The eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat
2022-02-10 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | over Zoom
given by Prof. Steve Sparks (University of Bristol).
Abstract:
The volcanic eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat (1995 to 2010) is one of the most detailed studied eruptions of an andesite volcano. The research led to major advances in understanding volcanic processes. The eruption was also a traumatic experience for the people of Montserrat which they faced with fortitude and resilience. New innovations in managing volcanic emergencies were pioneered during the eruption.
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AGM followed by a talk on What can satellites tell you about local geology?
2022-03-10 19:30 - 21:00 | over Zoom
given by Jo Conway (Herts County Council & HGS).
Abstract:
The talk is based on one presented recently as the summary of my dissertation topic for the Masters course in Geological and Environmental Hazards at the University of Portsmouth. My dissertation title was ‘Use of Sentinel-2 data to identify glaciotectonic features near Barkway, Hertfordshire and link to geohazard assessment’.
Relocating from North Wales, with limited awareness of Hertfordshire geology, my tutor suggested I look at the area near Barkway in North Hertfordshire for the geological hazard of glaciotectonic rafts, with the added dimension of whether new technology (the Sentinel-2 satellite array) could be used in identification of geological features. Satellites give a global coverage of the earth’s surface passing over the same spot at mid-morning every 5 days (and shorter return periods as more in the array are launched). The satellite images are downloaded as ‘multi- spectral images’, which enables the wavelengths to be separated. Using software these can be manipulated to calculate indices which can give different ‘colour’ images for comparison, as well as graphical information. I will talk about the processing of the satellite images and how I linked various images to look for pattern recognition.
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Percy Evans Lecture on Tunnelling the Chilterns:
2022-04-14 19:30 - 21:00 | over Zoom
Progress so far; understanding the risks; and how technology, planning and logistics help address the challenges of tunnelling through a highly fractured chalk aquifer.
given by David Eve (ALIGN, Head of Engagement & Compliance for HS2)
Abstract:
Who are Align and how does the company fit within the HS2 structure? This leads on to an overview of HS2. The HS2 route is split into various sectors, so I need to give an overview of Sector C1. What progress have we made to date and what were the results of the Ground Investigation?
What are the risks?

Volume loss; frac in and out;
Loss of slurry to surface;
Loss of ground stability within excavation chamber;
Loss of air to surface (if intervention conducted under hyperbaric conditions);
Loss of grout to surface; and over-excavation within excavation chamber.
Leading to: Ground deformation; and excessive movement of structures.

How do we mitigate for these risks?

Overview of the ‘system’ – TBM to Slurry Treatment Plant;
Pre-treatment where required (shafts);
Technology of the TBM (selection) – speed, variable slurry density control, anulus Grouting to maintain <1% volume loss, continuous monitoring (MobyDic, borehole data, ground instrumentation) and adaption;
Logistics and processing of slurry;
Exclusion zones and planning of appropriate maintenance stops;
Securing of land in higher risk areas.

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Civil engineering meets geology: Panama Canal
2022-05-12 19:30 - 21:00 | Oaklands College, Sapsed Room (SR), Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
given by Dr. Tony Waltham, travelling geologist.
Abstract:
A long and varied history of great canal construction extended throughout the 1800s, and included the first attempt at a canal across Panama, which failed in its early stages. It was therefore into the next century that that the Americans built the Panama Canal between 1904 and 1914. Construction of the massive concrete locks and of Gatun Lake both broke world records at the time, and were brilliant in concept and evolution. Complex geology, dominated by the horrendously weak Cucaracha Clay, created huge problems in the deep Culebra Cut, and these were overcome, in less than subtle style, by brute force and massive expenditure of machinery and effort. The Panama Canal continues to be a critical element in world trade, and recent completion of its larger locks assures its future.
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Preliminary observations and implications of a new Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) lagerstätte in Wiltshire, UK
2022-06-09 19:30 - 21:00 | Oaklands College, Sapsed Room (SR), Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
with a focus on the micropalaeontology and geochemistry

given by Dr. Steve Stukins (Senior Curator Micropalaeontology, Natural History Museum, London)
Abstract:

A new UK Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) lagerstätte has been revealed and was publicised last year as one of the most important Jurassic echinoderm localities in the world. Excavation of the site has produced thousands of exceptionally preserved articulated echinoderms including at least 18 species, belonging to all five extant echinoderm classes. A closer look however, at the range of other fossil groups has shown the exceptional preservation and diversity is not limited to the echinoderms.
Stephen will be presenting initial findings from the palynological and microfaunal investigations along with some geochemical analysis in order to help understand the local environment and why this ‘unique’ site exists. The wider context of palaeogeography and our understanding of the UK Jurassic will also be opened up to debate.
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BBC Radio 4 - In Touch
2022-06-21 20:40 - 21:00 | BBC Radio 4
Tune in to In Touch to hear HGS member Mike Lambert talking about access to museums.

