Conference Agenda

Embedded in a large structure of legislative and administrative processes, the new research and innovation framework program of the European Union 'Horizon Europe' promises to offer vast opportunities for research and scientific progress in Earth System Sciences. While optimistic voices in the EU Commission and the European Parliament expect the program to start by 2021, last until 2027 and to come with an overall budget of more than 100 Billion Euro, the intense budget negotiations between the member states, as well as major agenda setting and lobbying activities are still critical and ongoing. Societal and economic impacts of the research and innovation ventures will have to be strong and well visible. The presentation tries to offer a structured approach to specific funding opportunities for geologic research, to funds for educational activities and possible ways to become part of a program building process which will run through the whole lifetime of the Horizon Europe program.

Die mathematischen Eigenschaften des Natürlich Geschlossenen Systems (NGS) bestimmen maßgeblich seine Anwendung und Nutzung in der Geologie und in den Geowissenschaften. Geordnete Paare auf der Basis linearer Zusammenhänge ermöglichen die Anwendung umfangreicher Bereiche der Mathematik in der Geologie. Das NGS erweist sich als ein geologisch – mathematisches Objekt, das als ein Modell die Geologie vollständig und widerspruchsfrei beschreibt. So nimmt es den Rang einer theoretischen Grundlage der Geologie und in den Geowissenschaften ein.

The retrograde evolution of an orogen is characterized by a variety of processes like tectonic activity in the form of doming, brittle-ductile shearing and a general decrease in temperature conditions. These processes are accompanied by hydrothermal activity along shear zones and cracks in brittle deformed rocks, inducing retrograde metamorphic reactions and new growth of hydrothermal minerals in mineral veins and open fissures. These open Alpine-type fissures form at peak to retrograde metamorphic conditions of 450-550 °C at 0.3-0.6 GPa, and considerably below. Fissure formation generally occurs at ductile to brittle conditions, often at pronounced competence contrasts, with fissure orientations approximately perpendicular to host rock lineation and foliation. Measured orientations of the youngest fissures yield information also obtainable from stress analysis of Late Miocene deformation, but the orientations of older fissures provide clues on older stress field orientations.

After their initial formation, the open fissures remain fluid filled and continue to see mineral crystallization down to at least 150 °C. A possibility to identify phases of tectonic activity that that lead to the formation of, or affect fissures is the dating of hydrothermal monazite. Like most fissure minerals, it is strongly zoned due to repeated dissolution-precipitation cycles initiated by a disequilibration of the fissure chemistry through repeated deformation. This allows identifying multiple growth stages through extended periods of time and changing temperature conditions. Monazite growth overlaps with and continues after the late stages of quartz crystallization, thus allowing to at least partially constrain the timing of quartz growth and thus entrapment of aqueous fissure fluids within the quartz. By combining data sets from across the Alps of fissure orientations, hydrothermal monazite ages and quartz fluid inclusion data, we can show that, despite fissures forming mainly under retrograde metamorphic conditions, most fissure-filling fluids are produced close to peak metamorphic conditions. We thus see fluid composition zones across the Alps systematically changing from saline fluids dominated by higher hydrocarbons over methane, through water to CO₂ dominated fluids, in relation to metamorphic grade from diagenetic to amphibolite facies metamorphic rocks. The fluid type further constrains the crystal habitus of quartz crystallizing in open fissures, and fluid inclusion patterns are identical in areas of Cretaceous and Cenozoic Alpine metamorphism.

Understanding the occurrence, extent, and lithological variability of UHP metamorphic domains is fundamental to plate tectonics and its evolution through geologic time. In the central Saxonian Erzgebirge (Germany), the highest metamorphic conditions are recorded in the “Gneiss-Eclogite Unit”, a heterogeneous nappe comprising MP to UHP rocks. Although extensively investigated, UHP rocks were only locally confirmed by the occurrence of coesite in eclogite (e.g., Massonne 2001, Eur. J. Mineral.; Gose & Schmädicke 2018, J. Petrol.) and diamond in paragneiss (e.g., Nasdala & Massonne 2000, Eur. J. Mineral). This leads to the major question whether the metamorphic rocks of the area are a product of different peak metamorphic conditions or whether they share a joint P-T path but equilibrated and/or re-equilibrated at a different metamorphic stage.

In order to screen the variety of poorly exposed rocks in the area, we present a comprehensive dataset of mineral inclusions occurring in 2100 detrital garnet grains. Based on the findings of diamond, coesite, and nanogranitoid inclusions (including cristobalite, kokchetavite, kumdykolite), and by comparing the chemical composition of detrital garnet with that of garnet from crystalline rocks, we show that (i) UHP rocks occur in a wider area than previously expected, (ii) UHP rocks comprise not only eclogite and paragneiss lenses but also their surrounding felsic country rocks, and (iii) the country rocks extensively re-equilibrated at high-temperature conditions during exhumation (Schönig et al. 2019, Geology; Schönig et al. 2020, Gondwana Res.). Thus, we conclude that the metamorphic rocks of the area were subducted to UHP conditions as a largely coherent slab. The results highlight the potential of detrital garnet to tackle major questions arising in UHP research, even in well-studied regions like the Erzgebirge.

