology and Geophysics from Yale University. At Yale, his doctoral work was funded by a NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship. He was elected a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Life Sciences at All Souls College, University of Oxford in 2017. In 2022, he was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship at Oxford’s Department of Earth Sciences and began his position as Senior Researcher in Natural History at the University Museum of Natural History in 2024. He continues as a Fifty-Pound Fellow at All Souls College. Ross was a recipient of the President’s Prize of the Palaeontological Association in 2017.

Photo courtesy: Royal Society

Photo courtesy: Robert Gill

To view the event flyer please click here.

Register in advance to attend virtually: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/OgX3WYBuRmuidRpSMn6gWA

Venue:St Francis Of Assisi RC Church, 110 Warwick Rd, Kenilworth CV8 1HLhttps://maps.app.goo.gl/9CGWRNdgFfttDKtd7

Ask a Geologist - Under Dippy!
2025-10-11 10:00 - 16:00
The WGCG shall be holding a special Ask a Geologist session under Dippy at the Herbert Galleries, Coventry. WGCG geological experts will be at hand to discuss geology in our everyday lives, geological careers, and geological science in general. Come along and examine specimens in super detail with our blue tooth microscope. We will have a number of rocks, minerals and fossils on hand to be viewed and discussed, a number of posters, geological references and free brochures of nearby geology trails.

This is a drop in event, no need to book ahead.

Venue:Herbert Art Gallery & Museumhttps://maps.app.goo.gl/3w57Gv8vonQH8sxT9

AGM followed by a talk on the Warwick Sandstone - Xiang Yan
2025-10-16 19:30 - 21:00
The AGM followed by a talk on the Warwick Sandstone, presented by Xiang Yan, a PhD student at Imperial College London.

Reconstructing Triassic landscapes and rivers in the Warwick Sandstone

The Warwick Sandstone, known more generally as the Helsby Sandstone Formation (HSF), was deposited by large rivers and aeolian dunefields approximately 240 million years ago during the mid-Triassic. The HSF is a part of the regionally significant Sherwood Sandstone Group (SSG) in the British Isles, which has been previously explored for hydrocarbons, groundwater and for geothermal energy. More recently, this geologic unit has become a key target for carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a measure to combat climate change. Despite its societal importance, and the release of new geological data, a holistic depositional model for the HSF has not been created in the last 30 years, and substantial uncertainties remain in the paleogeography for this time period.

To this end, we present a new depositional map for the HSF across the British Isles, tracing the fluvial system from its source region in north France, into and beyond the Irish Sea, where it is thought to have terminated. We begin by constructing a new, integrated age model for the lower and Middle Triassic to correlate key rock units across the British Isles. We resolve existing paleogeographic discrepancies using existing sedimentological, provenance and paleocurrent data. We then present sediment thickness maps and volumes for the first time. We further supplement our geological dataset with a synthesis of sediment mineralogy across the British Isles. Using the resources we have created, we then present a unified, updated sediment routing map for this Triassic fluvial system. Finally, we use this information to evaluate the extent and nature of the mountainous source areas for the rivers of the HSF to place the river system in the wider context of northwest Europe.

We then present the results of a new field study in Warwickshire. Despite having excellent exposures, the Warwick Sandstone has received less geological attention than equivalent units in Devon, Cheshire and the Irish Sea, and thus represent a gap in the paleo-river system. From outcrops at Guy’s Cliffe and Woodloes Quarry, we made measurements of dunes, bars and sediment grain size. From these measurements, we derive hydrological characteristics of these palaeo-rivers, including their depth and width, their fluvial style (planform) and their sediment and water discharge. From this data, we are able to visualise the rivers which deposited the Warwick Sandstone and their surroundings.

Outcrop of the Helsby Sandstone Formation at Guy’s Cliffe, Warwick

Venue:St Francis Of Assisi RC Church, 110 Warwick Rd, Kenilworth CV8 1HLhttps://maps.app.goo.gl/9CGWRNdgFfttDKtd7

Deep geothermal fluids: From the hottest of the hot to dissolved resources - Dr Chris Rochelle
2025-11-20 19:30 - 21:00
Deep geothermal fluids: From the hottest of the hot to dissolved resources We stand at the cusp of a revolution in deep geothermal exploitation, as technological improvements enable economic exploitation of hot waters from great depths in areas of lower thermal gradient, such as in the UK. These advances also allow access to super-hot resources near magmatic bodies, which may have the potential to produce an order of magnitude increase in power produced per borehole. Maximising the value of produced fluids will also help drive economic success, through a ‘cascade of uses’ along a decreasing temperature gradient (e.g. power, heat supply, extraction of dissolved minerals).

