Session programme

In environmental magnetism, rock and mineral magnetic techniques are used to investigate the formation, transportation, deposition, and postdepositional alterations of magnetic minerals under the influences of environmental processes. Since the eighties, environmental magnetism has grown considerably and contributes to research in the geosciences and in branches of physics, chemistry, and biology and environmental science, including research on climate change, pollution, iron biomineralization, and depositional and diagenetic processes in sediments. Studies from all areas of environmental magnetism that have an impact on climatic, stratigraphic or environmental applications, including new theoretical models or measurement techniques, are invited.

Recent methodological and instrumental advances in paleomagnetic and magnetic fabric techniques are continuously increasing their already high potential in solving research questions in various Earth science disciplines. Integrated paleomagnetic and magnetic fabric studies, together with structural geology and petrology, are very efficient tools in increasing our knowledge about sedimentological, tectonic and volcanic processes, both on regional and global scales. Moreover, paleomagnetism and rock magnetism are fundamental tools for assigning both absolute and relative time to geological sequences.
This session is intended to give an opportunity to present innovative theoretical or methodological paleomagnetic, magnetostratigraphic, and magnetic fabric works and their direct applications in different geological settings. Especially welcome are contributions (1) combining paleomagnetic and magnetic fabric data retrieved by several means of fabric analysis (magnetic and non-magnetic), or (2) novel approaches in data evaluation, contributions from both (3) experimental and theoretical aspects of paleomagnetic reconstructions, (4) remagnetization processes and (5) acquisition of petrofabrics. We also invite contributions that use (6) magnetic methods to improve the GPTS, (7) magnetostratigraphy to date and correlate geological sequences, (8) rock magnetism to assign high-resolution chronostratigraphy to geological sequences, and (9) integrated magnetic chronostratigraphy with isotopic dating, bio-, cyclo- and chemostratigraphic records.

The study of the spatial and temporal evolution of the geomagnetic field in the past is fundamental to understand the processes that take place in the Earth's external core and to obtain information about the geomagnetic field evolution at the core-mantle boundary. For the last decades, such information is provided by historical and instrumental data, while for older periods the investigation of archaeological material, volcanic rocks and sediments is necessary. In this session, we invite contributions that can offer information about the past geomagnetic field variations in both short and long timescales. Acquisition, measurements and elaboration of new records of palaeosecular variation, geomagnetic field reversals, magnetostratigraphy and cyclostratigraphy are welcome. The session solicits also contributions about regional and global palaeomagnetic databases, geomagnetic field modeling, Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scales (GPTS) and other magnetic methods applied in Earth Sciences.

Scientific drilling through the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) continues to provide unique opportunities to investigate the workings of the interior of our planet, Earth’s cycles, natural hazards and the distribution of subsurface microbial life. The past and current scientific drilling programs have brought major advances in many multidisciplinary fields of socio-economic relevance, such as climate and ecosystem evolution, palaeoceanography, the deep biosphere, deep crustal and tectonic processes, geodynamics and geohazards. This session invites contributions that present and/or review recent scientific results from deep Earth sampling and monitoring through ocean and continental drilling projects. Furthermore, we encourage contributions that outline perspectives and visions for future drilling projects, in particular projects using a multi-platform approach.