Join Emily Brown, Assistant Curator of Earth Systems at National Museums Scotland, as she takes you behind the scenes at the Museum and explores some highlights of Scotland’s national rock and mineral collections. This hour long online talk will premier a new collection tour video (which will later be available through the Scottish Geology Trust’s […]
Join Scottish Geology Trust Secretary, Dr Katie Strang, to learn all about Scotland's Carboniferous fossils! The rocks of the Midland Valley were deposited over 300 million years ago when Scotland was situated at low latitudes near to the equator, resulting in a hot and humid climate. Some areas were covered by shallow tropical seas full […]
The Northern Highlands Terrane has basement rocks almost 3000 million years old (Lewisian Complex) that are mostly covered by the Proterozoic rocks of the Moine supergroup. These were deposited as shallow and deep marine sediments around 1000-850 million years ago and resulted from erosion of an ancient mountain chain: Grenville – itself a result of […]
The UK economy has greatly benefited from drilling exploration and production in the North Sea over several decades. And we are well aware that we have contributed to climate change by burning some of the products. But most of us are ignorant of the challenges and hard work that has been involved in this process […]
The EAGE Local Chapter Aberdeen invites you to an Evening Lecture Webinar on 22nd September 2021 18:30 - 19:30 UK time. Speakers: Nick Schofield, John Howell, Jess Pugsley – Aberdeen University We will be undertaking a shortened version of a 2-day virtual fieldtrip to the Isle of Skye which was originally run for the Atlantic […]
Geothermal energy currently plays a small role in meeting the world's energy demand, and commercial production has been mainly focused on high-temperature, often volcanic formations that limit development to certain regions of the globe. Conventional geothermal resources require drilling of challenging high-temperature wells that can be expensive and risky. For over a decade, research and […]
Twenty-five years ago, the first feathered dinosaur was reported, Sinosauropteryx. There has been a revolution in dinosaur palaeobiology since then, driven by thousands of amazing specimens from China plus new analytical methods. In 2010, we were among the first to develop a new analytical method to identify the colour of feathers, including the feathers of […]
Geology is fundamental to our sense of place. The underlying rocks determine a wide range of aspects of the landscape, from physical shape, to drainage and agriculture, and even elements of human heritage. The geological landscape is constantly changing, shaping both the natural environment and the social history of each location. In his prize-winning book, […]
The Grampian Terrane has basement rocks about 1800 million years old (Badenoch group and Rhinns Complex) buried under the Proterozoic rocks of the Dalradian supergroup on the mainland and its equivalent rocks in the Inner Hebrides (Colonsay). These were deposited as sediments around 900-500 million years ago, resulting from erosion of various sources across Laurentia […]
It’s said we live in the ‘age of mammals’, but in her exciting new book, Beasts Before Us, Dr Elsa Panciroli reveals that this is not strictly true. The real origin story of our furry, milk-giving lineage is longer and more extraordinary than anyone ever thought. In this event Dr Panciroli will talk about her […]
The Rhynie chert is the earliest fossilised terrestrial ecosystem preserving a diversity of Early Devonian plants, animal, fungi and microbes. Frozen in time for 407 million years it ranks as one of the most important fossils sites in the world and is named after the village it was discovered near, Rhynie, in Aberdeenshire. The aim […]
Columnar Basalt lava is a remarkable natural phenomenon and is found in many places throughout Mull and the other islands nearby. This talk, lavishly illustrated with the speaker's own photos of these rocks will showcase the best places to see it, explain how it is formed and what it tells us about the ancient landscape […]
Pterygotus is an aquatic arthropod which went extinct hundreds of millions of years ago. The McManus' curator David Lampard talks about a fossil of the creature from their collection. Find out more on YouTube - watch now.