In this talk I will introduce some aspects of the exploitation of deeper /higher temperature fluids, and give a few brief summaries of projects as examples of some on-going activities. These will include current geothermal and lithium developments in SW England, and also investigations of potential ‘superhot’ geothermal resources overseas (with examples from Iceland and Mexico).

Dr Chris RochelleChris is a Senior Geochemist at the British Geological Survey with over 35 years research experience into various aspects of the geochemistry of fluid-rock interactions. Much of this work relates to ‘Energy’ – either in terms of energy supply (e.g. geothermal systems, gas hydrates), energy storage (e.g. thermal energy storage, hydrogen storage), or the subsurface disposal/storage of waste materials from energy generation (e.g. CO2 capture and storage, radioactive waste). Chris’ technical skills include running lab experimental studies to quantify the direction, rate and magnitude of fluid-rock reactions over a wide range of temperatures and pressures (basically cooking up rocks and water in very strong pressure cookers ….), and also field-based activities to both monitor the natural environment (e.g. sampling waters, gases, and particulates in the air).

Chris works with researchers and industry in the UK and abroad, has been particularly active within European projects, and for the past decade has led on BGS deep, high temperature geothermal projects.

Dr Chris Rochelle

This lecture will be offered in a hybrid format. Please join us in person if you can, or register to attend virtually via zoom using the link below.

Register in advance to attend virtually:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/YVOSIf6mTpSqlFGwmuXY9g

Venue:St Francis Of Assisi RC Church, 110 Warwick Rd, Kenilworth CV8 1HLhttps://maps.app.goo.gl/9CGWRNdgFfttDKtd7

Christmas Social
2025-12-11 19:00 - 21:00
The next evening meeting of Warwickshire Geological Conservation Group will be the Christmas Social on Thursday 11th December at Kenilworth Senior Citizens’ Club, Abbey End, Kenilworth CV8 1QJ at 7.00pm.

There will be a quiz and a short presentation. And there will be plenty of time to socialise.

It is hoped that members can share refreshments – if you are able, please bring a plate of food to contribute to the buffet table.

Mulled wine and soft drinks will be provided.

Merry Christmas!

The Charnwood Terrane Revisited - Tim Pharaoh
2026-01-15 19:30 - 21:00
The Charnwood Terrane revisited: A new model for Ediacaran crustal evolution in southern Britain

A new model is presented for the Ediacaran (635-541 Ma) evolution of the crust of southern Britain. Charnian magmatic activity (at 570-560 Ma) occurred towards the end of this phase of crustal evolution when southern Britain lay south of the Equator, at the margin of the Gondwana supercontinent. The model is driven by a petrophysical model created by inversion of aeromagnetic potential-field data, which provides insights into the possible internal structure of the Charnian Domain. The latter is inferred to comprise a primitive mafic magmatic arc (Oxfordshire-Warwickshire), which fed volcaniclastic material into adjacent fore-arc (Charnwood-Nuneaton) and back-arc marginal (Worcester) basins. The domain was emplaced as a magmatic rift wedge into older (> 600 Ma) Gondwanan crust in the Welsh Borderland (now referred to as the Marches Terrane). Contemporaneous volcanic rift successions here and in Wales (Uriconian, Llangynog, Pebidian etc) developed in coeval ensialic rifts within less strongly extended Marches Terrane lithosphere. The new model emphasises the role of extensional tectonics, rather than accretionary processes, as in previously published models. Comparable diversity of subduction-related magmatism is found in the Neogene–Recent Hikurangi destructive margin of New Zealand, which provides a plausible analogue for Charnian magmatism and sedimentation.

The speaker Tim Pharaoh with the ’Bomb Rocks’ at Charnwood Lodge. Coarse volcaniclastic input into the Charnian fore-arc marginal basin.

This lecture will be offered in a hybrid format. Please join us in person if you can, or register to attend virtually via zoom using the link below.

