Deep Time Walk group in front of Arthur's Seat

President’s Report for the Annual General Meeting 2018-19, due to be held March 2020

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The coronavirus measures mean we had to postpone our AGM for 2018-19 and our last lecture of the 2019-20 season. At this stage it is not clear for how long we need to self-isolate, but EGS will cancel the April-June excursions now and review the summer programme on a monthly basis as advice changes. It is likely more excursions will be cancelled and we will be unlikely to use coaches this season. We will also explore web lectures and individual field trip guide opportunities during the summer and for next season. In the meantime we hope you manage to get out alone (or with the dog) to keep “geologising”.

The AGM is an important part of the year, and indeed there is an obligation for EGS to hold one. You have all seen our Annual Report, but I thought it might be useful to write a short commentary and add a few things about the last few months and a look forward to the future. Please do contact me if you have any questions or comments.

You can download the full report here – EGS AGM President’s Report 18 March 2020.

Robert Gatliff, EGS President president@edinburghgeolsoc.org.

Charles Lyell’s notebooks saved

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The first lecture of this winter’s programme was on the topic of “Sir Charles Lyell: Making the archives of a public man of science public” on 16th October 2019 and was given by Dr David McClay – Philanthropy Manager, Library and University Collections at the University of Edinburgh.  The good news from the preceding day (and luckily for the speaker) was the announcement that the required sum of just under £1 million had been raised, thanks to generous contributions from the Edinburgh Geological Society, individual fellows and more than 1100 other supporters.  David re-iterated his thanks to the society and all those who had gifted contributions.

So, what next? Well the University Library and Collections have held several open sessions at which a few EGS Fellows have been present to view the notebooks.  The University has also been reviewing the condition of the notebooks with an aim of carrying out a sample digitisation, which will be made available in the next 12 months.  The full scanning will be a massive job, given there are 294 notebooks in the collection.  One thing that the University may require help with is the transcribing of the notebooks – training will be provided and it is likely that volunteers will be needed.  We will be keeping Fellows updated on any requests for assistance.  In the meantime, the web link www.ed.ac.uk/giving/save-lyell-notebooks explains more about what will be happening in the coming months.

 

Clough Medal Lecture – 19 February 2020

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Prof K Whaler & Bob Gatliff – Clough Medal Award 2019

On Wednesday 19th February 2020, EGS Fellows gathered for the Clough Medal lecture held at the University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute.  The 2019-20 Clough Medal was awarded to Professor Kathy Whaler OBE, FRSE, FAGU (University of Edinburgh) for a distinguished career as an academic in the field of geophysics. Our current President, Bob Gatliff presented Kathy with the Clough Medal and was able to remind fellows that this year was notable on two counts. First that Kathy was only the third geophysicist to be awarded the medal and that it was over 40 years since Janet Watson received the medal. Kathy thanked the society for the recognition she had been given and was then able to explain some of the many facets of her research  in a lecture entitled “Adventures with Maxwell’s equations”.

Amongst the topics covered was her research in the field of geo-magnetism, involving the use of geophysics to large-scale earth processes, from the Earth’s core through the crust and even to interpreting the history of Mars geomagnetic record.  She also explained some recent research being undertaken in the Afar region of Ethiopia, called the RiftVolc project, which has drawn together a multidisciplinary group of researchers to understand crustal processes in the East African Rift. Finally, Prof Whaler touched on the future research topics including the important role played by the Earth’s magnetic field in protecting us from solar flares. She is also planning more research within the rift valley, where active volcanoes and the public are found close together.  At the end of the evening, Bob thanked Kathy for the wide ranging and fascinating lecture to celebrate the award of the 2019-20 Clough Medal.

Port Askaig 2020 – Workshop at St Andrews 12-13 May 2020

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Cryogenian glaciation: the extraordinary Port Askaig record and its comparators
12-13 May 2020, University of St Andrews
www.portaskaig.org

This international conference is designed to allow full presentations of the results of a long-term field campaign on the 1100 m thick Port Askaig Formation focussed on the extraordinarily complete exposures in the Garvellach Islands and Islay. Presentations will include virtual fieldtrips. The meeting will be a research workshop and will be webcast.

Presenters include Roger Anderton, Doug Benn, Dave Chew, David Evans, Ian Fairchild, Mike Hambrey, Dan le Heron, Bruce Levell, Emrys Phillips, Catherine Rose (convener), Graham Shields,  Anthony Spencer and Richard Waller.

The purpose of the meeting is to allow full presentations of results from an intensive research programme by the convenors and collaborators since 2012 on the Port Askaig Formation (PAF), together with cognate contributions from other Quaternary and Cryogenian experts. This will ensure evaluation and discussion of the significance of the Port Askaig Formation as an exceptional exemplar of glacial sedimentary history. This meeting represents an important step in the preparation of a proposed new Geological Society of London Memoir on the PAF.

Further information and registration at www.portaskaig.org.

