I do not believe that the last post was in March–many apologies to the few that read this-what is meant to be a continuing random account of the happenings of the Teme Valley Geological Society.
In the meantime things have happened, moved on. We had the privilege of a visit from Prof Gillian Foulger on April 29th, that attracted a record turnout of around 90–from Ross (schoolchildren excluded due to the perceived risk of a journey to Martley and school authorities not wishing to take on the responsibility–dear lord what have we come to), U3A Malvern, Woolhope and more locally our own members, the number of whom now total more than last year, 71,–
Gillian and part of the large audience
hurray.
Gillian was impressed and flattered by the turnout, thank you for coming along. Her talk was clear, well illustrated, concise and convincing to most but am led to believe that fierce arguments broke out in one car on the way back to Malvern! Gillian’s massive website http://www.mantleplumes.org/, a focal point for the continuing and sometimes bad tempered debate on whether plumes or plates cause the so called ‘hot spots’ most famously illustrated by the Hawaiian islands. Gillian’s only interest is that proper scientific debate is aired and her site is the premier world platform for this to take place. She asserts that there are many unsupported and variable claims made for the plume theory that are not borne out under proper scientific examination. She also asserts that all of the so called plumes, and these vary in numbers across the world depending on which ‘expert’ you consult, can be explained by plate movement mechanisms.
Gillian stayed at my guest house overnight and the pleasure of being in such exalted company was tempered by the reality of my struggling to keep up with the conversation, ranging as it did over mantle plumes, plate tectonics, the God Delusion and other topics not normally my focus when serving eggs and bacon.
Thanks Gillian for visiting Worcestershire; you have made us aware of your theories and raised our society’s profile as a venue for cutting edge speakers and latest news. We hope you enjoyed your visit and very much appreciate the time you manage to put aside to inform communities such as ours.