Union-wide
Community-led
Inter- and Transdisciplinary Sessions
Disciplinary sessions

GD – Geodynamics

Programme Group Chair: Jeroen van Hunen

MAL11-GD

This session contains the 2025 EGU Augustus Love medal lecture by Neil Ribe and GD Division Outstanding ECS Award Lecture by Iris van Zelst.
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Convener: Jeroen van Hunen | Co-convener: Laetitia Le Pourhiet

GD1 – Mantle Dynamics and Plate Tectonics

Sub-Programme Group Scientific Officer: Maelis Arnould

GD1.1 EDI

The plate tectonics theory satisfactorily explains ~90% of the Earth’s volcanism, attributing it to convergent or divergent plate boundaries. However, the origin of significant amounts of anomalous volcanism within both continental and oceanic plate interiors (i.e. intraplate volcanism) as well as regions of excessive magmatism along ridges (i.e. Iceland), are not directly related to plate boundary processes, such as subduction or ridge extension. A variety of models have been developed to explain the origins of this enigmatic magmatism (e.g. mantle plumes, edge-driven convection etc.). Improvements in instrumentation, numerical modelling, the temporal and spatial resolution of data as well as the development of new techniques, have allowed us to better understand mantle dynamics and the Earth’s interior. Re-evaluation, refinement, and creation of new models for the origin of intraplate/anomalous magmatism have also provided better insights on deep mantle processes and shed light on the complex interactions between the Earth’s mantle and surface. Understanding what triggers magmatism unrelated to plate boundary processes is critical to understand the evolution of Earth’s mantle through time, especially before the initiation of plate tectonics and when supercontinents dominated, as well as for understanding magmatism on other planetary bodies in the solar system and beyond. This session aims to facilitate new understandings of intraplate and anomalous magmatism by bringing together diverse ideas, observations, and approaches from researchers around the globe.
We therefore welcome contributions dealing with the origins and evolution of intraplate or anomalous magmatism using a variety of approaches and techniques to tackle outstanding questions from any field, including: petrology, geochemistry, geochronology, isotope geochemistry, geophysics, geodynamics, seismology, and more. This session brings together scientists from any and all backgrounds who work on intraplate/anomalous magmatism using any approach, enhancing discussion and collaboration between disciplines.

Co-organized by GMPV10
Convener: Martha PapadopoulouECSECS | Co-conveners: Jordan J. J. PhetheanECSECS, Magdalena Matusiak-Małek, Matthew J. Comeau, Lara Kalnins
GD1.2 EDI

A variety of geophysical and geological observational techniques are now mature enough to provide valuable insights into the influence that mantle convection has on Earth' surface and its core. Current challenges include the need to reconcile different spatial resolutions between models and observations, uneven data coverage and the determination of appropriate sampling and simulation scales. This session will provide a holistic view of the influence of mantle convection on core dynamics and surface expressions from geodetic to geological time scales using multi-disciplinary methods, including (but not limited to): geodetic, geophysical, geological, long-term evolution of the geomagnetic field, Earth's core dynamics magnetism and the seismic imaging of mantle convective processes, as well as numerical modeling.

Our session will provide rich opportunities for presenters and attendees from a range of disciplines, demographics, and stages of their scientific career to engage in this exciting and multidisciplinary problem in Earth science.

Solicited authors:
Hans-Peter Bunge,Eva Golos
Convener: Ingo L. StotzECSECS | Co-conveners: Thomas DuvernayECSECS, Aisling DunnECSECS, Tatiana SavranskaiaECSECS, Zhu MaoECSECS, Sascha Brune, Roland Pail
EMRP3.2 EDI

The recent methodological and instrumental advances in paleomagnetism further increased its already high potential in solving geological, geophysical, and tectonic problems. Indirect records from archaeological materials, volcanic rocks, sediments, and speleothems are essential for studying the ancient geomagnetic field, covering different time scales, from secular variation to magnetic reversals. In this session, we welcome abstracts that contribute to the advancement of our understanding of geomagnetic field variations in terms of time scale (short and long) and spatial scale (e.g., magnetic anomalies). Also welcome are contributions combining paleomagnetic and magnetic fabric data, showing novel approaches in data evaluation and modelling to reconstruct and analyze paleogeography on the regional to global scale across all timescales.

