With this edition, I formally take over as Editor-in-Chief of Geoscientist. I want to extend my thanks to Andy Fleet who has overseen much of this issue’s content as out-going Editor-in-Chief.
Andy devoted significant time over the past six years to helping the editorial team build a thriving magazine that speaks to geoscientists in both industry and academia, at all stages of their careers. I am enjoying working with the team, joining them in their passion for fostering a dynamic, engaged and informed community through the magazine.
Our cover feature comes from the renowned geologist Bryan Lovell OBE, who sadly passed away in September. A pioneer in reconstructing Earth’s complex history, Bryan’s article draws on his research on the geological record of climate change and landscape evolution, tying together silcretes of southern England (including those used to build Stonehenge) with the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, and the Iceland mantle plume (p. 20). Bryan’s legacy (p. 47) endures not only in his research, but also through his leadership as past President of the Geological Society (2010-2012). During his Presidency, the Society became the first such organisation to promote the geological case for concern about human-induced climate change, as well as to convene a landmark international meeting to debate the case for the Anthropocene Epoch.
This edition commends the ‘greats’ and celebrates the next generation of pioneers
This edition also features an obituary for another geological ‘great’, Denys Brunsden, OBE (p. 48). Denys was my tutor at King’s College London and a huge inspiration and support to me and countless others, both personally and through his publications. Denys’s work (over a career that spanned six decades) significantly advanced our understanding of landslides and landscape evolution. Denys leaves a lasting and transformational legacy in the field of applied geomorphology, with contributions to geomorphological mapping and landslide assessment that have helped shape modern practices in engineering geology. Affectionately referred to as the Father of the Jurassic Coast, Denys was fundamental to securing UNESCO World Heritage status for the Devon and Dorset coastline.
While commending the contributions of renowned greats, this edition also celebrates the next generation of geoscientific pioneers. For example, on page 36, PhD student Elias Rugen discusses his research on a potentially unique record of Snowball Earth – an interval during the Cryogenian when Earth was almost entirely glaciated – preserved on the remote Garvellach islands, Inner Hebrides, while on page 38, Anjana Khatwa and Chris Jackson debate the evolution and future of science communication methods. There is insufficient space here to do justice to all the exciting contributions in this issue, so read on to find out more.
Ruth Allington
Editor-in-Chief
