14th
Oct Professor Bryan Lovell (Cambridge University)
Challenged by carbon: geologists,
the oil industry and climate change
Geology, not least in Scotland, is
rapidly moving to centre stage as we approach the Copenhagen climate summit in
December 2009. We have recently developed the ability to study past changes in
climate on a timescale of thousands rather than millions of years. Armed with
this new definition, we can now recognise that the global warming at 55Ma (Paleocene-Eocene
Thermal Maximum) is a convincing demonstration of the deleterious consequences
of our contemporary release of carbon to the atmosphere. Thanks to recent studies
carried out in Cambridge and Edinburgh, we now have a plausible trigger for the
release of carbon that triggered the 55Ma warming event. It is suggested that
the trigger was an episode of regional uplift in the nascent North Atlantic Ocean,
caused by a hot pulse in mantle convection associated with the early Icelandic
hotspot. (Such pulses may also explain hitherto mysterious high-frequency changes
in regional sea-level a matter to be discussed only briefly on this occasion.)
The coal and oil industries have been our agents in taking carbon from
the subsurface and preparing it for our use and subsequent release to the atmosphere.
The oil industry has thereby become villainous in many eyes. Redemption may be
at hand: petroleum geologists and engineers can put carbon back safely underground.
We should brace ourselves to pay them twice once to take the carbon out
and again to put it back.
We now have conviction that anthropogenic climate
change is a serious problem. This conviction arises from observations of rocks,
rather than from computer models of still uncertain Earth systems. We need the
further conviction that we can solve the problem of carbon release by changing
our behaviour and by the application of existing technology, not least carbon
capture and storage carried out with the aid of the oil industry. Scotland is
an early leader in preparing for this vital activity.
28th Oct Dr
David Brown (University of Glasgow)
Agglomerates, cauldrons and felsites: a
historical record of caldera and sector collapse processes in the British Palaeogene
Igneous Province.
Silicic volcanic rocks have long been recognised in the
BPIP, yet they have traditionally received little attention, with most studies
choosing to focus on the geochronology and geochemistry of the dominant mafic
lithologies. The majority of the silicic igneous rocks in the BPIP occur as large
granite plutons, but smaller silicic units, historically classified as felsites
and variously interpreted as lavas, sills and ring-dykes, are also present. These
felsites are often associated with coarse clastic rocks interpreted as vent
agglomerates. Although apparently volumetrically minor, these rocks helped
to shape our early understanding of volcanic and shallow intrusive processes,
and in particular, early models of cauldron subsidence.
However, as our
understanding of physical volcanology and volcano-tectonic products and processes
has advanced, and as BPIP localities have been re-investigated in ever greater
detail, we now realise that the agglomerates and felsites
record a complex history of caldera and sector collapse events. New and recently
published data will be used to outline the physical volcanology, sedimentology
and volcano-tectonic evolution of the BPIP centres, and to discuss the key role
in our understanding of volcanic and shallow intrusive processes.
11th
Nov Professor Chris MacLeod (Cardiff University)
A new view of seafloor spreading
at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Seafloor spreading, the process by which new
volcanic ocean floor is created at mid-ocean ridges, generates 60% of the surface
of the planet and is arguably the most fundamental geological process on Earth.
As the plates are pulled apart, hot, ductile mantle beneath is drawn upward, decompresses
and partially melts, rising to form a 6-7 km-thick igneous ocean crust. This supposedly
simple conveyor belt model has graced textbooks since the advent of
the plate tectonic paradigm in the 1960s. However, the recovery of samples of
serpentinite-altered mantle rock from the seafloor at some ocean ridge axes requires
us to re-examine the basic seafloor-spreading concept. Why is the ocean crust
missing? Did it never form, or has it been ripped away? In this talk I use results
from our recent cruises to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to attempt to resolve this conundrum,
and to present a new view of seafloor spreading at slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges.
25th Nov Dr Phil Stone (British Geological Survey)
Charles Darwin,
geology and the Falkland Islands.
Charles Darwin was born in 1809 and fifty
years later published his seminal work "On the origin of species by means
of natural selection". So, in 2009, we celebrate two important scientific
anniversaries. Darwin's work on evolution was much influenced by his experiences
during the famous voyage of HMS Beagle and whilst some parts of that voyage, such
as the exploration of the Galapagos Islands, are well known and much celebrated,
other parts are often overlooked. Typical of these neglected aspects are the two
visits that the Beagle made to the Falkland Islands, in 1833 and 1834. Whilst
there, Darwin gathered a wealth of scientific information and his geological work
in particular has had lasting implications. He collected fossils, made accurate
structural observations and speculated on the origin of landforms. Other observations
on the local fauna influenced his now better-known ideas on natural selection.