Solicited authors:
Maximilian Schanner
Co-organized by GD1
Convener: Martin Chadima | Co-conveners: Kirolosse GirgisECSECS, Evdokia Tema, Saioa A. CampuzanoECSECS, Filipe Terra-NovaECSECS, Bram VaesECSECS, Dorota StaneczekECSECS

GD2 – Melts, Volatiles and Chemistry of the Mantle

Sub-Programme Group Scientific Officer: Boris Kaus

GD2.2 EDI

The Earth’s lithosphere is a highly dynamic system, that, by interacting with the deeper mantle, exerts a key control on global scale tectonics and shapes the chemical composition of our planet. Among the factors that can influence the lithosphere and mantle rheological and geodynamic behaviour, fluid occurrence is one of the most prominent. The presence and migration of fluids and/or melts in the lithosphere can be caused by natural mechanisms (e.g., metasomatic reactions in the mantle, melt ascent and degassing, dehydration metamorphic reactions and meteoric water percolation) or by industrial activities (e.g., ore deposit exploitation and energy production).
Subsurface fluids interact with the rock matrix, triggering or enhancing numerous geological processes in the crust and lithosphere. For example, the presence of fluids can lead to rocks’ stress changes and reactivate pre-existing faults, therefore generating earthquakes. Fluids also play a crucial role in the development of magmatic processes and have a remarkable environmental impact. In the lithospheric mantle, fluids and melts can induce physico-chemical modifications, promote outgassing, cause a drastic reduction in rock viscosity and favor mechanisms of delamination. In addition, fluids can be a key factor in the generation of intraslab earthquakes during subduction.
To investigate the causes for fluid presence at various depths in the lithosphere, and the effects of melt/fluid-rock interactions from mantle to crust, it is necessary to adopt integrated, multi-parametric and multi-disciplinary approaches. Integrated studies, in fact, are better suited not only to image and trace melts and fluids in mantle, volcanic, tectonic and industrial exploitation environments, but also to identify specific seismicity patterns in correlation to an increase/decrease in natural and anthropogenic hazards.
The session will focus on innovative research, field studies, modeling aspects, theoretical, experimental and observational advances in detecting and tracking the migration of melts and fluids at the micro- to macro-scale.
We welcome contributions from a broad range of disciplines, including seismic monitoring, petrology, geochemistry of minerals, melt/fluid inclusions and gaseous emissions, tomography, volcanology, thermodynamic modelling. The session also encourages contributions from Early Career Scientists.

Solicited authors:
Sally Gibson
Co-organized by GMPV7
Convener: Alessio Lavecchia | Co-conveners: Federico Casetta, Magdalena Matusiak-Małek, Kristóf Porkoláb, Serena PanebiancoECSECS, Petros Koutsovitis
GD2.3 | PICO

The origin and evolution of the continental lithosphere is closely linked to changes in mantle dynamics through time, from its formation through melt depletion to multistage reworking and reorganisation related to interaction with melts formed both beneath and within it. Understanding this history is critical to constraining terrestrial dynamics, element cycles and metallogeny. We welcome contributions dealing with: (1) Reconstructions of the structure and composition of the lithospheric mantle, and the influence of plumes and subduction zones on root construction; (2) Interactions of plume- and subduction-derived melts and fluids with the continental lithosphere, and the nature and development of metasomatic agents; (3) Source rocks, formation conditions (P-T-fO2) and evolution of mantle melts originating below or in the mantle lithosphere; (4) Deep source regions, melting processes and phase transformation in mantle plumes and their fluids; (5) Modes of melt migration and ascent, as constrained from numerical modelling and microstructures of natural mantle samples; (6) Role of mantle melts and fluids in the generation of hybrid and acid magmas.These topics can be illuminated using the geochemistry and fabric of mantle xenoliths and orogenic peridotites, mantle-derived melts and experimental simulations.

Co-organized by GMPV7
Convener: Igor Ashchepkov | Co-conveners: Sonja Aulbach, Natalia Lebedeva, Rohit Pandey, NV Chalapathi Rao
GMPV7.1 EDI | PICO

The dynamics of magmatic systems are driven by complex processes that span from deep mantle melt generation to surface eruptions. These processes involve complex melt-rock interactions, including melt generation in the upper mantle and lower crust, magma transport, differentiation, and emplacement in the crust, the genesis of energy and mineral resources, and volcanic extrusion with consequent hazards. Fluid-mechanical and thermo-chemical processes involving different phases (liquid melt, solid crystals, volatile fluids, and pyroclasts) emerge on sub-millimetre scales while influencing systems at the metre to kilometre scale. Understanding these processes requires a multidisciplinary approach, combining observations, experiments, and computational methods including forward and inverse modelling and machine learning.
Despite the crucial role of computational methods in integrating and interpreting data from various sources, there has been limited progress in establishing a dedicated community within volcanic and magmatic studies. This session aims to address this gap by focusing on computational approaches. We seek to bring together researchers working on forward and inverse modelling, machine learning, and other computational methods to foster a thriving community to complement well established observational and experimental communities.
We encourage contributions that explore the theory, application, and validation of computational approaches in the context of experimental and observational data. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Multiphase flow dynamics
- Thermodynamics and phase equilibria
- Magma transport and storage
- Chemical and rheological melt-rock interactions
- Crystallization and degassing processes
- Energy and mineral resource genesis
- Magma-hydrothermal interactions
- Eruption dynamics and hazards
This session aims to provide a platform for in-depth technical discussions that are challenging to facilitate in broader multidisciplinary sessions, ultimately fostering a stronger computational community within volcanic and magmatic studies.