The Anthropocene: a new epoch of geological time characterised by humans
2022-07-14 19:30 - 21:00 | Oaklands College, Sapsed Room (SR), Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
given by Prof. Mark Williams (University of Leicester).
Abstract:
The Holocene Epoch was a time of growing human population, urbanisation, agriculture and industry. But over the past 200 years, and especially since the 1950s, the human footprint on the Earth has grown very substantially. Thus, human population grew from circa 1 billion in 1800 to 2 billion in 1930. In 1950 it was about 2.5 billion and then nearly 8 billion in 2022. Through this interval of time there has been a rapidly increasing, though very uneven, demand for the Earth’s resources that has left a clear geological signal in sedimentary deposits. These identify a fundamental change to the Earth System, and the record of this is being discussed as a proposed new epoch of geological time that succeeds the Holocene. This is the Anthropocene and its boundary may be placed in deposits forming in the mid-20th century. The Anthropocene challenges us about our place in the Earth System, and about our unsustainable use of resources. It has also been the catalysis for developing transdisciplinary solutions to the many environmental problems we now face.
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Understanding large igneous provinces and volcanic rift margins
2022-09-08 19:30 - 21:00 | Oaklands College, Sapsed Room (SR), Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
given by Dr Dougal Jerram (DougalEARTH Ltd)
Abstract

Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) represent some of the largest eruptive episodes on the planet and along with their associated volcanic rifted margins, they have left a great footprint on the geology of the planet. This talk will present a number of examples from around the globe looking at the scales and occurrences of LIPs and studies into both onshore and offshore volcanic margins. We will touch on the relationship with climate change, offshore exploration and the possibilities for carbon sequestration. Look at how we can build 3D models of key outcrops and the use of modern day analogues to help unravel their evolution.