Register in advance to attend virtually:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/WNDsw2L8Q1CYSg_AUxmBxQ

Venue:St Francis Of Assisi RC Church, 110 Warwick Rd, Kenilworth CV8 1HLhttps://maps.app.goo.gl/9CGWRNdgFfttDKtd

Kenilworth Cutting - Geoconservation Work
2026-02-08 13:00 - 15:00
Join us for a light maintenance session at Kenilworth Cutting to maintain an excellent exposure of the Kenilworth Sandstone Formation (LGS 97). Because this exposure is already in good condition, we anticipate only about an hour of light work to get it looking its best.

Bonus Site Visit: If we finish ahead of schedule, we’ll take the opportunity to head over to the Gibbet Hill Quarry (LGS 22). This site is a local geological highlight and well worth the visit if you haven’t experienced it yet. It’s a fantastic “two-for-one” opportunity to see some of the area’s best geology in a single afternoon!

Meeting Place: what3words ///causes.trees.tent (bottom of slope to pedestrian bridge over Coventry Road)

The WGCG has a long history of undertaking such geoconservation work. So, if you’re interested in being part of this latest undertaking and making some new friends then please register your interest with julieharrald@gmail.com as soon as possible.

Further details will be sent out to interested persons nearer the date.

WGCG Workshop - Turbidites- recognising and recording these economically important deposits
2026-02-14 10:00 - 16:00
This is a workshop not to be missed! Turbidites are a large and economically important part of the sedimentary record. The workshop will include an excellent video presentation from industry experts explaining these deposits and their features in the field and in borehole core. To complement this, we will have two hands-on sessions with first-hand instructions from experts.

The morning session will be led by Michal Brooks, creator of GeoExplore software, taking you through how to use this powerful, convenient and easy to handle software tool to capture information when examining an outcrop. Using their mobile phone, by the end of the session delegates will be able to create a project, add photos, measurements, notes and recordings to their project and then view and extract entered data from their project.

Members will learn how to use this freely available software to take measurements and record geological information. Using our recently purchased section of core, delegates will be shown how to identify and describe the core or outcrops and through sedimentological features, determine the depositional setting.

WGCG have acquired a 5m section of turbidite core cut from the North Sea Buzzard Field. Stuart Burley will lead a hands-on session examining and describing the core.

For more details on the Workshop Programme and details on how to register please view the event flyer by clicking here

Venue:Kenilworth Senior Citizens’ Club, Abbey End, Kenilworth CV8 1QJhttps://maps.app.goo.gl/mwy1WDFQmGJLu4Rs5

Stoer Group (Torridonian) - Peter Gutteridge
2026-02-19 19:30 - 21:00
Microbially-mediated carbonates in the Mesoproterozoic Stoer Group; earliest evidence of life in Britain?Carbonates within the Stoer Group, previously interpreted as abiogenic structures, are reinterpreted as microbial stromatolites. Stromatolites form by a combination of sediment trapping, binding and precipitation of carbonates associated with microbial activity. They take the form of mats and domical structures a few tens of cm in size that grew in water a few cm deep around the margins of lakes. Some larger stromatolitic structures, several tens of metres across, formed in the deeper parts of lake margins and over the front of coarse-grained deltas as they built out into lakes. These stromatolites are also associated with sedimentary structures that bound the sediment during deposition, but without carbonate precipitation. These may indicate the present of a range of calcifying and non-calcifying microbial communities during deposition of the Stoer Group.

Peter Gutteridge – BiographyI first discovered the carbonates within the Stoer Group when I mapped the Stoer Peninsula as an undergraduate at Leeds University. Afterwards, I did a Ph.D. at Manchester University on Dinantian carbonates in Derbyshire and since then spent my professional career looking at carbonate systems of all ages from all over the world. I am a visiting lecturer at Manchester University, researching Dinantian carbonates, carbonate breccia systems, evaporites and Precambrian carbonates.

Peter Gutteridge

This lecture will be offered in a hybrid format. Please join us in person if you can, or register to attend virtually via zoom using the link below.

