EGS Lecture Programme

Our varied programme of illustrated lectures runs from October to Easter, on Wednesday evenings. These meetings are open to the public, there is no charge, and visitors are most welcome.

Speakers and topics are carefully chosen to provide interest for both the amateur and professional geologist. These meetings also provide an informal opportunity to chat to other members, and find out more about geological sites from local experts. At the annual Fellows’ Night, members give accounts of their own geological interests, specimens or travels.

We will continue to broadcast our lectures online via Zoom and also, if speakers agree, record them for later viewing on our YouTube channel. If you are not a member, please contact Angus Miller (promotion@edinburghgeolsoc.org) for details.

Information about the lectures, including more detailed abstracts where provided, are available below.

Graham Leslie has expertly coordinated the Lectures programme since 2014. EGS Council and members are very grateful for all of Graham’s efforts to create lecture programmes with varied and topical lectures, including the last two years of talks by key authors contributing to the 5th edition of The Geology of Scotland.

Alistair Milne, our new Lectures Secretary, takes over the reigns in the new year; this year’s programme has been arranged by Mark Wilkinson and Angus Miller, and includes some new innovations including two events with short presentations on a range of topics. As ever, your feedback and ideas for the future are appreciated – email lectures@edinburghgeolsoc.org.

The lectures usually take place in the Hutton Lecture Theatre in the Grant Institute of Geology, The King’s Buildings, James Hutton Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE.

The Grant Institute is part of the School of Geosciences (it is labelled The Grant Institute on the door). It is one of the large buildings just back from, and facing West Mains Road.

Coming by bus:  Lothian service 9 travels along West Mains Road and enters Gate 2 to Kings Buildings to its final stop on David Brewster Road. Go back along this road (west),  cross over the crossroads continuing on David Brewster Road, with a large red brick building on the right (School of Chemistry) and a statue of David Brewster on the left.  At the next crossroads continue straight ahead onto James Hutton Road (white and black sign). Beside this is a large blue information board which includes directions to the Grant Institute. Continue along James Hutton Road to the next large building on your right, labelled School of Geosciences, Grant Institute.

Coming by car or bike:  From West Mains Road turn into Gate 1 of King’s Buildings (the entrance closest to Mayfield Road) onto James Dewar Road. At the first junction, turn left onto James Hutton Road There is a large blue sign which includes directions to the Grant Institute. Continue along James Hutton Road a few metres to the first large building on your right, labelled School of Geosciences, Grant Institute. Parking is available in front of the building.

Once inside the Grant Institute, turn left and follow the corridor round to the end where you will find the lecture theatre at the bottom of a short flights of steps (a stair lift is available).

What3Words link for the front door: what3words.com/spends.claims.slate

EGS Evening Lecture Programme 2024-25

Presidential address: Mark Wilkinson, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh

Concretions on Skye: there’s more there than dinosaurs!

The Jurassic sandstones of Skye contain metre-scale calcite concretions. A relatively new analytical technique reveals both the temperature of formation, and the composition of the porewater that the concretions grew from. Unfortunately, the new results conflict with key field evidence – so how to reconcile the two?

Watch lecture recording on YouTube

School of GeoSciences early career researchers

Early career researchers from across the School of GeoSciences will share their research in a series of four short talks, details below.

This lecture will be preceded by an informal ‘pizza and pop’ session, from 6pm in the Grant Museum. All welcome: please book here.

Ri Cao, PhD student: Volcanoes on Venus Venus is widely regarded as Earth’s ‘sister’ planet, given their similarity in size, mass, density, and chemical composition. Steep-sided domes are prominent volcanic landforms on Venus that are postulated to require the eruption of highly viscous magma. They are pivotal in (1) understanding the range of magmatic processes operating on Venus and (2) elucidating the geological evolution of stagnant lid regime planets. Despite their significance, there are still considerable debates regarding their formation mechanisms (SiO2-rich or crystal-rich). In this study, I have investigated potential mechanisms for the formation of Venusian domes by constraining the viscosity of liquids formed by batch melting (BM) of Venusian crust or by fractional crystallisation (FC) of primary magmas using thermodynamic modelling rhyolite-MELTS software. My results indicate that high crystallinity magmas are required to generate sufficient high viscosity to account for the formation of steep-sided domes.