Dougal Jerram (BSc Cardiff, PhD Liverpool) began his professional career in 1996 with a two-year postdoctoral position at the University of Würzburg, Germany. In 1998 he returned to the UK and spent 13 years as research fellow, lecturer and senior lecturer at the University of Durham. In June 2011 he set up DougalEARTH Ltd., where he combines his pursuits in consultancy, media, research and teaching, and joined the University of Oslo as a 20% research professor. He has published extensively in the scientific literature as well as penning a number of books for both children and adults including; Victor the Volcano, Dig to the Centre of the Earth, Introducing Volcanology, Volcanoes of Europe, and The travel Guide the Centre of the Earth, as well as two of the geological field guide series (Igneous and metamorphic guides). He has also appeared on the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, History Channel and Channel 4, and on many other TV and radio programs, relating the earth sciences to the general public. In 2006 he received the Murchison Fund by the Geological Society of London for his early career contribution to geology.
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The first day of the Cenozoic: Insights from the Chicxulub impact crater
2022-10-13 18:30 - 20:00 | Oaklands College, Sapsed Room (SR), Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
given by Dr. Auriol Rae (Junior Research Fellow in Earth Sciences Trinity College, University of Cambridge)
Abstract:
66 Million years ago, a 14 km-diameter meteoroid struck the Earth at approximately 20 km/s. This event had a profound influence on the history of life on Earth – causing the extinction of around 75% of all species including all of the non-avian dinosaurs. This impact produced the 200 km-diameter Chicxulub Crater, located in present-day Mexico. This talk will look at the geological, climatological, and biological consequences of the end-Cretaceous impact, with particular insight from drilling of the crater in 2016 by the International Ocean Discovery Program. Furthermore, the wider significance of impact crater formation as a planetary geological process will be discussed.
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The Stegosaurian Dinosaurs
2022-11-10 19:30 - 21:00 | over Zoom
given by Dr Susannah C. R. Maidment (Senior Researcher, Natural History Museum, London)
Abstract:
Stegosaurs are a group of dinosaurs characterized by the possession of two rows of plates and spines that extend from the neck to the end of the tail. They are known from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous and have been found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Stegosaurs are part of a larger group of armoured dinosaurs, which also includes the ankylosaurs. Stegosaurs were four-legged plant-eaters and body mass estimates indicate they weighed about the same as a rhino. They were probably slow-moving, and not capable of running. They had very small teeth and do not appear to have chewed, but despite this, their bite forces indicate they could have eaten tough vegetation and small twigs. Several hypotheses have been put forward about the function of the plates of stegosaurs, but these have proven difficult to test. Different species appear to have had differently shaped plates, suggesting a role in display, and perhaps to deter predators. Two stegosaurs are known from North America: the iconic Stegosaurus, which is known from numerous skeletons from Colorado, Utah and southern Wyoming, and the less well-known Hesperosaurus, represented by just a few specimens from northern Wyoming and Montana. Both are known from the Morrison Formation, a suite of rocks laid down by rivers and on flood plains about 150 million years ago, and the two genera appear to have lived at the same time. Over 120 years of sampling in the south of the Morrison basin has failed to find any specimens of Hesperosaurus there, perhaps suggesting the two genera were ecologically segregated. Although stegosaurs are one of the most iconic dinosaurs, much remains unknown about their palaeobiology due to their sparse fossil record.
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Below the Bonnie Banks - investigating Lock Lomond's subaqueous Quaternary landscape
2022-12-15 19:30 - 21:00 | over Zoom
given by Dr. Andrew Finlayson (Quaternary Geologist, BGS Edinburgh)
Abstract:
Loch Lomond is an iconic part of Scotland’s scenery, spanning landscapes of both Highland and Lowland character on either side of the Highland Boundary Fault. From a Quaternary geological perspective, the wider Loch Lomond basin has a long history of research and forms a type area for a period of environmental change at the end of the last glacial cycle in Britain – the ‘Loch Lomond Stadial’. However, there is still relatively little known about the submerged landscape below the loch surface. This talk will give a brief overview of the Quaternary landscape evolution around Loch Lomond and then present new findings from multibeam bathymetry and shallow seismic profiles. We will look at how these data add the loch’s glacial and postglacial story, and also what they tell us about more recent processes such as subaqueous landslides associated with shoreline infrastructure.
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Ocean sediments tell the story of Palaeogene environmental change
2023-01-12 19:30 - 21:00 | over Zoom
given by Prof Bridget Wade (Department of Earth Sciences, University College London)
Abstract:
Numerous oceanic, climatic, and biotic conditions relating to biogeochemical cycles and environmental change impact the composition and distribution of deep- sea sediments. Utilising the extensive sediment archives of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and its predecessors, maps of deep-sea sediment type have been assembled across two critical boundaries in the Paleogene, one characterised by an interval of extreme warmth (Paleocene/Eocene) and the other by global cooling (Eocene/Oligocene). Ocean sediment distribution shows significant divergence both between the latest Paleocene and Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), across the Eocene- Oligocene Transition (EOT), and in comparison to modern sediment distributions. In the latest Paleocene, carbonate sedimentation extends to high southern latitudes. Disappearance of carbonate sediments at the PETM is well documented and can be attributed to dissolution caused by significant ocean acidification as a result of carbon-cycle perturbation. Biosiliceous sediments are rare and it is postulated that the lowered biogenic silica deposition at the equator is due to an absence of equatorial upwelling in the early Paleogene ocean. In the Southern Ocean, we attribute the low in biosiliceous burial, to the warm deep water temperatures which would have impacted biogenic silica preservation. Our sediment depositional maps record a tongue of radiolarian ooze in the late Eocene eastern equatorial Pacific. Enhanced biosiliceous deposits in the late Eocene equatorial Pacific and Southern Ocean are due to increased productivity and the spin-up of the oceans. The compilation documents the enhanced global carbonate sedimentation in the early Oligocene, confirming that the drop in the carbonate compensation depth was global.
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Clays!
2023-02-09 19:30 - 21:00 | over Zoom
given by Prof. Peter Scott (Emeritus Professor, Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter)
Abstract:
Clay minerals, such as kaolinite, illite and montmorillonite, are the essential components of clays. Their crystals are very small and they have variable amounts of disorder in their structure. They impart a plasticity to clays. Their properties also make them very useful raw material for industry, including construction, ceramics, paper, paint, oil clarification, metal casting, cat litter and even high level nuclear waste disposal. This presentation will review the properties of clays and illustrate examples of their geology and uses from the UK and elsewhere.
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Percy Evans Lecture: The Norber Erratics
2023-04-27 19:30 - 21:00 | Hartoak Room, Mansion House, Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
given by Clive Maton (Honorary President, HGS)
Abstract
The Norber Erratics are well known and are featured in geological text books and numerous local guides to the Yorkshire Dales. This is partially due to their large size, the very large numbers, and all being located in a relatively small area; but they are best known for their emplacement on Carboniferous Limestone pedestals.They have been the subject of much study. The first scientific papers were published in the late 19th Century and many more have described and discussed them in the last 150 years. My study of them started as they were included in the area of my Map & Thesis, which formed part of my Geology degree, and I have continued to visit the area for post graduate field work. This, together with my recent research on the source and flow of the erratics, form the basis of the lecture.
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Visions of Nature. Art, science and natural history museums
2023-05-11 19:30 - 21:00 | Oaklands College, Sapsed Room (SR), Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
given by Prof. Paul Smith (Director University of Oxford, Natural History Museum).
Abstract