Join Patrick Corbett and other contributors online to celebrate the launch of Earth Lines: Geopoetry and Geopoetics published by the Edinburgh Geological Society. This is a book that explores the stratigraphy of the poetry in rocks and stones. “A pleasure to hold, a delight to behold.” Kenneth White, Founder of the International Institute of Geopoetics. […]
The Midland Valley Terrane is underlain by basement rocks of about 480 million years that contain relicts of oceanic crust, magmatic intrusions and the volcanic arc that collided with the Laurentian margin during the first phase of the Caledonian orogeny. This basement was eroded and covered around 460-430 million years ago by a local succession […]
Join three teams of palaeontologists as they battle it out in the first ever Scottish Fossil Showdown! Team Palaeozoic, Team Mesozoic and Team Cenozoic will each argue for the best fossils from their time period. Can they convince you their favourite fossil is the best of all time? It will be up to you to […]
The Edinburgh Geological Society 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. After last winter’s successful lecture programme, delivered online to larger-than-usual audiences, the programme will continue online until we can meet again at the […]
Logitech have developed a step-by-step process for the perfect preparation of geological thin sections for petrographic analysis. Join our Process Development Engineer, John McCrossan with over 33 years' experience of working with thin sections, and see our step-by-step process from slabbing and trimming of field specimen, impregnation, right through to final stage polishing. Benefit from […]
Alyson Hallett writes about stones and rocks and for the past twenty years she has curated an international poetry and public art project, The Migration Habits of Stones. She has previously talked about her work at The Geological Society of London and presented her ideas in an essay on Radio 3 and an audio-diary on […]
About the talk: The Beach Today began as a daily project formed during the first months of lockdown; a series of photographs of marine objects collected in Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland, each display collected during strictly-half-hour beach walks. In November 2020 and on the (personal) discovery of a local pebble beach, Christina […]
The Southern Uplands Terrane has rocks as old as 480 million years that represent a portion of an ancient ocean floor and its sedimentary cover. This sequence of rocks was buried under huge volumes of turbidites – sedimentary rocks of terrestrial origin deposited in the deep marine environment around 460-420 million years ago – belonging […]
Join Andy Moffat for an exploration of the building stones of Inverness. From granite to larvikite and from Caithness to Rajasthan, Andy will guide attendants through the geology of the city's decorative stones. The event will be held on Zoom. Booking required: https://www.nwhgeopark.com/event/talk-building-stones-of-inverness An event in the Scottish Geology Festival, organised by the Scottish Geology […]
Broadcaster, DJ and author Gemma Cairney will delve into the purpose and power of public art as she joins Sky Arts on a mission to create the UK’s next major landmark. She’ll be joined along the way by two expert judges – curator Clare Lilley and visual artist Hetain Patel – as well as six […]
Carbon Capture and Storage is one of an array of tools available to enable the decarbonisation of modern life, the task which has in recent years crystalised as the defining challenge of the current time. Bodies such as the IEA, CCC and IPCC underline the technology as a vital part of the solution space if […]
What will Scotland look like in 2050? By then, after decades of anthropogenic climate change, there will be obvious effects of increased sea level and coastal erosion, and probably more rainfall and flooding, and rising groundwater. Meeting the Scottish Government target to reduce Scotland's emissions of all greenhouse gases to net-zero by 2045 (at the […]
Online talk by Rebecca Schulz International Energy Agency on the energy transition. Minerals are essential components in many of today’s rapidly growing clean energy technologies – from wind turbines and electricity networks to electric vehicles. Demand for these minerals will grow quickly as clean energy transitions gather pace. An energy system powered by clean energy […]
Join Angus Miller, Katie Strang and other Festival volunteers to celebrate the Scottish Geology Festival 2021. With well over 100 events over the last 6 weeks, on beaches, in museums, on Zoom and YouTube, we hope this has been a Festival for everyone. Share your favourite pebbles and what you've enjoyed about this year's Festival. […]
The Perthshire Society of Natural Science and Culture Perth & Kinross presents the Curious Minds lecture series. A potted history of Plate Tectonics We are all familiar with the concept of Plate Tectonics but, as late as the 1960s, it was still resisted by many Geologists. Nick Gardiner will discuss the history of the idea, […]
Join Tim Lawson on an exploration of the geological structure and evolutionary timeline of Quinag mountain in Assynt. The Y-shaped ridge of Quinag mountain has been hewn from the local bedrock by many erosional processes over millions of years. Tim will explore this evolution with particular attention to the effects of various phases of glaciation. […]
The Torridonian sandstones and the metamorphosed Moine rocks of the Northern Highlands represent a fragment of a vast deposit of Precambrian sandstone. Traditionally, they have been treated separately, but recent detrital zircon dating has shown that parts of the Moine are in fact the same as the Torridon sandstone. Somewhat puzzling, the source of these […]
North West Highlands Geopark March Zoom Talk: "How Glacial Erosion Works" A talk by Adrian Hall on the mechanism of glacial erosion with new evidence obtained from the Loch Eriboll area. Loch Eriboll is an amazing landscape fashioned by Ice Age glaciers. On Cranstackie, the ice was cold and slow-moving, and only weakly erosive, incapable […]
Geological Violence Blasting, cracking, terraforming, baking: this workshop seeks to probe new vocabularies in the geography of the geological sciences. Since the geological turn, geographers have been interested in the relationship between geology, science, and violence. It is now well understood that the geological sciences contributed to European colonialism, empire, and the fossil fuel revolution. […]
