Hydrothermal vents in deep and shallow ocean environments are geochemical conduits that link Earth’s interior with the oceans. These sites of active hydrothermal vents are distributed throughout the global network of ocean ridge spreading centers to ridge flanks and cool off-axis diffuse vent fields in ocean basins and occur in diverse lithological settings – including basalts, ultramafic rocks and sediments – and temperature regimes. These vents are loaded with nutrients from hydrothermal and magmatic activity that drive a vast sub-seafloor biosphere. Particularly near ocean ridge spreading centers magmatism and/or residual mantle heat serve as drivers for abiogenic mineral reactions generating reduced chemical species, which can be utilized by chemolithoautotrophic microbes. Additionally, microbial chemosynthesis within fluids drives near-vent productivity and support animal communities that inhabit these ecosystems. Water-rock-microbe interaction within the oceanic lithosphere considerably affects ocean water chemistry and the chemical composition of the oceanic lithosphere, effectively controlling global element cycles. This session seeks to combine new findings from a multi-disciplinary research community investigating the complex interplays between hydrothermal, magmatic and microbial processes in ocean floor settings, the diversity and extent of the shallow and deep subsurface biosphere, life in extreme environments, or their impact on global geochemical cycles. We also welcome contributions that study ongoing alteration processes and microbial activity in continental crust or oceanic lithosphere exposed on land, or ancient processes preserved in ophiolite sequences, from modern to Archaean systems. 

The pacing of the global climate system by variations in orbital parameters is clearly demonstrated in the timing and specific patterns of various geoarchives, including sapropels, glacial/interglacial cycles and many other examples. The imprint of astronomical cycles can be used as high-precision geochronometer, and as paleoclimatic information. Extreme events can especially be expected to relate to extremes in insolation. We invite contributions utilizing the imprint of Milankovic cycles as preserved in the geological record in any way, including the often poorly understood mechanisms that translate this forcing into geoarchives. Submissions exploring orbital time scales, proxy data and/or modelling work are welcome; we aim to bring together studies focused on global and regional climate responses to astronomical forcing at different time scales.

Geoscientific questions are increasingly relevant in our daily life. However, the public awareness of geoscientific topics is very limited. Therefore, it is important to inverse the visibility of geoscientific challenges and solutions in our society. Communicating geosciences to a broader audience implies the use of innovative strategies for public outreach. We have to encourage kids to become enthusiastic about geoscientific topics already in schools and leisure activities such as museums. Besides public outreach and school education, we also need to motivate geosciences students to address geoscientific challenges to the public. The current situation with the worldwide digital teaching atmosphere brings varies challenges but also opportunities in optimizing e-learning methods in the higher education teaching including digital field trips, microscopy inspire other digital lectures. The aim of this session is to discuss and report on existing and future initiatives as well as connecting people with similar motivation.

Regional geology is an essential cornerstone of geoscience, encompassing multiple geological disciplines to study important geological features of a region. The size and the borders of each region are usually defined by distinct geological boundaries and by the occurrence of a specific suite of geologic rock strata. Regional geology is used to solve a wide range of questions in geoscience and provides important information in the search for natural resources. This broad session offers the opportunity to explore the diversity of methods and approaches used to study regional geology and how information about regional geology is made available and transferred to the geoscience community in academia, industry, government, or the public. We welcome contributions on all aspects of geology that contribute to better understanding regional geology on Earth or other terrestrial planets. 

With the 2013/59/EURATOM directive of the EU-Commission, the European member states were urged to update their radiation protection laws to account for the health risk of the exposure to elevated indoor radon levels and to prepare National Radon Action Plans (EC 2014). Following the directive, §121 of this Act states that areas shall be identified where the radon concentration (as an annual average) in a significant number of buildings is expected to exceed the national reference level of 300 B q /m³. The European member states have to provide information on these so called “radon priority areas” by the end of 2020. The basis for the identification of those areas will be the map of the geogenic radon potential. For many regions the currently available data is not sufficient to provide a satisfying accuracy though, which means that additional field measurements are needed. Doing so, the selection of sampling sites ideally reflects both 

1) the administrative level on which radon-priority areas will be delineated and

2) available knowledge about variability of landscape characteristics governing the geogenic radon potential. 

This session therefore is inviting contributions from the large field of action related to radon & geology. The topics include but are not limited to: 

• What are your approaches in planning measurements?
• Which methodological experiences did you collect (What works and what does not work)?
• Which results and interpretations came up so far?
• Temporal and spatial variability
• Influence of local phenomena (e.g. tectonics)
• From measurements to maps: how to predict spatially
• ……. 

