The Rocks Beneath Our Feet
Dr John Rickus
Who would have thought that Wales would play such a significant role in the area of Geology? Despite the snow outside, there was a full house at the meeting on 6 February to enjoy this self styled “well travelled geologist” and former MD of Technical Services at Rio Tinto’s learned and entertaining lecture. Following an introduction by Berwyn Evans, Dr Rickus explained that a teacher had heavily influenced him in his love of geography and geology at his school in Welshpool. He proceeded to demonstrate that he was still able to pass on that passion for his subject enthusiastically, and generate a lively set of questions from his fascinated audience. We had a quick tour of the origin of geological sciences, then an illustrated description of how Wales got to where it is at the moment, and along the way we learnt about the importance of Wales in the development of geological sciences. From the first published Theory of the Earth in 1795, through the interest engendered by the digging of the canals, the science of geology took off. Although Scotland is reputed to have the oldest rock, at 2.7 billion years old, Wales has a huge range of rocks from periods over the last 700 million years, because it gradually moved with continents from the South Pole to the Equator. Some 90% of the Paleozoic geological period is named after Wales or Welsh tribes (e.g.Silurian, and Ordovician), and this is in common scientific parlance internationally. Dr Rickus explained that in the journey from London to Anglesey, we cross rocks from across the ages, which makes Wales a very special place. We heard about the role of climate change, and the first forms of life in the sea and on land, and then the two major extinctions in the Permian and Triassic and Jurassic periods. We came to appreciate which mountain ranges appeared in which geological eras, and why the coalfields developed. Although Dr Rickus was not able to affirm the likelihood of oil in Wales, nor to predict where Wales will move to in the next 100 million years, Stuart Cole’s vote of thanks represented the gratitude of the audience for being able to look at the beautiful Welsh landscapes with a new understanding of what made them.
This special meeting was The June Gruffydd Memorial Lecture, in association with the Montgomeryshire Society
