Dear Member,
Well, it’s been OK so far, weather-wise that is, so I hope that you are getting out and about and enjoying some field work.
There are Four Field trips still to go this year - details are on the Outdoor Events page. The Skye is fully booked, waiting list only.
Fred Owen is taking people around the Knutsford Geology Trail again on Sun 30th July - details are on the Other Events page
The Field Report from Scunthorpe follows. The Ketton report will be in the NW Geologist.
William Buckland died 150 years ago. Oxford University are hosting a symposium in August - click here for details.
In May 2007 Dr John Nudds has offered to take us to visit the Lagerstätten of southern Germany.
Please tell Jane Michael soon if you are interested.
Best wishes to all for the rest of a super, sunny summer!
Mary Howie, newsletter editor
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Proposed MGA Trip to Solenhofen
and other German Lagerstätten
with Dr John Nudds in 2007
See 4 Archaeopteryx (s) in person,
Visit Museums & Quarries, Collect Fossils,
Eat at the Ammonite ! and more, much more.....
John has kindly offered to lead a trip for the MGA to Germany next year to look at four remarkable fossil sites described in the book he and Paul Selden have written.
It will last about a week in early May, comprise flying to Stuttgart and picking up a mini bus (es) to visit the sites.
However, before I start making further arrangements and checking out costings etc, I need to know what demand there is likely to be for places.
Please let me know if you are interested.
Jane Michael
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Some of the Museum Volunteers and I went there with John last year (and the year before) to check out the sites at Solenhofen, Holzmaden, Hünsrück & Messel. I can personally guarantee that you will have a great time. I’m going again, if they will have me along.
Mary Howie editor.
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You’ve seen the pictures, now get the experience!
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Membership matters
The renewals for 2006 resulted in six members resigning, mainly for health and relocation reasons. We thank them for their past support and wish them well.
By coincidence we have also welcomed six new members so far this year, so our total membership is unchanged at 155, comprising 5 Honorary, 127 Full, 15 Associate and 8 Corresponding members.
We are particularly sad that Sheila Owen, a former Council Member and Assistant Editor of the NW Geologist and Amateur Geologist, has resigned from the MGA. Sheila has had a long battle with ill health and has now moved into sheltered accommodation. We send her our best wishes.
Fred Owen
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The first field trip of the 2006 season was to Scunthorpe Museum and Crosby Warren Quarry. Click here to read about the visit.
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Fred's Cobbles - a guided visit in Knutsford
Sunday 30th July: Knutsford's Geology Trail and Cobbles display at the Knutsford Heritage Centre. Starts at 2 pm from the Sessions House car park on the A50, opposite the Shell garage. Guided by Fred Owen - tel 01565 651004. All welcome.
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Derek Brumhead has written a review of 'Mellor: Living on the Edge: A Regional Study of an Iron Age and Romano-British Upland Settlement. Click here to read the review.
I recently had a look at some of the artefacts from Mellor, to describe the lithologies for a pal, and found that many of the cracked stones (boiling stones?) were Lake District volcanics, granites and andesites. The "rubbing stones" were liver coloured quartzites, like those found in Cheshire, and most of the quern stones were local sandstones....... but they wouldn‘t let me chip bits off to look at them properly! Substantial quantities of knapped flint fragments were also found there. Ed.
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Greater Manchester RIGS Group
Our Volunteer Recruitment Week, held in Stockport Central Library on Monday, 24th – Saturday, 29th April, was a success. The display of local sites of geological importance proved to be of great interest to library users and our Saturday “Open Morning” was rewarded by half a dozen people taking away introductory packs.
We would like to thank John and Enid Price, who gave their time on Saturday morning assisting us to ‘rope in’ volunteers and Mike Aiers for the loan of MGA display boards.
Thank you also to Mary Howie and her Marple U3A group and Barbara Kleiser’s Macclesfield U3A group for their support and interest.
Marjorie E. Mosley, Secretary, Greater Manchester RIGS Group.
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Holiday Geology in the Lake District
If you are driving (or walking ) over Honister Hause this summer, do call in at the Honister Slate Mines.
An enterprising young Cumbrian has reopened the Slate Mine right at the top of the pass.
He’s is employing 40—50 local workers, selling slates and artefacts, and taking tours underground into the mine.
