SESSIONS

Conveners:

Réka Lukács, HUN-REN CSFK, Institute for Geological and Geochemical Research (reka.harangi@gmail.com)

Mihovil Brlek, Croatian Geological Survey (mbrlek@hgi-cgs.hr)

Invited Lectures:

István Dunkl

Arjan de Leeuw

Explosive silicic eruptions, capable of producing tens to thousands of cubic kilometers of magma, rank among the most energetic geological phenomena on Earth. Their stratosphere-penetrating plumes, pyroclastic flows travelling tens to over 100 km, and tephra dispersal across hundreds of kilometers can profoundly influence local and global environments. Consequently, their deposits represent key stratigraphic marker beds, and provide insight into magma genesis. Determining the timing, magnitude and distribution of such eruptions is essential for evaluating links with environmental, climatic, paleogeographic and geodynamic changes.

Explosive silicic volcanism of the Carpathian-Pannonian Region is increasingly recognized as the major source of tephra across the Alpine-Mediterranean region during Early and Middle Miocene. Moreover, numerous Paleogene–Neogene volcanic provinces in this region, including the Rhodopes (Oligocene), Sardinia (Miocene) and Anatolia (Miocene–Pliocene), record voluminous explosive activity. However, erosion, and burial of older volcanic successions, together with the limited application of state-of-the-art methodology, still hinder robust volcanological and petrogenetic reconstructions and obscure assessments of their broader geological impact.

This session invites contributions from diverse geological archives (e.g., volcaniclastic to residual and mineral deposits) that constrain the impact, timing, scale, frequency and petrogenesis of explosive silicic volcanism across the Alpine-Mediterranean region during Paleogene and Neogene.

We particularly welcome:

•          new reports on understudied deposits and volcanic provinces,

•          reconstructions of eruption magnitude and dispersal,

•          studies on magma evolution, and

•          research linking volcanic activity with depositional systems, weathering environments, paleogeography, basin evolution, climate and geodynamics

Conveners:

Sibila Borojević Šoštarić, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, University of Zagreb, Croatia (sibila.borojevic-sostaric@rgn.unizg.hr)

Vasilios Melfos, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (melfosv@geo.auth.gr)

Irena Peytcheva, Geological Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Science, Bulgaria (ipeytcheva@geology.bas.bg/impeytcheva@gmail.com)

Marian Munteanu, Geological Institute of Romania, Romania (marianmunteanu2000@gmail.com)

Invited Lectures:

TBA

The Carpathian–Balkan region has a long mining history, recent discoveries, and strong future potential for critical and strategic raw materials (CSRMs) such as Cu, Ni, Ti, bauxite, magnesite (magnesium), Mn, Sb, W, Li, B as well as minor but important byproducts (Co, REE, Ga, Ge, Co, Bi, In). However, the EU supply, production, and refining of many of these materials do not meet demand and are concentrated in a small number of producing countries.

This session invites contributions on critical and strategic raw materials and energy resources, including their geological settings, spatial and temporal distribution, current reserves, and prospective areas. Topics also include secondary resources such as mine tailings and industrial and residential waste, novel extraction methods, and related environmental, societal, and public perception issues.

Modern raw materials prospection focuses on materials with rapidly growing demand for renewable energy, digital technologies, and next-generation energy storage.

While EU resource policy prioritizes CRMs, many CRM metals are produced as byproducts of base and ferrous metal mining. Consequently, secure CRM supply is closely linked to continued exploration and production of these primary metals. This interdependence must be explicitly considered in exploration strategies, permitting frameworks, and investment planning.

In many EU countries, state-driven exploration activity has significantly declined over recent decades. As a result, the majority of geological information remains report-based and focused only on major, historically extracted commodities. A central focus of this session is the role of national exploration plans in the implementation of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and the expectations placed on Member States. The CRMA sets binding EU-level benchmarks to be achieved by 2030, including:

•          At least 10% of EU annual consumption from domestic extraction

•          At least 40% of EU annual consumption from EU-based processing and refining

•          At least 25% of EU annual consumption from recycling and circular sources

•          No more than 65% dependence on any single third country for any strategic raw material at any stage of processing.

Member States are therefore expected to develop and implement national exploration strategies, improve access to geological data, identify and prioritize strategic projects, streamline permitting procedures, and align exploration, mining, processing, and recycling capacities with these EU targets.

