Aberdeen Geological Society

Welcome to AGS

Welcome to and thank you for visiting our web-site. Aberdeen Geological Society comprises a lively mix of professional geologists (both working and retired) as well as amateurs from different career backgrounds, all with a shared enthusiasm for things geological. We aim to share knowledge, experience and keep interest alive by scheduling a programme of evening talks given by guest lecturers during the winter months and a series of guided field excursions from May through the summer months.

Forthcoming Events

The 2026 AGS Field Excursion programme finished in September with a long weekend to the Northern Cairngorms. Nevertheless, we have 2 further outdoor days next week when we hope to clean up a rock outcrop in the Donside Nature Reserve at the Brig o’Balgownie.

Our winter 2026/2027 programme of Thursday evening lectures commenced mid-October and runs through to April 27. The next 10 events are listed in the ribbon below.



	                Restoration of an Unconformity at the Brig o'Balgownie
				02nov10:00 am3:30 pmRestoration of an Unconformity at the Brig o'BalgownieLed by Aberdeen Countryside Ranger Service 10:00 am - 3:30 pm Donside Nature Reserve, Brig o'Balgownie

							Event Details
This is a advance notice of a rather unique excursion, where we will be involved in cleaning up an outcrop of rock on the south bank of the River Don

							
							
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									Event Details

									This is a advance notice of a rather unique excursion, where we will be involved in cleaning up an outcrop of rock on the south bank of the River Don close to the old Bridge of Balgownie.  We have been in communication with Aberdeen City Rangers Service for some time, who are very keen to participate in this project.
The project is described in a document within our Special Features Table.
Aberdeen Ranger Service are leading the project and their team of volunteers will be responsible for clearing the access path and stairs. However, AGS need to supply the team to work on the rock outcrop itself.  Volunteers will work around the time of low water because the beach area alongside the rock does get wet at high water times.
We hope that we can get perhaps 5 or 6 members to help – perhaps by staggering attendance times between 9:30 and 14:30. AGS volunteers willing to help should contact Rosemary Feilden at excursions@aberdeengeolsoc.org.uk
The clean up should take no more than the 5 hours but we have allocated a second day as contingency and so that we can take photos and measurements.
The Rangers have asked that we create material for an public information board to replace one on the public path near the top of the steps leading down to the beach area and rock itself.
We see that this is a great opportunity to promote AGS and bring geology to a wider audience within Aberdeen.

								
							
						

						
							
							
								
									
																
										Time
										(Monday) 10:00 am - 3:30 pm
									
								
							

								
									
																
										Location
Donside Nature Reserve, Brig o'Balgownie

									
								
							

							
						
						
							
							
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Recording of the Unconformity at the Brig o'Balgownie
				03nov10:00 am3:30 pmRecording of the Unconformity at the Brig o'BalgownieLed by Aberdeen Countryside Ranger Service 10:00 am - 3:30 pm Donside Nature Reserve, Brig o'Balgownie

							Event Details
This is a advance notice of a second day after cleaning an outcrop of rock on the south bank of the River Don close to the old Bridge of Balgownie.

The

							
							
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									Event Details

									This is a advance notice of a second day after cleaning an outcrop of rock on the south bank of the River Don close to the old Bridge of Balgownie.
The project is described in a document within our Special Features Table.
Please see details on day 1 – 2nd November event.
We hope that the cleaning work will be finished but we may need a few hours for contingency.  We would however like to use this period to properly photograph the rock, make sketches and measurements.  AGS members who would like to participate should contact Rosemary Feilden at excursions@aberdeengeolsoc.org.uk
Ultimately, we will gather material for an public information board to replace one on the public path near the top of the steps leading down to the beach area and rock itself.
We see that this is a great opportunity to promote AGS and bring geology to a wider audience within Aberdeen.

								
							
						

						
							
							
								
									
																
										Time
										(Tuesday) 10:00 am - 3:30 pm
									
								
							

								
									
																
										Location
Donside Nature Reserve, Brig o'Balgownie

									
								
							

							
						
						
							
							
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Thomas F Jamieson - the Aberdeen-born Ice-Age Geologist
									
										Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building
										
											Meston Building, King\'s College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
										
				12nov6:30 pm8:00 pmThomas F Jamieson - the Aberdeen-born Ice-Age Geologistby Mike Shepherd6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building

							Event Details
This is an evening talk by Mike Shepherd.

