49th Percy Evans Lecture: Snowballs in the Desert - A Glacial History of Oman
2026-04-09 19:30 - 21:30 UTC | Redbourne Parish Centre, The Park, Redbourne, Hertfordshire, AL3 7LR, United Kingdom
given by Ross Garden, Reading Geological Society
Ross is kindly standing in for the scheduled speaker Dr Haydon Bailey. Haydon’s talk will now given at a later date.
Abstract
The Earth has experienced repeated major icehouse periods through its history. Across the UK, we have many examples of the Plio-Pliestocene ice age deposits and in Scotland we see evidence of Pre-Cambrian Snowball Earth glaciations. Sowhat might the Sultanate of Oman on the eastern margin of the arid Arabian Peninsula offer?
Oman lies on the Tropic of Cancer and the current climate is hot and arid with midday winter temperatures in the mid 20’s and summer temperatures reaching 40° C and above. The arid climate, together with the relative ease of movement and hospitality of the Omani people provides a geological wonderland. There are many geological delights in Oman, but the area provides a variety of geology resulting from previous glaciations. We can see evidence for Proterozoic marine glaciations together with lacustrine deposits from the Permo-Carboniferous ice ages. The lack of vegetation and long geological history of the area provides good out crops of the glacial formations and allows examination of lateral facies variations that typify these deposits.
But the Oman also contains evidence of the impact of high latitude glaciations on land masses at low latitudes. The Omani Plio-Pliestocene history is characterised by ice driven sea level falls and rises, compressed climatic zones and cooler and wetter periods. As Arabia is situated between Africa and Asia these climatic changes are likely to have impacted the migration of homids out of Africa.

Glacial dropstone in Permian Al Khlata deltaic sandstones, Huqf

49th Percy Evans Lecture: The Geology of the Lower Chess Valley & where does all that water go?
2026-04-09 19:45 - 21:45 | Redbourne Parish Centre, The Park, Redbourne, Hertfordshire, AL3 7LR, United Kingdom
given by Dr. Haydon Bailey, HGS Chairman
now postponed to a later date.

Geology of Stonehenge and the bluestone controversy
2026-05-14 19:45 - 21:45 | Redbourne Parish Centre, The Park, Redbourne, Hertfordshire, AL3 7LR, United Kingdom
talk given by Prof. Peter Worsley, Emeritus Professor of Quaternary Geology, University of Reading

The Chalk Sea Ecosystem Project
2026-06-11 19:45 - 21:45 | Redbourne Parish Centre, The Park, Redbourne, Hertfordshire, AL3 7LR, United Kingdom
talk given by Dr James Witts, Senior Post Doctoral Researcher, Natural History Museum London

Researching the Puddingstone Book
2026-07-09 21:45 | Redbourne Parish Centre, The Park, Redbourne, Hertfordshire, AL3 7LR, United Kingdom
talk given by Gerald Lucy, Essex Rock & Mineral Society & Mike Howgate, AGS & HGS

St Albans’ building stones walk
2026-07-18 | Hertfordshire
with Haydon Bailey, geological advisor to the Chiltern Society.
This is a joint event with the Bucks Geology Group. PLACES LIMITED – BOOKING ESSENTIAL.
For more information and to book you place, please contact Mike Palmer at mpalmer@discoverbucksmuseum.org

The Deep Geology beneath southern England (TBC)
2026-09-10 21:45 | Redbourne Parish Centre, The Park, Redbourne, Hertfordshire, AL3 7LR, United Kingdom
talk given by Dr. Chris Pullen, Director, CP Exploration

Book Presentation - The Meteorites
2026-10-08 19:45 - 21:45 | Redbourne Parish Centre, The Park, Redbourne, Hertfordshire, AL3 7LR, United Kingdom
given by Helen Gordon, Hertfordshire University & Author

Ashridge House and Gardens
2026-10-17 10:00 - 16:30 | Ashridge House, Ashridge, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, HP4 1NS, United Kingdom
A walk around the house and gardens.
More details to follow.

Alpine peaks and salt intrusions - Geological windows into Earth's mantle
2026-11-12 19:45 - 21:45 | over Zoom
given by Dr. Jonathan Turner, Geologists’ Association Field Guide Editor

The history of geological thought and exploration of the geology of the Himalaya
2026-12-10 19:45 - 21:45 | over Zoom
given by Dr. Danny Clarke-Lowes, Director, Nubian Consulting