At the same time, the session will explicitly address the growing tension between the EU’s strong societal and political opposition to mining and smelting activities and the rapidly increasing material consumption driven by the green and digital transitions. While public acceptance of extractive and processing activities within Europe remains limited in many regions, EU citizens and industries continue to rely on ever-growing volumes of raw materials embedded in renewable energy systems, electric mobility, digital infrastructure, and consumer technologies. This structural contradiction represents a key policy, societal, and communication challenge for the successful implementation of the CRMA and for achieving genuine European strategic autonomy in raw materials.

Within this framework, the session will present and discuss national exploration plans for Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria, organize a dedicated round table on challenges in CRMA implementation, and conclude with invited lectures on CRM deposits and projects in the Circum-Pannonian region, with particular emphasis on their potential contribution to EU extraction, processing, and recycling targets.

Conveners:

Dan Palcu (dan.palcu@gmail.com)

Mihaela Melinte (melinte@geoecomar.ro

Invited Lectures:

TBA

This session aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest developments and innovative research avenues in the Paratethys and Euxine Basins. As crucial areas of geological and paleoenvironmental interest, these regions have experienced significant transformations from the Cenozoic era to the present, marked by shifts between open marine environments and restricted marine or even isolated lacustrine systems, that triggered repetitive evaporitic episodes, phases of endemic ecosystems and eventually led to complete disconnection from the global ocean that led to the formation of megalakes. This provided challenges in the past but now we can turn this into a golden opportunity to develop world-class archetypes of these poorly understood topics. Participants are encouraged to contribute to this session by sharing their insights and findings related to the Paratethys and Euxine Basins. Contributions are welcome in the fields of paleogeography, paleoceanography, regional stratigraphy, paleoenvironmental reconstructions, and the application of novel paleoenvironmental proxies.

Conveners:

Vlad-Victor Ene*, Facultatea de Geologie și Geofizică, Universitatea din București, Romania (vlad-victor.ene@g.unibuc.ro)

Szabolcs Harangi (Department of Petrology and Geochemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary) (harangi.szabolcs@ttk.elte.hu)

Mihai Ducea (Facultatea de Geologie și Geofizică, Universitatea din București, Romania)

Invited Lectures:

TBA

Crystal cargoes in volcanic and plutonic rocks provide key records of magmatic processes, from magma generation and the development of trans-lithospheric magma reservoir systems to ore mineralization, pre-eruption events, and controls on volcanic style. These records reflect the interaction between magmatic, tectonic, and geodynamic processes and are fundamental to understanding crustal evolution. Advancing our understanding of these records requires high-quality compositional data from mineral and glass phases, improved constraints on timescales, stronger links between geochemical signatures, thermodynamic conditions, and ore-forming processes and integration of petrological, geochemical, and geophysical approaches.

The Alpine–Carpathian–Pannonian–Dinarides–Balkan region offers an exceptional natural laboratory, characterized by diverse igneous rocks, complex tectonic settings, and well-exposed plutonic and volcanic systems. Studies from this region, as well as comparative investigations from other tectonic environments, are highly encouraged.

This session welcomes contributions spanning analytical and methodological developments, experimental and numerical studies, field-based petrology, geochemistry, and geochronology, as well as integrated approaches linking magmatic processes to tectonics, geodynamics, volcanic hazards, and ore-forming systems.

* Early Career Scientist

Conveners:

Cosmin Stremțan, Teledyne (Ciprian.Stremtan@Teledyne.com)

Constantin Balica, Babes-Bolyai University (constantin.balica@ubbcluj.ro)

Invited Lecture (proposal):

TBA

Conveners:

Ana-Voica Bojar Universalmuseum Joanneum – Mineralogy, Graz & Salzburg University (Ana-Voica.Bojar@plus.ac.at)

Franz Neubauer Salzburg University, Salzburg (franz.neubauer@plus.ac.at)

Victor Barbu OMV Petrom, Bucharest

Gottfried Tichy Salzburg University, Salzburg

Hans-Peter Bojar Universalmuseum Joanneum – Mineralogy, Graz

Octavian G. Duliu University of Bucharest, Faculty of Physics, Bucharest

Invited Lecture (proposal):

TBA

The Earth system is a complex, interacting network of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Reconstructing how these systems reacted during major events—such as mass extinctions, rapid climate shifts, and tectonic reorganizations—is crucial for understanding past and future climate dynamics. This session explores the power of combining high-resolution stable isotope geochemistry and non-traditional isotopes with complementary multiproxy records (elemental ratios, radiogenic isotopes, paleobiology, mineralogy) across different environmental archives (marine and continental sediments, fossil record, speleothems, tree rings, ice cores).

