Gloucestershire Geology Trust
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Gloucestershire Geology Trust Courses




 
 

Dave Green - Geostudies


Geostudies is run by Dave Green, a self-confessed geological enthusiast, who simply likes to pass it on! He has taught Geology at various levels, from O level to undergraduate, since 1974, at various institutions; secondary schools in Gloucester and Ross, Further Education Colleges in Stroud, Swindon, and the Forest of Dean, the WEA, the Open University and, for the last 12 years, the University of Bristol. He is an all-round geologist, but inclines towards agreeing that he is keener on the “hard rock” side of geology (older sediments, igneous and metamorphic rocks, geological structures etc.) but has a more than passable knowledge of soft rocks and their fossils, and is very interested in Quaternary geology and the development of landforms. It would be fair to describe him as “laid back” and patient in his approach, and keen to make sure that students are grasping ideas in a subject that can sometimes be fairly inaccessible, often due to jargon. Above all he is enthusiastic about the subject, something that he hopes will rub off!

Details of the courses being run by Dave are shown below. Unless otherwise stated, for more information, contact Dave on 01594 860 858 or davegeostudies@gmail.com.


September 2018

Understanding Geology and Scenery around Ross-on-Wye: Starts September 21st (not 25th Oct or 8th Nov), finishes 6th December. This 10 week course aims to introduce you to the ways in which the varied and beautiful landscape round our area has come into being. The effects of folds, faults and tectonic dip in exposing different rock types, and the past and present processes of uplift, weathering, erosion and deposition that have acted upon them, will be examined by reference to local scenery. Use will be made of local maps and cross-sections across them, both geological and topographic; together with specimens of local rocks. Contact Paul Mason on 01989 760399. Cost £60 Enrol before 15th September to ensure that the course runs.

Geology of the Bristol and Gloucester Region.: One of the most varied regions of Britain, spanning the major divisions of the Variscan Front/Bristol Channel-Bray Fault, and the Malvern fault/ Worcester Graben, incorporating rocks varying in age from late PreCambrian to Cretaceous, and three of the terranes making up the geological "jigsaw" of Britain. The course will cover roughly the area covered by the eponymous BGS publication in the British Regional Geology series (3rd edition 1992). Starts Mon 17th September for 10 weeks (not 22nd or29th Oct or 5th Nov), until 10th December Held at Wynstones School, Stroud Road, Whaddon, Gloucester from 7.30-9.30pm on Mondays. Cost £75 (including tea, coffee etc at breaktime!).

October 2018

Field Course: The Geology of Northern Cyprus and NW Turkey: Dates will be for a week to 10 days trip around a period from 19th to 31st October (half term in Glos). Half the time will be spent in N Cyprus and half in Turkey, in the area around and to the south west of Istanbul. A wide variety of geology is exposed; from the Kyrenia Terrane of N Cyprus, spectacularly exposed in the narrow, and still rising, mountain range that forms the entire northernmost coast, but deeply buried beneath the younger sediments of the Mesoria Basin to the south. Jurassic and Cretaceous sediments were folded and metamorphosed during subduction in the late Cretaceous, then exhumed, eroded and covered by latest Cretaceous-Palaeogene sediments and volcanics, then by an Eocene melange; the whole being thrust and folded by Eocene collision with Troodos. Turkey was not a single entity until the Early Tertiary, when several continental fragments with independent Palaeozoic and Mesozoic geological histories were assembled during a complex sequence of events leading to the collision of Gondwana and Laurasia. We shall examine the Istanbul and Sakarya terranes, which were detached parts of Laurasia, undergoing Triassic subduction, collision and obduction/exhumation of ophiolites, including some of the best high pressure metamorphic rocks in the world.

November - December 2018

Field Course 30th November - 2nd December, Geology of the Quantocks and West Somerset: A classic area for the study of the folded Upper Palaeozoic basement in the Quantocks and Cannington Park, and the unconformable Triassic and Jurassic sequence exposed in faulted basins associated with the Bristol Channel fault. What is the evidence for and against massive Variscan movement of formerly widely separated terranes along this fault? Excellent exposures, particularly of the Mesozoic rocks at and near the coast.

January 2019

Geology of Eruptions, Earthquakes and Tsunamis: Dates will be for a week trip around a period from Fri 15th to Monday 25th .

