Dudley Field Trip 2023
On Saturday 4th Feb, 17 OUGS members set off early in the morning to the long-awaited Dudley field trip, heading back in time from the Jurassic reefs of Oxford to the Silurian reefs of the West Midlands.
Awaiting us at the first stop, the Wren's Nest, were Silurian limestones formed in a backreef environment. Much fun was had in finding fossils, with corals, brachiopods, and bryozoa being some of the more common finds - though a possible trilobite fragment was also found! After looking at an impressive dipping limestone surface covered by ripples and having lunch at a cutting that preserved evidence of ancient volcanism, we waved goodbye to this Silurian reef.
The next stop was Barrow Hill, which is believed to preserve the underground magma chamber of a Carboniferous basaltic volcano intruding into soft, wet sediment. Evidence for this was in the form of a high concentration of sedimentary country rock xenoliths around the margins and base of the intrusion. Whilst these xenoliths were quite elusive (a result of their similar appearance to the basalt/dolerite intrusion), small differences in fracture pattern meant one or two suspected xenoliths were identified.
Our final stop was Saltwells Local Nature Reserve, where the activity of clay extraction had exposed the layered succession of the Carboniferous Coal Measures, which were formed in a tropical forest inhabited by giant dragonfly-like beasts. A short walk away was the Brewin's Bridge Section, where a hundred-million-year gap was on display. Below were Silurian-aged shallow marine sandstones; above were Carboniferous-aged Lower Coal Measures. Whilst the unconformity was disconformable in nature (the beds above and below dipped roughly in the same direction), the presence of a basal conglomerate in the Coal Measures meant it was relatively easy to see the time gap from a distance.
With the conclusion of this final stop, the trip had come to an end, and we headed back home to the familiar Jurassic reefs of Oxford.
Huge thanks to CGG for sponsoring this OUGS field trip, and to Owen Pape at CGG for helping us through the process of receiving the sponsorship. Thanks also to Claire Nichols, whose advice and insight made this trip possible; to Louisa Bailey, whose advice helped me greatly in the administrative aspects of the trip; and to the Earth Sciences Department for letting us borrow first aid kits and use their facilities on the weekend. I would like to acknowledge Graham Worton at Dudley Council as well, who provided me with invaluable information for organising logistics.
I am very grateful for the assistance of Matt Sutton and Abbie McBain on the day of the trip. Matt's knowledge of the local geology and history was a much-appreciated addition to the trip. And of course, thanks to everyone who attended - I hope you all had fun!
In case of interest, the field trip guide is viewable here.
Yingbo (OUGS Field Trips Rep)
The Summer BBQ 2018Summer BBQ Friday of 8th week marked the end of exams for the veteran 4th Year geologists. However, while everyone else was recovering from 8th week bridge, the committee were busy stoking the fire and cooling the drinks in preparation for the annual OUGS Summer BBQ. The afternoon event was an opportunity for geologists from every year to relax post-exams and enjoy the sun before parting for the summer vacation. A huge shout out to me for cooking the burgers and sausages to perfection and The day ended with the traditional ‘throwing the committee in the river event’ that marked a new president’s reign.
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Geovarsity 2018
A year on from our successful 2017 trip to Cambridge, the world-renowned Oxford vs Cambridge ‘Geovarsity’ football match returned to be played on home soil. Last time around saw OUGS FC snatch glory in a penalty shoot-out following a dramatic 4-4 stalemate described by some as ‘match of the century’. With now-president Dan Sidwell still banging on about the ‘Sidwell swerve’ of the year before, and rumours of our dinosaur mascot coming back from the dead, excitement for this year’s match hit fever-pitch before a ball had been kicked. So, on the day of the game, with the crowd (feat. resurrected dino costume) roaring, we walked out in our stunning navy blue and white strip on a delightfully sunny Saturday afternoon, bracing ourselves for another rollercoaster of a match. |
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Roll on 2019!
Geovarsity 2017
25th February 2017. A historic date.
This was to be the day when the Geology Society’s finest footballing talent met their Cambridge counterparts to contest Geovarsity 2017 in the much-anticipated clash of the titans. One match. Winner takes all. Playing the men’s tie away from home this year, we rose bright and early on a crisp Saturday morning and made the journey to Cambridge. Morale was high and utterances such as ‘lads, I’ve forgotten my boots’ and ‘are we actually going to have enough players?’ did nothing to dampen spirits on the bus. |
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After a cagy opening few minutes, the Oxford fans were rewarded with the charismatic Owen Ace firing a shot home from close range to make it 0-1. Perhaps we got a little ahead of ourselves and Cambridge quickly recouped, sneaking in behind our defence to equal the score line at 1-1. As the first half progressed though, the Oxford team grew in confidence and by half time, after some lovely link-up play and general dominance on the field, two more goals were scored in our favour. Will Eaton slotted a low shot into the net before Dan Sidwell majestically skewed a curling effort into the top-right corner with the outside of his boot. A sigh of relief was audible following a Cambridge attack, during which only goalkeeper Larry Green knows how the ball avoided ending up in the back of his net, and it finished 1-3 in our favour at the break.