How Edinburgh's rocks were formed

School Poster – Edinburgh’s Rocks and People

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EGS school poster - Edinburgh Rocks and PeopleWhat makes Edinburgh special? Lots of different factors make a city, but one key feature that most visitors to Edinburgh notice is the dramatic landscape of the city centre. This is a landscape of rocky crags, cliffs and steep slopes surrounded by lower, flatter ground. It is derived from a mix of different kinds of rock – sedimentary and igneous.

Our Edinburgh’s Rocks and People poster for schools is designed to give an introduction to the rich story of Edinburgh’s dramatic landscape. The A2-size poster will be distributed for free to all secondary schools in the Lothian area. We are also developing accompanying online material, including suggested activities exploring these themes:

Edinburgh’s Rocks – what kind of rocks do we find in Edinburgh? How have they been used by people?

Evidence from the past – what do Edinburgh’s rocks tell us about the past? Where was Edinburgh when these rocks were being formed? What did the world look like then?

Making Edinburgh’s Landscape – how has the landscape been formed? What has been the impact on Edinburgh of the Ice Age and changing sea level?

James Hutton & the Rock Cycle – The Edinburgh geologist James Hutton (1726-1797) proposed that the Earth operated as a machine, where natural processes acted over immense time scales to erode the land and create new rocks. This was the beginning of our understanding of the rock cycle and the inter-relationships between sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks.

Learning Resources – Edinburgh’s Rocks and People

Local Geology Leaflets

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Geoconservation Leaflets - Edinburgh Geological SocietyThe Lothian and Borders GeoConservation Group has published over 30 leaflets about sites around Edinburgh. From St Abb’s Head on the Borders Coast to the Bathgate Hills in West Lothian, just about every important geological site in the area has a leaflet explaining a bit about the geology of the site, and guiding you to key exposures where you can see the best of the geology of this area.

The leaflets are all available as free pdf downloads – or for a small donation, they can be sent to you through the post.

Geoconservation Leaflets

 

 

Saving & sharing the Charles Lyell Notebooks

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The Edinburgh Geological Society is delighted to support the successful campaign, launched by the University of Edinburgh, to save Charles Lyell’s notebooks. The 294 notebooks record in remarkable detail the life, travels, thoughts and ideas of this significant historical geologist. The Society pledged a donation towards the purchase of the notebooks, which were due to be sold abroad. A temporary export bar gave the University and supporters the opportunity to raise the necessary funds to purchase them. Over 1,100 supporters pledged to save the historic notebooks. The purchase price was originally set at £1,444,000, but reduced to £966,000 thanks to a restructuring of tax liability. With the full funds now pledged, the notebooks will be purchased by the University, who have promised to make them as accessible as possible as quickly as possible. You can follow progress on the University of Edinburgh’s Library Blog – libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk/lyell/

Recognising Scotland’s Geological Heritage: introducing the Scottish Geology Trust

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The Edinburgh Geological Society fully supports the creation of the Scottish Geology Trust, a new, national charity that will promote and celebrate Scotland’s geology and its value to society, and encourage its conservation. This initiative arose from a meeting of interested parties hosted by EGS last autumn, which included all of Scotland’s geological societies, the Geoparks, universities and museums, geoconservation groups and the Scottish Geodiversity Forum.

The new organisation will offer opportunities for EGS to collaborate with other organisations on projects of national importance, to build on and expand the work of the Scottish Geodiversity Forum and support Scotland’s Geoparks. The Scottish Geology Trust will be a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation and a membership organisation, seeking subscriptions and donations from individuals and organisations. There is strong potential to raise money, for example from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, for significant projects that promote Scotland’s geology and specific sites of national/international importance. Updates will be available on www.scottishgeology.com and the new organisation will be launched in spring 2020.

Saving Charles Lyell’s notebooks for research

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Edinburgh University has launched a campaign to to save Charles Lyell’s notebooks, which record in remarkable detail the life, travels, thoughts and ideas of this significant historical geologist. The Society has pledged a donation towards the purchase of the 294 notebooks, which are currently in private hands and were due to be sold abroad. Thanks to the level of support already offered, the bar on the export of the notebooks has been extended until 15 October 2019. This is now the final deadline to save Lyell’s notebooks. The price has been set at £966,000 and the University of Edinburgh is making good progress in raising the funds required. If you would like to donate, or find out more about the notebooks and plans to make them fully and freely accessible for the first time, visit www.ed.ac.uk/giving/save-lyell-notebooks, or come along to David McClay’s lecture on 16 October.

Photography Workshop Holyrood Park: Sunday 8 September 2019

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This informal, outdoor workshop will explore techniques for taking geological photographs. It will be led by Jason Gilchrist from Edinburgh Napier University. No previous experience (in photography or geology) is required, just turn up with any camera. We will take a short walk experimenting with taking photographs at different scales – landscapes, outcrop and close-up details. Participants will be encouraged to submit their photos for future newsletters and the EGS website. If there is enough interest we will arrange a follow-on indoor workshop in the autumn.

Sunday 8 September 2019, 10am – 1pm
Meet outside Dynamic Earth, bring a camera, good footwear and warm waterproof clothing

Booking essential – contact Alison Tymon (how to book).