Promoting interest in the geology of Cambridgeshire, the UK and worldwide
MONTHLY TALKS
We have a programme of 10 Monthly talks running from September to June each year, held on the second Monday of every month. All talks (unless specified otherwise) are at 7.30 pm (doors open 7.00 pm). Everyone welcome, free to CGS members, £3 for non members. From September 2022 onwards these will be held in the hall at St Andrew’s Church, Histon.
Our talks for the Sep 2021 – June 2022 season were online (using ZOOM). We may be able to offer the September 2022 to June 2023 as hybrid talks so if you would like to watch them by Zoom, please contact us if you are not a member or not already on our ‘zoom’ mailing list. Once registered you will be sent the ZOOM link each month if this turns out to be possible.
NEXT TALK
More information on the Events page
Monday 12th September 2022 7.30pm
Metals in Magmas: Tracking Metal Chemistry and Magmatic Processes in Indonesian Volcanoes
Dr Nick Barber, Dept of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
Volcanoes have long been recognized as important suppliers of volatile material like water, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide to the atmosphere and environment. Volcanoes also shape the lives and livelihoods of over 100 million people on every continent. Recent advances in volcanology and instrumentation have demonstrated that volcanoes, like those that dominate the landscape of nations like Indonesia, emit significant quantities of volatile metals. In fact, individual volcanoes have been shown to emit as much selenium (Se), arsenic (As), and thallium (Tl) as the industrial pollution fluxes of whole countries. These vast quantities of aerosolized toxins represent a previously under-reported volcanic hazard that may present long-term health complications to nearby settlements. Yet, some of these metals may serve as micro-nutrients for bacteria, nourishing lush soil used or agriculture. Understanding how and why metals are emitted in volcanoes is a central goal of my doctoral research, and in this talk, I will share with you work addressing these concerns. I approach these questions by examining the chemistry and textures preserved in volcanic rocks, to understand how metals evolve in magmas located far below our feet. I focus my efforts on Java, Indonesia, one of the most volcanically active regions on Earth.
Two New Walk Guides published on the Fen Edge Trail
Earith to Needingworth and Sutton to Haddenham
Earith to Needingworth: Partly following the River Great Ouse, the walk takes you through a gentle landscape that does not resemble the large, ’Ice Age’, braided river that formed the lower part of the valley as it reached the fenland basin. Extensive research by Cambridge Archaeological Unit has revealed many significant cultural sites showing that people adapted to changing water levels over the last few thousand years, in a dynamic delta-like landscape. The furthest extent of the sea incursion c.3,400 years ago, during the Bronze Age, saw marine conditions extend to just south of Earith and waterways were possibly tidal much further inland.
Sutton to Haddenham: This walk passes over North Hill, the highest hill in the Cambridgeshire Fens, in the south west of the Isle of Ely. Prior to the major draining of the Fens in the 17th century, the Isle was surrounded by freshwater marshes and meres. This walk follows ancient droves and ways, alongside the Catchwater Drain, around the edge of the Isle linking these historic villages that sit on key promontories where, once, our ancestors sat and looked out across marshes or, sometimes, even sea.
Previous Events
Field Trip Report – Burwell Local Geological Sites
The society organises occasional field trips to view important geological sites within the county and hopefully further afield in post pandemic times. These trips are primarily for our members.
In early summer 2021 we had a popular visit to the Burwell Local Geological Sites and are scheduling some others to East Pit, Cherry Hinton, a walk along the Fen Edge from Swaffham Bulbeck to Reach, a visit to Nine Wells chalk spring and a tour of the building stones of Cambridge city center. These are primarily for the benefit of members: any member wishing to participate should contact us.
A write up for this trip may be found here.
Newsletters
Our December 2021 newsletter is now available to members.
Our previous newsletters are available to everyone (download below). They have plenty of ideas for some virtual geology!
Email updates
Sign up for our email updates to hear about future talks, events and news of our projects.
Contact us
Cambridgeshire Landscapes
Cambridgeshire has a fascinating landscape and an interesting geology. See our Landscapes page for more details and download the excellent leaflet ‘The Mapping of Landscapes, Geology and Soils of Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire’ by Timothy Farewell, Peter Friend, Martin Whiteley and Joanna Zawadzk.
© Cambridgeshire Geological Society