Advances in Understanding Earth's Structure and Operation. : This 10 week course aims to introduce you to relatively new ideas, some accepted, some controversial, about the internal structure and tectonics of the Earth. Many ideas have changed radically since the inception of the Plate Tectonic hypothesis, and especially in the period from the 1990s, partly as a result of new technology, and the re-examination of parts of the theory that evidence did not support. Each week we will examine a different topic, such as subduction, mantle dynamics, mantle plumes. Held at The Chantry, Thornbury. First meeting 7.30 - 9.30, Thurs 10th January until March 21st (not Thurs 21st Feb). Cost £75

February 2019

Understanding Geology and Scenery around Ross-on-Wye: Starts September 21st (not 25th Oct or 8th Nov), finishes 6th December. This 10 week course aims to introduce you to the ways in which the varied and beautiful landscape round our area has come into being. The effects of folds, faults and tectonic dip in exposing different rock types, and the past and present processes of uplift, weathering, erosion and deposition that have acted upon them, will be examined by reference to local scenery. Use will be made of local maps and cross-sections across them, both geological and topographic; together with specimens of local rocks. Contact Paul Mason on 01989 760399. Cost £60 Enrol before 15th September to ensure that the course runs.

April 2019

Practical Study of Minerals:How to identify minerals using techniques based on both physical (crystallographic, twinning, cleavage, hardness, density, streak, colour, lustre, acid reaction, taste etc) and optical properties under the petrological microscope (relief, pleochroism, birefringence, extinction etc) Monday 29th April, for 10 weeks, until 15th July (not 6th nor 27th May). Held at Wynstones School, Stroud Rd, Whaddon, Gloucester from 7.30-9.30pm on Mondays. Cost £75.

June 2019

Field Course: Tues 4th June - Tues 16th July Geology and Landscape in Gloucestershire : (evening field course Tuesdays 7-9 First meeting point:- Stinchcombe Hill: Meet at the car park /roadside pull-in just over the crest of the hill GR ST 744 983 (beyond the golf course car park) . Further sessions on website, separate leaflet, and/or by contacting Dave Green.

 

Dr. Nick Chidlaw

The tutor is a geologist with 30 years of post-graduate experience in teaching, research, publishing and industrial consulting. As a research student, he studied the sedimentology of Early Jurassic strata in the Cotswolds, carried out at the former St Paul and St Mary College Cheltenham (now the University of Gloucestershire), and the University of Bristol. During this time he taught undergraduates thin section petrography and field mapping skills (Arran, Lake District, Lizard). In the late 1980's he worked as a part time OU tutor on the Science Foundation course in Bristol. He has taught adult education courses for over 20 years, mostly during his time at Bristol University, and in recent years for Cardiff University.

Details of the courses being run by Nick are shown below. Unless otherwise stated, for more information, please contact Nick via Gloucestershire Geology Trust.


October 2018

Saturday 20th - Tuesday 23rd October 10am - 5pm : FIELD GEOLOGY FROM THE MALVERN HILLS TO THE COTSWOLDS

This highly scenic area spans the boundary between older folded rocks seen in much of Wales, and younger flatter rocks in southern England. The course includes those from Precambrian to Jurassic age: metamorphics on the craggy Malverns, red desert strata in a cliff on the River Severn, and shelly oolitic limestones (some formerly containing dinosaur bones) in Cotswold quarries. No prior knowledge of geology or the locations is assumed.

Please note you will need to make your own travel and accommodation arrangements; meeting times and places to be confirmed.

The course is organised through Cardiff University. It carries assessment, which is very difficult to fail! Attendees usually find assessment on these courses useful for consolidating what they have learned. Tuition fee is £165.00 (concessionary fee available £132.00). Enrolments can be made by phoning 029 2087 0000 or see website www.cardiff.ac.uk/learn


November 2018

Saturday 17th November : ICE AGE & HOT DESERT: two geological walks near Gloucester

The Severn Valley immediately north of Gloucester comprises a rural landscape of farmland and scattered villages, punctuated by abrupt, flat-topped hills, and extensive tracts of valley floor over which the tidal river flows south. The geological history of the area is fascinating and contrasting. The oldest strata, c. 200 million years old, are very gently folded into a basin structure and were laid down as hot deserts gave way to shallow tropical seas in Late Triassic / Early Jurassic times. They are exposed in cliffs along the river. The hill tops and valley sides below preserve deposits laid down by a glacier and meltwaters during the Ice Age. At this time, the river progressively cut down its course, at one time reaching below its present level. With the ending of the Ice Age in Britain some 10,000 years ago, and the associated rise in sea level, the river has built up its broad clayey plain, frequently prone to hazardous winter floods. This course comprises a morning walk (c. 4 miles) and an afternoon walk (c. 3 miles), both gently-paced with frequent stops to discuss the geology and landforms.

