News & Events
At Stanway Village Hall near Colchester -
A FREE event for adults and children
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Come and join us at the new Stanway branch of ERMS and find out more
on the third Thursday of every month.
We'd love to see you, young and old.
Bring your ideas and interests.
Bring your rocks, minerals, crystals, fossils, gems and pebbles!
Look under the Meetings tab for a list of talks and demonstrations for the rest of this year at ERMS Stanway as well as ERMS Hornchurch.
Members £12 per year, visitors £4 per meeting, redeemable on membership.
Membership covers all meetings at both venues plus field visits.
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new! - geology in Essex walls
A novel project has been put together
by ERMS Chairman Ian Mercer
to help you uncover Essex geology just by gazing at walls!
Click on the Discovery tab at the top of this page
and go down to Walls Survey
to discover how you can join in.
by ERMS Chairman Ian Mercer
to help you uncover Essex geology just by gazing at walls!
Click on the Discovery tab at the top of this page
and go down to Walls Survey
to discover how you can join in.
Pictures of wall materials will be posted on the Survey page to help you -
so please keep watching.
Enjoy your closer look at the walls of Essex and beyond.
so please keep watching.
Enjoy your closer look at the walls of Essex and beyond.
50th Anniversary of ERMS - February 2017
During the February meeting we were treated to a talk by Peter Minter about the Bulmer Brick and Tile Works which he has run for many years. Members had their first chance to buy the 50-year commemorative Bulmer brick inscribed with ERMS and the anniversary date. Made of pure Essex London Clay, the 50 bricks were fired early in December 2016. There are a few left, so if you want your own piece of Essex geological history ask for one soon.
The Founder of ERMS, Rowley Collier, received the first commemorative brick - No.1/50 - and the Jim Greenwood Award for 2016.
The Award was presented by Chairman Ian Mercer (right) who was the only other person at this anniversary meeting who had also attended that very first meeting in 1967. Who at this meeting will be at the 100th Anniversary in 2067? Volunteers?
The Award was presented by Chairman Ian Mercer (right) who was the only other person at this anniversary meeting who had also attended that very first meeting in 1967. Who at this meeting will be at the 100th Anniversary in 2067? Volunteers?
The evening ended with a great social and anniversary cake-opening!
At the meeting it was so good to welcome yet more new members. Younger people are also joining us as we head into success for the coming fifty years - well done everyone!
ERMS SHOW - success IN THREE HALLS
Our annual Gem and Mineral Show, in three halls for the first time this year on Saturday 18th February, was a huge success with more stall holders and visitors than ever - including a record number of young people.
Thanks go to Jeff Saward and all members who put in the effort to make it such a splendid 35th show.
NEXT SHOW: Saturday 17th February 2018 10am - 4pm
Thanks go to Jeff Saward and all members who put in the effort to make it such a splendid 35th show.
NEXT SHOW: Saturday 17th February 2018 10am - 4pm
ERMS Gem and Mineral Show has a new e-mail address - contact: the.erms.show@gmail.com
'Pebbles in Essex' poster published by ERMS!
Pebbles -
Find them in the garden - on the beach - in the walls of old buildings...
What are they made of? Where do they come from? How did they get here?
EVERY PEBBLE TELLS A STORY
Our new fold-up poster gives the answers.
With a grant from the Geologists' Association Curry Fund, Ros Mercer has produced a poster with a pebble identification chart plus the amazing story of pebbles, the Ice Age Thames and the Ice cap in Essex. Pebbles in Essex Churches are also featured, revealing a handy insight into Essex geological history and variety. Find out too about the story of flint and the way pebbles are formed.
All this for only £2
Obtain your copy from ERMS:
e-mail sherb1ian@yahoo.co.uk for mailing details
or come to an Essex Rock meeting
or ask at an Essex Museum or Visitor Centre
Find them in the garden - on the beach - in the walls of old buildings...
What are they made of? Where do they come from? How did they get here?
EVERY PEBBLE TELLS A STORY
Our new fold-up poster gives the answers.
With a grant from the Geologists' Association Curry Fund, Ros Mercer has produced a poster with a pebble identification chart plus the amazing story of pebbles, the Ice Age Thames and the Ice cap in Essex. Pebbles in Essex Churches are also featured, revealing a handy insight into Essex geological history and variety. Find out too about the story of flint and the way pebbles are formed.
All this for only £2
Obtain your copy from ERMS:
e-mail sherb1ian@yahoo.co.uk for mailing details
or come to an Essex Rock meeting
or ask at an Essex Museum or Visitor Centre
Naze geology Forum
On a sunny winter day early in January a group of 24 geologists and land-lovers gathered for a Naze Geology Forum. The Forum was to help inform the managers of the three Naze visitor centres: The Naze Tower, Maritime Museum and Essex Wildlife Trust. We shared such a lot of fascinating information and ideas. The geology and history, landscape and land uses were variously covered by several experts in the different layers seen in the cliff. Visits to each centre revealed their efforts to display and promote the unique geology of the Naze to all types of visitors.
ERMS members Gerald Lucy, Bill George, Jeff Saward, Bob Markham, David Grayston and Peter Allen gave talks and demonstrations of the different geological and land use aspects of the Naze area. The Forum was organised by Ian and Ros Mercer. Gerald gave a description of the geology at the cliff to start the day:
ERMS members Gerald Lucy, Bill George, Jeff Saward, Bob Markham, David Grayston and Peter Allen gave talks and demonstrations of the different geological and land use aspects of the Naze area. The Forum was organised by Ian and Ros Mercer. Gerald gave a description of the geology at the cliff to start the day:
ERMS Member has fossil named after him - again
Ctenoplectus williamsi - that's the name of an Eocene puffer fish, named after its discoverer Bob Williams.
A paper by a group of academics has been published after CT-scans were made of a London Clay nodule that was extracted by Bob in 1991 at Aveley and, after attempts to extract the fish remains, was lodged safely with the Natural History Museum. Out of the blue, on Bob's birthday too (!) the paper and pictures arrived through Bob's letterbox.
What a present! For those who dig deeper, the paper is by Roger Close et. al., in Palaeontology, 2016, pp. 1–16.
For the rest of us, here's a reconstruction -
Bob receives an extra birthday gift -
a framed picture of 'his' fish
presented by ERMS Chairman
Ian Mercer during the
June 2016 meeting.
GeoEssex online
Gerald digging. Again.
After much digging over many years, plus detailed work to complete their new website Gerald Lucy, Essex Rock member and author, has brought GeoEssex and local geology into sharper focus for the public and geologists. GeoEssex investigates, promotes and preserves Essex geological sites and features to help research and investigation plus enlightenment and understanding of Essex geology. This work involves a complex but exciting insight into the history of Ice Age and Thames River action across the county. The digging continues...
See www.geoessex.org.uk/
See www.geoessex.org.uk/