Multiple dykes situated along the southeastern Australian coastline from south of Kiama to Gerroa were examined in detail. The results of geochemical analysis indicate the dyke’s composition varies from sub-alkaline to alkaline. The dykes fall under four separate geochemical groups, with the majority characterized as foidites followed by alkali basalts, basalts and andesitic basalts. Petrographic analysis and geochemistry suggests that four dyke-forming events occurred with each geochemical group resulting from one event. Phenocrysts of olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase are encapsulated in the fine-grained groundmass of the dykes. Numerous dyke textures such as glomeroporphyritic, porphyritic, aphanitic, intergranular and amygdaloidal were found. The dykes primarily strike NW-SE, however four dykes strike NE-SW and two have an E-W strike. Only one dyke was found to contain xenoliths. These comprise of multiple intrusive rocktypes, including granitic and gabbroic types, with the gabbroic types including cumulate-textured, biotite-rich and alkaline varieties. NW-SE, E-W, N-S and NE-SW striking joints are present in the study area, with the NW-SE set being the most prevalent, followed by NE-SW then less common, N-S and E-W striking joints. The N-S striking joints may be linked to the N-S trending Camden Syncline while the NE-SW set are most likely associated with the Hunter Thrust, which strikes WNW-ESE . Joints striking NW-SE may be related to the Lachlan River Lineament’s reactivated basement fractures. The orientation of the dykes are similar to that of the dominant joint sets, indicating that the dykes took advantage of long-standing structural weaknesses in the country rocks.

Alkalinity, the excess of bases over acids, is a frequently used conservative variable in Biogeochemistry and Oceanography to calculate carbonate system parameters and estimate the oceans susceptibility to acidification.
On timescales smaller than the residence time of the bicarbonate ion, the major contributor to ocean alkalinity, this budget should be at steady state, implying input and output to be balanced. Despite its importance and incorporation into earth system models, the classic ocean alkalinity budget leaves an imbalance of 27 Tmol(eq)/a, that is close to the whole input term (32 Tmol(eq)/a of riverine dissolved inorganic carbon, DIC) and almost half of the output by carbonate burial (60 Tmol(eq)/a). Marine processes and transformations narrow the budget by contributing 12 Tmol(eq)/a. The residual imbalance can potentially be closed by including the so far unaccounted delivery of riverine detrital carbonates (PIC) to the ocean, as these carbonate minerals will either dissolve and contribute to the input term, or should be subtracted from the burial term.

PIC seems a largely overlooked variable of riverine systems, and global estimates range from 0.04 – 1 wt% (1.0 – 25.1 Tmol(eq)/a) relying on small datasets or regionally restricted estimates. Preliminary results from a new global database of riverine suspended matter geochemistry, as well as estimates using global soil composition, suggest, that the global average PIC concentration rather lies between 0.3 – 0.7 wt% (7.5 – 17.6 Tmol(eq)/a). Detrital carbonate delivery by melting icebergs and atmospheric (dry) deposition could possibly represent further sources of alkalinity, but still have to be constrained.

The ammonites from upper Coniacian to middle to upper Santonian of the Siah-Kuh section in Zagros basin, west of Iran have been described and illustrated. Three ammonite species from the argillaceous limestones of the Ilam Formation of the Bangestan Group are recognized. These ammonite species consist of Texanites (Texanites) gallicus Collignon, 1948, Texanites rarecostus Collignon, 1966 and Protexanites (Protexanites) cycni van Hoepen, 1965. These identified ammonite taxa are recorded from Iran for the first time. According to these ammonite species, first 100 m of the Ilam Formation dated as upper Coniacian to middle Santonian. There is no ammonite evidence for the upper part of the Ilam Formation which dated as upper santonian-lower Campanian at the type section by Chahardah-Cherik, 2006.

Morphotectonic indices are useful for investigating the effect of tectonic activity in a region. Analysing of these indicators could be applied for zoning an area by using advantages of Geographical Information System, GIS, especially for areas where few morphotectonic studies have been conducted. An example of such areas is the southern end of Nayband Fault located in Central Iranian zone. Nayband fault with a length of about 400 km is a right lateral strike slip fault, that by N-S trending eliminated Lut desert at the west. In this study, the drainage basins of this region are surveyed to analyses the morphotectonic situation. Form Factor, Compaction Coefficient, Ratio of Circularity, Ratio of Elongation, relative Basin Height, and Ruggedness Number are some of the morphometric indices that are calculated for this purpose. After measuring the indices and preparing different zoning maps, it was found that the drainage basins of the region have different rates of morphometric values that could be related to the activity of the Nayband fault and the tectonic regime of the area.

Kouhbanan fault is known as one of the faults that caused many seismic events in Iran. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of tectonics in the development and geometry of the alluvial fans adjacent to this fault. To achieve more accurate results some morphometric indices measured and analysed after considering various factors such as weather, catchment area, regional lithology, tectonic setting, roughness index and field survey. Accordingly, the alluvial fans that were most affected by tectonic were identified.