Co-organized by GD2
Convener: Tobias Keller | Co-conveners: Pascal AelligECSECS, Adina E. Pusok, Catherine BoothECSECS

GD3 – Dynamics and Evolution of Earth and Terrestrial Planets

Sub-Programme Group Scientific Officer: Jeroen van Hunen

GD3.1 EDI | PICO

Dynamical processes shape the Earth and other rocky planets throughout their history; their present state is a result of this long-term evolution. Early on, processes and lifetimes of magma oceans establish the initial conditions for their long-term development; subsequently their long-term evolution is shaped by the dynamics of the mantle-lithosphere system, compositional differentiation or mixing, possible core-mantle reactions, etc.. These processes can be interrogated through observations of the rock record, geochemistry, seismology, gravity, magnetism and planetary remote sensing all linked through geodynamical modelling constrained by physical properties of relevant phases.

This session aims to provide a holistic view of the dynamics, tectonics, structure, composition and evolution of Earth and rocky planetary bodies (including exoplanets) on temporal scales ranging from the present day to billions of years, and on spatial scales ranging from microscopic to global, by bringing together constraints from geodynamics, seismology, mineral physics, geochemistry, petrology, volcanology, planetary science and astronomy.

Co-organized by GMPV7/PS1
Convener: Paul Tackley | Co-conveners: Gregor Golabek, Lena Noack, Paolo Sossi, Iris van ZelstECSECS, Alexander Stott, Barbara De Toffoli
GD3.2 EDI | PICO

The first half of Earth’s history (Hadean to Paleoproterozoic) laid the foundations for the planet we know today. But how and why it differed and how and why it evolved remain enduring questions.
In this session, we encourage the presentation of new approaches that improve our understanding on the formation, structure, and evolution of the early Earth ranging from the mantle and lithosphere to the atmosphere, oceans and biosphere, and interactions between these reservoirs.
This session aims to bring together scientists from a large range of disciplines to provide an interdisciplinary and comprehensive overview of the field. This includes, but is not limited to, fields such as early mantle dynamics, the formation, evolution and destruction of the early crust and lithosphere, early surface environments and the evolution of the early biosphere, mineral deposits, and how possible tectonic regimes impacted across the early Earth system.

Co-organized by BG7/CL1.1/GMPV5/TS6
Convener: Ria FischerECSECS | Co-conveners: Jeroen van Hunen, Ezequiel José Estremina Carneiro Brandão Ferreira, Bing Xia, Peter Cawood, Desiree Roerdink
PS1.2 EDI

In June 2021, NASA and ESA selected a fleet of three international missions to Venus, which are planned to launch in 2031. Moreover, other missions are in preparation, such as Shukrayaan-1 (ISRO), Venus Life Finder (Rocket Lab), and VOICE (Chinese Academy of Sciences). With the ‘Decade of Venus’ upon us, many fundamental questions remain regarding the planet. Did Venus ever have an ocean? How and when did intense greenhouse conditions develop? How does its internal structure compare to Earth's? How can we better understand Venus’ geologic history as preserved on its surface as well as the present-day state of activity and couplings between the surface and atmosphere? Although Venus is one of the most uninhabitable planets in the Solar System, understanding our nearest planetary neighbor may unveil important lessons on atmospheric and surface processes, interior dynamics, and habitability. Moreover, as an early-Earth analogue, Venus may help us draw important conclusions on the history of our own planet. Beyond the solar system, Venus’ analogues are likely a common type of exoplanets, and we probably have already discovered many of Venus’ sisters orbiting other stars. This session welcomes contributions that address the past, present, and future of Venus science and exploration, and what Venus can teach us about (ancient) Earth as well as exo-Venus analogues. Moreover, Venus mission concepts, new Venus observations, Earth-Venus comparisons, exoplanet observations, new results from previous observations, and the latest lab and modelling approaches are all welcome to our discussion of solving Venus’ mysteries.

Solicited authors:
Stephen Kane
Co-organized by GD3
Convener: Cédric Gillmann | Co-conveners: Gregor Golabek, Anna GülcherECSECS, Julia MaiaECSECS, Yann MusseauECSECS
BG5.3 EDI

This session aims to bring together a diverse group of scientists who are interested in how life and planetary processes have co-evolved over geological time. This includes studies of how paleoenvironments have contributed to biological evolution and vice versa, linking fossil records to paleo-Earth processes and the influence of tectonic and magmatic processes on the evolution of climate and life. As an inherently multi-disciplinary subject, we aspire to better understand the complex coupling of biogeochemical cycles and life, the links between mass extinctions and their causal geological events, how fossil records shed light on ecosystem drivers over deep time, and how tectono-geomorphic processes impact biodiversity patterns at global or local scales. We aim to understand our planet and its biosphere through both observation- and modelling-based studies. We also invite contributions on general exoplanet-life co-evolution.

