Cambs Geology

10/09/2026

Join us on Saturday 19 September as we celebrate with a day of FREE experiences, not always open to the public.

There’s plenty to discover:

Priestgate Vaults taster tours – venture beneath the Museum into its historic cellars. Free, but spaces are limited, so booking is recommended.

Museum Garden open for viewing – take a peek inside our usually hidden garden and meet the wonderful volunteers who care for it.

Must Farm – meet our Museum Archaeologist and discover how 3,000-year-old rubbish can reveal fascinating stories about everyday life at the Bronze Age settlement known as the “Pompeii of the Fens”.

And there’s more heritage to explore as part of Heritage Share: A World of Stories, bringing together the rich cultures, traditions and community histories of people across Peterborough.

Come and discover Peterborough Museum.

👉 Find out more and plan your visit: https://peterboroughmuseum.org.uk/events/heritage-open-days

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

We have several fossil kits available to loan to schools and educational organisations. These kits are free to use and can be borrowed for up to 2 weeks.

Kits will include the following items:

fossil samples – Ammonites, plants, Crinoids, Brachiopods, Coral, Bivalves, Graptolites, Belemnites, Echinoids, Gastropods and Trilobites

Health and safety information – including a risk assessment

Laminated fossil information sheets

Your rock kit will come with a printed copy to use as a matching game with the rock samples, but you can also download the fossil info sheets.

Kits can be loaned out to schools and organisations in Scotland, Wales, England, and Northern Ireland.

To request to borrow a kit please email the BGS Engagement Team ([email protected]).

05/09/2026

The ERMS family fun day is 29th August at Stanway. Fun for all ages and free entry. Please share.

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

Scientists say it erupted with the force of several thousand hydrogen bombs but is extinct now.

05/09/2026

A volcano under the Wash! Wondering if its related to the 'Warboys' volcano. The 'basement' rocks under East Anglia are fascinating and so well hidden that we don't usually even think about them. They reveal our place in the planet's earth history.

Evidence of ancient supervolcano changes our understanding of England’s geological past 🌋

The origin of the Kinnekulle tephra, a huge volcanic ash layer spread across Norway, Sweden, the Baltic region, Belarus and Poland, has long been a mystery but new evidence may have uncovered the source of the ash.

Scientists at BGS and the University of Oslo have studied tiny crystals, smaller than the diameter of a human hair, extracted from boreholes 65 km apart in Lincolnshire and Norfolk. The analysis uncovered evidence of a 454 million year old supervolcano, now concealed beneath The Wash on the east coast of England.

The near‑identical ages suggest that ash from the eruption plume in what is now eastern England was blown across the Tornquist Sea, which separated England and Scandinavia, and settled on the sea floor of ancient Scandinavia. Further support for this hypothesis is provided by chemical analysis of apatite crystals in both the proposed source and the tephra.

Find out more about this research and access the associated paper on our website 👇

https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/secrets-of-an-ancient-supervolcano-uncovered-that-change-our-understanding-of-englands-geological-past/

05/09/2026

Applications are open for our virtual work experience programme! 📩

BGS is partnering with the British Antarctic Survey to offer a cross-centre virtual work experience programme from 26-30 October 2026.

This collaborative programme will be managed by Creative Tuition Collective, a not-for-profit organisation providing personal development support to pupils.

Students will engage in both independent and collaborative skill-building challenges. They will also have the opportunity to interact with professionals from our institutes as well as past student cohorts to gain insights into their career pathways and industry contributions.

Who can apply?
✅ 14-19 year olds
✅ UK residents interested in a STEM career
✅ Strongly encourage applications from low income and historically
excluded communities

Closing date:
📅 23:59, 25 September 2026

For more information or to apply, visit: https://forms.gle/vBP9jsbbUMzGx583A