In an era of polarised opinion and a difficulty in determining the veracity of information, science museums play an important role as ‘honest brokers’ in both enabling and encouraging public debate around science. Surveys on both side of the Atlantic have demonstrated that museums are amongst the most trusted providers of information, but first they need audiences to discuss and debate with.
For the last few years, Oxford University Museum of Natural History has been operating an innovative series of exhibitions entitled Contemporary Science & Society. Each exhibition is an interdisciplinary investigation of an aspect of current science research and interweaves the scientific storytelling with related contemporary art that enhances the audience appeal. The exhibition is, however, only a starting point for a broader programme of events that range from lectures and debates to more informal science fairs, art interventions and comedy nights. Audiences for each exhibition range up to 245,000 and both qualitative and quantitative evaluation show that the content has had the ability to change people’s decision-making and behaviours.
The lecture will examine a variety of recent exhibitions, the range of issues that the exhibition series is seeking to address, and the role of a natural history museum in modern society.

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The Moine Thrust Controversy
2023-06-08 19:30 - 21:00 | Oaklands College, Sapsed Room (SR), Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
given by Dr. Peter Gutteridge (Director, Cambridge Carbonates)
Abstract:
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.
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Magmatic systems and the energy transition
2023-07-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Oaklands College, Sapsed Room (SR), Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
given by Prof. Jonathan Blundy (Royal Society Research Professor, University of Oxford)
Abstract:
The transition to Net Zero will place unprecedented demand on natural resources requiring some new thinking about where to find them and how to extract them. In this talk I will explore the potential for magmatic systems, such as those beneath volcanoes, to provide accessible sources of both geothermal power and a diversity of metals including many that are essential for the energy transition. I will draw upon new research in volcanology, igneous petrology, economic geology and high-pressure and temperature experiments.
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Notes from Deep Time – A journey through past and future worlds
2023-09-14 19:30 - 21:00 | Oaklands College, Sapsed Room (SR), Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
given by Helen Gordon, (University of Hertfordshire & author of Notes from Deep Time).
An exploration of the world of deep time and what it means to be human within the context of 4.5 billion years. From stratigraphers, volcanologists and palaeontologists to writers, artists and semioticians, this talk will draw on a series of conversations with the men and women who live and work in deep time.
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A short history of buildings in six stones
2023-10-12 19:45 - 21:00 | Hartoak Room, Mansion House, Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
given by Dr. Tim Yates, (Technical Director, Building Research Establishment, Garston.

Doors open at 7:15pm, tea & coffee available, talk starts at 7:45pm.

Many will be familiar with Neil MacGregor’s ‘A history of the world in 100 objects’ that retell humanity’s history through the objects we have made. This talk is on a much smaller scale with just six objects – all natural stones! But hopefully they will help us to see how our built heritage, our built landscapes, our towns, cities and villages, are shaped by the natural stones used in their construction.
Along the way we’ll look at the links to geography, society, technology, and politics – and, of course, the geology of the rocks from which the stones were taken.
Why six stones? Well there’s no real reason but six felt about right in the time we have! And choice of the six – Caen Limestone, Clunch, Portland Limestone, Welsh Slate, York Sandstone, and Aberdeen Granite – includes some of the most important building stones found in the UK but is also a personal choice that reflects my background and my work at Building Research Establishment for the last 37 years.