This session is co-organized by COST Action CA23150 - pan-EUROpean BIoGeodynamics network (EUROBIG)

Solicited authors:
Taras Gerya,Sean Willett
Co-organized by CL1.1/GD3/GM4/PS6, co-sponsored by pan-EUROpean BIoGeodynamics network (EUROBIG)
Convener: Julian RoggerECSECS | Co-conveners: Jack LongmanECSECS, Jun ShenECSECS, Yaquan ChangECSECS, Attila Balázs, Zhen XuECSECS, Fred BowyerECSECS

GD4 – Subduction and Orogeny

Sub-Programme Group Scientific Officer: Antoniette Greta Grima

GD4.1 EDI

Subduction drives plate tectonics, generating the majority of subaerial volcanism, releasing >90% of global seismic moment, forming continents, and recycling lithosphere. Numerical and laboratory modelling studies have successfully built our understanding of many aspects of the geodynamics of subduction zones. Detailed geochemical studies, investigating compositional variations within and between volcanic arcs, provide further insights into systematic chemical processes at the slab surface and within the mantle wedge, constraining thermal structure and material transport within subduction zones. However, due to different technical and methodological approaches, model set-ups, inputs, and material properties, and in some cases conflicting conclusions between chemical and physical models, a consistent picture of the controlling parameters of subduction zone processes has not yet emerged.

This session seeks to provide an integrated understanding of subduction zone processes, combining insights from global subduction zones with a detailed focus on the western margin of South America, one of the Earth's most significant subduction systems. While advancing a broad framework for the initiation, evolution, and dynamics of subduction zones globally, this session will also highlight distinctive features of the South American margin, such as its accretionary orogen, occurrences of flat-slab subduction, and its history of major seismic events. This presents an opportunity to examine a variety of processes, such as the generation and migration of volatiles and melts, seismic activity, magmatism, and crustal deformation.

We invite contributions from disciplines including geodynamics, geochemistry, petrology, volcanology, seismology, and geophysics to discuss subduction zone dynamics at all scales from the surface to the lower mantle, and in applications to natural laboratories, especially in relation to the Andes. With its broad focus, this session aims to foster interactions across traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Solicited authors:
Diane Arcay,Constanza Rodriguez Piceda
Co-organized by GMPV10/TS2
Convener: Ágnes KirályECSECS | Co-conveners: Christian Sippl, Michaël PonsECSECS, Antoniette Greta GrimaECSECS, Anne Socquet, César R. Ranero, Andres Tassara
TS2.5 EDI

Orogens, either accretionary or collisional in type, represent an outstanding place to investigate deformational and surface processes and the way these processes interact. On a short-time scale, the pattern of deformation and erosion illuminates crustal mechanics and its relation to seismicity, the influence of climate-driven erosion, as well as the influence of fluid flow. On longer-time scales, the structure and dynamics of orogenic belts provides pathways to a more mechanistic understanding of rock deformation from micro- to orogen-scale.
The reliable appraisal of the diversity of geomorphic, structural, magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary processes at work during orogeny as well as the 3D-4D conceptual and numerical modeling of the evolution of orogens require a multisource approach encompassing field geology, geomorphology, geophysics, petrology and geochemistry as well as advanced laboratory techniques. In order to constrain the timing, sequence, duration, rates of strain localization in the crust and orogenic growth, determining the age and longevity of structures - folds and thrusts in fold-and-thrust belts and foreland basins and ductile shear zones in the deeper crust - is key. Adding to the petrochronological toolbox applied to metamorphic minerals from the ductile realm, recent advances in K–Ar illite and U–Pb calcite geochronology applied to fault zones and mesoscale brittle structures have allowed for deeper insights into the upper crust mechanics.
This session aims at bridging the gap between spatial - from shallow depth to lithospheric scale- and temporal -short-term vs long-term- scales for a better understanding of mountain building and to provide a forum for all disciplines concerned with orogenic wedges to meet and discuss their views. We welcome contributions reporting topical works on mountain belts including seismology, rheology and mechanics, structural geology, dating deformation, thermochronology, geomorphology, thermicity or fluid rock-interactions. We encourage integrated studies highlighting the respective role of plate tectonics, crust-mantle interactions and surface processes in shaping the architecture of the continental crust. Analogue or numerical modeling work as well as regional case studies are welcome. Furthermore, applied studies aiming at linking structure development and crustal dynamics with hydrogeology and generation of carbon-free energy resources such as geothermal energy or natural H2 are also encouraged.