When the Beagle returned home, Darwin's scientific collection was split up amongst
a multitude of specialists, not all of whom treated it with the respect it deserved.
As a result, there are still surprises to be found in the museums where the material
now resides.
9th Dec Fellows' Night and Social Evening
Short
talks:
John Mendum Geology and wine: the nature of terroir (which will
provide an introduction to the wines that follow in our social evening)
David
Stephenson E.B. Bailey in the Grampian Highlands: nappes, slides and major
'inversions'
Richard Batchelor Proterozoic volcanics in Scotland
Brendan
Hamill Shocked Quartz and Frothed Rocks of Kinross-shire
...
and the launch of Red Sandstone Buidlings of Edinburgh by Michael Devlin
and Malcolm Macnicol.
Demonstrations & Displays:
Phil Stone: display
of specimens, Fossils from the Falkland Islands - in Darwin's footsteps
Lothian
and Borders RIGS Group
Further demonstrations of specimens, posters, photographs,
microscopy, or anything else you would like to share with fellow members are welcome.
If you have something you would like to offer, contact Angus Miller - see Society
Contacts.
13th Jan Dr Andrew Ross (National Museums Scotland)
Insects
in amber
Not only does amber make beautiful jewellery, but it is fascinating
for its ability to preserve delicate organisms that otherwise are not represented
in the fossil record. This talk will lavishly illustrate the different kinds of
amber from around the world and the inclusions they contain. The most common animal
inclusions are insects and comparing these with their living counterparts tells
us a lot about past terrestrial ecology and environments. The search for DNA and
how to recognise fakes is also presented.
20th Jan Presidential
Address Mr Andrew McMillan (British Geological Survey)
Our built
heritage why earth science matters
From earliest times in human
history a range of Earths mineral resources have been exploited for the
building of shelters, dwellings, walls, fortifications, places of worship, roads
and bridges and for monuments, great and small. Of prime importance is stone.
With reference to the UK, and in particular to Scotland, stone features in much
of our built heritage, although at various times in the past timber was pre-eminent.
Stone forms a major component of Scotland's pre-1919 building stock, both as masonry
and roofing, and is increasingly being used as cladding in new buildings and as
paving for town and city streetscapes. From the acme of building with stone during
the mid- to late-1800s when Scotland had over 700 working quarries supplying local,
national and international needs, today we have approximately 20 quarries extracting
exclusively building and pavement stone. This presentation will explore the application
of Earth Sciences to understand and characterise this versatile but variable material
and to identify future indigenous resources which are crucial for the conservation
and maintenance of our built heritage.
10th Feb Presentation of the
Clough Medal Dr Doug Fettes
The Dalradian - a continuing enigma
Over
the past twenty or so years there has been a great increase in our geological
knowledge of the Scottish Highlands and, in particular, the place of the Highlands
in global tectonics. Paradoxically, this increase in knowledge has shown the complexity
of the geological evolution of the area and has highlighted how many intriguing
and fundamental questions still remain to be answered. In many ways the focus
of investigation has moved from establishing a relatively simple and conformable
model for the Highlands to a situation where we seek to define the disconformities
and their meaning. Even in the area of the Daradian Supergroup there are still
many enigmas. For example, how old is the Dalradian does it really pre-date
its own basement? Was Perthshire nearly torn asunder 600Ma years ago? Is the Buchan
area really part of the Dalradian or is it a late intruder? Our current understanding
of these problems will be discussed and how they may fit into a coherent model.
24th
Feb CHANGE TO PUBLISHED PROGRAMME Dr Ken McCaffrey (University of Durham)
Laser
scanning, lighting up the rocks
Geospatial data acquisition at global to
regional scales has wide acceptance, and tools such as Google Earth have been
instrumental in extending Earth visualisation far beyond specialist users of GIS
and satellite imagery. At the outcrop scale, the number of industry and academic
geoscientists adopting digital technologies to gather field data is steadily increasing.
