ONE of Britain's leading popular scientists will give a free public lecture in the North-East today.

Professor Richard Fortey will examine the phenomena of earthquakes and look at how a shift in the earth's crust can unleash a power of devastating consequences, such as that seen in the tsunami disaster which engulfed parts of South-East Asia on Boxing Day.

The event will be staged at Newcastle's Life Science Centre from 6pm.

Prof Fortey will also discuss the role geology plays in our lives and how it underlies almost everything about us from human culture, natural history and even the shape of our cities.

He is a palaeontologist and studies trilobites and other fossils at the Natural History Museum, in London.

Prof Fortey has won numerous awards for his books, including Trilobite.

Doors will open at 5.15pm and places will be on a first-come, first-served basis.