Solicited authors:
David Cruset,Olivier Vanderhaeghe
Co-organized by GD4
Convener: Olivier Lacombe | Co-conveners: Christoph von Hagke, Ícaro Dias da Silva, Esther Izquierdo Llavall, Carmen Maria Aguilar Gil, Giulio Casini, Fabrizio Cocco
TS3.2 EDI

This session explores the mechanisms driving seismicity and deformation across diverse tectonic settings. In subduction zones, which account for approximately 90% of global seismic moment release, we examine the processes governing megathrust behavior, intermediate-depth and deep-focus earthquakes, and the role of fluids in faulting. In intracontinental regions, particularly Southeastern Europe, the interaction between the Adriatic/Dinarides collision and Aegean extension gives rise to complex faulting patterns and significant seismic hazards, although deformation rates are more distributed.
We welcome interdisciplinary studies that integrate seismological, geodetic, geological, and modeling approaches to address key questions, including: i) What controls seismicity patterns and fault behavior across different tectonic environments? ii) How do fluids, stress interactions, and regional geodynamics influence deformation processes? iii)How can multi-scale observations—from high-resolution geophysics to paleoseismology—better constrain active fault characteristics and seismic hazard assessments?
By bridging insights from different tectonic settings, this session aims to advance our understanding of earthquake generation and the factors shaping seismic hazard worldwide.

Solicited authors:
Sam Wimpenny
Co-organized by GD4
Convener: Silvia BrizziECSECS | Co-conveners: Iris van ZelstECSECS, Christian Sippl, Marianne Metois, Branko Kordić, Mathieu Causse, Petra Jamšek Rupnik
TS4.2 EDI

The links between crustal deformation, mantle dynamics, and climate-driven surface processes have long been recognized as main drivers for the evolution of orogens and sedimentary basins. Yet, the feedback mechanisms between erosion, sediment transportation and deposition, crustal tectonics and mantle dynamics, including magmatism, remain elusive. Understanding the complex interplay between tectonic and surface processes requires an interdisciplinary approach. Quantifying the uplift and erosion rates in orogens and subsidence and sedimentation rates in basins, and separating distinct crustal, deep mantle, and climatic forcings are among the most challenging objectives, because they all act on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Understanding such a dynamic system requires observational data from field studies, geophysical and well data analysis, thermochronological studies as well as analogue and numerical modelling techniques.
We invite contributions investigating orogenesis and sedimentary basin evolution and their connection to (climate-driven) surface processes, and crustal and mantle dynamics. We encourage contributions using multi-disciplinary and innovative methods addressing the coupling between tectonics and surface processes.

Solicited authors:
Thomas Gernon
Co-organized by GD4/GM7/SSP3
Convener: Sebastian G. WolfECSECS | Co-conveners: Yanyan Wang, Attila Balázs, Zoltán Erdős
NH2.8

Subduction zones generate numerous natural hazards, including volcanism, earthquakes and tsunamis, and shape the landscape through a series of processes lasting from seconds to millions of years. Their dynamics are driven by complex feedbacks between stress, strain, rock transformation and fluid migration along and across the plate interface, from shallow to deep environments. Despite their utmost importance, the intricate time-sensitive thermo–hydro–mechanical–chemical (THMC-t) processes remain largely puzzling. This is essentially due to the complexity of integrating observations across multiple spatial, magnification and temporal scales (from the nanoscale and the grain boundary size to the plate interface, and from seconds to millions of years).

Our session aims, therefore, at gathering recent advancements in observatory techniques, monitoring and high-resolution imaging of i) the plate interface kinematics, ii) the accretionary wedge, iii) the subducting slab, and iv) the mantle wedge in active and fossil subduction interfaces. This includes studies from a wide range of disciplines, such as seismology and geodesy, geodynamics, marine geosciences, field-based petrology and geochemistry and microstructure, rock mechanics and numerical modelling. We particularly encourage initiatives that foster collaboration between communities to achieve a comprehensive understanding of subduction systems through space and time.

Solicited authors:
Junli Zhang
Co-organized by GD4/GMPV4
Convener: Marianne Conin | Co-conveners: Paola Vannucchi, Mathilde Radiguet, Thomas P. FerrandECSECS, Marco Scambelluri

GD5 – Rifting and Mid Ocean Ridges

Sub-Programme Group Scientific Officer: Maelis Arnould

GD5.1 EDI

It is becoming clear that Wilson Cycle processes including rifting, drifting, inversion, and orogenesis are more complex than standard models suggest. In this session, we explore new understandings of Wilson Cycle processes, including the onset of extensional reactivation/rifting, breakup, ocean drifting, margin inversion, subduction initiation, and orogenesis. In rifted margins, oceans, subduction zones, and orogens, observations and models showcase the significance of inherited geological structures, lithospheric rheology, time-dependence, surface processes, magmatism, obliquity, and geometry in processes of rifting, drifting, and extensional reactivation. However, our understanding of the role and interaction of these factors remains far from complete. Unexpected observations such as continental material far offshore (e.g., at the Rio Grande Rise), wide-magmatic rifted margins (e.g., the Laxmi Basin), extensive subsidence and sedimentation during rift-basin inversion (e.g., in the Pannonian basin), and thermal imprinting from continental rifting affecting subsequent orogenesis (e.g., in the Pyrenees) continue to challenge conventional models and exemplify the need for further work on Wilson Cycle processes.