When integrated with traditional field skills, these technologies offer two fundamental
advantages: firstly, outcrop geology can now be recorded with very high detail
and precision; secondly, observations and data are precisely georeferenced, which
is a prerequisite for 2D and 3D spatial analysis. Using methods such as terrestrial
laser scanning and digital photogrammetry, it is possible to create highly realistic
virtual copies of the outcrop. These virtual outcrop models can be used to great
effect to enhance teaching, to provide virtual field-trips (most effective in
conjunction with a real visit to the outcrop), to promote group discussion and
interpretation, or as part of Health & Safety briefing. Perhaps most importantly,
digital outcrop data is also being used to derive quantitative attribute measurements
from specific geological features. Here the emphasis is not on capturing a photo-realistic
copy of the outcrop, but rather on gathering the relevant types of data at the
most appropriate resolution and geospatial precision for the type of analysis
undertaken. Examples of this kind of quantitative analysis include fault curvature,
roughness, branch-line geometry, spatial variation in fault displacement, fracture
spacing and 3D spatial clustering, fold curvature, sedimentary channel morphology,
lateral and vertical facies variations, and geomorphological analysis of terrace
offsets. These kinds of studies generate real-world constraints for validation
and calibration in geological modelling and ultimately provide new insights into
a range of geological processes.
10th Mar Joint lecture with Mining
Institute of Scotland (7pm, Murchison House) Dr James Tweedie (GeoMEM)
Borehole
Surveying in mining, quarrying and oil exploration
The need to survey was
recognised as early as the 1870s just over a decade after the first mechanised
drill was developed for oil exploration.
Until 1929 the most used (and unsafe)
method of acid etch provided only low accuracy information about borehole inclination.
In 1929 Sperry introduced the SURWEL Gyroscope which delivered both inclination
and direction and the borehole surveying was born.
Since then there has
been continuous development of surveying instruments and methods with major boosts
in the late 20th century to the present as computing power increased and electronic
components and sensors were miniaturised. This process continues apace today.
Knowledge
of borehole paths is essential in most industries in which drilling is involved,
including Oil & Gas, Mining, Quarrying and Engineering/Construction. It is
required to locate the position of the various data that are obtained whilst drilling,
either by sampling or logging and, hence, allow accurate interpretation and planning
and reduction of risk for later processes.
The main challenge now is to
survey to a known accuracy. This requires understanding of the instrument being
used, its method of surveying and data processing and the constraints imposed
by the borehole and surrounding environment.
24th Mar Professor Tim
Atkinson (University College, London)
Taking the plunge into deep time - landscape
evolution comes of age
The measurement of past time has played a key role
in the history of geology, with enormous advances made in dating rocks and sediments
since the early 20th century. The dating of erosional features lagged far behind
methods that could be applied to rocks. The invention of dating techniques such
as radio-carbon and lead-210, which have short time-spans, led to a bias in geomorphology
towards short timescales and studies of landscape evolution became unfashionable
in geomorphic circles from the 1960s on. This situation has gradually reversed,
with the introduction of longer time-scale radiometric methods based on electron
spin resonance, thermo-luminescence, optically stimulated luminescence, Uranium-Thorium,
the direct dating of surfaces using cosmogenic isotopes, and the use of the palaeomagnetic
reversal timescale. Together these techniques pushed back the dating limits for
landscape studies to about 0.5 My. Recently it
has become possible to date
very young secondary carbonates by the U-Pb technique, which has no upper time
limit, and a lower time limit that has been brought down to ~0.1 My in favourable
circumstances. In principle it is now possible to measure the evolutionary history
of whole landscapes, by dating rock surfaces, sediments and other deposits such
as lavas and volcanic ash resting on them, and underground features such as cave
deposits.
The talk will briefly survey the history of dating methods but
will mainly concentrate on the use of cave deposits to date rates of valley incision
and landscape evolution, with world-wide examples, including NW Scotland. The
talk will conclude by considering the implications of these studies
for engineering
projects that have long design lifetimes, especially the burial of nuclear wastes.
8th
Apr Peter Westbroek (Leiden University)
Earth - from global menaces to planetary
hope
Global heating, overpopulation, exhaustion of natural resources, globalization
... all these problems are connected and affect the earth at large. The world
leaders pull their levers, but, whatever they do, things only get worse. An epidemic
of global fear is spreading and already shows its ugly face in outbreaks of intolerance,
fundamentalism, and xenophobia. This fear is the worst of all our predicaments.
What we need is an inner light, an attitude of detachment, a balanced state of
mind. This, I argue, is what geology can bring about. Through our science we can
gaze into the abyss of time, fathom the depth of our roots, witness the immense
creativity of emergence, and admire the majestic odyssey of our planets
history. Geology is a neglected treasure trove bringing admiration for this planet
and confidence in ourselves. Its method is universal and its results are open
to everybody. Thanks to geology we are in a position to overcome our fears, properly
address the problems ahead and experience our life as a unique adventure.