21st British Cave Research Association

Cave Science Symposium

Saturday 6th March 2010

University of Bristol

Third Circular: 15 February 2010

The British Cave Research Association is pleased to give final details of its one-day annual Cave Science Symposium that will be held in the School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, [University building no. 27], University Road, Bristol, BS8 1SS on Saturday 6 March 2010. The meeting will be hosted by Dr. David Richards, with the support of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society. Whether you are an academic, an amateur scientist or a caver wanting to find out more about the underground environment, you will find something of interest at the Symposium. A full programme of presentations is attached. An associated BCRA Cave Science Field Meeting on Sunday 7 March to Gough’s Cave, Cheddar, is also confirmed, as announced in a separate Circular.

The School of Geographical Sciences is centrally located in Bristol. From the M32, continue in the right-hand lane, following Clifton signs. At St. James Barton roundabout take the second exit and follow signs to the University. Continue over several sets of traffic lights. Just after the entrance to a multi-storey car park on the left, turn right into Woodland Road and later take left turns into one-way Elton Road, Elmvale Road and University Road, where the venue is on the right for dropping off. Park in Woodland Road, or in the multi-storey car park and walk west via Park Row and Queens Road to University Road. If arriving by train, you are advised to alight at Temple Meads. It is a c. 30-minute walk to the University, the last section being steeply uphill. Alternatively, take the train to Clifton Down station, a 10 minute walk, or use bus 8/8A/9/9A, to the University.

Useful websites: BCRA: University: Department: Travel advice: Accommodation:

In order to avoid delay to the start, please arrive by 9.30am, when registration will commence. Admission charges, to include morning and afternoon refreshments, will be £6, or free for speakers, students and BCRA members. Attendees are advised to bring their own lunch packs or use local sandwich shops (Prêt-a-manger, Cafe Gusto). For any further information, please contact the lecture secretary, Trevor Faulkner, by 4 March at: t.faulkner [at] bcra.org.uk or by telephone at: +44 (0)1625 531558. All are welcome, and we look forward to seeing you at the Symposium.

WFW424b

British Cave Research Association

Programme 21st Cave Science Symposium

University of Bristol, 6 March 2010

REGISTRATION AND COFFEE09.30-10.00

Sale of BCRA publications

Introduction: David Richards, Symposium Host10.00–10.05

Cave archaeology: Chairman: David Richards

Alistair Pike10.05–10.25

Dating cave art by U-series disequilibrium: Recent results from Northern Spain

Jodie Lewis10.25-10.45

Neolithic cave archaeology from the Mendip Hills

Danielle Schreve10.45–11.05

The Lateglacial in Somerset: New information from Gully Cave, Ebbor Gorge

Mark Lewis11.05-11.25

Palynology of hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) coprolites from British Pleistocene sites.

COFFEE11.25–11.40

Speleogenesis in the Mendips: Chairman: Ian Fairchild

Alexander Gee11.40–12.00

Halloween Rift and Eastwater Cavern: A report on recent studies

Andy Farrant12.00–12.20

Cave development in the Cheddar catchment: Testing classic models in a classic area

Andy Farrant12.20–12.35

Field Visit toGough's Cave: Geomorphology

BCRA news and discussion: Dave Checkley, BCRA Chairman12.35–12.55

LUNCH and poster displays12.55–13.40

Matthew Box

High Resolution Multi-Proxy Palaeoclimate Records from Australasian Speleothems

Trevor Faulkner

The deglaciation of stripe karst marbles in central Scandinavia

Trevor Faulkner

Holocene deposits from Neptune’s Cave, Nordland, Norway: Environmental interpretation and relation to the deglacial and emergence history of the Velfjord–Tosenfjord area.

Mike Simms

Tortoises and Hares: Dissolution, erosion, isostasy and long-term landscape evolution.

Mike Simms

Lake-shore karren: A neglected area of karst research.

British Cave Research Association

Attendees are advised to bring their own lunch packs or use convenient take-away shops in the vicinity. Food can be consumed on the premises. Tea, coffee and fruit juice will also be provided.

Karst studies: Chairman: Andy Farrant

Derek Ford13.40–14.00

From the Plains of Abraham to Dodo Canyon: Remarkable dolomite karst in permafrostin theMackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada

Stefan Doerr14.00–14.20 Origin and karst geomorphological significance of the enigmatic Nullarbor Plain ‘blowholes’

Mike Simms

The Pit and the Pedestal: Tales of the Unexpected14.20–14.40

Louise Maurice14.40–15.00

Karst development in the English Chalk

Ian Fairchild15.00-15.20

Dynamics of circulation of air in caves and its implications for speleothems

COFFEE15.20–15.35

Speleothem studies: Chairman: Trevor Faulkner

Charles Self15.35–15.55

Which features of the cave environment control the growth of speleothems?

Jinni King15.55–16.15

Microbial impacts on speleothem palaeoenvironmental proxies

Natalie Ludgate16.15–16.35

Organic matter preserved in cave sediments: A new environmental proxy

Gina Moseley16.35–16.55

Relative sea level fluctuations during the early-middle Holocene based on speleothems from the circum-Caribbean region

Concluding discussions16.55–17.05

Close: Trevor Faulkner, Symposium lecture secretary17.05-17.10

FINAL COFFEE17.10–17.30

Tour of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society Library and Museum17.30–

The UBSS premises are within 5 minutes of the School of Geographical Sciences. We are invited to visit them, hosted by Graham Mullan and Charles Self.