This session will bring together new observations, models, and ideas to help understand the complex factors influencing extensional reactivation, rifting, and drifting during the Wilson Cycle. Works investigating time-dependence, inheritance, plate kinematics, strain localisation, magmatism, obliquity, interior plate deformation, driving forces, sedimentation, surface processes, lithospheric/crustal structure, and the interaction/feedback between processes controlling the Wilson Cycle are therefore welcomed to this session.

Contributions from any geoscience discipline, including but not limited to geophysics, marine geosciences, seismology, ocean drilling, geochemistry, petrology, plate kinematics, tectonics, sedimentology, field and structural geology, numerical and analogue modelling, or thermo/geochronology etc., are sought. We particularly encourage cross-disciplinarity, innovative studies, spanning different spatio-temporal scales, and thought-provoking ideas that challenge conventions from any and all researchers, especially including students.

Solicited authors:
Ingo Grevemeyer,Laura Gómez de la Peña
Co-organized by GMPV4/TS7
Convener: Jordan J. J. PhetheanECSECS | Co-conveners: Zoltán Erdős, Julie Tugend, Patricia Cadenas Martínez, Scott Jess, Frank ZwaanECSECS, Éva OraveczECSECS
GD5.3 EDI

Mid-oceanic ridges (MORs) provide the unique opportunity to study two of the three plate boundaries: divergent plate boundaries along and across the ridge axis and tectonically dominated movements (e.g., transform faults). Our understanding of the active processes building and modifying the oceanic lithosphere has increased over the past 20 years due to advances in deep-sea research technologies and analytical and numerical modeling techniques. Increasingly, the processes inferred from the present oceanic lithosphere are also transferred into those operating in the Proterozoic and Archean. Yet, the relative role of magmatic, tectonic, and hydrothermal processes and their interaction in the formation and accretion of the oceanic lithosphere at the ridge, especially at slow and ultra-slow spreading ridges and along transform faults, remains poorly constrained. Transform faults and their extension into fracture zones have previously been considered as relatively cold and magmatically inactive; however, evidence for magmatism has recently emerged. The complex network of faults associated provide ideal pathways for hydrothermal percolation into the Earth’s lithosphere and may therefore play a significant role in the chemical and the thermal budget of the planet, as well as in the chemical exchange with the ocean (e.g., nutrients). Yet, little is known about fluid circulation in the lithosphere in these ultraslow settings.
This session objective is to favor scientific exchange across all disciplines and to share recent knowledge acquired along mid-oceanic ridge axes, transform faults, and fracture zones. We particularly welcome studies using modern deep-sea high-resolution techniques. The session also welcome contributions dealing with recent discoveries in hydrothermal systems, and which integrate geophysical, geochemical, petrological and geological data with numerical modeling tools.

Solicited authors:
Leila Mezri,Zhang Tao
Co-organized by TS2
Convener: Manon BickertECSECS | Co-conveners: Thibaut Barreyre, Christoph Beier, Zhiteng YuECSECS, Alannah BrettECSECS, Esther Schwarzenbach, Michal Nemcok
TS2.3 EDI

Ever since the inception of Wegener’s Continental Drift and ensuing plate tectonics, the Earth’s crust has been described using a bimodal classification: oceanic versus continental. However, after decades of advances in subsurface imaging, it is clear this is an over-simplification. The crust offshore may be hyperextended and/or extensively intruded continental crust, and continental microplates may be common.
Recent advances in geophysical imaging, dredging and drilling-based exploration have evidenced features like dykes, sills, and Seaward-Dipping Reflectors and tectonic structures such as folds, brittle faults, and shear zones, revealing details of large crustal transects offshore.
We welcome contributions from all fields of geoscience that relate to the extent of continental, oceanic, and hybrid crust beneath continental shelves and in the oceans. Contributions may be based on observations, numerical modelling or theory, and may derive from any part of the world. We also welcome contributions focusing on the long-term processes from orogenesis to rifting and transform faulting, and bring new perspectives to disputed areas.

