In the footsteps of Martin Te Punga
| Organised by: | JAQR |
| Date: | 23-27 June 2007 |
| Event Type: | Field Trip |
| Venue: | Venue details included in event listing |
GA/GS Local Heroes Initiative to celebrate the Bi-centenary of The Geological Society (2007) and 150th anniversary of the Geologists’ Association (2008).
Climatic change is now firmly on the global agenda and geologists should be publicising their role in aiding its understanding. This field meeting will focus on the geology of the landforms and sediments which were primarily fashioned by the most recent phases of periglacial climate in southern England. At this time, mean annual temperatures were up to 20˚C lower than present and relate to Last Glacial (Devensian) Stage which extended from c.10-115 ka BP.
Martin Te Punga was a Maori New Zealander, who spent a sabbatical year based at Kings College, London during 1954-5. In 1955 he presented to Section C (Geology) of the British Association for the Advancement of Science the conclusions which he had reached following a period of intensive fieldwork in the counties south of the Severn and Thames line. His visionary landmark paper on the ‘Periglacial geology of southern England’ unfortunately encountered resistance from the geomorphological establishment of the day since it challenged the then prevailing conventional wisdom. As a result its publication was delayed and was finally accepted by a journal published in The Netherlands in 1957. Consequently 2007 will be the 50th anniversary of publication.
From a contemporary perspective this paper can now be seen to have been largely vindicated by subsequent research. Accounts outlining Martin’s career and assessing the scientific merit of his paper to mark the 50th anniversary of his presentation to the BA meeting, were published in 2005 – see Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 116, 177-182; Geological Society of New Zealand Newsletter, 138, 68-70.
This field meeting is designed to visit some of the key sites studied by Martin and in addition, a number of localities which have subsequently been identified will be examined. A wide range of relict periglacial features will be explored including loess, nivational hollows, solifluction deposits, block streams, ice wedge polygons, cryoplanation terraces, and tors . Of necessity, the excursion will have to make a long traverse of southern England from Kent to Devon.
The objective will be to raise the profile of periglacial geology and familiarise the participants with the range of field evidence used to reconstruct the periglacial climates of the recent past. No prior knowledge will be assumed. Hopefully at the conclusion of the field meeting the participants will have gained a greater appreciation of the impact of periglaciation on the character of the modern southern English landscape and the historical role of Martin Te Punga in its interpretation.
These will from Saturday June 23 to Wednesday June 27 inclusive.
The trip will commence and terminate in Reading and extend over 5 days. A minibus(es) would be hired for the duration. The party maximum will be 30. Some may need to overnight in Reading in order to facilitate a prompt start. Pick–ups en route to Kent are possible and also drop-offs returning from Torbay.
Overnight in the Brighton area. ?Visit to Booth Museum. Introductory talks, possibly including Mike Hodgson who was a final year undergraduate student at Kings College in 1954-5 and knew Martin. He also attended Martin’s seminar and witnessed S.W. Wooldridge’s strident criticism of Martin’s developing hypothesis.
Overnight Salisbury. Open house at a local museum? Talk by Dr Andy Bellamy (United Marine Aggregates) on the off shore periglacial record and its importance as a source of aggregates.
Overnight Torbay. ? Evening visit to Hopes Nose
Overnight Torbay. Visit to Torquay Museum (?special opening).
The Local Heroes steering committee of the Geological Society has kindly awarded a grant to cover the overhead expenses arising from organising the field meeting. The Joint Association for Quaternary Research (JAQR), the body linking the Quaternary Research Association with the Specialist Study groups of the Geological Society has agreed that the field meeting will be its principle contribution to the Geological Society Bi Centenary celebrations. The Geologists’ Association will include the field meeting in its programme with an outline announcement in the December Circular
In the footsteps of Martin Te Punga
Climatic change is now firmly on the global agenda and geologists should be publicising their role in aiding its understanding. This field meeting will focus on the geology of the landforms and sediments which were primarily fashioned by the most recent phases of periglacial climate in southern England. At this time, mean annual temperatures were up to 20˚C lower than present and relate to Last Glacial (Devensian) Stage which extended from c.10-115 ka BP.