Thomas Francis Jamieson (1829-1913), born in Aberdeen, was an amateur geologist and the factor (estate manager) of the 11,000-acre Ellon Estate. A leading

							
							
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									Event Details

									This is an evening talk by Mike Shepherd.
Thomas Francis Jamieson (1829-1913), born in Aberdeen, was an amateur geologist and the factor (estate manager) of the 11,000-acre Ellon Estate. A leading light of the 1860s glacial revival, he established several modern concepts in glacial geology, most notably the theory of glacial isostasy (that the weight of ice sheets depresses land masses).
When, in 1840, the Swiss geologist Louis Agassiz proposed Scotland had experienced the effects of the Ice Age, few British geologists took him seriously. But then, in 1862, Jamieson established from mapping glacial striae and the direction of travel of erratic boulders in the north of Scotland that thick ice sheets had spread out radially from the Scottish Highlands. A year earlier, Charles Darwin asked Jamieson to check the fieldwork forming the basis for Darwin’s 1838 paper on the parallel roads of Glen Roy. Darwin had suggested that the three terraces in the glen were beaches. Jamieson established evidence that they were the strandlines of an ice-dammed lake. Darwin agreed, writing to Jamieson that, ‘My paper is one long gigantic blunder,’ adding, ‘Did I not say that you would be able to settle the question?’

Biography: Born in Aberdeen when the Earth was young, Mike gained an honours degree in geology and mineralogy from the University of Aberdeen. Thereafter, he worked for oil companies in the North Sea, specializing in geological methods of locating the remaining oil in mature producing fields. This was the basis for his textbook, Oil Field Production Geology (AAPG 2009).He is retired and now writes local history books, such as how Bram Stoker came to write Dracula in Aberdeenshire. His research on Thomas Jamieson, near completion, will be used to write a book about this Ice-Age geologist.

								
							
						

						
							
							
								
									
																
										Time
										(Thursday) 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
									
								
							

								
									
																
										Location
Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building
Meston Building, King's College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
									
								
							

							
						
						
							
							
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Portsoy Marble, Jacobites & Jewellery
									
										Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building
										
											Meston Building, King\'s College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
										
				26nov6:30 pm8:00 pmPortsoy Marble, Jacobites & JewelleryBy Prof. John Parnell of University of Aberdeen 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building

							Event Details
Jacobites and Jewellery: 4 centuries of artistry from Portsoy Marble

For over 350 years, from Jacobite times to the present day, the rock known as Portsoy Marble, has featured in international

							
							
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									Event Details

									Jacobites and Jewellery: 4 centuries of artistry from Portsoy Marble
For over 350 years, from Jacobite times to the present day, the rock known as Portsoy Marble, has featured in international trade, high-quality masonry, tourist trinketry, and scientific research. It has been represented at national and international exhibitions and recorded in numerous tourist guides and textbooks. Most notably, it is reputed for incorporation in the Palace of Versailles by Louis XIV. The lecture brings together the evidence from trade with France, church monuments, local newspaper stories and advertisements, scientific presentations, and modern sculpture to show how the use of this local stone has evolved in a changing society.
Note that the title image of the “Turra Coo” is beautifully sculpted in Portsoy marble.

John Parnell is Professor of Geology and Petroleum Geology at the University of Aberdeen, where he arrived in 1999. He works on sedimentary geochemistry, including projects about Mars and the Moon, but lately he has also worked on topics involving local history. At Portsoy, he combines historical work with lunar analogue studies.

								
							
						

						
							
							
								
									
																
										Time
										(Thursday) 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
									
								
							

								
									
																
										Location
Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building
Meston Building, King's College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
									
								
							

							
						
						
							
							
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Geology of the Scottish Landscape - Quiz night
				21jan6:30 am7:30 pmGeology of the Scottish Landscape - Quiz nightQuestions & Slides by Don Stewart and Alan Holmes6:30 am - 7:30 pm Zoom Online Meeting

							Event Details
This is a preliminary notice about a quiz associated with Scottish Landscapes . It will probably be done as a Virtual Meeting by Zoom rather than a physical meeting at

							
							
									Event Details

									This is a preliminary notice about a quiz associated with Scottish Landscapes . It will probably be done as a Virtual Meeting by Zoom rather than a physical meeting at Merston.

								
							
						

						
							
							
								
									
																
										Time
										(Thursday) 6:30 am - 7:30 pm
									
								
							

								
									
																
										Location
Zoom Online Meeting

									
								
							

							
						
						
							
							
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Planetary Impacts / Terrestrial Craters
									
										Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building
										
											Meston Building, King\'s College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
										
				04feb6:30 pm8:00 pmPlanetary Impacts / Terrestrial Cratersby Dr. Uisgean Nicholson of Heriot Watt University6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building

							Event Details
This is a preliminary notice of an evening lecture by Dr Uisgean Nicholson of Heriot Watt University. This talk is one of a series given in our winter 2026/2027 Lecture

							
							
									Event Details

									This is a preliminary notice of an evening lecture by Dr Uisgean Nicholson of Heriot Watt University. This talk is one of a series given in our winter 2026/2027 Lecture Programme.
Further details about the talk and a bio of the speaker will be provided in due course.