Solicited authors:
Jordan J. J. Phethean,Valentin Rime
Co-organized by GD5
Convener: Jean-Baptiste KoehlECSECS | Co-conveners: Xiangyun Hu, Gillian Foulger, Alexander L. Peace
TS2.1 EDI

Continental rifting is a complex process spanning from the inception of extension to continental rupture or the formation of a failed rift. This session aims at combining new data, concepts and techniques elucidating the structure and dynamics of rifts and rifted margins. We invite submissions highlighting the time-dependent evolution of processes such as: initiation and growth of faults and ductile shear zones, tectonic and sedimentary history, magma migration, storage and volcanism, lithospheric necking and rift strength loss, influence of the pre-rift lithospheric structure, rift kinematics and plate motion, mantle flow and dynamic topography, as well as break-up and the transition to sea-floor spreading. We encourage contributions using multi-disciplinary and innovative methods from field geology, geochronology, geochemistry, petrology, seismology, geodesy, marine geophysics, plate reconstruction, or numerical or analogue modelling. Special emphasis will be given to presentations that provide an integrated picture by combining results from active rifts, passive margins, failed rift arms or by bridging the temporal and spatial scales associated with rifting.

Solicited authors:
Sascha Brune,Eleonora Rivalta
Co-organized by GD5/GMPV4/SSP3
Convener: Frank ZwaanECSECS | Co-conveners: Carolina Pagli, Ameha Muluneh, Sylvie Leroy, Giacomo Corti

GD6 – Crust, Lithosphere and Asthenosphere

Sub-Programme Group Scientific Officer: Frederic Deschamps

GD6.1 EDI

Geodynamic and tectonic processes are the key engines in shaping the structural, thermal and petrological configuration of the crust and lithosphere. In the course, they constantly modify the thermal, hydraulic and mechanical properties of the rock record, ultimately leading to a heterogenous endowment of (often co-located) subsurface resources.
Supporting the transition to sustainable low-carbon economies at scale poses significant challenges and opportunities for the global geoscience community. An integrated and interdisciplinary understanding of the subsurface processes that can provide access to alternative energy supplies and critical raw materials is lacking, as are unifying science-backed exploration strategies and resource assessment workflows.
This session aims to improve our scientific understanding of the pathways and interdependencies that lead to the concentration of economic quantities of energy carriers or noble gases, mineral resources, and sufficient geothermal gradients. Further, it also focuses on providing input for exploration decision-making, the engineering of access strategies to the policy makers as well as for the strategic planning of collaborative research initiatives.
In particular, we invite studies on observational data analysis, instrumentation, numerical modeling, laboratory experiments, and geological engineering, with an emphasis on integrated approaches/datasets which address the geological history of such systems as well as their spatial characteristics for sub-topics such as:
- Geothermal systems: key challenges in successfully exploiting geothermal energy are related to observational gaps in lithological heterogeneities and tectonic (fault) structures and sweet-spotting zones of sufficient permeability for fluid extraction.
- Geological (white/natural) hydrogen and helium resources: potential of source rocks, conversion kinetics, migration and possible accumulation processes through geological time, along with detection, characterisation, and quantification of sources, fluxes, shallow subsurface interactions and surface leakage of hydrogen (H2) and Helium (He).
- Ore deposits: To meet the growing global demand for metal resources, new methods are required to discover new ore deposits and assess the spatio-temporal and geodynamic characteristics of favourable conditions to generate metallogenic deposits, transport pathways, and host sequences.

Solicited authors:
Christopher Ballentine
Co-organized by ERE2/TS8
Convener: Judith Bott | Co-conveners: Christian Heine, Meike BaggeECSECS, Ajay KumarECSECS, Helen Doran, Annick Loschetter, Juan Carlos Afonso
GD6.2 EDI

Crust forms as a consequence of planetary differentiation and recycling processes. On Earth, differentiation processes have led to the formation and modification of felsic, evolved crust over time and provide a window into the complexity of crust from the Archean to the present. Near-surface interaction with the biosphere, internal differentiation by tectonic, igneous and metamorphic processes, and recycling into the mantle constantly change the composition of Earth crust. However, we have a limited understanding of the formation, differentiation, and stabilization of the Earth's lower crust and the transition zone between that and the mantle. Recent studies on exposed deep crust, including ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) terrains and the crust–mantle transition, as well as drilling initiatives (such as ICDP-DIVE) are adding novel insights and a new dimension to our understanding of planetary crust evolution and its control on physical properties, redox conditions, volatile elements and georesources such as critical minerals and natural hydrogen. In addition, deep crustal environments may host a range of microbial life that interacts with the chemistry of the crust and influences biogeochemical cycles. We invite submissions aimed at understanding crust-forming and modification processes, using any geological, geophysical, geochemical, geochronological, microbiological datasets and/or geodynamic modelling with the aim of elucidating the 4D evolution of crust on Earth and beyond.

Solicited authors:
Britta Wawerzinek
Co-organized by GMPV4
Convener: Marco VenierECSECS | Co-conveners: Kim LemkeECSECS, Alexia SecrétanECSECS, Junjian LiECSECS, Luca Ziberna
GD6.4 EDI

The session topic is interpretation and modelling of the geodynamic processes in the lithosphere-asthenosphere system and the interaction between crust and lithospheric mantle, as well as the importance of these processes for the formation of the discontinuities that we today observe in the crust and mantle. We aim at establishing links between seismological observations and process-oriented modelling studies to better understand the relation between present-day fabrics of the lithosphere and contemporary deformation and ongoing dynamics within the asthenospheric mantle.

