Wednesday, March 24, 2010

APS talk on the Mesozoic of the south coast of England



Shamelessly stolen from an email from Phil Benham of the Alberta Paleontological Society:

"A Fieldtrip to the Mesozoic South Coast of England"

Speaker: Vaclav Marsovsky
APS Membership director

7:30 PM
Friday, April 16th, 2010
Mount Royal University, Room B108

Abstract:
If you have an interest or want to travel to the South Coast of England to see the geology and the fossils, then this presentation is for you! The presentation will follow the route taken during a recent field trip organized by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. The major rock units and their fossils will be discussed with a focus on vertebrates. The presentation will cover fossils eroding from the rocks in the field, in private collections of local collectors, and on display at local public museums and Heritage Centres. The rocks were initially studied by the clergy and medical practitioners turned geologists and palaeontologists. The “who’s who” in 19th century geology and palaeontology relating to the South Coast will be covered. This presentation will show what the rocks look like and cover the Tertiary / Cretaceous sites from the Isle of Wight and Mesozoic sites from the “Jurassic coast”. The term “Jurassic Coast” is a bit misleading because it covers all of the Mesozoic. From the South Coast, a 155km long section (the most interesting and worth protecting) became a UNESCO site in the year 2001. The Jurassic Coast is one of those rare sites where collecting of common fossils is encouraged and amateur fossil collectors play an important role in the science.

Information:
This event is jointly presented by the Alberta Palaeontological Society, Mount Royal University and the CSPG Palaeontology Division. For details or to present a talk in the future please contact CSPG Paleo Division Chair Philip Benham at 403-691-3343 or programs@albertapaleo.org . Visit the APS website for confirmation of event times and upcoming speakers: