If you have an interest in the subject come and join us, you don’t need to be already knowledgeable.
Friday 15th Nov 2019 – The British Antarctic Research Station by Steve Hinde
Steve Hinde has spent more than 7 years at the British Antarctic Rothera Research Station.
He will tell us about being there, the facilities and about the range of science carried out. We are fortunate to have got Steve to come and look forward to a most interesting presentation.
Friday 20 December
We are to have a light hearted meeting with a quiz, some geological exhibits to identify and talk about, and refreshments befitting the date.
Friday 17 January – The Skelmersdale Coalfield – by Richard Fletcher
How Skelmersdale was transformed after about 1800 from being a farming village into a mining village, population growing from 400 to 5600, with more than 2,000 employed in the mines.
The area is underlain by Middle Coal Measure rocks that are folded into a “bowl shaped” structure called the Newburgh Syncline that is separated from the Permo-Triassic sandstones to the west by the Boundary Fault. Initially, some of the outcropping coal seams were worked by shallow pits and “drift” mines, but water was a constant problem as many of these mines had to be sunk through the moss lands to reach the coal seams. In the 100 years after 1800, Skelmersdale became a typical mining village as deeper mines were developed .
Most of the collieries had closed by the end of the 19th century and none survived the 1930’s; some traces of the old colliery sites can still be identified.
Friday 21 February – Water supply – by Frank Nicholson
The topic looks at groundwater and water supply, the environment and the water cycle. How the variations of rock type affect groundwater movement and hence many aspects of development.
Friday 20 March – Rare Earths, – what are they & do they matter? – by Patsy Colvin
Rare earths have been in the news a lot recently especially in the financial papers. Will Trump manage to break the Chinese ?!!
Friday 17 April – Eruption of Mount Mazama and its consequences – by Dr Joanne Egan – Senior Lecturer at Edge Hill University
The eruption of Mount Mazama in Oregon State, USA about 7600 years ago was quite enormous, it is said to have resulted in the mountain summit lowering by about one mile. The volcanic ash (tephra) was deposited over a very wide area extending into present-day Western Canada. The talk will discuss the fallout and the consequent effects on the area on which it was deposited.
