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Two talks and the usual social meeting, on Thursday 26th March 2026 at RCA Conwy, commencing at 18:00

This Thursday, March 26th, 18:00, there will be 2 short talks, each of about 15 – 20 minutes, with time for socialising before, between and after, at the usual venue, the Royal Cambrian Academy, Crown Lane, Conwy, LL32 8AN.
The first talk will be:
Leveraging Remote Sensing and AI-Driven Analysis for Mineral Prospectivity in Oman (Alexandra Scarlet, MSc, Project Exploration Geologist – Viridien Group UK)
Bringing a grounded perspective and real field experience to the world of data science and technology, Alex began her career as a graduate mining geologist working on polymetallic, copper‑rich deposits in Romania before joining Viridien’s Minerals and Mining team. Over the past four years at Viridien (formerly CGG), she has worked as an exploration geologist in a fast‑moving environment, integrating multidisciplinary datasets to evaluate mineral potential and developing practical classification workflows for mining‑related challenges across a range of jurisdictions.
Her presentation focuses on a challenge we’re all familiar with: finding new ore deposits in remote, underexplored, and often topographically difficult terrains. Remote sensing gives us the ability to cover large areas without the access constraints of traditional fieldwork, but the sheer volume and diversity of data being acquired today demand more efficient, scalable approaches to extract meaningful geological insight. Alex will outline how her team tackled this by combining advanced AI and machine learning techniques with geological knowledge and remote sensing expertise applied to one of the world’s best exposed fragments of oceanic lithosphere The Oman Ophiolites.

The second talk will be given by Barrie Wells, who may be known to some of you as the person who writes these posts, and who is currently trying to decide whether to refer to himself in the first or the third person. He/I will give a talk on
Putting the ‘geo’ back into geostatistics: another new development in its 75 year history.
This talk will be a preview of a presentation at a forthcoming meeting of the GeolSoc and I/he really would appreciate feedback.

Posted in Cluster Meetings, News, Uncategorized |

Oshen’s Anahita Laverack gave us a talk in November 2022, since which time they have continued to develop their technology and find new applications. New Scientist, 24/02/2026 (page 21) carried an article about this..

New Scientist 21/02/2026

Posted in News |

It’s all Relative: the Ups and Downs of Sea Level over Geological time

This Thursday, 2nd October 2025, we are all invited to the NWGA talk at Plas Sychnant, LL32 8BJ which will be given by Professor Peter Burgess:
“It’s all Relative: the Ups and Downs of Sea Level over Geological time”.
Start time is 19:30. If you are not familiar with the area, allow a little extra time for negotiating the Sychnant Pass.

Peter is Professor of Computational Geoscience, Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool. He has a diverse research interest in sedimentology, sequence and seismic stratigraphy, basin analysis, sea-level change, geological data science, and numerical forward modelling, all using a quantitative approach. Peter has experience in both academia and industry and is currently an associate-editor for the Journal of Sedimentary Geology, Basin Research and Sedimentologika

Posted in Cluster Meetings, Talk Archive |

Etruria Marl: what it is; how it formed; why it’s special

On 15th January 2026 Bernard Besly gave a talk on the Etruria Marl, a subject on which he is a widely respected expert, having consulted on, and published papers on, over a 40 year period. The talk was very well received, generating much debate over the potential of the formation as a future resource in addition to its historical importance, with contributions to the discussion from other experts in the audience including Arthur Harrisson, an independent consultant in the field of cement clinker decarbonisation, on which Bernard touched during his talk. We thank Bernard and eagerly await a return visit, as promised. The text of his talk may be found here:

Etruria talk to Geoscience Wales

 

Posted in Cluster Meetings, News, Talk Archive |

Seismic Imaging: from Acoustic Emissions to Earthquakes

A talk given at Geoscience Wales in May 2022, by  Juan Reyes-Montes, Senior Consultant, ASC. Juan has a B.Sc. in Physics and B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Granada and a Ph.D. in Seismology from the University of Liverpool.

ASC specializes in the design, processing and analysis of acoustic, microseismic and ultrasonic monitoring projects, applied at scales ranging from laboratory tests on rock samples to local and regional induced seismicity. Juan was visiting North Wales to work with GWL Associate Laszlo Lombos, and his company ERGO Associates Geo-Engineering Instrumentation Systems. We thank Juan for his excellent talk.

Presentation: Geoscience Wales presentation_20220519_02

Posted in Cluster Meetings, Talk Archive |

Application of Advanced Laboratory Experiments in understanding the cause of localized damage zones in Nuclear Waste Repository in Finland

We had an unscheduled talk on Thursday 18th October, 2025, from Dr. Farzine Nassari, who was visiting from Canada. He gave an excellent talk on rock mechanics and the Finnish nuclear waste repository. The talk may be viewed at:

Application of Advanced Laboratory Experiments in understanding the cause of localized damage zones in Nuclear Waste Repository in Finland

Posted in Cluster Meetings, News, Talk Archive |

2D musings on 3D geology in the Welsh Borderlands

Thursday 20th November, Malcolm Butler from the UK Onshore Geophysical Library will give a talk “2D musings on 3D geology in the Welsh Borderlands”.

Abstract:

Interpretation of a compiled 2D seismic section from Chepstow to the Longmynd is presented to show the strong erosion beneath the Shelveian Unconformity outside basinal areas. This unconformity is overlain by rocks of lower Llandovery age in the area south of Craven Arms but lies immediately below rocks ranging in age from Upper Ordovician to Wenlockian north of the Church Stretton Fault complex.

The interpretation demonstrates the presence of a widespread regional high to the east of the Malvern Hills over which the Llandovery sequence appears to lie immediately on lower Cambrian or Precambrian rocks. This stripping (or non-deposition) of rocks beneath the Shelveian Unconformity appears to also occur beneath the Worcester Graben and the western part of the Oxfordshire Coalfield, although widespread erosion beneath the Variscan Unconformity confuses the situation. Where seismic data are available off the western flanks of the Malvern Hills, the lack of significant thinning in the Silurian and Lower Devonian section may indicate that no separate Malvern High existed at this time.

The talk may be downloaded from:

Cambrian talk 201125

Posted in Cluster Meetings, News, Talk Archive |

Tidalites conference at the University of Liverpool

GWL and one of its Associates, PETTROG, will be exhibiting at the Tidalites conference, being hosted by the University of Liverpool this September.

Posted in News |

The Brymbo Fossil Forest: A new Future for UK Geoheritage

On Thursday 18th September, 18:00 at the RCA, Dr Tim Astrop, Fossil Forest Coordinator at Stori Brymbo (www.brymboheritagetrust.org) will give a talk entitled ‘The Brymbo Fossil Forest: A new Future for UK Geoheritage’.

This will be a joint talk with the North Wales Geological Association.

Posted in Cluster Meetings |

Excursion to Brymbo

We are pleased to announce a trip to Brymbo Fossil Forest (www.BrymboHeritageTrust.org), near Wrexham. This will take place on Tuesday 5th August at 16:00. Brymbo is about a one hour drive from Conwy.

Places are strictly limited so please could we have firm expressions of interest by Wednesday next week. In the event of there being too many people interested, we will give priority in the order that e-mails are received and will create a waiting list. Once we have expressions of interest we will start looking at the organisation of transport and will circulate more details to those involved.

We wish to thank Tom Hughes and Tim Astrop of Brymbo Heritage Trust for arranging this and Lisa Buckley for providing the idea and making the contacts.

Posted in Cluster Meetings |