Huddersfield Geology Group Contacts


Newsletter - March 2001

Roundhay Park Field Trip

Bill Fraser took a few members to the planned geological trail at Roundhay Park , Leeds in February and we enjoyed a walk around the lake on a cold but clear afternoon.
Bill has written a leaflet for the Leeds Geologists' Association and production will go ahead soon with the Leeds City Parks Department designing and funding the trail.
Foot paths will be improved, access to a quarry exposure made easier and signs used to point out features of interest.
Coal Measure sandstones and shales are exposed and evidence seen of a large fault on the North side of the Yorkshire Coalfield with some impressive drag folding visible in a small stream.

GA Festival - Earth Science Fair
Liverpool University 2nd - 4th November 2001

This is the Annual Geologists' Association Event held for the first time outside London. The Group are now affiliated to the Geologists' Association and can attend as exhibitors and/or delegates.
An outline programme is printed below.

Friday 2nd November
Groups meeting - lunch at 12.30 pm
Set up stands from 3.30pm

Saturday 3rd November
9.30am - 5.00pm
Groups displays; commercial exhibits; rock & fossil fayre; discovery room
Liverpool Department of Earth Sciences Open Day
Lectures within the Earth Sciences Department

Saturday Evening
Event Dinner

Sunday 4th November
Field excursion programme

Liverpool University Department of Earth Sciences Open Day
Staff from the department will be on hand to lead groups on several tours of the department. There will be an opportunity to examine exhibits associated with teaching and research activities as well as smaller group tours to see specialist items of equipment such as the supercomputer, stable isotope facility, scanning electron microscope and mass spectrometer facilities.

The lecture programme has not yet been finalised.

Field Excursion Programme
There will be a choice of 4 main field trips:
1. "Rock around Liverpool" = a geological guide to the building stones of the City centre.
2. "Engineering geology and environmental impact" = a visit to the sea defences of the north Wirral coast and beach walk.
3. A visit to the Triassic sandstones at Thurstaton to examine the Sherwood Sandstone Group which form the petroleum reservoir rocks of the eastern Irish Sea Basin.
4. Quaternary glacial geology in the Dee estuary.

Johnston Wellfield Quarry Information Board

The Crosland Hill information board has now been completed and returned from the layout designers. It was generally approved and Shaun Berry (manager of Johnson Wellfield Quarries) is arranging for copies so that the poster can be placed in the observation site overlooking Moorfield Quarry on Sands Lane.

Forthcoming Events

Foot and Mouth Restrictions

All will be sad that foot and mouth has broken out in Britain. As geologists we use footpaths and enjoy landscapes that are in the care of farmers. Clearly access to most rock exposures will be restricted and fieldwork limited until the outbreak is over. The visit to May Beck on Sunday 20th May will be cancelled unless access restrictions are lifted. Perhaps we could substitute a museum visit? One suggestion is the Salt Museum in Northwich, Cheshire. Details in the next newsletter.

Calderdale Booklet

Field trips are on hold due to foot and mouth restrictions
The next 2 editorial meetings are:
Sunday 1st April
Sunday 24th June

Sunday 18th March
Field Visit to the Kirkburton area with Ian Chisholm of the BGS

"Why does the BGS map show two Grenoside sandstones here?"
Meet at 9.30am by the entrance to Burton Den Quarry in Kirkburton
Grid Ref: SE 19451305
This is on the road which branches off the A629 Huddersfield to Sheffield road into the centre of Kirkburton.
Park on the left hand side in front of buildings just after the 2nd left called Slantgate.
Lunch at Thunderbridge either packed or pub.
Bring your hand lens.
Ian has rearranged the trip so that we will be using roads and lanes without losing sense of the new ideas about the provenance of Coal Measure Sandstones. Ian is visiting Huddersfield specially from Nottingham to run the trip and so a healthy attendance would be appreciated

Monday 14th May
The Building Stones of Oldham

Meet Alison outside the Oldham Museum at 19:00 for a walk around the town centre

Many thanks and well done to Jenny who has worked very hard to create tonight's presentation after realising that she was being whisked away on holiday. She is grateful to Sheila and Harold who have provided handouts and slides elucidating the geology of the area and also to non geological friends who have allowed her to use reprographic equipment to produce the visual aid.
We expect Jenny to be nominated at next year's Oscars for best short documentary.

Newsletter - March 2001