Geology
Studying Rocks, Minerals and Fossils from Pangaea to the Polden Hills
| Leaders | Walford and Sue |
| Meeting Pattern | varies |
| Venue | varies Zoom meetings |
BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE CORONA VIRUS
Our Geology group used to meet indoors at Wookey Hole Village Hall during the first Friday afternoon of each month. Having two excellent retired professors in Geology in our midst and a couple of people who have studied the subject of A-Level Geology, we have had no shortage of speakers. That session is very informal, and nobody, absolutely nobody, is made to feel ignorant. We had 40 chairs, a projector provided by a member and a screen. Coffee or tea is provided after each presentation.
In addition: Usually on one Monday morning a month, Prof Doug Robinson takes us out on a Field trip requiring sensible shoes or boots, protection from the occasional burst of rain and a magnifying lens to look closely as some of the rocks and fossils. When Mendip was in Tier 3 we could have six members walking out with the Professor.
GEOLOGY IN WELLS U3A now in 2021
At this Tier-5 stage we are not able to have any Field trips at all. Neither can we have any indoor meetings however carefully the Hall managers try to fit us in. What we have started is a series on remote meetings using Zoom, which are taking place twice a month. In February Prof Robinson will present a talk about Alstone Rock in the county of Durham and the Whinsill rise near Hadrian's Wall nearby.
The sooner we can get back to normal the better!
In normal times...
Whilst studying the basics of Geology (rocks/minerals) and Palaeontology (fossils), we try to put the theory into context by looking at the effects on our local landscape, buildings and industry.
The monthly meetings are a combination of audio/video lectures, short presentations by members and general discussion, with museum visits and field trips between meetings to give everyone a feel for the rocks and processes beneath our feet and around us, as well as our own impact on planet Earth. We use the DVD lecture series entitled The Nature of Earth: An Introduction to Geology as the basis of our studies, watching one lecture per month. Send us a message via the pigeon icon on this page to find out more about joining our group (the group is now full, with a short waiting list in operation).
View Geo News 2018 and Geo News 2017 for recent developments in the field and the Geo Lending Library page for our growing collection of reference material. Check the Diary below for details of previous meetings, visits and field trips (No visits or field trips currently scheduled, and meetings are zoom only) and follow our adventures via the links in the table below:-