The East Midlands Geological Society offers a programme of lectures on a diverse range of geological and related topics. Delivered by experienced and engaging speakers, these talks are pitched to appeal to both professional and amateur enthusiasts alike. Our annual programme is designed to cover a range of interests from local East Midlands geology, landscape and heritage through to the latest developments of international significance in geological science.

Our lectures are usually held on the second Saturday evening of each month from October to April, but please check our listings below for specific information about each lecture. Non-members are welcome at all of our lectures and attendance is free of charge. There is normally no need to register in advance, unless stated specifically for any individual events below.

​Unless stated otherwise, EMGS Lectures are normally held in the School of Geography Sir Clive Granger Building on the Nottingham University Park campus, see Lecture Venue below for directions. 

Our next lecture - Saturday 10th January 2026

Saturday, 10th January 2026 - 6.00pm
Speaker: Dr Tim Pharaoh
Topic: Late Ordovician subduction, super-eruptions and closure of the Tornquist Sea
Download pdf flyer

​Tim Pharaoh is an Honorary Research Associate of the British Geological Survey, Keyworth
 
Abstract: In the Midlands and eastern England, Ordovician rocks are rarely exposed, Ordovician igneous rocks even more so, due to a Mesozoic sedimentary cover that thickens towards the North Sea. Quarries at Nuneaton, Mountsorrel and in south Leicestershire sample intrusive igneous rocks. Boreholes to the Caledonian basement in eastern England encounter further examples of intrusive and volcanic rocks and define a calc-alkaline geochemical trend, typical of subduction-related arc magmatism. Of particular interest are the volcanic rocks proved by two boreholes in the vicinity of The Wash, which have recently been very precisely dated at 454.4 ± 0.5 million years, placing them in the Sandbian stage of the late Ordovician. Further information from geophysical surveys in the region enables the plate tectonic context of this magmatic episode to be better understood. The new precise ages and forensic geochemical studies permit correlation of volcanic sources in The Wash Igneous Complex with thick deposits of tephra (ash) in the Ordovician stratigraphy of Scandinavia, which record some of the largest super-eruptions in Earth history. These may have resulted in global cooling and contributed to the first major global extinction event in the history of life at the end of Ordovician time, although this is presently a controversial topic.

EMGS lectures 2025-26 season

Saturday, 18th October 2025 - 6.00pm
Speaker: Dr Judith Nathanail   
Topic: A tale of two Dorset field trips - vertebrate palaeontology and landslides
Download pdf flyer
Saturday, 8th November 2025 - 6.00pm
Speaker: Dr Karen Hanghøj  
Topic: Geoscience for a sustainable future. Challenges and opportunities
Download pdf flyer
Saturday, 13th December 2025 - 6.00pm
Speaker: Professor Matthew Jones   
Topic: Reconstructing late Quaternary hydroclimates; lessons from local to global scales
Download pdf flyer
Saturday, 10th January 2026 - 6.00pm
Speaker: Dr Tim Pharaoh
Topic: Late Ordovician subduction, super-eruptions and closure of the Tornquist Sea
Download pdf flyer
​​Saturday, 14th February 2026 - 6.00pm
Speaker: Dr Chris Duffin   
Topic: Mineralogy in art - President's Evening
Download pdf flyer (coming soon)
Saturday, 14th March 2026 - 6.00pm
Speaker: Dr Peter Gutteridge  
Topic: Microbially-mediated carbonates in the Mesoproterozoic Stoer Group; earliest evidence of life in Britain?
Download pdf flyer (coming soon)
*Please note that this is a change to the programme, Prof. Joe Cartwright will now give his lecture on the Mull Dyke Swarm in October 2026
Saturday, 11th April 2026 - 6.00pm
Speaker:  Professor David Martill
Topic: Hunting dinosaurs from space
Download pdf flyer (coming soon)

Lecture Venue

EMGS Lectures are held in the School of Geography Sir Clive Granger Building on the Nottingham University Park campus. 
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If travelling by car, please park in the Main University Visitors Car Park (Postcode NG7 2RX Google Maps) – parking is free on Saturday evenings. The Sir Clive Granger Building is on the left as you enter the car park, and accessible via a gentle ramp to the rear door of the building.  

The Society is indebted to the School of Geography at the University, who are sponsoring our lectures, for the use of these facilities.

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New! Previous Lecture Seasons
Select the links below to download abstracts for previous years or conferences.
EMGS Evening Lecture Series 2024-5
EMGS 60th Anniversary Conference 12 October 2024
EMGS Evening Lecture Series 2023-4