Register in advance to attend virtually:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ySvT3aSJTiiqxk3a4-cqAA

Venue:St Francis Of Assisi RC Church, 110 Warwick Rd, Kenilworth CV8 1HLhttps://maps.app.goo.gl/9CGWRNdgFfttDKtd7

North Woodloes Quarry - Geoconservation Work
2026-02-22 13:00 - 16:00
Help us preserve a stunning exposure of the Helsby Sandstone Formation. This hands-on event focuses on maintaining the clarity of the rock face by removing encroaching saplings and clearing moss to reveal the geological detail beneath.

Access & Arrival: Warwickshire Gold Club Greenkeepers Compound: We have permission to park at the Greenkeepers compound (///keep.stored.coasting) but please supply your registration number to Jane Allum by the 14th February if you wish to do this. If you park elsewhere please make your own way to the site or contact Jane Allum on the day .

What to Bring: Please wear sturdy footwear and bring gloves if you have them. Whether you’re a geology enthusiast or just love the outdoors, your help is vital in protecting this local treasure.

Walking route: We have agreement that we can walk around the perimeter of the golf course and as you can see on the figure below there is a public footpath which is in good condition that crosses the golf course. So if tripping over tree roots and wading through mud is not your thing you might consider taking the golf course routes, albeit they are probably longer in distance terms.

Walking route from Leek Wootton to North Woodloes Quarry exposure

The WGCG has a long history of undertaking such geoconservation work. So, if you’re interested in being part of this latest undertaking and making some new friends then please register your interest with julieharrald@gmail.com as soon as possible.

Further details will be sent out to interested persons nearer the date.

Blackford Hill, Henley-in-Arden - Geoconservation Work
2026-02-25 09:00 - 12:00
We’re organising a mid‑week conservation trip to Henley‑in‑Arden to help preserve a beautiful exposure of the Arden Sandstone Formation. Students from the University of Birmingham have kindly volunteered to assist with the heavier tasks (mainly soil removal and wheelbarrowing), but we’re still looking for additional volunteers to help carefully clean and uncover the rock face.

The work involved is similar to light gardening therefore nothing too strenuous. If you can bring tools such as a trowel or small spade, secateurs, or even a wallpaper scraper (great for removing moss), that would be very helpful. Don’t forget gloves!

Meeting point: Meadows Lane, Henley in Arden at What3Words: ///fevered.inclines.tornado

We’d love to see you there and appreciate any help you can offer in preserving this remarkable geological feature.

The WGCG has a long history of undertaking such geoconservation work. So, if you’re interested in being part of this latest undertaking and making some new friends then please register your interest with julieharrald@gmail.com as soon as possible.

Further details will be sent out to interested persons nearer the date.

Gibbets Hill - Geoconservation Work
2026-03-15 10:30 - 13:00
Geoconservation work at the former Gibbet Hill Middle Quarry LoGS 22 to uncover the Gibbet Hill Congolmerate of the Kenilworth Sandstone Formation.

Instructions:Park on a university road off Gibbett Hill Road W3W is ///pool.fortunate.thank. The first exposure is on the other side of side of Gibbett Hill Road W3W ///losses.jumpy.safety. Trip to be lead by Ray Pratt. Meet at 10am. Please bring secateurs, trowels, spade, wire brush if possible.

If you wish to attend please express your interest ASAP by sending an email to julieharrald@googlemail.com

Mineralisation of the Malvern Hills - Adrian Wyatt
2026-03-19 19:15 - 21:00
On walking or driving through Malvern town the visitor will find it hard not to notice the many drab, grey boundary walls and house frontages made of a jumble of angular blocks of rock, each block cemented in place with lime mortar. These rocks were sold by many local quarries and were described as ‘Malvern Stone’; the peak of popularity being during Victorian and Edwardian times. Malvern Stone, when freshly broken, was sought after for the variety of colours and patterns that it displayed. The colours are due to different minerals and they occur either as separate, easily discernible to the eye, interlocking crystals in a specific type of rock or as crystallized veins filling fissures that were created when the rock was brittle fractured. The most common rock types are Precambrian age igneous granite and diorite with metamorphic and gneissose and schistose derivatives. The granite is composed of the minerals quartz, feldspar and usually a little mica or amphibole; but what of the other rocks and were any other minerals found during the quarrying heyday that are visible to the naked eye?