It’s a really good trip, with free coffee, and you get to split slates at the end!
Mary Howie
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North West Geologist
Now is the time to be seriously thinking about preparing that article about your holiday geology for the coming edition of the North West Geologist!
Articles up to 3000 words, illustrated with photos and diagrams, are required by the end of September for the journal to be issued this December. A review of a recent book you have found of particular interest would also be welcome.
See 'Notes for Authors' on P2 of the last issue, No 12, for information on how to present your article or contact me on 01565 651004.
Fred Owen
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Naill Clarke went to the Herdman Symposium in Liverpool and took these notes for us at a lecture entitled Life on the Dark Side: Chemosynthetic Ecosystems. Click here to read them.
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Shropshire Geology
Peter Toghill's superb Geology in Shropshire has been rewritten and reprinted and is now called Geology of Shropshire. The second edition has colour pictures and diagrams and current thinking on plate tectonics.
Geology of Shropshire by Peter Toghill is published by Crowood Press at £18.99. ISBN 1-86126-808-3. A5 format, 256pp.
I have had a copy of the first edition for some time and found it a really useful and informative volume. Ed.
Peter Toghill will be guest of honour at a short residential summer school at Lucton School near Leominster, 13th-16th July 2006, led by Andrew Jenkinson and Robert Williams in association with the Shropshire Geological Society and the Woolhope Naturalists Field Club.
The programme looks very interesting and explores the sites that Murchison used when erecting his famous Silurian System.
Details from Andrew Jenkinson 01547 530546, email scenesetters@btinternet.com
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Events Elsewhere
MGA members are welcome as guests at events of the following societies. Ring the contact given for details of times and places and to book in, or look at their web sites via our 'Links' page.
Cumberland Geological Society
Ring contact for details
Gogledd Cymru (N Wales) OUGS
9 or 16 July: Llanwddyn Island, Anglesey.
Lancashire Group GA
Ring contact for details
Leeds Geological Society
Ring contact for details
Liverpool Geological Society
Ring contact for details
North Staffordshire Group GA
Sun 16 July: The Severn Valley Dave Pannett
North Wales GA
Wed 12 July: field evening on Menai Straits with Rob Crossley
Wed 9 August: roadside geology field evening at Nant Francon with Jan Heiland
Wed 13 September: 7.30 pm Conwy Civic Hall, talk by Prof James Scourse about 'The last 20,000 yrs in the Menai Straits'
Oldham Geological Society
15 July: Roaches & Ramshaw Rocks
26th July: Marsden Area
Open University Geological Society NW Branch
15th July: Roaches, Hen Cloud - Joe Crossley
Shropshire Geological society
Sun 9 July: Display on 'Geology of bottled water' at Church Stretton Food Fayre
W/e 13 to 16 July: Summer School on the 'Geology and Landscape in the Welsh Marches
22nd July: Geology & Rocks of Wenlock Edge
1- 31 Aug: Fantastic Fossil Forests, Display at Shropshire Hills Discovery centre
17th Aug: Hummocks & Hollows - Ice Age landscapes, Meres & Mosses
Westmorland Geological Society
Ring contact for details
Contacts for the above events:-
Cumberland GS --- Dennis Dickens 01697 321375
Gogledd Cymru (OUGS) --- Rachel Atherton 01942 270152
Lancashire GA --- Jennifer Rhodes 0124 811 203
Leeds GS --- Howard Dunhill 01423 868643
Liverpool GS ---Tom Metcalf 0151 286 9975
North Staffs GA --- Gerald Ford 01630 673409
North Wales GA --- Fred Owen 01565 651004
Shropshire GS --- David Pannett 01743 850773
Oldham GS --- Andrew Tenny 01706 372450
OUGS NW --- Ian Barrow 0161 969 6229
Westmorland GS --- Pam Wilson 015395 33198
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COPY NEEDED ...See your name in print...Share your experiences…
Send me your photos
The next newsletter will be in September. Send any copy to me by end of August please.
Mary Howie - newsletter@mangeolassoc.org.uk
or Snail Mail to Kinder View, 118 Glossop Road, Marple Bridge, Stockport SK6 5EL.
Tel: 0161 427 2965
Views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Association
or its Council.
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