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'The Earth's Crazy Paving: A 21st Century Perspective on Plate Tectonics'

The Geology Section (C) Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society present their annual Saturday Seminar, 13 March

The modern conception of Plate Tectonics has been in existence for about 50 years, with the ‘plate tectonic revolution’ taking place in the 1960’s when a new generation of researchers, some of whom will be speaking at the Seminar, advanced and developed the theories of Alfred Wegener 45 years earlier. These pioneers unveiled to a mostly sceptical scientific community the amazing fact that the Earth’s lithosphere is made up of moving plates, whose unpredictable wanderings around the planet over time continually modify the morphology of the Earth’s surface.

Our seminar takes a reflective view of those early days, the controversy and disbelief, then focuses on the advancement of plate tectonics in the 21st Century. The story begins with the tectonic setting of the early Earth, moves on to the discoveries and nature of processes impinging on the continents, mountains and oceans, and concludes with the interaction between the processes of plate tectonics and life on the planet.

The full day of talks will be presented by Professors Joe Cann, James Jackson, Andreas Rietbrock and Hugh Rollinson, and Drs Dickson Cunningham, Steve Jones and Alan Owen, all highly regarded leaders in the field.

Tickets for the Seminar and Reception are £20.00 with a buffet lunch or £14.00 without lunch.

You can download a booking form and a programme for the day by clicking here .

For more details about the Seminar, please see our website: www.charnia.org.uk

Or contact Joanne Norris or Andrew Swift by email: j.e.norris@ntlworld.com or tel: 0116 2833127.

Taking place on 13 March 2010, 9.30 am – 5.00 pm in Lecture Theatre 1, Ken Edwards Building. Assemble from 9.00 am; Reception to follow the Seminar.