There have been at least three determined attempts to establish the prospects for metalliferous mining in the Malvern Hills. One involved the sinking of a shaft and driving an adit and the other two used chemical laboratory analysis of samples of rock or soil. They all concluded that there are no minerals of economic value here.

However, the talk will share the results of research using archives including library books, museum and private collections, geological society papers and field club reports that show that a surprisingly wide variety of minerals were discovered during the period of quarrying and tunnelling that ended in 1976; and it will show that the Malvern Hills are not just made of granite and diorite!

Adrian WyattBorn in Malvern I have always been in awe of the Malvern Hills. I was introduced to geology in 1970 and took an interest in the subject as a hobby. After gaining a degree in Metallurgy in Sheffield I spent most of my working life in the aircraft component manufacturing industry in Worcestershire. As a Chartered Engineer and member of the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing I was responsible for the NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) departments. During this time I was commissioned to create a display of local rocks for the opening of the Malvern Museum at its present location in the Priory Gatehouse. I am a long time member of several geological and mineral groups and societies and support the U3a geology group, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Earth Heritage Trust, Malvern Hills Trust and Malvern Museum Association in their activities. Since 2014 I have organised occasional geological walks and talks; the most recent being a field trip for WGCG to the Malvern Hills in August last year.

Adrian Wyatt

This lecture will be offered in a hybrid format. Please join us in person if you can, or register to attend virtually via zoom using the link below.

Register in advance to attend virtually:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/CLx_apThR3WIXNH2UaFrVA

Venue:St Francis Of Assisi RC Church, 110 Warwick Rd, Kenilworth CV8 1HLhttps://maps.app.goo.gl/9CGWRNdgFfttDKtd

Kenilworth Cutting - Geoconservation Work
2026-03-21 10:30 - 13:30
Geoconservation work at Kenilworth Cutting (Coventry Road) LoGS 97 to uncover an impressive outcrop of the Kenilworth Sandstone Formation.

Instructions:Meet at the bridge across the Coventry Road W3W ///metro.backed.eagle at 10am and we will walk along the Freeway. Lead by Jane Allum. Please bring secateurs, trowels, spade, wire brush if possible.

If you wish to attend please express your interest ASAP by sending an email to julieharrald@googlemail.com

Geoconservation - Dr Colin Prosser
2026-04-16 19:30 - 21:00
In 1949, Great Britain became the first place to enact national legislation with the explicit aim of conserving important geological sites and features and has been a leader in geoconservation ever since. The profile of, and resources available for geoconservation, have, however, always lagged well behind those afforded to the conservation of wildlife. Despite this, there have been many major achievements over the last 77 years and there is now increasing activity at an international level which offers some significant opportunities and possibilities for geoconservation in future.

This presentation describes the 19th Century origins of geoconservation in Britain, the steps which led to the importance of geological sites and features being recognised by government and included in the countryside and nature conservation legislation developed during, and just after the Second World War. It describes how the principles, policy and practice of geoconservation have developed up to the present day. In doing so, it touches on the threats facing geological sites, the legislation, guidance and activity used to manage them, and the growing importance of local and international influence and action. It presents an assessment of the status of geoconservation in Britain; for example, progress with protected sites such as Local Geological Sites, SSSIs, NNRs and UNESCO Global Geoparks, the recognition of geoconservation in government policy, and by academia as a scientific discipline. It also touches on the importance of ensuring that geology is widely recognised as an integral part of the natural environment. Finally, the future challenges and opportunities facing geoconservation are explored. For example, what does the current political expectation that conservation should focus on the social and economic benefits it provides, rather than on its intrinsic value, mean for geoconservation, what are the implications of climate change, and what might the growing interest and activity at an international level lead to in terms of future opportunities for geoconservation.

Biography

Colin recently left Natural England after 37 years working in geoconservation, applying legislation, shaping policy and developing practical approaches to safeguard and management of sites. He has a BSc from the University of Manchester and a PhD from Swansea. He has worked extensively with geological SSSIs, Local Geological Sites, the mineral extraction industry and UNESCO Global Geoparks, and is a past President of the Geologists’ Association, the current GA lead on geoconservation, and is actively involved with the Black Country UNESCO Global Geopark. He is also editor of the Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, specialising in papers on geodiversity and geoconservation, and has published over 100 papers, books and articles on geoconservation.