								
							
						

						
							
							
								
									
																
										Time
										(Thursday) 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
									
								
							

								
									
																
										Location
Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building
Meston Building, King's College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
									
								
							

							
						
						
							
							
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The Energy Transition
									
										Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building
										
											Meston Building, King\'s College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
										
				18feb6:30 pm8:00 pmThe Energy Transitionby Prof. John Underhill, University of Aberdeen6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building

							Event Details
This is a preliminary notice of a evening lecture in the 2026/27 winter lecture programme. More details about the talk and a bio of the speaker will be provided in

							
							
									Event Details

									This is a preliminary notice of a evening lecture in the 2026/27 winter lecture programme. More details about the talk and a bio of the speaker will be provided in due course.

								
							
						

						
							
							
								
									
																
										Time
										(Thursday) 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
									
								
							

								
									
																
										Location
Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building
Meston Building, King's College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
									
								
							

							
						
						
							
							
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Shining New Light on an Old Basin
									
										Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building
										
											Meston Building, King\'s College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
										
				04mar6:30 pm8:00 pmShining New Light on an Old BasinBy Dr Ian Sharp, Equinor6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building

							Event Details
This is a preliminary notice for an evening lecture in 2027. Further details will become available closer to the event. The talk will discuss how outcrop data and subsurface data

							
							
									Event Details

									This is a preliminary notice for an evening lecture in 2027. Further details will become available closer to the event. The talk will discuss how outcrop data and subsurface data has been used to revisit and revitalise the regional geology of the NCS and UKCS.

								
							
						

						
							
							
								
									
																
										Time
										(Thursday) 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
									
								
							

								
									
																
										Location
Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building
Meston Building, King's College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
									
								
							

							
						
						
							
							
								CalendarGoogleCal	
							
						
						
North-east Greenland Ice Stream
									
										Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building
										
											Meston Building, King\'s College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
										
				18mar6:30 pm8:00 pmNorth-east Greenland Ice StreamTalk by Dr Brice Rea, University of Aberdeen6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building

							Event Details
This is a preliminary notice for a lecture in March 2027 concerning the evolution of the Greenland ice stream since the last glacial maximum and the holocene retreat.

							
							
									Event Details

									This is a preliminary notice for a lecture in March 2027 concerning the evolution of the Greenland ice stream since the last glacial maximum and the holocene retreat.

								
							
						

						
							
							
								
									
																
										Time
										(Thursday) 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
									
								
							

								
									
																
										Location
Lecture Theatre 1 - Meston Building
Meston Building, King's College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
									
								
							

							
						
						
							
							
								CalendarGoogleCal	
							
						
						
2027 Annual General Meeting & Rock Auction
									
										Lecture Theatre 4 - Meston Building
										
											Meston Building, King\'s College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
										
				08apr6:30 pm8:30 am2027 Annual General Meeting & Rock Auction6:30 pm - 8:30 am Lecture Theatre 4 - Meston Building

							Event Details
This is a preliminary notice regarding the Society's AGM. The agenda will be set in due course but it will be followed by short talks and a rock auction.

The venue

							
							
									Event Details

									This is a preliminary notice regarding the Society’s AGM. The agenda will be set in due course but it will be followed by short talks and a rock auction.
The venue is still subject to change.

								
							
						

						
							
							
								
									
																
										Time
										(Thursday) 6:30 pm - 8:30 am
									
								
							

								
									
																
										Location
Lecture Theatre 4 - Meston Building
Meston Building, King's College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE
									
								
							

							
						
						
							
							
								CalendarGoogleCal

The field excursions are a highly popular and enjoyable part of AGS’ activity, giving members the opportunity to explore local natural environments within North-East Scotland, a region with a wealth of stunning geology. Our ’27 programme will start around April. In the meantime, why not take a peek at some of the very interesting geological features from our past trips on our Gallery page.

Want to Discover More?

We publish a number of Excursion Guides; these are updates on those featuring in ‘Geology of the Aberdeen Area’ edited by Trewin, Kneller and Gillen, which regrettably is now out of print. Nevertheless. all of these excursions are available to download free of charge and may be found on the Field Guides page of this website.

We invite you to explore all features of this website by clicking on the tabs in the header banner or selecting the topics from page footers. We hope you enjoy our content.

If you would like to join Aberdeen Geological Society, please click on the “Join AGS here” button below or hit the membership tab to find the Register to join page; both lead to a simple on-line application form.

Discover Geology!

Join AGS here

Website Content – What’s New

As yet, no new content has been added for November ’26:

The full winter lecture programme has been listed in Events. Note that summaries of some 2027 talks and details about the speakers are yet to be submitted; such info will be updated closer to the event itself.

We will report on the project to clean up a rock outcrop and make it a special feature in the Donside Nature Reserve. Meantime please refer to the 2 documents, which describe this unique special project, in the Special Features table.

Please continue to explore the vast quantity of articles (1922 to 1988), contained in the Deeside Field, which are now available from our Archive.