From shallow mine workings to deep basement rocks: A tour of UK low temperature geothermal resources
2023-11-09 19:30 - 21:00 | over Zoom
given by Dr. Cat Hirst (Senior Engineering Geologist, COWI, Glasgow)
From shallow mine workings to deep basement rocks: A tour of UK low temperature geothermal resources
Catherine M. Hirst1, Sally Jack1,2
1COWI UK Ltd, Fifth Floor, 310 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5RG.
2University of Strathclyde, 16 Richmond St, Glasgow, G1 1XQ, UK.
The UK has committed to be net zero by 2050 via the signing of the 2015 Paris Agreement and 2021 Glasgow Climate Pact. Space heating in the UK accounts for 42% of UK energy demand, and natural gas is used to provide more than 90% of this heating and cooling demand. De-carbonising heat, therefore, has the potential to make a huge impact on the UK’s net zero aspirations.
Over the past 25 years, research into geothermal energy extraction from low enthalpy (temperature) resources within the UK has been increasing year-on-year. Whilst historically the UK has only ever had one working low temperature deep geothermal system (Southampton), there is scope for geothermal energy to make a significant contribution to the UK energy portfolio. More recently, focus has fallen on the shallow (typically <500 m depth) geothermal systems associated with old, abandoned mine workings. Our understanding of these systems is incomplete in the same way we have limited knowledge of the deep (>500 m depth) subsurface, but what sets shallow resources apart from deeper resources is their accessibility. This talk aims to cover the background to geothermal heat generation, the key differences between shallow and deep low temperature geothermal resources, provide examples of deep low temperature resources in the UK and to showcase the work currently being completed by the University of Strathclyde and COWI to better characterise mine water geothermal resources.
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Dinosaurs: New Visions of a Lost World
2023-12-12 19:30 - 21:00 | over Zoom
given by Prof. Mike Benton (Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of Bristol)