Dr Colin Prosser at the Isle of Skye

This lecture will be offered in a hybrid format. Please join us in person if you can, or register to attend virtually via zoom using the link below.

Venue:St Francis Of Assisi RC Church, 110 Warwick Rd, Kenilworth CV8 1HLhttps://maps.app.goo.gl/9CGWRNdgFfttDKtd7

Register in advance to attend virtually:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/zZhxL8LfRzCglm0ZsHucWQ

Solihull Urban Geology Trail – Ray Pratt
2026-05-24 10:30 - 12:30
Solihull Urban Geology trail led by Ray Pratt. Maximum number of participants 20.

We will explore the geological materials of Touchstone shopping centre and the Core centre. Time and weather permitting, we will take in a couple of locations in Mell Square opposite.

Meeting point: Outside Nat West Bank, High Street, SolihullWhat 3 Words ///swing.artist.same

Meeting Point

Porphyritic Granite

Like all major centres, Solihull centre is clad with a diverse selection of polished stone from a wide geographical area. This is so common that many people don’t pay much attention to this collection of lithological specimens, unwittingly missing the stories all around them.

Ammonite in Jurassic limestone – Touchstone (left)

Dunelm Garnet

Metro Bank Oolite

Come along and enjoy the stroll around this small-town centre, appreciating the choice of materials used by the planners. There are plenty of places for coffee and or ice cream after the walk. To register for this free guided tour email warwickshiregcg@gmail.com

WGCG Visit to Warwickshire Museum's Jurassic Collection
2026-05-25 14:00 - 15:00
Jurassic Monsters

Courtesy of Warwickshire Museum

Warwickshire Museum’s collections include many Jurassic fossils collected from local quarries. These are the remains of long-extinct creatures that lived here between 200 and 170 million years ago. Our tour will focus upon a selection of spectacular fossils and theworld that they inhabited – ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, dinosaurs and giant ammonites.

The tour will be led by Dr Jon Radley, Curator of Natural Sciences, and will last 60 minutes.

The tour will take place at the Warwickshire Museum Collections Centre, Hawkes Point, Hawkes Drive, Heathcote, CV34 6LX.

Courtesy of Warwickshire Museum

Places are very limited so registration is required.Places will be allocated on a first-come-first served basis.

To register, please email JulieHarrald@gmail.com

Evening Field Meeting at SSSI Guy's Cliffe - Stuart Burley
2026-05-27 18:00 - 20:00
Guy’s Cliffe outcrop and the recently installed WGCG Information board

We will explore the spectacular Guy’s Cliffe exposures of the Helsby Sandstone on the banks of the river Avon, recently conserved by the Friends of Guys Cliffe volunteers. The Helsby Sandstone, (formally the Warwick, or Bromsgrove Sandstone), exhibits outstanding examples of cross-bedding giving participants the opportunity to unravel the type and size of the rivers from which these were deposited and search for rhynchosaur fossil remains previously known from here.

Meet at 6.30pm in the car park in front of Guys Cliffe House. The local volunteer team have kindly provided access to the grounds and they may even entertain you with stories of ghosts and the history of the ruined house which dates from 1751. We examine the sandstone exposures and undertake a short, 500m, easy, circular walk around the grounds on well maintained footpaths. We will be at the outcrop until around 8.30pm when you can then relax in the adjacent Saxon Mill public house https://www.saxonmill.co.uk/ and enjoy the riverside setting.

If you’d like to read more about the geology you can expect to see, please click here

For more details please view the flyer by clicking here

Ask a Geologist - Under Dippy!
2026-05-30 10:00 - 16:00
To celebrate GeoWeek 2026, the Warwickshire Geological Conservation Group (WGCG) is hosting a special “Ask a Geologist” session. Join us right beneath the tail of Dippy the Diplodocus at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry. WGCG geological experts will be at hand to discuss geology in our everyday lives, geological careers, and geological science in general. Come along and examine specimens in super detail with our blue tooth microscope. We will have a number of rocks, minerals and fossils on hand to be viewed and discussed, a number of posters, geological references and free brochures of nearby geology trails.

This is a drop in event, no need to book ahead.

To view the event flyer please click here

Venue:Herbert Art Gallery & Museumhttps://maps.app.goo.gl/3w57Gv8vonQH8sxT9