Speaker: Dr Jack Matthews, Geodiversity Day organiser and Geoheritage Officer for Charnwood Forest Geopark. In November last year, UNESCO declared that International Geodiversity Day would be celebrated on October 6th each year. This talk will explain what geodiversity is; tell the story of how the International Day was created; and explore some of the way we […]
All welcome, join us for a Keynote Presentation from Olivia Adu from the Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle, followed by panel discussion with Lesley Dunlop (Chair, GeoConservationUK), Jessica T Smith (Vice-President, the Geological Society) and Peter Kennett (Earth Science Teachers’ Association). This Launch Event for GeoWeek2022 is dedicated to Prof Chris King (1949-2022), […]
Speaker: Dr Rachel Wignall, NatureScot No one interested in geology or geomorphology likes to see a geosite damaged or deteriorating in condition. Can you help keep an eye Scotland’s geosites and assist in directing preventative and remedial actions where they are needed? NatureScot runs a condition monitoring programme for Earth science features in Sites of […]
Two Emeritus Professors - Patrick Corbett and John Gordon - discuss how geology is fundamental to geopoetics using the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset as a case study. Kenneth White (founder of the International Institute of Geopoetics) has written: “Taking geology as ground-level, (geopoetics) is a new way of being human and of living a […]
The Triassic was a critical time for the evolution of life on Earth. This period witnessed the first appearance of some of the most successful animals that ever lived, including lizards, dinosaurs, turtles and crocodilians, the descendants of which are still important components of today’s terrestrial ecosystems. Well-preserved fossils of the most primitive members of […]
Join mineralogist Roy Starkey as he reviews the fascinating history of “Cairngorm stones”. The Cairngorms are the most extensive area of high mountain terrain in Britain. The area has given its name to gem quality smoky quartz but has also produced spectacular specimens of beryl and topaz. In Victorian times, hunting for crystals was both […]
In this online talk, the makers of hit podcast, Stories of Scotland, explore their favourite geologic legends and what they tell us about Highland & Island culture. They'll examine how the natural environment and the geology inspires folklore and mythology. Why do fairies choose hills as homes? What makes a giant seize a rock as […]
Join Emily Brown, Assistant Curator of Earth Systems at National Museums Scotland on a journey though agate formation and agate collecting in Scotland, through the lens of the world famous Scottish agate collection at National Museums Scotland. Agates have fascinated people for thousands of years and have particular cultural relevance for Scotland through their use […]
Fossil insects are rare in Scotland, though those that are found are significant and are from four periods: Specimens from the Lower Devonian Rhynie Chert of Aberdeenshire are the oldest in the world; a few species are known from the Upper Carboniferous Coal Measures of Ayrshire and Fife; as yet undescribed specimens are known from […]
Volcanic activity in the past has shaped Scotland as we see it today. There is no other geological process that is as important in contributing to Scotland's amazing mix of geology, creating most of our highest hills and shaping the landscape in profound ways. Volcanic rock is the basis for Scotland's best scenery, providing building […]
Ice Age Fauna of Scotland and the Loch Ryan Mammoths - Discover the wildlife that lived in Scotland during the Ice Ages and find out about the recent mammoth bone finds from Loch Ryan, Stranraer. Andrew Kitchener, principle curator of vertebrates at National Museum of Scotland, presents a talk about creatures that lived in Scotland […]
Discovering the Moine Thrust – an illustrated lecture by Professor Rob Butler, University of Aberdeen The Moine Thrust is an ancient fault zone that runs down NW Scotland – one of the most famous tectonic structures in the World. It has been recognised by UNESCO in their top one hundred global geosites – for its […]
This online talk by Dr Taija Torvela takes you on a 200-year journey on gold exploration in Scotland. Gold occurrences in Scotland are widespread and have been well known for centuries. Most gold was found in stream sediments but some gold and silver were also extracted as by-products from mining of other ores, particularly lead. The […]
Due to illness, this online talk has been cancelled. We're sorry for the disappointment caused. Scotland's fossil record seems to come up with exceptional records all the time. We have the oldest terrestrial ecosystem (Rhynie Chert), possibly the first air-breathing animal on land (Pneumodesmus), the oldest fossil embryos (fossil fish from Orkney), some of the […]
Read any travel blog or guide book about Arran, and you are likely to see the island described as "Scotland in Miniature". Like all good tourist slogans, this quickly becomes rather twee and irritating, but how accurate is it? Dr Bob Gooday takes us through half a billion years of Arran's geological history and its' […]
It’s estimated that 6,000 meteorites hit the Earth each year, but only 4 have ever fallen in Scotland. Join Peter Davidson, Senior Curator of Minerals at National Museums Scotland, for an exploration of the stories behind these meteorites, where and how they were found, and how you might recognise a meteorite of your own! Free, […]
The NW Highlands of Scotland probably has the best scenery and geology in the world. You can find the oldest rocks in the British Isles, the first evidence of life, ancient landscapes carved out by preCambrian rivers and beautifully exposed Lower Palaeozoic clastic and carbonate sediments. These all form part of a major fold and […]
Scotland has an amazing coastline of cliffs and beaches, firths and sea lochs, headlands and islands. This coastline reflects Scotland’s geological history, which has resulted in a varied range of rock types formed at different times. We’ll explore the coast from Shetland to southwest Scotland, including several case studies from all parts of the country. […]
