Cor, a real winter. Many of us can
still remember them (62/63 anyone?), but the present one is a reminder that our
temperatures, despite global warming, are still capable of falling sharply.
This present winter is not in the same league as the 62/63 deep freeze of
course, unless February and March surprise us, but nevertheless we have
experienced extended spells of freezing temperatures recently. What’s that got
to do with geology you might ask? Well, not much directly, but if you are
prepared to don suitable clothing and gather together your hammers and sample
bags, the winter offers excellent opportunities for studying geology in the
field. The reason of course is that all the vegetation dies back, revealing
sequences barely glimpsed in the Spring and Summer. Access to sites is often
easier too, and other folks are much less likely to be there to get in the way
of your definitive locality photographs.
So this is a plea not to write off the Winter months from your personal
field trips calendar. Get out there and enjoy the winter sunshine, and then
send your field shots to me at ‘Charnia’!
The great outdoors in winter is not for all of us however, but there’s
always the consolation of the Geology Section’s excellent indoor winter programme.
One of its undoubted highlights is the Saturday Seminar, again scheduled for
March this year in the fine surroundings of the Ken Edwards Building. There’s a
rumour that 2009 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles
Darwin, and we’re joining in by taking that great scientist as our broad theme
and linking in tales of the great pioneers of geology who preceded and
succeeded him. We’ve got some cracking talks lined up, two with very different
takes on Darwin himself, and four others which deal with such Victorian
mega-stars as William Buckland, Henry de la Beche, Charles Lapworth, and
Roderick Murchison. We’ve also got a gem of a talk about that fascinating
character James Parkinson, famous for his ‘disease’, but also instrumental in
the formation of the Geological Society and a true pioneer if ever there was
one. That talk will be given by Dr Cherry Lewis, the author of the best-selling
‘The Dating Game’. You will find details about the day elsewhere in this
Charnia, and any member of the organising committee (myself, the Chairman,
Vice-Chairman, Publicity Officer, Professor Aldridge and David Baines) will be
happy to provide you with any other information you might require. Tickets are
now available from Secretary Fiona Barnaby (or any committee member will pass
your request and money on to her), priced at £20 to include buffet lunch and
£13 without lunch. And we’ll be putting on a post-seminar wine reception too,
also in the Ken Edwards and only a short step from the lecture theatre. One of
the original aims of the Section in starting the Saturday Seminar was to throw
open our doors to the greater public, and that remains a key element in our
intentions. Please tell your friends about the day, and encourage them to
attend.
In the past the Section has been well entertained by talks from a
prominent member of the Geology Department at Leicester University, Dr Jan
Zalasiewicz, and it may interest members that Jan has branched out into the
field of popular geological literature, with a book entitled ‘The Earth after
us’, published by Oxford University Press. One of Jan’s major interests of
recent years is legacy that we, humanity, will leave to the Earth and how the
phenomenal impact we are currently making will be reflected in the geological
record in the far distant future. Its not an encouraging prospect, but it is a
fascinating subject, imaginatively dealt with and lucidly written. Ideal for
winter reading, and available from the usual outlets, including the Leicester
University bookshop and Amazon on the internet.
Andrew Swift