We invite contributions that focus on:

The application of isotope techniques to identify triggers, tempos, and magnitudes of past global environmental crises and geological boundaries.

Multiproxy, multi-site studies that differentiate between local environmental responses and global climate signals.

Deciphering complex feedback loops between the atmosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere during major environmental shifts.

The integration of geochemical data with Earth System Models to enhance understanding of paleoclimate feedback mechanisms.

This session aims to bridge the gap between deep-time paleoclimatology and recent environmental change by highlighting innovative methods that provide precise, high-resolution insights into Earth’s history.

Convener:

Razvan Caracas

Invited Lecture (proposal):

TBA

Modern tools made mineralogy a more precise science, hough it remains highly descriptive in its foundational core. How can we improve that? How can we make the step from simply describing mineral properties and occurrences to intertwining our models and observations with other sciences to reach genuine cross-disciplinary integration? Here, we welcome a wide variety of mineralogy-related contributions that go beyond simple descriptions of minerals and help address fundamental questions about the formation and evolution of our solar system and planet. We also encourage contributions that outline the use of modern investigative tools, such as machine learning, spectroscopy, artificial intelligence, atomistic simulations, atomic-scale geochemistry, experimental mineralogy,  remote sensing, and others, and their implications for other sciences of broad geoscientific and planetological interest. We aim to organize the session as a mix of contributions and open discussion on the future of mineralogy.

Conveners*:

Dan Mircea Tamas (danmircea.tamas@ubbcluj.ro)

Marta Adamuszek (marta.adamuszek@gmail.com),

Piotr Krzywiec (piotr.krzywiec@twarda.pan.pl)

Invited Lecture (proposal):

Oscar Fernandez, Department of Geology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

oscar.fernandez.bellon@univie.ac.at

Jessica Barabasch (jessica.barabasch@emr.rwth-aachen.de)

Conveners:

Alexandra Tămaș (alexandra.tamas1@ubbcluj.ro)

Alexandra Dudu (alexandra.dudu@geoecomar.ro)

Ioan Munteanu (Ioan.munteanu@unibuc.ro)

Invited Lecture:

Dave McCarthy, Head of geological disposal of radioactive waste, British Geological Survey, Edinburgh, (davmcc@bgs.ac.uk)

Conveners:

Gabriella B. Kiss, Ph. D. (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary);

Stefan Metodiev, Ph. D. (Dundee Precious Metals, Bulgaria);

Istvan Marton, Ph. D. (Stockwork Geoconsulting, Romania & Dundee Precious Metals, Bulgaria) (Istvan.Marton@stockwork.ro ; Istvan.Marton@dundeeprecious.com)

Invited lectures:

Kalin Kouzmanov (Senior Research Scientist, UNIGE University of Geneva, Switzerland);

Laura Tuşa (Researcher, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendor, Germany);

Sabina Strmic Palinkas (Professor in geochemistry and ore geology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway)

The Alpine-Himalayan Mountain Belt is the result of a long-lasting, seemingly regular convergence between Gondwana and northern continents with repeated opening and closure of oceans like Proto-, Paleo-, Meso- and Neotethys oceans in between. The session is aimed at studying the poorly known mutual temporal-spatial relationships of related ophiolites, arcs and microcontinents in the Tethyan belt.

Conveners:

Franz Neubauer, University of Salzburg, Austria (franz.neubauer@plus.ac.at)

Shuyun Cao, China University of Geosciences Wuhan (shuyun.cao@cug.edu.cn)

Yongjiang Liu, Ocean University of China, Qingdao (liuyongjiang@ouc.edu.cn)

Invited Lecture (proposal):

TBA

The Alpine-Himalayan Mountain Belt is the result of a long-lasting, seemingly regular convergence between Gondwana and northern continents with repeated opening and closure of oceans like Proto-, Paleo-, Meso- and Neotethys oceans in between. The session is aimed at studying the poorly known mutual temporal-spatial relationships of related ophiolites, arcs and microcontinents in the Tethyan belt.