Devon caves and their ice age history

Devonshire Association (Geology Section) talk followed by Special General Meeting
Kents Cavern. Image: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kents Cavern. Image: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Boniface Centre, East of the Parish Church, Crediton, Devon EX17 2AH

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In many parts of South Devon (e.g., Plymouth, Buckfastleigh, Torbay) the Devonian limestones host extensive cave systems, many of which were explored in the 19th century by William Pengelly and the Torquay Natural History Society. 
These caves contain a wealth of fossil remains, including mammoths, cave bears, hyenas, large sabre-toothed cats, etc., as well as the remains of early hominins (and their tools). This led Pengelly to write some of the earliest papers on the ‘Antiquity of Man’ and developing a chronology for the cave deposits. Kents Cavern is one of the most famous caves having links with Agatha Christie and Beatrix Potter. Its fossil record is, however, extremely important. Across Tor Bay, on Berry Head there are caves that are now at sea level and these contain a marine record of, probably, the last three ice ages and their associated interglacials. This makes the South Devon area almost unique in having both a terrestrial and a marine record within cave systems.
Coupled with these areas are the finds of Cattedown Caves in Plymouth and the recent discovery of megafauna in the new developments of Sherford (Plymouth). Coupled with other features such as raised beaches and submerged forests, South Devon has a near unique record of cave history and other sea level indicators as will be presented in this lecture.
This free lecture will be given by Professor Malcolm Hart and is open to all. Advance booking is not required. The talk will be followed by a short Special General Meeting of the Devonshire Association to which all members are encouraged to attend. If you have any questions, please email geology@devonassoc.org.uk.
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Speaker: Professor Malcolm Hart

Professor Malcolm Hart PhD DSc FGS CGeol CSci is Emeritus Professor in Micropalaeontology at the University of Plymouth, having ‘retired’ in 2010. 
Since 1965, he has been undertaking research on foraminifera and several other groups of microfossils. Best known for his published work on the foraminiferal biostratigraphy of the Cretaceous he has recently been involved in a study of Jurassic coleoid fossils and the statoliths and arm hooks found in many Jurassic sediments. The Cretaceous work involved the site investigation and construction of the Channel Tunnel and Thames Barrier – both of which used foraminiferal biostratigraphy quite extensively.
He served as Head of the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Plymouth for ten years before becoming Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) for eight years and Associate Dean of Science (Research) for a further six years. 
In recent years he has been awarded the Brady Medal by The Micropalaeontological Society, the Lamarck Medal by the European Geosciences Union (EGU) and the Gryzbowski Award by the Gryzbowski Foundation (Krakow, Poland).

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