Sunday 18th November : A GEOLOGICAL WALK IN ESCARPMENT COUNTRY, MID COTSWOLDS: Jurassic strata and landforms near and far

The steep escarpment of Jurassic rocks in the mid Cotswolds looks north-west across the broad low-lying Severn Vale, to the Welsh Borderland hills and beyond. This mainly rural, highly attractive landscape overlies a geological legacy of repeated tectonic plate collision and extension, uplift and erosion going back to Precambrian times. On this course you can learn to recognise these landforms, know of their underlying rocks, and understand how both came into being. Walking about 4 miles between Doverow Hill near Stonehouse across the valley of the river Frome to Selsley Common, we examine exposures of Early and Middle Jurassic strata in old quarries and pits, and lane cuttings. The Early Jurassic rocks here, mostly soft, muddy and sandy sedimentary deposits, were laid down in warm tropical seas overlying an active rift complex before the North Atlantic Ocean basin opened to the west; the overlying Middle Jurassic strata, mostly limestones with highly fossiliferous beds, were deposited when the seas became shallower and clearer and the crustal rifting died down. In later geological times, the Jurassic strata came under north-south tension, causing the rocks to develop parallel sets of faults running east-west, and displacements to occur. During the Ice Age, the River Severn and its tributaries progressively incised their courses, and landslides occurred on the escarpment as it came into being; these landslides continued to take place, notably at the end of the last cold climatic episode.

Volunteer drivers amongst field party will be required to facilitate the planned walking - advise when enrolling if you can help.

The deadline for the minimum number (10) of enrolments for both courses is Thursday 1st November (just over 2 weeks before the courses are proposed to run). Maximum number of enrolments is 30. If the minimum of enrolments is reached by this deadline, the arrangements will continue; if not, the course will be cancelled and fees received will be returned to those who have sent them in, soon afterwards.

Please note that these course are independent of one another - you can decide to attend either or both, according to your interests and availability.

Tuition fee is £27.00 per person per course. If you / anyone else you know would like to attend either or both of these courses, please forward cheque payable to Nick to:

Dr N Chidlaw

8 Silver Street

Dursley,

Glos.

GL11 4ND

 

Glos Uni
Undergraduate Courses - Geography
Honours Degree

The course emphasises the relevance of geography today and for tomorrow’s world. You’ll explore these and other issues in developed and developing world contexts.
Bringing together human and physical geography, the range of innovative modules allows you to specialise as the course progresses.
You’ll work in well-equipped laboratories and participate in fieldtrips to European countries and beyond. Recent trips have included Uganda, the Swiss Alps and Spain as well as numerous local destinations.

The degree gives you the skills and expertise relevant to key employment sectors. Education, geographic information systems, climate research, environmental management and sustainable development, are just some of the areas where graduates are now making major contributions.

The staff are passionate, committed educators and include many national award winners and internationally recognised authors and researchers.

Click on the University logo to visit their website.

 
 
AS & 'A' Level Geology
Worcester Sixth Form College, Spetchley Road, Worcester, WR5 2LU
Tel: 01905 362600
GCSE and ‘A’ Level Geology
Sir Thomas Rich's School, Oakleaze, Longlevens, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL2 0LF
Tel: 01452 338400
‘A’ Level Geology (only offered if there is enough demand)
Cheltenham Bournside School & Sixth Form College, Warden Hill Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 3EF
Tel: 01242 235555
AS & ‘A’ Level Geology
John Kyrle High School, Ledbury Road, Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 7ET
Tel: 01989 764358
AS Level Geology                        
Cirencester College, FosseWay, Stroud Road, Cirencester, GL7 1XA
Tel: 01285 640994
Gloucestershire Geoconservation Trust.  Registered Charity Number: 1115272. © 2016 All Rights Reserved.