Organizer: Fachsektion Hydrogeologie der DGGV

• Prof. Dr. Traugott Scheytt, TU Freiberg, Vorsitzender FH-DGGV

• Prof. Dr. Nico Goldscheider, KIT

Moderator: Lioba Virchow, GFZ Potsdam 

Panel Members:

• Prof. Nico Goldscheider, KIT

• Prof. Matthias Maier, Stadtwerke Karlsruhe

• Prof. Maria-Theresia Schafmeister, Uni Greifswald

• Dr. Klaus Schnell, ERM

• Thomas Walter, Umweltministerium Saarland

The mantle is Earth’s largest silicate reservoir and one of its fundamental characteristics is the chemical and isotopic heterogeneity that extends down to the mineral scale. These various-sized mantle domains reflect different proportions of multiple, superimposed depletion and enrichment events that affected the mantle in time and space. As such, each of these domains may therefore retain different and potentially unique information regarding the extent of mantle depletion as well as the role and nature of enrichment by crustal recycling. Owing to the reaction with other surface reservoirs before subduction, mantle domains that were enriched by recycled crust may additionally record ancient ocean-atmospheric conditions. The sustainable mantle thus maintains a certain rate of exchange between Earth’s interior and exterior, stores compositional heterogeneities that relate to this exchange and partly mirror global conditions of ancient Earth’s surface. This session welcomes contributions that address different scales, features and implications of the chemical and isotopic heterogeneity of the mantle, its role for geological resources and the perspective of mantle and mantle-derived components to elucidate ancient surface conditions that shaped a habitable planet over time.

The use of carbonate-based paleoclimate archives has gained increasing importance to obtain reliable and detailed information on past climate and environmental variability in order to better understand the modern climate regime and the influence of anthropogenically induced global warming. In the last decades, the diversity of geochemical proxies available in carbonate palaeoclimate archives have emerged rapidly and significantly. Trace elements and traditional stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon have been supplemented with numerous non-traditional stable isotope systems such as B, Li, Ba, Mg, Ca, Sr, U, N, Δ17O, Δ47.In addition, the study of organic matter in carbonaceous archives and investigation of different biomarkers has massively expanded over the last years. Most importantly, recent developments in analytical techniques allow for improved precision, unprecedented resolution or smallest sample amounts. Furthermore, sophisticated isotope enabled diffusion-reaction models as well as high resolution experimental approaches significantly improved our understanding of the underlying fractionation processes. All these novel geochemical proxies and innovative methods open new advances towards qualitative and quantitative reconstruction in terrestrial and marine palaeoclimate studies and allow for multi-proxy approaches at different spatial and temporal scales.This session aims to bring together researchers from different fields of palaeoclimate research to share their knowledge, and allow inter-disciplinary exchange in order to apply these proxies to other palaeoclimate archives. We especially invite early career researcher to submit their abstracts to this interdisciplinary session. This will inspire both young researcher as well as senior scientists to apply new multi-proxy research approaches to study past climate variability. 

Geoscientific questions are increasingly relevant in our daily life. However, the public awareness of geoscientific topics is very limited. Therefore, it is important to inverse the visibility of geoscientific challenges and solutions in our society. Communicating geosciences to a broader audience implies the use of innovative strategies for public outreach. We have to encourage kids to become enthusiastic about geoscientific topics already in schools and leisure activities such as museums. Besides public outreach and school education, we also need to motivate geosciences students to address geoscientific challenges to the public. The current situation with the worldwide digital teaching atmosphere brings varies challenges but also opportunities in optimizing e-learning methods in the higher education teaching including digital field trips, microscopy inspire other digital lectures. The aim of this session is to discuss and report on existing and future initiatives as well as connecting people with similar motivation.

From geodynamic processes to the long-term diversification of life – through geologic time, our planet has been influenced by a wide variety of forces. This session seeks to explore life, environment, and solid Earth in a planetary and astrophysical context. In particular, we are interested in processes that have shaped our Planet in deep time. We invite submissions across diverse disciplines – also beyond the Earth sciences – and welcome a wide range of contributions, including field and rock-based surveys, analytical studies, experimental work, and/or modelling approaches.

After the closure of mines in Germany, former districts are nowadays subject to changes, which may require geomonitoring. This concerns the mine water management in particular as pumping of mine water in the abandoned mines is technically not necessary anymore. As a result of the controlled mine water rebound, fluid pore pressures in subsurface rocks increase and may alter the stress state of the subsurface rocks. The increased pore pressures may result in geomechanical changes in the deeper subsurface around the mine. This may result in ground movements and micro-seismic events, which may be measured on the surface. Post-mining also provides an opportunity for post-usage, such as new natural (geo)heritage sites or geothermal energy. Thus, centuries-long active mining produced a wealth of geological, geodetic, geophysical, and geomechanical data. Based on such multidisciplinary data, interdisciplinary geological models and technical solutions can be developed and applied to different mining areas worldwide where active mining has been closed. This session invites contributions from different scientific disciplines that study the processes that undergo in post-mining areas in Germany and globally. Among others, this may include geology investigating sediment or rock properties and structures on different scales, geophysics detecting fluid-induced micro-seismic events and studying stress fields, and geomonitoring of ground movements or gas emissions. It may address strategies to improve land rehabilitation above and below ground.

