Hertfordshire Geological Society

The Dinosaur - Bird link: A critical overview
2021-07-08 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Zoom Talk
Given by Mike Howgate (HGS).
Abstract:
To most interested lay-people and even most vertebrate palaeontologists the theory that birds arose from a group of Theropod dinosaurs is now regarded as an incontestable fact. However there are a handful of dissenters from this supposed certainty. I am one.
I will start by outlining the position of Archaeopteryx as the quintessential example of an intermediate between two classes of organisms – reptiles and birds, before considering the various theories which have been put forward to explain which group of reptiles could best be considered the direct ancestor of the avian lineage and whether flight could have originated from the ground – up as suggested by the ‘Dino-Bird link’ supporters.
In the final half of the talk will concentrate on two alleged Dino-Birds which featured prominently in the debate. Sinosauropteryx prima, a compsognathid dinosaur which is supposed to exhibit PROTOFEATHERS and Microraptor gui the alleged four winged flying dinosaur which is an archaeopteryx-like bird and not a theropod dinosaur at all. A more parsimonious ancestor for the avian lineage will be suggested.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

It's 'Ard Up North: An overview of the Chalk of the Northern Province
2021-06-10 00:00 | Zoom Talk
given by Paul Hildreth (Yorkshire Geological Society).
The Chalk of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire belongs to a sedimentary basin distinct from, and yet closely related to, other late Cretaceous basins in southern England. For many years, geologists attempted to fit the southern biostratigraphy onto the northern succession; rather like fitting a square peg in a round hole! A short, though very significant, paper was published in the Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society (PYGS) in 1978 which re-classified the northern Chalk, exactly 100 years after the first recorded reference to its greater similarity to the succession in Germany than to those of southern England and France. Ironically perhaps, but certainly apt for this meeting, a co-author of the 1978 paper was a native of Hertfordshire and well known to the Hertfordshire Geological Society.
This talk will focus on the lithostratigraphy of the chalks of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, compare with some levels of the southern succession and present some thoughts on future research. I may also be able to convince you that the spectacular chalk cliffs of Flamborough Head, which provide valuable exposures of the full Chalk succession as well as breathtaking scenery, are well worth a visit!
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

Smith - marks on a landscape
2021-05-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom Talk
given by Dr Peter Wigley (Consultant for Lynx Information Systems & co-author of Strata. – William Smith’s Geological Maps.

Strata. – William Smith’s Geological Maps cover
Abstract
William Smith (1769–1839), surveyor and geologist, was born on 23th March 1769 at The Forge, Churchill, Oxfordshire, the son of the village blacksmith and educated at the village school.
In 1787 Smith became assistant to the land surveyor Edward Webb (1751–1828) at Stow-on-the-Wold, learning to measure and value land. In 1791 the young 22 year old Smith was sent by his employer to survey an estate near High Littleton in Somerset. He made the journey on foot from Stow-on-the-Wold down to Stowey in Somerset, a distance of over 80 miles. It was in Somerset, while surveying the course of a canal, that Smith developed his ideas on strata and the relationship of particular fossils to specific strata. This led to his first geological maps around Bath, Somerset and later to his pioneering 1815 geological map of England and Wales.However, there was much more to Smith than just his maps. He made geological cross-sections, he was a coal finder, land drainer and improver, he worked on land slips, he sunk water wells and built sea defences but most importantly, through his publications, he laid the foundations for the science of stratigraphy.
Through digital technology it has been possible to combine Smith’s maps and other aspects of his work with modern remote sensing data and to visualise his enduring legacy on the landscape of England and Wales.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

Percy Evans Lecture & Presidential Address "In search of Buronite in Norway"
2021-04-08 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom Talk
given by Linda Hamling.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

Science driven by conflict
2021-03-11 20:00 - 21:00 | Zoom Talk
Followed our 2021 AGM and given by Haydon Bailey (HGS).
This talk was not recorded.

2020 AGM
2021-03-11 19:30 - 20:00 | over Zoom

Jungle Volcano
2021-02-11 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom Talk
given by Prof. Chris Jackson (Imperial College London)
Rearranged from December 2020.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

The geology of Mars and the rover missions
2021-01-14 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom Talk
given by Dr Susanne Schwenzer (Open University).
Dr Susanne P Schwenzer is a planetary scientist, who has researched Mars geology, petrology and mineralogy since her PhD. In her talk, she will tell the story of Mars as seen from its rocks: First, there was a (warm?) and wet Mars that saw rivers flowing and lakes forming. At the same time, a period of intense impact cratering shaped the Martian landscape, with its own effects on the mineralogy in the subsurface of the planet. About 4.2 Billion years ago, the Martian climate changed to much dryer conditions, and it remained that way to this day. Most of the evidence for the Martian geologic record comes from orbiters, but landers and rovers have most recently contributed hugely important details that in turn make it possible to interpret the global picture. The talk will briefly discuss several of those missions, especially the Curiosity rover mission and its most important findings.
View this talk in the Members’ Section.

Peak District - From the bowels of the earth to the Garden of Eden
2019-09-19 - 2019-09-22
Summary of Excursion

Some aspects of the Geology of Mayo, Western Ireland
2018-09-06 - 2018-09-09
