Feb 2015 Speaker Audrey McDougall - the Gog Magog Hills

Today we heard from Audrey McDougall - an expert on the ancient Gog Magog Hills and their geology.

Having studied geology at Glasgow University Auidrey went on to be a chemistry teacher.  Then after living in Cambridge for a few years she moved into a research job in the Earth Sciences Department at Cambridge University and has done a lot of research into ancient fossil pollen grains, co-authoring some papers on this branch of geology.

She gave us a very interesting talk about the local hills and how the different horizontal layers of chalk were laid down over the eons when an ancient sea covered the area.  These then were tilted by the forces involved in continental drift so that different parts of the county show chalk with different qualities.  The ice age then sent a sheet of frozen water filled with rubble and sand which was then deposited on top of the chalk when the ice melted.

The diggings near the number 2 tee of the Gog Magog Golf Club have revealed these layers and a lot of interesting fossils within each layer, that the department study in great detail.  A lot can be deduced from these fossils about the plant life of the early earth and its weather conditions - a fascinating detective story!

Wandlebury Hill (grid reference TL493534) is a hill in the Gog Magog Downs, a ridge of low chalk hills extending for several miles to the southeast of Cambridge,

DON'T FORGET -

FOOD BANK COLLECTION - after the meal please pass all donations to David A. Most needed items are currently Pasta, Rice, Biscuits and Baked Beans.