Martin Te Punga was a Maori New Zealander, who spent a sabbatical year based at Kings College, London during 1954-5. In 1955 he presented to Section C (Geology) of the British Association for the Advancement of Science the conclusions which he had reached following a period of intensive fieldwork in the counties south of the Severn and Thames line. His visionary landmark paper on the ‘Periglacial geology of southern England’ unfortunately encountered resistance from the geomorphological establishment of the day since it challenged the then prevailing conventional wisdom. As a result its publication was delayed and was finally accepted by a journal published in The Netherlands in 1957. Consequently 2007 will be the 50th anniversary of publication.
From a contemporary perspective this paper can now be seen to have been largely vindicated by subsequent research. Accounts outlining Martin’s career and assessing the scientific merit of his paper to mark the 50th anniversary of his presentation to the BA meeting, were published in 2005 – see Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 116, 177-182; Geological Society of New Zealand Newsletter, 138, 68-70.
This field meeting is designed to visit some of the key sites studied by Martin and in addition, a number of localities which have subsequently been identified will be examined. A wide range of relict periglacial features will be explored including loess, nivational hollows, solifluction deposits, block streams, ice wedge polygons, cryoplanation terraces, and tors . Of necessity, the excursion will have to make a long traverse of southern England from Kent to Devon.
The objective will be to raise the profile of periglacial geology and familiarise the participants with the range of field evidence used to reconstruct the periglacial climates of the recent past. No prior knowledge will be assumed. Hopefully at the conclusion of the field meeting the participants will have gained a greater appreciation of the impact of periglaciation on the character of the modern southern English landscape and the historical role of Martin Te Punga in its interpretation.
Dates
These will from Saturday June 23 to Wednesday June 27 inclusive.
Programme
The trip will commence and terminate in Reading and extend over 5 days. A minibus(es) would be hired for the duration. The party maximum will be 30. Some may need to overnight in Reading in order to facilitate a prompt start. Pick–ups en route to Kent are possible and also drop-offs returning from Torbay.
Day 1. Kent.
Loess of Pegwell Bay, disrupted chalk of the Thanet area, Devil’s Kneadingtrough at Brook for nivational processes, large scale superficial structures around Maidstone, Sevenoaks By-pass solifluction.Overnight in the Brighton area. ?Visit to Booth Museum. Introductory talks, possibly including Mike Hodgson who was a final year undergraduate student at Kings College in 1954-5 and knew Martin. He also attended Martin’s seminar and witnessed S.W. Wooldridge’s strident criticism of Martin’s developing hypothesis.
Day 2. South Downs.
Black Rock – Rottingdean coastal sections with thick head and involutions, permafrost effects beneath valleys, Birling Gap dry valley sediments, Devils Dyke dry valley, Boxgrove mass movement deposits.Overnight Salisbury. Open house at a local museum? Talk by Dr Andy Bellamy (United Marine Aggregates) on the off shore periglacial record and its importance as a source of aggregates.
Day 3. Central southern England.
Marlborough Down sarcen stone streams, Bath mass movement structures, Oldbury ice-wedge cast polygons (tide permitting), Winsford Hill Punchbowl – glacial v periglacial controversy.Overnight Torbay. ? Evening visit to Hopes Nose
Day 4. Dartmoor area.
Cox Tor altiplanation terraces and relict earth hummocks; Staple Tors, granite tors, clitter, stone stripes and growan, walk from Prawl to Start Point (or reverse) for the landscape association of head, stone streams, terraces and schist tors.Overnight Torbay. Visit to Torquay Museum (?special opening).
Day 5 Return to Reading,
Return to Reading, Woodbury Common cold desert pavement with ventifacts at present day land surface, then possibly via Lyme Regis to visit Geoffrey Kellaway who knew and advised Martin; Valley of Stones, Portesham. Need to allow time for people to get home that evening so other stops would be restricted.Responsibilities.
The director would be Peter Worsley assisted by Les James. Invitations have been be extended to other experts such as Ed Derbyshire (Hove), Andrew Goudie (Oxford), Charles Harris (Cardiff) Julian Murton (Sussex), Allan Straw (Exeter), Colin Whiteman (Brighton) and Rendel Williams (Sussex). Any other volunteers are welcome!The Local Heroes steering committee of the Geological Society has kindly awarded a grant to cover the overhead expenses arising from organising the field meeting. The Joint Association for Quaternary Research (JAQR), the body linking the Quaternary Research Association with the Specialist Study groups of the Geological Society has agreed that the field meeting will be its principle contribution to the Geological Society Bi Centenary celebrations. The Geologists’ Association will include the field meeting in its programme with an outline announcement in the December Circular