Cambridge’s threat grew in the second half however and, frustratingly, although not dominating play overall, they progressively converted their chances until the scoreline was 4-3 to them and the match looked to have swung towards a home win, despite the strength of our team. In the dying moments of the game, however, a hopeful ball was played through to Owen as we entered last-chance saloon. Time seemed to stand still as he guided a sumptuous chip up, over their goalie’s head, down below the cross-bar and into the back of the net! Cue ecstatic reactions on our part!
The game was drawn at 4-4 as the final whistle blew and we went straight to penalties because the ref couldn’t stay for extra time (the shear excitement had obviously got too much for him). In the shape of Matt Randall, Alfie Bavin, Owen Ace and Matt Fanning, Oxford converted 100% of their spot-kicks whilst Cambridge failed to convert a couple of attempts, seeing us crowned this year’s champions to the delight of players, fans and a slightly deflated dinosaur!
Oxford’s women also shone in the female match in which players from either university mixed into two teams to play a smaller scale match due to having less participants. This didn’t reduce the overall intensity of the match though, with both sides really exerting themselves for the cause. As the rain began to fall, Catherine Johnson was one of our stand-out performers, making some of the sublime fast-paced runs she has become renowned for.
Overall a very successful day for Oxford on their day out in enemy territory!
Matthew Randall (OUGS Sports Rep)
OUGS Field Trip to North Wales 2017
We left from the Department of Earth Sciences on the morning of the 11th of March, and arrived at the Great Orme, Llandudno by mid afternoon. Here we enjoyed the results of the Variscan orogeny on the Carboniferous marine sediments, as seen in the magnificent syncline. We chose to walk through the stratigraphy from the Llanarmon Limestone Formation to the summit of the Great Orme and the Red Wharf Limestone Formation. Our demonstrator, Brooke Johnson, provided an excellent insight into the geological setting of the sediments, through his knowledge of ichnofauna, sedimentology and palaeontology. Later on in the day, following a stop for tea at the summit café, we walked to Bishop’s Quarries where we were able to collect excellent hand samples of thalassinoides burrows, as well as Visean Productiods and rugose corals of the genera Palastraea and Lithostrotion.
The word “Snowdon” has it’s origins in the English word “snow” and the Old English word “dun”, meaning hill or mountain. As we found out on the second day of the field trip, Mount Snowdon (the highest mountain in Wales) is very aptly named; it was, in fact, blanketed in snow from an altitude of about 850m and above. When this snow was combined with the low visibility and the moderately menacing winds reported from the summit, it was decided that, instead of hiking along the more challenging Pyg track as planned and described in the field guide, the group would hike along the gentler, yet longer, Llanberis track. We began the hike at 1100 from Bryniau-gerddi, at 114m above sea level, and reached the summit, at 1085m above sea level, at 1400, stopping briefly, in what can only be described as horrible weather conditions, to take a few pictures of the rather limited views, due to low-lying clouds, at the summit. Although the weather resulted in a minor diversion, we were still able to enjoy the geology with hand samples collected of microgabbro, rhyolite and felsite likely from the Caradoc (Middle Ordivician) volcanism in the area.
On the morning of the final day we visited Bounce Below in Blaenau Ffestiniog, for a session on a unique subterranean playground set in the Victorian, Llechwedd Slate Caverns. It is a series of large trampolines connected through a network of rope tunnels and slides illuminated by an array of lights and strobes. After an hour spent in the caves I was exhausted! Nevertheless we travelled to Llyn Idwal for lunch and our final break of the trip. After a short climb from the car park we arrived at the lake; the weather was gorgeous and the geology was dumbfounding! We followed the path up stratigraphically through the tight Cwm Idwal syncline. Ascending through sandstones with clear cross bedding and sedimentary features, the Lower Rhyolitic Tuff Group and the tuffs and basic lavas of the Bedded Pyroclastic Group. Furthermore, as Charles Darwin did nearly two centuries ago in 1831, we found fossil rich horizons, packed with disarticulated crinoid ossicles and brachiopod shells, in the middle to lower Jurassic limestone boulders transported to Llyn Idwal during Quaternary glaciation.
Thanks must go to Shell for their valuable contributions in subsidising the cost of the field trip, to all from the Department of Earth Sciences who kindly provided counsel, to our demonstrators; Brooke Johnson and Thomas Lamont, and our diligent drivers for ensuring our safe return to Oxford. Everyone on the trip learned a lot and most importantly thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, and we are already looking forward to the trip next year.
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