Hertfordshire Geological Society

'Puddingstone Peregrination'
2023-05-13 10:30 - 16:30 UTC | St Mary’s Church, Standon, High Street, Standon, Hertfordshire, SG11 1LA, United Kingdom
Meeting at 10.30 at the ‘Standon Stone’ near the church in Standon village ( O.S. TL 396223 ). Sandwiches and coffee can be picked up at Day’s bakery in the village. Then to the newly discovered ‘William Smith’s HPS mounting block’ mentioned in 1819!! We will then look at HPS boulders at various sites along the A120 to Bishops Stortford.
Including the HPS boulder described by Chris Green now at Hadham Ford (where we will have lunch), The Hadham Hall boulder which features in a ‘Work of Art’. The collection of boulders at Wickham Hall, where we will discuss the erosion and formation of HPS boulders over coffee.
To register for this trip please e-mail mehowgate@hotmail.com.

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.

View this talk in the Members’ Section.

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.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

Building Stone walk in Aylesbury & visit Discover Bucks Museum
2023-03-25 10:00 - 16:30 | Waterside Theatre, Exchange Street, Aylesbury, Hertfordshire, HP20 1UG
Meet outside Aylesbury Waterside Theatre (HP20 1UG) 10:00 for 10:15 departure
– best parking is in Waterside Multi-Story Car Park (HP20 1AL) on level 2 or 3
Itinerary
Morning: 2 1/2 hour walk through the old town centre of Aylesbury
Lunch: at the Kings Head which is owned by the National Trust
Afternoon: Discover Bucks Museum – in particular the new Geology display
Finish: mid afternoon 15:30/16:00
Please contact Nick Pierpoint at nicpierpoint@aol.com to reserve a place

Little heath Geoconservation Working Party
2023-02-18 10:00 - 16:00 | Little Heath, Potten End, Potten End, United Kingdom
Annual activity to remove vegetation and clean-up the exposure at Little Heath

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.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

GA Lecture
2023-02-03 18:00 - 19:30 | over Zoom
Winchcombe meteorite
given by Dr Ashley King (Natural History Museum)

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.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

GA Lecture
2023-01-06 18:00 - 19:30 | over Zoom
The Lower Cretaceous ‘East Lindsey Group’ a jewel in the geological crown of Lincolnshire given by Paul Hildreth (Yorkshire Geological Society)

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.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

AGM
2022-11-18 08:00 - 17:00 | Venue TBA
followed by Talk on Hertfordshire RIGS

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.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

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.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

GA Lecture
2022-10-07 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom Talk
The rise and fall of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet given by Prof Chris Clark.

Flamborough Head - Excursion
2022-09-29 16:00 - 2022-10-02 17:00 | Sefton Hotel, The Sefton Hotel, Bridlington, Yorkshire, YO15 2HX, United Kingdom
Paul Hildreth of the Yorkshire Geological Society will lead this 3-day trip to the delights of Flamborough Head.
Itinerary:
Thursday 29 September
Introductory talk over drinks at 8pm.
Friday 30 September
North Landing(Welton/Burnham Chalk boundary and variations in flint form) followed by Selwick’s Bay (Burnham/Flamborough Chalk boundary, Flamborough Fault zone and syncline) with lunch at local café & free evening.
Saturday 1 October
Dane’s Dyke and Sewerby (Flamborough Chalk, Flamborough Sponge Bed, Devensian stratigraphy and Sewerby Buried Cliff (Ipswichian) with packed lunch & group meal in the evening.
Sunday 2 October
RSPB reserve at Bempton Cliffs – clifftop walk, spectacular geomorphology, fault zone and there should be some seabirds still around with lunch at RSPB Centre.
Participants may wish to revisit the HGS June 2021 talk on It’s ‘And Up North – An overview of the Chalk of the Northern Province given by Paul Hildreth and download a fabulous Field Guide from the Members’ Section.
Janet

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.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

HGS Summer Event - Is it flat or bent? The Chalk around Royston
2022-08-06 11:00 - 16:30 | Royston Cave, Katherine’s Yard, Melbourne Street, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 7BZ, United Kingdom
Morning at Royston Cave. Park in one of the town centre car parks & walk to Royston Cave.
Royston Cave interior
Come and explore the amazing Royston Cave; check out the theories and get an update on the latest geological dates produced by the Herts. Geol. Society
Lunch – local pub – The Tally Ho!, Barkway
Afternoon visits to Barkway Chalk Pit and Reed Chalk Pit
Barkway Chalk Pit
Have a look at some upended Lewes Chalk and see if we can find the Chalk Rock.
Register through: haydonbailey@outlook.com Cost £5.00

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.
View This Talk In The Members’ Section.

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.

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.
View This Talk In The Members’ Section.

GA Henry Stopes Memorial vLecture
2022-06-03 18:00 - 19:30 | over Zoom
Mapping the past: Quaternary Palaeogeography

Village Geology in Hertfordshire (Ashwell) - for GeoWeek
2022-05-15 10:30 - 16:30 | Meet at Lynch Gate, St Mary’s Church, Ashwell, Hertfordshire, SG7 5LY, United Kingdom
Leader: Mike Howgate
Meeting up at the lych-gate of St. Mary’s church Ashwell at 10.30 am.
Morning: Visit to this ‘ clunch’ church with its famous graffito of the Black Death and a devastating storm in the Middle Ages. Followed by a walking tour of the village including the Chalk springs with their ‘Ice Age fauna’, a lock-up built of ‘clunch’ blocks and a Wichert/Cobb thatched wall.
There are two decent pub for lunch.
Afternoon: The village museum ( small charge) has a small but interesting geological collection. Possibility of a walk to Ashwell Chalk pit or cars to Steeple Morden quarry.

RGS Field Trip to South Pembroke
2022-05-15 - 2022-05-18
The Reading Geological Society (RGS) are extending an invitation to HGS members to join their 2022 field trip to South Pembroke. Details of itinerary to follow.
If you are interested in this trip and would like to be notified when further details become available please click here.

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.
View This Talk In The Members’ Section.

Joint BGS/HGS Field Trip to Greensand Ridge
2022-04-23 10:00 - 15:30 | Clophill Ecolodges, Old Church Path, Clophill, Bedfordshire, MK45 4BP
led by Bev Fowlston (BGS).

Meet at Clophill Ecolodges at 10:00 for 10:30 depart

Field trip details

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.

View this talk in the Members’ Section.

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.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

Little Heath Geoconservation
2022-02-20 10:00 - 14:00 | Little Heath, Potten End, Potten End, United Kingdom
Two stages:
Stage 1: vegetation clearance
Stage 2: face
Restricted numbers – please register your interest here

The eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat
2022-02-10 19:30 - 21:00 | 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.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

GA Lecture
2022-02-04 18:00 - 19:30 | over Zoom
Pushing back the boundaries of early life.
