Fossiliam

28/09/2026

Thanks so much to the Geologists' Association whose Curry Fund support enabled Professor Becky Williams and I to strat - sorry, START - the VolcaniCity project and develop Tempest's Volcano Trail. The trail combines urban geology with the amazing life of Tempest Anderson, the York eye surgeon and photographer who became a world expert on volcanic eruptions.

We were delighted to be able to lead a guided walk of the trail for the GA's annual conference in York and thanks to all who braved the rain. At least it ensured that the pavement volcanology was easier to see!

Thank you to Dr Liam Herringshaw (Fossiliam) and Professor Rebecca Williams () who led a walk around the historic streets of York on Tempests' Volcano Trail, following in the footsteps of pioneering Victorian polymath and amateur volcanologist Tempest Anderson.

Tempests' Volcano Trail was a project supported by the Geologists' Association Curry Fund and therefore made a very fitting way to round off an interesting and informative Conference weekend.

Thank you also to the Conference organising committee, in particular Paul Hildreth of Yorkshire Geological Society and David Harbourne from Yorkshire Philosophical Society, and to the other field trip leaders: John Hodgson and Peter Rawson.

We look forward to seeing you all at our 2027 Conference, which will take place in Kent and is being organised alongside Kent Downs National Landscape and Cross-Channel Geopark Transmanche. Further details will be made available in due course.

24/09/2026

If you remember this amazing story from a year ago - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yv3e7gl72o - you might be interested to know that the lead researcher, Professor Uisdean Nicholson of Heriot-Watt University, will be giving a talk about the discovery to the Rotunda Geology Group next Thursday evening.

Uisdean's talk is in the Conference Room, Woodend, The Crescent, Scarborough. YO11 2PW. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start, with entry free to RGG members and £3 for non-members.

The full paper can be read here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63985-z

Geologists say an asteroid hit the North Sea near Yorkshire more than 43 million years ago.

23/09/2026

If you're a home-ed family and you don't have any plans next Tuesday, Bryony Caswell and I will be leading a Fascinating Filey trip from 10.30 to 12.30. We'll do some Ice Age pebble-spotting, some intertidal rock-pooling and some limestone fossil-hunting in the wonderful environs of Filey Bay and Brigg.

Further details and ticket bookings here:
https://FileyHomeEd.eventbrite.co.uk

22/09/2026

I promised to write an introduction to the geology of Redcar about 6 months ago, ahead of all the spring and summer activities. Well, what's a couple of equinoxes between friends?

Anyway, here's my guide - Redcar from Beacon to Stray: https://fossilhub.org/redcar-beacon-stray/

Many thanks to Delta Charlie Drones for letting me annotate their aerial shot of the beach!

18/09/2026

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking for Asteroceras.

https://fossilhub.org/front-street-fossils/

16/09/2026

If you're a Yorkshire Philosophical Society or Yorkshire Geological Society member, you can book free onto our volcanic tour of York on Sunday September 27th. The morning walk is now fully booked, but there are still spaces on the 2.15pm slot: https://geologistsassociation.org.uk/conferences/ #!/conference-field-trip-2b-york-s-volcanic-trail-2-15pm

04/09/2026

The Geologists' Association is having its annual conference in York later this month (Sept 25th-27th). On the Sunday, Sept 27th at 10.45am, Professor Becky Williams and I will be leading Tempest's Volcano Trail, a guided tour of York following in the volcanic footsteps of Dr Tempest Anderson. This has been developed thanks to generous support from the Association's Curry Fund.

If you're a member of the Yorkshire Geological Society or the Yorkshire Philosophical Society, and fancy joining us, you can sign up for the walk free of charge via the conference booking page: https://geologistsassociation.org.uk/conferences/ #!/conference-field-trip-2-york-s-volcanic-trail-10-45am

17/08/2026

The Rock Showman and I will be on duty for the Saturday of the Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage, leading a rock and fossil safari in the morning, doing some beach-based Earth engagement in the early afternoon, and then hosting a 'Mining Deep Time' panel discussion on Cleveland's geoheritage in the late afternoon.

If you've not yet booked onto our morning walk, you can do so here: https://staithesrocks2026.eventbrite.co.uk/

And if you'd like to come to our Mining Deep Time event, you can get your tickets here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/staithesfestivalofartsandheritage/2283868

12/08/2026

Palaeontology: the history in natural history:
https://teach.ocr.org.uk/palaeontology-the-history-in-natural-history

Dr Joe Keating, Education Officer for The Palaeontological Association, explains why a proposed new GCSE in Natural History should have palaeontology at its core.

Joseph Keating puts forward a case for including palaeontology in the new GCSE Natural History curriculum due to its unique deep-time perspective.

31/07/2026

Join us in Whitby tomorrow!