Most (semi-)arid regions are characterized by limited surface water and hence rely on other sources. While unconventional resources such as desalinated seawater can be a valuable option for domestic supply in coastal areas, groundwater withdrawal is still the only relevant option to produce volumes that can satisfy the demand of water-intensive sectors, above all irrigated agriculture.In many areas, however, groundwater resources are over-exploited, i.e., more water is abstracted from the aquifers than is naturally replenished. Considering global changes such as population and economic growth, and the predicted expansion of dry areas due to climate changes (e.g. in the Circum-Mediterranean region), the pressure on groundwater resources will be even amplified.This situation calls for a better water management, which is in turn dependent on an adequate hydrogeological understanding comprising both, available quantities and water quality. We hence envisage a session that covers a broad spectrum of hydrogeological aspects of (semi-)arid environments. Sub-topics could include, but are not limited to, groundwater recharge estimations, flow modelling, hydrochemical studies, and isotope applications. Interdisciplinary contributions, linking hydrogeology to neighboring disciplines, are encouraged. 

In recent years, geoscientific data provided considerable insights into the environmental past of polar regions. Conventional coring, seafloor drilling, and terrestrial campaigns led to increasing data availability of past environmental and ice-sheet change at both poles. As these are the regions most sensitively reacting to climatic changes, reliable datasets of past variations are critical for constraining numerical models aiming at simulating future changes more robustly. We therefore invite contributions from colleagues working in marine and terrestrial settings in both polar regions on various timescales. We particularly ask for contributions that integrate field data with numerical modeling, i.e. utilize past variations as target values for calibrating numerical simulations in order to improve their predictive capabilities for future scenarios.

In addition to the world cultural and natural heritage and biosphere reserves, Geoparks were established as a third category by UNESCO in 2015. Since then, the claim has been formulated to develop UNESCO Geoparks into model areas for sustainable development. Unlike in large protected areas, where the use of resources is largely prevented, in geoparks it is more about the sustainable use of geological resources. A key aspect in geoparks is sustainable regional development, which on the one hand ensures the use of resources for future generations and on the other hand does not lose sight of nature conservation and climate goals. The spectrum of conflicting goals to be resolved ranges from groundwater protection to sand, gravel and solid rock mining, energy generation and storage including geothermal energy, to the dumping of nuclear waste and other waste materials in the geological subsurface. Last but not least, the recultivation or renaturation or subsequent use of former open-cast mining areas is one of the currently pending fields of action.

From geodynamic processes to the long-term diversification of life – through geologic time, our planet has been influenced by a wide variety of forces. This session seeks to explore life, environment, and solid Earth in a planetary and astrophysical context. In particular, we are interested in processes that have shaped our Planet in deep time. We invite submissions across diverse disciplines – also beyond the Earth sciences – and welcome a wide range of contributions, including field and rock-based surveys, analytical studies, experimental work, and/or modelling approaches.

After the closure of mines in Germany, former districts are nowadays subject to changes, which may require geomonitoring. This concerns the mine water management in particular as pumping of mine water in the abandoned mines is technically not necessary anymore. As a result of the controlled mine water rebound, fluid pore pressures in subsurface rocks increase and may alter the stress state of the subsurface rocks. The increased pore pressures may result in geomechanical changes in the deeper subsurface around the mine. This may result in ground movements and micro-seismic events, which may be measured on the surface. Post-mining also provides an opportunity for post-usage, such as new natural (geo)heritage sites or geothermal energy. Thus, centuries-long active mining produced a wealth of geological, geodetic, geophysical, and geomechanical data. Based on such multidisciplinary data, interdisciplinary geological models and technical solutions can be developed and applied to different mining areas worldwide where active mining has been closed. This session invites contributions from different scientific disciplines that study the processes that undergo in post-mining areas in Germany and globally. Among others, this may include geology investigating sediment or rock properties and structures on different scales, geophysics detecting fluid-induced micro-seismic events and studying stress fields, and geomonitoring of ground movements or gas emissions. It may address strategies to improve land rehabilitation above and below ground.

Most (semi-)arid regions are characterized by limited surface water and hence rely on other sources. While unconventional resources such as desalinated seawater can be a valuable option for domestic supply in coastal areas, groundwater withdrawal is still the only relevant option to produce volumes that can satisfy the demand of water-intensive sectors, above all irrigated agriculture.In many areas, however, groundwater resources are over-exploited, i.e., more water is abstracted from the aquifers than is naturally replenished. Considering global changes such as population and economic growth, and the predicted expansion of dry areas due to climate changes (e.g. in the Circum-Mediterranean region), the pressure on groundwater resources will be even amplified.This situation calls for a better water management, which is in turn dependent on an adequate hydrogeological understanding comprising both, available quantities and water quality. We hence envisage a session that covers a broad spectrum of hydrogeological aspects of (semi-)arid environments. Sub-topics could include, but are not limited to, groundwater recharge estimations, flow modelling, hydrochemical studies, and isotope applications. Interdisciplinary contributions, linking hydrogeology to neighboring disciplines, are encouraged.