The Environmental and Industrial Geophysics Group and The 
Hydrogeological Group of the Geological Society present

The Chalk - Burlington House 20 May 2004

The Chalk aquifer is the UK’s primary aquifer, accounting (through 
direct and indirect sources) for up to 80% of potable water supply in 
parts of southern England and East Anglia. Abstractions from the Chalk 
account for over half of the groundwater used England and Wales. It is 
also extremely important because it sustains most of the surface waters, 
and consequently, freshwater habitats, throughout large parts of 
southern England. Therefore, understanding the nature of flow and 
transport in the aquifer is central to the sustainable management of 
these vital lowland catchments.

This meeting will address key issues relevant to the hydrogeological and 
geophysical characterisation and management of this important water 
resource.  Some recent results from Chalk studies being carried out as 
part of the recent Natural Environment Research Council LOCAR (LOwland 
CAtchment Research, see http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/thematics/locar/ ) 
will be presented at the meeting.

Registration will be possible at the door at 9am on the day of the 
meeting.  Payment will be only by cash or cheque. No other forms of 
payment can be accepted (sorry!). Registration is £20 (£30 for 
non-members of the Geological Society.  Registration for students is 
free provided student status can be confirmed. Payment includes morning 
and afternoon tea/coffee. Lunch will be provided for all speakers and 
poster presenters.

Please pre-register (A MUST DO for catering please!) by sending an email 
entitled "The Chalk Registration" to Prof. Andrew Binley indicating your 
name and affiliation.  Pre-register by 1 May 2004, please, to ensure 
that we have the right numbers for catering.

For further details contact: Prof. Andrew Binley (coordinates below) or 
Dr. Denis Peach, BGS Wallingford, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, OX10 
8BB. Email: [log in to unmask]

Meeting information can be found at

http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/template.cfm?name=Chalk_Hydrogeology_20_May_2004 


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Provision schedule for oral presentations

Talks will be 15 minutes with 5 minutes for questions

9:00 – 10:00   Registration and poster set-up

10:00 Introduction, Andrew Binley (Lancaster University)

10:05 The LOCAR programme, Denis Peach (British Geological Survey)

10:20 Significance of Chalk hydrostratigraphy for predicting groundwater 
quality, Sally Watson, Willy Burgess & John Barker (Atkins Water & 
University College London)

10:40 Chlorofluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride as age indicators and 
environmental tracers in the Chalk aquifer, Daren C Gooddy, W George 
Darling, Brian L Morris, Jude E Cobbing & Alexander J Gallagher (British 
Geological Survey)

11:00 Geophysical investigations of the Chalk in East Anglia and the 
South Downs, Louise McCann & Ron Barker (SLR Consulting Ltd & Birmingham 
University)

11:20 – 11:50  Poster session with coffee

11:50 Hydrogeological characterisation of the Chalk at Trumplett’s Farm, 
Berkshire Downs, using Geophysical Logging and Borehole Dilution Tests, 
J Cobbing, A Gallagher, K Griffiths, A Williams, L Maurice, J Bloomfield 
& M Moreau (British Geological Survey),

12:10 Karst development in the chalk of the Pang Lambourn catchments, L 
Maurice, T Atkinson, J Barker, J Bloomfield, A Farrant & A Williams 
(University College London & British Geological Survey)

12:30 Why the Chalk is not a karstic aquifer, Michael Price  (Water 
Management Consultants)

12:50 Further discussion of morning session papers

13:00 – 13:15 Hydrogeology Group AGM

13:00 – 14:30 Lunch and poster session

14:30 The use of microgravity for the detection and characterisation of 
sinkholes and historic mining features in the Chalk, Peter Styles, Ewan 
Thomas and Mark Skittrall (Keele University, Geotechnology & Mouchel 
Parkman GB Ltd)

14:50 Geochemistry of saline waters in the Holderness Chalk, East 
Yorkshire, Jared West, Simon Bottrell, Heidi Rowlands & Laura Pithkethly 
(Leeds University)

15:10 The significance of flow in the matrix of the Chalk unsaturated 
zone, S.A.Mathias, A.P. Butler, H.S. Wheater & N. McIntyre (Imperial 
College).

15:30 – 16:00 Poster session with tea

16:00 Evidence for large-scale lateral flow in the unsaturated zone of 
the Chalk aquifer, Rob Low, Michael Cheetham & Paul Shaw (Water 
Management Consultants & Environment Agency)

16:20 Regional Scale Models of ‘Chalk’ Hydrogeological Systems in East 
Anglia, R T Lewis, K D Phillipson, R G Fr & M I Whiteman (Entec UK & 
Environment Agency)

16:40 The impact of abstraction at the Fishbourne source on Chalk spring 
flows in Chichester Harbour SPA, T Smith & CRC Jones (Mott MacDonald)

17:00 Discussion and close


Posters

Vertical variations in hydraulic conductivity and head in the Chalk; 
examples from an interfluve site in the Pang catchment, Berkshire, K 
Griffiths, J Cobbing, A Gallagher, A Williams, J Bloomfield, M Moreau, E 
Tribe & P Williams (British Geological Survey)

Combining deterministic and semi-deterministic field data and inverse 
modelling techniques to investigate flow heterogeneity in the fractured 
Chalk aquifer of England, A P Butler, S A Mathias, J P Bloomfield, A 
Williams & A Binley (Imperial College, British Geological Survey & 
Lancaster University)

Dual porosity modelling of a radially convergent tracer test in Chalk, 
S. Hartmann, N. E. Odling & L. J. West (Leeds University)

Development of a new methodology to characterise spring waters to aid 
interpretation of the underlying geology, Ian Humpheryes & Michael 
Cheetham (Environment Agency)

A Tracer Investigation of the Unsaturated Zone of the English Chalk, 
Gerd F.A. Van den Daele, Luke D. Connell, John A. Barker & Tim C. 
Atkinson (University College London)

Chalk soil water and beech woodland evaporation, John Roberts and Paul 
Rosier (CEH-Wallingford)

Hydrogeological controls on surface/groundwater interactions in a 
lowland, permeable Chalk catchment, Nicholas Howden (Imperial College)

High resolution 3D resistivity geophysical imaging as an aid for 
characterising unsaturated zone hydrogeological recharge mechanisms: 
Applications in the Yorkshire Chalk, Roy Middleton & Andrew Binley 
(Lancaster University)

The biology of the Chalk, Graham S. Proudlove & Paul J. Wood (Manchester 
University & Loughborough University)

The Lincolnshire Chalk aquifer system, Emily Whitehead (British 
Geological Survey)

Identification and quantification of river-groundwater interaction at a 
reach scale resolution in the lowland Chalk catchments of the Pang and 
Lambourn, Nigel Crook, Andrew Binley, Jim Griffiths, Jackie Pates & Andy 
Young (Lancaster University & CEH Wallingford)

Development of conceptual model for the Bourne and Nine Mile River 
Catchment in Wiltshire using chalk, G Bryan & P Hayes (The Environment 
Agency & Water Management Consultants)

Towards a water balance in a Chalk groundwater catchment without easily 
definable boundaries; the Pang, Alexander Gallagher, John Bloomfield, 
Denis Peach (British Geological Survey)