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The building of a new applied geology for the Chalk has been a two-way process between academic research and learning from industry which aspects of the geology are of special importance to construction projects and hydrogeology. The 11th Glossop Lecture explores the development of ideas that have led to the remapping of the English Chalk, recognition of an applied lithostratigraphy and fracture stratigraphy, greater understanding of material behaviour and enhanced conceptual models on which numerical models can be built. Advances in technology, particularly borehole camera logs and geophysical logs, are considered in the context of acquiring more reliable information for the description and classification of chalk. Construction projects used to assess aspects of chalk engineering include assessing rock mass descriptions and classifications for tunnelling on the A26 Cuilfail Tunnel, Lewes, and A27 Southwick Tunnels, Brighton; earthworks in relation to karst features on the A27 Brighton Bypass; risk analysis in relation to tunnel boring machine tunnelling through flints in the Shoreham Harbour Waste Water Tunnel; recognizing the impact of different Chalk formations on tunnels and shafts on the Brighton and Hove Stormwater Tunnel; dealing with unexpected geology on the A303 Stonehenge Tunnel; developing and applying techniques to borehole core-logging on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, Crossrail and the Thames and Lee tunnels in east London. The feedback from discoveries made during construction to 'pure' geology is shown to be crucial to the subject's development in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work has established a methodology that allows the user to determine areas susceptible to shoreline recession and cliff instability. This methodology includes the development of a qualitative loss estimation system which utilizes geotechnical field mapping observations and shoreline retreat predictions to estimate the exposition of critical infrastructure to hazards posed by cliff collapse and retreat. The technique identifies hazardous areas along coastal cliff environments. The assessment was undertaken along the cliff section between Brighton Marina and Portobello, East Sussex, UK. The cliff line was divided into 22 sections according to the cliff's geology. Each of these sections was mapped and described with respect to the lithology and possible failures that could occur. Historical shoreline recession analysis was used for the prediction of future shoreline positions. The prediction of future shorelines was performed by using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System, extension of ESRI's ArcView 9.x. The analysis was based on historical maps and aerial photographs dating from 1873 to 2005. The long term average cliff recession rates clearly show that cliff retreat has declined through time due to the presence of coast protection and cliff stability measures. Although these measures have delayed cliff recession to a great extent, they have not eliminated it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixty low-magnesium-calcite samples from Cenomanian articulate brachiopods, belemnites and oysters from the epicontinental shelf sea of Europe were geochemically and microscopically studied in order to evaluate their preservation and potential as carriers of palaeoenvironmental information. The sampled localities in northern Spain, Germany and southern England cover the transition between subtropical (25–30°N) and temperate (33–38°N) climates. Mean Cenomanian salinity-adjusted palaeotemperatures of diagenetically unaltered terebratulid and rhynchonellid brachiopods are 25.5±1.3 °C in Spain and 19.4±1.9 °C in southern England. The resulting low-to-mid-latitude meridional temperature gradient of ~0.7 °C per degree latitude is similar to the gradient today and suggests modern heat transport values for Cenomanian low latitudes. Oxygen isotopic composition of unaltered specimens of the Upper Cenomanian belemnite Praeactinocamax plenus (mean: 0.2‰) is enriched in 18O by 1‰ in comparison to brachiopod shells. Correspondingly, Upper Cenomanian palaeotemperatures derived from belemnite calcite (~13.0±1.3 °C) underestimate modelled mid-latitude sea surface temperatures by ~6 °C. Since P. plenus occurs as Boreal pulse fauna during a short interval in the Late Cenomanian, its heavy oxygen isotopic composition can be attributed either to migration from a cooler and/or deeper water mass or to unknown vital effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Looks at `Agenda for Change' a report by a commission that examined how far contemporary British elections are conducted on level playing fields and whether any fundamental reforms in law or practice are necessary. Christopher Chataway, who chaired the commission; Changes in British elections in the last forty years and the impact of television; Case for extending the vote to all long-term residents; Evidence submitted to the commission; More.

Solitary intestinal fibromatosis (SIF) is a very rare condition, with only 13 cases reported. We present a new case of SIF causing neonatal intestinal obstruction and review the literature on this condition. SIF appears to be a condition of infancy and carries a very good prognosis after segmental resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]