Watch lecture recording on YouTube

Aideliz Montiel Alvarez, PhD student: The first 3D electrical conductivity model of Britain: linking lithospheric structure and ground impacts of space weather
The magnetotelluric (MT) method probes the electrical properties of the subsurface at a broad range of frequencies and, therefore, depths. Given its ability to reveal electrical conductivity contrasts associated with geological variations and other physical parameters, the MT method is widely applied to resource exploration, lithospheric studies and, recently, space weather studies. Based on a recently collected long-period magnetotelluric dataset, we have built the first 3D conductivity model of Britain. The model images both anomalies that are aligned with well-known geological features as well as previously undetected anomalies that can provide new insights into the lithospheric structure of Britain. Using the new conductivity model and magnetic fields measured at geomagnetic observatories in and around the UK, we show geoelectric fields estimated for the major storm of 10th of May, 2024.

Watch lecture recording on YouTube

Ruaridh Alexander, PhD student: Reconstructing the enigmatic Ediacaran organism Namacalathus
The late Ediacaran period (ca. 574-539 million years ago) hosts the rise of animals in the fossil record, including the first skeletal forms, prior to the ‘Cambrian Explosion’ of life. Recent studies suggest that many Ediacaran fossils may be related to groups that are historically interpreted as having originated in the Cambrian, thus deepening the roots of the ‘Cambrian Explosion’ and questioning the explosive nature of this evolutionary event. One such fossil is the biomineralising Namacalathus hermanastes, initially described from the Nama Group in Namibia, where recent interpretation of its biological affinities suggests placement within the bilaterians. This talk will discuss recent research into the affinities of Namacalathus and the techniques used to make such interpretations.

Watch lecture recording on YouTube

Alastair Hodgetts, early-career post-doc: Fire and Ice project – Towards an understanding of the marine impacts following the Chaitén 2008 eruption, Southern Chile

On 2nd May, 2008, Chaitén volcano in Southern Chile erupted without warning, triggering the immediate evacuation of approximately 4,000 people. The eruption produced large volumes of silica-rich ash which was principally transported towards Argentina. However, heavy rains following the eruption generated devastating lahars (volcanic mudflows) which destroyed the nearby, evacuated seaside town of Chaitén. Much of the town now lay buried in volcanic material, devastated by this unexpected event, however the marine impacts of the eruption are unknown. This talk provides the first look at preliminary data collected onboard the RV Falkor (too); a scientific research vessel used to investigate the effects of the Chaitén eruption on the surrounding ocean environments. Using multidisciplinary techniques employed by a diverse team of international scientists, this talk introduces some of the main scientific questions about this eruption 16 years on and how geological, geophysical and biological research is being used to answer them.

Watch lecture recording on YouTube

Rob Butler, University of Aberdeen

In search of the Logan Rock: Geo-interpretational reflections from the 19th century and resonance today

On the centennial of Sir Archibald Geikie’s death, consideration of how geologists can allow theory and expectation get in the way of careful observation. Stories from the NW Highlands from 1850-1885 provide lessons for those interpreting geological relationships today.

Watch lecture recording on YouTube | Rob Butler’s extensive YouTube Channel – includes a general introduction to this area – www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBpyYMGSk7E&t=193s

Glen Logan with the Beinn Eighe massif in the background. Image: Rob Butler

Sally Law, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh
Iceland granite – a model for Earth’s early continents?

The petrogenesis of silicic rocks in Iceland is still poorly understood, but localised tectonic settings exert control on the major drivers of silicic magmatism. At the rift axis, mafic rock is hydrated by hydrothermal circulation, and subsequently buried to amphibolite facies. For decades it has been hypothesised that metamorphic amphibolite is present at depth in the Icelandic crust, and that partial melting of this crust drives generation of silicic magma. This has led to many researchers believing that the petrogenesis of silicic rocks in Iceland may be similar to how Early Earth’s first silicic rocks formed four billion years ago, which subsequently grew into the first continental crust.

