Events diary for May 2012

29th May 2012 09:00-16:00
Mines & Minewater: A Brownsfield Briefing conference: BGS, Nottingham, on 29 May

A one-day conference exploring the common challenges with mines and minewater, regulatory requirements and innovative case studies. Richard Shaw, Principal Scientist at BGS will be Chair. Please click on the following links for more information:

• Programme
• Book online

22nd May 2012 10:30-14:00
BUFI Science Festival
We are hosting a BUFI Science Festival on 22 May 2012 in the de la Beche conference facility and reception area Keyworth from 10.30 - 2.00pm.

The event enables students studying for a PhD and in receipt of support from BGS to showcase their science to a broad audience.

26th April 2012 08:00-18:00
GeoDATA 2012: Free Seminar Series
GeoDATA 2012 brings together leading professionals from the geographic industry to share practical advice on how to think smarter and do more with geographic information within your organisation. With six information-packed, one-day events to choose from, these seminars will help you discover invaluable strategies on how to maintain your competitive edge through challenging times.

The British Geological Survey is a partner in GeoDATA 2012. We will attend the event in London (April 26) and Manchester (May 17), presenting 'Unlocking access to subsurface data — a key factor in realising cost-effective urban regeneration'. Our stand will feature

• geological models
• interactive 3D visualisation
• geological information

17th May 2012 08:00-18:00
GeoDATA 2012: Free Seminar Series
GeoDATA 2012 brings together leading professionals from the geographic industry to share practical advice on how to think smarter and do more with geographic information within your organisation. With six information-packed, one-day events to choose from, these seminars will help you discover invaluable strategies on how to maintain your competitive edge through challenging times.

The British Geological Survey is a partner in GeoDATA 2012. We will attend the event in London (April 26) and Manchester (May 17), presenting 'Unlocking access to subsurface data mdash; a key factor in realising cost-effective urban regeneration'. Our stand will feature

• geological models
• interactive 3D visualisation
• geological information

1st April to 4th April
Edinburgh Science Festival

Best of Scottish Science at Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh

BGS science will be on display including work in Ethiopia; Fast & Furious. Witnessing the Birth of Africa's New Ocean.

12.00- 17.00 Sunday 1 April

10.00 - 17.00 Monday 2 April to Wednesday 4 April

More about Afar Rift Consortium at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition

13th June to 14th June
Drought resilience: UK Groundwater Forum and NERC Water Security

We are hosting the UK Groundwater Forum’s annual conference ‘Drought - how resilient are we?’ and the NERC Water Security Workshop ‘Improving drought prediction, communication and impact assessment’.

After 18 months of below average rainfall the water resource situation in parts of the UK looks precarious with river flows and groundwater levels amongst the lowest on record. Parts of the UK are officially in drought and water companies are applying for drought orders and encouraging consumers to conserve water.

With climate change modelling suggesting that there may be an increase in the frequency and severity of droughts in the future is this a sign of things to come and a reminder of how vulnerable our water resources are? It is timely then that the NERC Water Security Knowledge Exchange Programme (WSKEP), led by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, has identified drought resilience as a key priority subject.

The conference will be held on the 13 June with the NERC Water Security workshop following on the 14 June.  Both events are free to attend but registration must be made in advance by 11 May 2012.

• Event information
• Contact the UK Groundwater Forum
• Information about the drought

16th May to 17th May
High Fidelity: The Quest for Precision in Stratigraphy & its Applications

There has been a quiet revolution in the precision with which geochronologists and biostratigraphers are able to date and correlate rock sequences. Recent advances in radiometric ITDMS U-PB dating of zircons and computer-based methods of quantitative biostratigraphy now make it possible to produce sub-100 k.y. resolution as far into deep time as the Palaeozoic. Orbital cyclicity has been demonstrated in the Cenozoic and Mesozoic and may be possible in the Palaeozoic, allowing age calibration using the 40-400Ky cycles. This conference will bring together chronostratigraphy specialists, biostratigraphers and applied geologists to explore new synergies to bring the 'new dating' into ever wider applied and practical uses.

Keynotes:
Bruce Levell, Chief Scientist Geology, Shell
Felix Gradstein, Museum of Natural History, Blindern, Norway
Thijs Vandenbrouke, Université Lille 1 - Sciences et Technologies, France
Peter Sadler, University of California, Riverside
Andy Gale, University of Portsmouth

Conference fees:
£150 for fellows of the Geological Society, £250 for non- fellows, and £50 for students.

Send your abstracts to Steve Whalley at The Geological Society: steve.whalley@geolsoc.org.uk

31st May 2012 08:00-22:00
Shale Gas in the UK: what, where, why, how?
BGS geologist Ed Hough will be giving a presentation 'Shale Gas in the UK: what, where, why, how?' to Geol Soc North West Regional Group, 31 May 2012 at 6.00pm in the Williamson Lecture Theatre, Williamson Building, Manchester University.

More about Shale Gas in the UK: what, where, why, how? on 31 May 2012 or download the presentation poster