Twenty-five years ago, the first feathered dinosaur was reported, Sinosauropteryx. There has been a revolution in dinosaur palaeobiology since then, driven by thousands of amazing specimens from China plus new analytical methods.
In 2010, we were among the first to develop a new analytical method to identify the colour of feathers, including the feathers of dinosaurs. Suddenly the ancient world came to life!
Since then, the methods have been criticised, tested, and applied to many exceptional fossils of dinosaurs and birds, and the plumage colours and patterns reconstructed. These methods are scientific, meaning they can be tested (and so far they have withstood critical testing), and they make definite predictions about the colours of dinosaurs and other extinct animals.
Order a copy here: https://bit.ly/DinosaursNewVisions
More information:
https://thamesandhudson.com/dinosaurs-new-visions-of-a-lost-world-9780500052198
https://dinocolour.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/
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Outcrops & Subsurface examples of the EoCambrian petroleum system in Oman
2024-01-11 19:30 - 21:30 | over Zoom
Talk by Professor Stuart Harker, Retired.
Southern Oman has one of the oldest working petroleum systems in the world with source rocks, reservoirs and productive traps in the Huqf Supergroup (520-600mya). There are superb world class outcrops of these sediments exposed along the Indian Ocean coast and in the inland salt diapir province. Reservoirs range in depositional environment from glacial clastics to peritidal stromatolitic carbonates. Petroleum traps range from conventional tilted fault blocks and anticlines, through salt induced anticlines to rafted carbonates and silicilyte. In spite of over 70 years of exploration, there remain many opportunities to discover additional reservoirs and traps.
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The Thames in Hertfordshire and adjacent areas
2024-02-08 19:30 - 21:30 | over Zoom
Talk by Professor David Bridgland, University of Durham.
Hertfordshire would seem to be the only one of the Home Counties to have been abandoned by the Thames during the Quaternary. It was squarely on the Thames course prior to southward diversion of the river ~450,000 years ago, the result of Britain’s most extensive glaciation. The evidence for the erstwhile Hertfordshire Thames will be pieced together during the lecture, with comparison made with neighbouring areas that have also furnished parts of the story and have supplied more recent refinements.
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Percy Evans Lecture: Surfing the Waves of Time: Exploring Latin America's Passive Margins with an Innovative Sea Level Curve
2024-04-11 19:45 - 21:30 | Oaklands College, Sapsed Room (SR), Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
Dr. Douwe van der Meer, CNOOC International, Uxbridge
Abstract: Recent exploration efforts in South American passive margin basins, such as the Guyana-Suriname Basin, have yielded significant success with over 10+ Bboe discovered, primarily within the late Cretaceous play/mega-sequence. Most recently the Southern Atlantic margin, spanning Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina, has also garnered industry attention, particularly following discoveries at the conjugate margin of Namibia.
In an award-winning study by Van der Meer et al. (2022), plate tectonic eustasy estimates were updated using the 87Sr/86Sr record of seawater, coupled with a novel glacio-eustasy estimates based on a recent Phanerozoic paleotemperature model (Scotese et al., 2021). This innovative Tectono-Glacio-Eustatic (TGE) curve for the entire Phanerozoic correlates well with mega-sequence stratigraphy in global passive margin basins.
Examining key basins like Guyana, the TGE curve aligns with the mega-sequences, showcasing the influence of plate tectonic and glacio-eustatic drivers on the petroleum system. The petroleum system elements in deepwater, correlate well with predictable patterns.
Similarly, southern Atlantic basins also exhibit predictable elements of the drift play (post-Aptian), with the TGE curve serving as a tool for undrilled sections of the stratigraphy. This research underscores the interplay between plate tectonics, glacio-eustasy, and basin evolution, offering valuable insights for future and ongoing exploration endeavours.
Biography: Douwe van der Meer, a tectonophysicist by background, and seasoned explorationist by profession, earned his M.Sc. at Utrecht University in 2002, specializing in plate tectonic processes. Following a transformational sabbatical at the Norwegian Geological Survey in 2009, he continued research on plate tectonics, which led to a Ph.D. cum laude in 2017 and was recently honoured with the IAGR Best Paper award and medal. With over 20 years of experience at Shell, Nexen, and CNOOC, Douwe has led various exploration New Ventures teams, being based in the Netherlands, UK, and USA. A passionate Earth System enthusiast, Douwe’s work and research encompasses all continents and eras from the Archean to Cenozoic. Currently serving as Sr. Manager New Ventures Latin America at CNOOC International, Douwe continues to contribute his research expertise to the industry. His commitment to advancing understanding of Earth Systems, coupled with significant applications to the oil and gas sector, establishes him as subject matter expert in global exploration.
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Identification and implications of the London Clay Formation divisions from an engineering perspective
2024-05-09 19:45 - 21:30 | Oaklands College, Sapsed Room (SR), Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
Dr. Jamie Standing, Imperial College London
Abstract: Historically, engineers viewed the London Clay (LC) Formation as uniform, homogeneous and rather uninteresting. Chris King’s seminal work provided a much deeper insight into the characteristics of the LC and how it can be split into divisions, based on the depositional history of the formation and the microfauna present. LC water content profiles were compiled from continuous cores as part of an investigation into variations in tunnelling-induced settlements across St James’s Park, allowing distinct zones to be identified. These were found to coincide exactly with the divisions identified by Chris King almost twenty years earlier. Water content profiles can be developed as part of a ground investigation and used to help establish the boundaries between King’s divisions. Based on two further water content profiles from Hyde Park and St John’s Wood a new methodology for locating the boundaries of the divisions, involving a trend-line for sub-Division A3, is proposed and tested, relevant to conditions in central London. In developing the method, significant differences in the elevation of the divisions between the three sites is observed, suggesting geological processes such as folding or faulting have influenced the LC along the 5-km length of the section. Once the boundaries of the LC divisions are known, geotechnical engineers have a greatly improved overall understanding of the ground conditions and how the ground will respond to engineering works such as tunnelling and deep excavations. Broad engineering implications of the divisions are described and discussed, citing case histories where possible.