In this talk, I will present new field, geochemical and petrological data from four Icelandic granitoid plutons. The data indicates that the granitoids are formed through partial melting of the Icelandic crust, but are compositionally unlike early Earth continental material. I will discuss how intra-crustal partial melting of basalt can potentially form silicic material on other planetary bodies but cannot produce the first continents on Earth.

Figure 1 The Vestrahorn mafic-silicic pluton in southeast Iceland. Yellow – granite, pink – granodiorite and net-vein complexes, blue – gabbro, green – epidote-altered country basalt.

Ass. Professor Heather Stewart, Deputy Director of the Minderoo-University of Western Australia Deep-Sea Research Centre and Director of Kelpie Geoscience
Into the blue: exploring the deepest places on Earth

The deepest parts of the ocean are one of the final remaining frontiers of discovery on our planet. Much of the deep ocean is unmapped and draws in explorers, scientists, cartographers and environmentalists, keen to discover its secrets. Underwater seascapes, comparable in size and complexity to our known continents, unknown ecosystems and processes that defy study from the surface means there are many gaps in our knowledge that science is hoping to fill. Due to the challenges of research at even moderate depths, almost every expedition venturing below 3000 m throws up a surprise.

Heather Stewart has been lucky enough to participate on a number of expeditions to explore the deepest seafloors and will share some of what these diverse expedition teams have learned. Heather is lead geologist for the Inkfish Open Ocean Program that brings together a multidisciplinary team of researchers to make our view of the deep ocean sharper than ever before.

Ass. Professor Heather Stewart is Deputy Director of the Minderoo-University of Western Australia Deep-Sea Research Centre and Director of Kelpie Geoscience. Heather has over 20 years of experience in multidisciplinary marine research and exploration with a focus on characterising the geology and physical character of the seabed and sub-seabed. She has participated in more than 35 marine expeditions globally.

Watch lecture recording on YouTube

This meeting, close to the anniversary of the foundation of the Society, is a chance to meet other members informally, with refreshments served from 6.30pm, followed by a series of short talks given by members at 7pm. This year’s talks include:

Patrick Corbett Geopoetry, Geopoetics and Geology
Simeon T Brown History of Onshore Oil & Gas Exploration and Production in Scotland, 1845-2015
Mark Wilkinson The Brora Sandstone and the evolution of the Scottish landmass

Please note these talks will not be broadcast on Zoom, or recorded. Please book on WebCollect if you are coming for the refreshments from 6:30pm

Linda Cotterill (formerly Marshall), EGS member

Origin of mixed magma ring intrusions: implications for their extrusive, explosive ignimbrite equivalents in the BPIP, west Scotland

Most Scottish BPIP (British Palaeogene Igneous Province) volcanoes include a mixed-magma ring intrusion, formed by simultaneous intrusion of basic, intermediate and silicic magmas, revealing highly complex features, many intrusive phases, evidence of liquid commingling, magma mixing & huge brecciated net-veined areas – indicating violent, highly explosive volcanic activity. Evidence from St Kilda and Ardnamurchan (new work) strongly suggest such intrusions are connected to mixed-magma surface eruptions (probably ignimbrites) which may have been more common than previously realised.

I thought my unusual background might be of interest and inspirational to some: I did a Ph.D in the 1980s at Cambridge University, mentored by Steve Sparks, now one of the world’s leading volcanologists. After several years in metal exploration overseas I retrained as a chartered accountant and ran my own successful company for 26 years.

Now retired and moved to Scotland I have returned to geology (always my great passion) to give a lecture on my Ph.D thesis, updated for the latest research, to demonstrate an important link between mixed magma ring intrusions and explosive volcanic eruptions.

