Southampton Mineral & Fossil Society

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Southampton Mineral & Fossil Society Meetings Programme 2024


Unless otherwise advised all Spring and Summer (April - September) evening meetings will take place on the third Tuesday of each month at the Oasis Academy Lord's Hill, Romsey Road, Lord's Hill, Southampton, SO16 8FA beginning at 19:30. Car park access is on Redbridge Lane and plenty of free parking is available. Directions from Google Maps can be accessed from here: Venue map. We usually finish around 21:30.
For the Autumn and Winter months, October to March, we hold online meetings using Zoom where we are able to enjoy expert speakers from all around the world.

At most evening meetings there will usually be a "Members' Display" of rock, mineral & fossil specimens (or any other related material) bought along and displayed by the members on a theme loosely related to the evening activity. There are occasionally specimens for sale, and for free, at some meetings.

Guests are very welcome to come along to any evening meeting as a visitor to meet SMFS and the members before considering joining the Society. If you wish to join us on Zoom please contact us for joining details.


Pyrope variety of garnet.

Pyrope variety of garnet.

January

Tuesday 16th January 2024

Zoom Meeting - A talk from the Prep Lab of the Paleontological Research Institution Museum of the Earth, Ithaca, New York, USA, that was founded by Gilbert Harris, a professor of geology at Cornell University. Presented by Dr. Maureen Bickley, Museum Education & Prep Lab Manager.

Members' Display: Not applicable.

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Quartz variety amethyst.

Quartz variety amethyst.

February

Tuesday 20th February 2024

Zoom Meeting - "Minerals of Northern Ireland" by Norman Moles, Honorary School Fellow at University of Brighton.

Members' Display: Not applicable.

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Beryl variety aquamarine.

Beryl variety aquamarine.

March

Tuesday 19th March 2024

Zoom Meeting - Presentation by Dr Mick Oates, retired professional geologist who has had a lifelong enthusiasm for rocks and fossils and in particular ammonites! "Ammonites - from Mythology and Folklore to Geological Relevance."

Members' Display: Not applicable.


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Diamond.

Diamond in matrix.

April

Tuesday 16th April 2024

Evening Meeting - Resumption of our evening meetings at our new venue with Mr Barry Pitt on "The Cornish Tin Myth" Cornish ore production, what was mined and where.

Members' Display: Cornish tin specimens.

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Beryl variety emerald.

Beryl variety emerald.

May

Thursday 16th May - Monday 20th May 2024

Field Trip - A long weekend field trip to collect minerals in Cornwall. SMFS Members only

Tuesday 21st May 2024

Evening Meeting - "Bird Evolution" a talk by Dr Neil Gostling, Senior Lecturer in Evolution and Palaeobiology at Southampton University.

Members' Display: Bird fossils and related material.

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Orthoclase feldspar variety moonstone.

Orthoclase feldspar variety moonstone.

June

Tuesday 18th June 2024

Evening Meeting - "The Collections of Cumberland House Natural History Museum" a presentation by Christine Taylor, Curator of Natural History.

Members' Display: Your former museum specimens with their history.

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Corundum variety ruby.

Corundum variety ruby.

July

Tuesday 16th July 2024

SMFS Annual General Meeting (Members only) followed by Photographic Competition and Field Trip report.

Members' Display: Your photographs.

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Olivine variety peridot.

Olivine variety peridot.

August

Tuesday 21st August 2024

Evening Meeting - Our Annual Swap and Sell meeting for members to pass along any material that they wish to dispose of and for others to acquire some more material.

Members' Display: Not applicable.

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Corundum variety sapphire.

Corundum variety sapphire.

September

Saturday 7th September 2024

Hampshire Mineral & Fossil Show. For more information go to the Show Page. See you all there!

Tuesday 17th September 2024

Evening Meeting - A presentation titled "Discovering the early evolutionary history of sea urchins." by Dr Jeff Thompson, Lecturer, University of Southampton.

Members' Display: UK fossils.

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Opal.

Opal.

October

Tuesday 15th October 2024

Evening Meeting - SMFS Chairman, Ian Dunne presenting "Volcanoes, plate tectonics and how we got where we are." From the early earth and the first formation of the continents to the effect that the moving continents have had on the history of life, with a smattering of the history of this fascinating subject including volcanoes.

Members' Display: Volcanic rocks and minerals.

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Topaz.

Topaz.

November

Saturday 2nd November 2024

Geologists' Association Festival of Geology. The Geologists' Association, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London. W1J 0DU. 10:30 to 16:30 Further information from: Geologists' Association

Saturday 16th November 2024

Sussex Mineral & Fossil Show. Haywards Heath College, Harlands Road, Haywards Heath, Sussex. RH16 1LT. Further information: www.smls.online/show

Tuesday 19th November 2024

Evening Meeting - A presentation by Joerg Wiedenmann, Professor of Biological Oceanography at the University of Southampton, titled "Jurassic Coral Park: What can fossils tell us about the capacity of reef corals to survive climate change?"

Members' Display: Corals, both extinct and recent.

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Turquoise.

Turquoise.

December

Tuesday 17th December 2024

Evening meeting - Fluorescence and fluorescent minerals.

Members' Display: Fluorescent minerals.

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