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Spying on open vent volcanoes from ground, air and space
2024-06-13 19:45 - 21:30 | over Zoom
Talk by Dr. Emma Nicholson (Liu), University College London
Abstract:
“Open vent” volcanoes are persistently active and maintain an unbroken connection between shallow magma reservoirs and the atmosphere. These volcanoes are true natural laboratories, providing an unparalleled window into the subsurface physical and chemical processes that control volcanic activity. Open vent volcanoes sustain large volcanic gas emissions and are therefore the “chimney pipes” of our planet, responsible for shaping the Earth’s atmosphere over geological time and impacting regional air and water quality on human timescales. Lava lakes are rare end-members in the expressions of open vent volcanism and can remain stable for years to decades. Yet, recent events at Kilauea (Hawaii), Ambrym (Vanuatu) and Nyiragongo (DRC) have emphasized how rapidly these lakes can drain to feed voluminous flank eruptions, posing substantial environmental and societal hazards. I will review some of the recent advances and outstanding questions in our understanding of the mechanisms and impacts of open vent volcanic activity. In particular, I will focus on how remote sensing observations—from the ground, air and space—combined with studies of erupted volcanic rocks are providing new perspectives on the long-term eruptive behaviour of open vent volcanoes. This talk will draw on new insights from a National Geographic expedition to one of the most remote active volcanoes on Earth – Mt Michael, located in the South Sandwich Islands at the gateway to the Southern Ocean.
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Painting with Stone: Materials, Methods and Traditions in Pietre Dure
2024-07-11 19:45 - 21:30 | Oaklands College, Sapsed Room (SR), Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
Talk by Dr. Ruth Siddall (University College London)
Abstract:
The talk will introduce the history, techniques and materials used in the decorative art of pietre dure (hard stone work). Almost every stately home and museum has a table-top or other object decorated with pietre dure and yet the craftmanship and materiality of the technique has been one of the most disregarded topics of study within the decorative arts. The technique of making patterns with coloured stones began in Antiquity and then found a renaissance in 15th Century Europe and was used equally for adorning large objects of furniture and small items such as stuff boxes and jewellery. The technique remained popular until the 19th Century in Europe and continues to be used in architecture and the decorative arts in Asia and particularly in India. The choice of stones used often has a specific connection to the workshops and therefore a knowledge of decorative stones used is essential for assigning a provenance to works made using the pietre dure technique.
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Modelling the Atmospheres of Tidally-locked Terrestrial Exoplanets
2024-09-12 19:30 - 21:30 | over Zoom
Talk by Dr. Andrew Rushby, Birkbeck College, University of London unfortunately had to be cancelled. We hope to reschedule the talk and include it in our 2025 programme.
Abstract
The climates of terrestrial planets are affected by their host star, the properties of their atmospheres, as well as any land, ocean, and icy surfaces, in predictable but also complex ways. I will provide a short introduction to the novel climatologies of tidally-locked (synchronously-rotating) planets in the orbit of small, cool M-Dwarf stars, highlighting recent ensemble and climate model intercomparison studies have been used to uncover some of the effects of the complex, ‘non-Earth-like’ rotational regimes of these worlds, which are likely common in our galaxy, on their possible climates and habitability by presenting some results from my recent work, as well as that of my students, collaborators, andcolleagues working in this area.
If time allows, I will also discuss the NASA ‘Research Coordination Network’ (RCN) model (of which NExSS was the first) and the means by which the astrobiology research and funding landscape within NASA, and beyond, is evolving to meet the needs of interdisciplinary scientists working in the field to leverage upcoming NASA, ESA, JAXA etc. missions, analogue studies, and observational platforms.
Bio – Dr Andrew Rushby is a Lecturer in Astrobiology and Programme Director of the MSc. Astrobiology programme in the School of Natural Sciences at Birkbeck, University of London.

Snowball Earth

The Geology of the Albert Memorial
2024-10-03 17:45 - 19:30 | Oaklands College, Sapsed Room (SR), Oaklands College, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XS, United Kingdom
Talk by Professor John Cosgrove, Imperial College London.
Which will be followed by a visit to the Albert Memorial on Saturday 5 October 2024.

Unveiling the geology of Mars with robotic explorers
2024-11-14 19:30 - 21:30 | over Zoom
Talk by Dr Joe McNeil, Natural History Museum, London.
Abstract:
Before the first observations of Mars by orbiting spacecraft in the 1970s, it was widely thought that the red planet resembled Earth’s Moon in its geology. However, decades of robotic exploration by orbiters, landers, and rovers alike have radically reshaped our understanding, revealing Mars’ unique and complex geological history. Abundant evidence of past liquid water on its surface reveal processes both familiar from Earth and others that are entirely unique to Mars. In this talk, we will cover an overview of Mars’ geology, discuss how geological investigations of Mars are conducted from orbital and landed spacecraft, and explore the geological mysteries of Oxia Planum, the future landing site of the European Space Agency’s ‘Rosalind Franklin’ ExoMars Rover (launching in 2028).
View This Talk In The Members’ Section.

Perseverance examines martian geology
