The Geologists’ Association organizes a number of day-long and weekend field meetings. If you would like further information on any of the events below, please contact Sarah Stafford at the GA Office on 020 7434 9298 or by e-mail: fieldmeetings@geologistsassociation.org.uk. You can now pay for your place on the field trips online by clicking the relevant link below. Please note non-GA members pay an additional £5 for each trip.
Please see below the following important information for Field Meetings
2022 Meetings
GA Field trip - Wealden Excursion – Smokejacks
Sunday 26th June 2022 - all day
Leader: Peter Austen and Ed Jarzembowski
This Weald Clay brickpit has yielded a number of important finds over the past four decades. In 1983 Bill Walker, an amateur collector, found a new theropod dinosaur, Baryonyx walkeri, which proved to be crucial to the understanding of the spinosaurs, and on the Geologists’ Association fieldtrip to the site in 2001 a well-preserved partial skeleton of a juvenile iguanodont (Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis) was discovered, and subsequently excavated by the Natural History Museum. Two Baryonyx teeth were also recovered from the Mantellisaurus excavation, suggesting that it may have been scavenged by a Baryonyx. The site is also known for the early flowering plant Bevhalstia pebja(published in 1996), remains of which can still be found. Concretions of sideritic mudstone and siltstone have also yielded numerous insect remains(13 orders) including many new species. Other finds include dinosaur footcasts, remains of pterosaur, fish, crocodile, crustaceans, molluscs and non-angiospermous plants (ferns and cycads, and a Sequoia-type cone). A death-bed assemblage of teleost fish has also been found, which included the first articulated pycnodont fish from the Wealden. More recently a new species of spinicaudatan (clam shrimp) and three new groups of insect have been discovered (earwig, mayfly and ‘stick insect’). During 2016 a small claw, possibly Baryonyx, was recovered,and during 2017, a tooth from a large unidentified theropod. Also, in 2019 a rare parting of crustaceans was found by Mike Webster containing the remains of at least 35 isopods (cymothoidians and idoteids–see Batten 2011, p.120, text-fig.10.3) as well as prawns/shrimps.
Meeting points and further details will be communicated to participants nearer the time. Contact details and emergency contact required at booking.
Maximum group size will be 25.
Cost: £5 GA members, £10 non-members
Cost: £5 Members
Cost: £10 Non-Members
Please note the following important information for Field Meetings:
BOOKING. You must book through the GA office to confirm attendance. Meeting times and locations will be confirmed on booking. These are not normally advertised in advance, as there have been problems with members turning up without booking or paying and maximum numbers being exceeded. Field meetings are open to non-members although attendance by non-members is subject to a £5 surcharge on top of the normal administration fee. Some meetings may have restrictions on age (especially for under 16s) or be physically demanding. If you are uncertain, please ask.
PAYMENTS for day and weekend meetings must be made before attending any field meeting. Payments can be made on line by clicking the relevant box above. Alternatively cheques should be made out to Geologists' Association Field Meetings. If making multiple bookings, please enclose a separate cheque for each meeting unless you have first confirmed that there are places available. A stamped addressed envelope is appreciated. Please give a contact mobile number and, if possible, an email address and provide the names of any other persons that you are including in your booking. Please also provide and emergency contact name and mobile number at the time of booking.
PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE for field meetings is provided but personal accident cover remains the responsibility of the participant. Further details are available upon request from the GA office.
SAFETY is taken very seriously. Should you be unsure about either the risks involved or your ability to participate, you must seek advice from the GA office before booking. Please make sure that you study the risk assessment prepared for all GA field meetings and that you have all the safety equipment specified. You must decalre, at the time of booking, any disabilities or medical conditions that may affect your ability to safely attend a field meeting. You may be asked to provide further information on any prescription drugs etc. that you may use whilst attending a field meeting. In order to ensure the safety of all participants, the GA reserves the right to limit or refuse attendance at field meetings.
EMERGENCY CONTACT: If you are lost or late for the start of a meeting, an emergency contact is available during UK field meetings by calling the GA mobile phone (07724 133290). The mobile phone will only be switched on just before and during field meetings. For routine enquiries please call the GA office on the usual number.
The GA's FIELDWORK CODE is widely recognized as a standard for advice and guidance in the field. The code can be obtained free of charge, and is available for distribution.
The GA's UK FIELDTRIP GUIDELINES (July 2020) can also be downloaded here.