I joined EGS two years ago and they were so incredibly supportive of this desire to present my work in a lecture. I also intend to write up more papers from my thesis (only 40 years later but still highly significant and important to be published!) and to do some more petrology research on the St Kilda volcano, supported by Steve Sparks. My earlier two published papers (dated 1984 and 1986) on magma mixing were in the name of Linda Marshall. These were written jointly with Steve Sparks and both are still often cited today.

Note that this lecture will ONLY be online via Zoom. Don’t turn up at the Grant Institute!

Recent papers from the Scottish Journal of Geology

We are inviting a selection of authors who have recently published in the Scottish Journal of Geology to share their research in a series of short talks. The programme will be published on our website in advance.

This lecture will be preceded by an informal ‘pizza and pop’ session, from 6pm in the Grant Museum. All welcome: please book here.

MIS/EGS Joint lecture: Katriona Edlmann, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh

Geological storage of Hydrogen for Net Zero

To meet the global commitments for net zero carbon emissions our energy mix must transition from fossil fuels. Hydrogen is gaining increasing recognition as a low carbon energy option to support this energy transition. Hydrogen can promote increased renewable energy uptake by delivering large scale energy store to balance supply and demand. Hydrogen is also being considered as a low-carbon substitute for fossil fuels to decarbonise industrial heat, industrial processes, power generation and heavy-duty transport. For hydrogen to be deployed at the scales required for net zero, we will need access to large-scale geological storage. This talk will introduce the role of hydrogen to decarbonise energy, the scales of hydrogen storage required, the different hydrogen storage technologies under consideration and introduce the existing hydrogen storage projects currently underway or in planning. It will also highlight the suitability of Scotland’s geology to host these storage technologies and explore the integration of hydrogen storage within our existing energy system.

Clough Medal lecture: Mike Browne

Geoconservation in Scotland

A five decade career in the British Geological Survey (BGS) mainly working on Devonian and Carboniferous rocks in the Midland Valley of Scotland, will be used in this talk to show some of our successes in Geoconservation. Because the Special Sites Of Scientific Interest (SSSI) and GeoConservation Review (GCR) systems work mainly very well, we will focus on local authority recognised Local Geological Sites (LGS) and other potential localities. However, over the years many former quarries and some natural sections have been filled in, flooded or covered over; the sites illustrated will be focussed on some of these losses. At some of these places, there may well be records such as company borehole logs and mine/quarry plans. Data and photographs collected on site visits are important but where these are only personal, these may be lost with time. This makes the case for making deposition of such materials with official bodies like BGS or with the Scottish Geology Trust’s Geosites web page.

(Please note, date of this lecture has changed since the original programme was published) 

Doug Benn, University of St Andrews

Glacial surges in Svalbard and Scotland

A first general theory of glacier surging can explain the full spectrum of glacier dynamic behaviour in a single framework. The theory is based on the enthalpy budget of glacier systems and their interactions with local climates. It has been successfully tested against global-scale statistical data, and observations from individual glaciers.

(Please note, date of the AGM and lecture has changed since the original programme was published) 

Ula Filipowicz & colleagues, University of St Andrews

Mapping and other adventures at Qassiarsuk, southern Greenland

Undergraduate geology students from the University of St Andrews undertook six weeks of mapping in Qassiarsuk, studying various structures and igneous phenomena for their dissertations. They didn’t just experience fascinating geology but had a proper adventure, from close calls with polar bears, glacial walks and backcountry mountain huts. They thank all their sponsors and particularly the Edinburgh Geological Society for helping them partake in such a magnificent opportunity and are looking forward to sharing their findings with the EGS community.

This lecture will be preceded by an informal ‘pizza and pop’ session, from 6pm in the Grant Museum. All welcome: please book here.

EGS Recorded Lectures 2023-24

Our YouTube Channel | Lectures Playlist

EGS Recorded Lectures 2023-24

Our YouTube Channel | Lectures Playlist

EGS Recorded Lectures 2022-23

Our YouTube Channel | Lectures Playlist

EGS Recorded Lectures 2021-22

Our YouTube Channel | Lectures Playlist

EGS Recorded Lectures 2020-21

Our YouTube Channel | Lectures Playlist