The Tethyan Belt is the most prominent collisional zone on Earth, covering the vast area between far eastern Asia and Europe. The Tethyan Belt is the result of the subduction of the Tethyan Oceans, including significant terrane amalgamation, and collisional tectonics along the whole belt. The belt is today strongly affected by the ongoing convergence and collision between the Eurasian, African, Arabian and Indian plates. The long formation history and the variability of tectonic characteristics and deep structures of the belt make it a natural laboratory for understanding the accretion processes that have shaped the Earth through its history and have led to the formation of vast resources in the crust.

We invite contributions based on geological, tectonic, geophysical and geodynamic studies of the lithosphere. We particularly invite interdisciplinary studies, which integrate observational data and interpretations based on a variety of methods. Papers with focus on the structure of the crust and the nature of the Moho are also welcome.

Co-sponsored by ILP
Convener: Alexey Shulgin | Co-conveners: Hans Thybo, Irina M. Artemieva, Xiaoqing ZhangECSECS, Nalan LomECSECS, Yang Chu, Vahid Teknik
G3.5 EDI

We are looking for studies that investigate how tectonic plates move, how this movement is accommodated in deformation zones, and how elastic strain builds up and is released along faults and in subduction zones. These studies should use space geodetic data and sea floor geodetic measurements in combination with observations like seismicity, geological slip rates and rakes, sea-level, and gravity. How can the observed elastic strain buildup best be used to infer the likelihood of future earthquakes? How persistent are fault asperities over multiple earthquake cycles? Are fault slip rates from paleoseismology identical to those from geodetic data? What portion of plate motion results in earthquakes, and where does the rest go? How fast are mountains currently rising? How well can we constrain the stresses that drive the observed deformation? How much do the nearly constant velocities of plates vary during the earthquake cycle, and does this influence the definition of Earth's reference frame?

Co-organized by GD6/SM4/TS3
Convener: Rob Govers | Co-conveners: Sabrina Metzger, Giampiero Iaffaldano, Mario D'Acquisto

GD7 – Rheology and Multiscale Mineralogy in Geodynamics

Sub-Programme Group Scientific Officer: Laetitia Le Pourhiet

GD7.1

The goal of this session is to reconcile short-time/small-scale and long-time/large-scale observations, including geodynamic processes such as subduction, collision, rifting, or mantle lithosphere interactions. Despite the remarkable advances in experimental rock mechanics, the implications of rock-mechanics data for large temporal and spatial scale tectonic processes are still not straightforward, since the latter are strongly controlled by local lithological stratification of the lithosphere, its thermal structure, fluid content, tectonic heritage, metamorphic reactions, and deformation rates.

Mineral reactions have mechanical effects that may result in the development of pressure variations and thus are critical for interpreting microstructural and mineral composition observations. Such effects may fundamentally influence element transport properties and rheological behavior.
Here, we encourage presentations focused on the interplay between metamorphic processes and deformation on all scales, on the rheological behavior of crustal and mantle rocks, and time scales of metamorphic reactions in order to discuss
(1) how and when up to GPa-level differential stress and pressure variations can be built and maintained at geological timescales and modeling of such systems,
(2) deviations from lithostatic pressure during metamorphism: fact or fiction?
(3) the impact of deviations from lithostatic pressure on geodynamic reconstructions.
(4) the effect of porous fluid and partial melting on the long-term strength.
We, therefore, invite the researchers from different domains (rock mechanics, petrographic observations, geodynamic and thermo-mechanical modeling) to share their views on the way forward for improving our knowledge of the long-term rheology and chemo-thermo-mechanical behavior of the lithosphere and mantle.

Solicited authors:
Jean-Arthur Olive
Co-organized by GMPV4/TS5
Convener: Yury Podladchikov | Co-conveners: Lucie Tajcmanova, Shun-ichiro Karato, Evangelos Moulas, Leni Scheck-Wenderoth
GD7.2 EDI

Many regions of the Earth, from crust to core, exhibit anisotropic fabrics which can reveal much about geodynamic processes in the subsurface. These fabrics can exist at a variety of scales, from crystallographic orientations to regional structure alignments. In the past few decades, a tremendous body of multidisciplinary research has been dedicated to characterizing anisotropy in the solid Earth and understanding its geodynamical implications. This has included work in fields such as: (1) geophysics, to make in situ observations and construct models of anisotropic properties at a range of depths; (2) mineral physics, to explain the cause of some of these observations; and (3) numerical modelling, to relate the inferred fabrics to regional stress and flow regimes and, thus, geodynamic processes in the Earth. The study of anisotropy in the Solid Earth encompasses topics so diverse that it often appears fragmented according to regions of interest, e.g., the upper or lower crust, oceanic lithosphere, continental lithosphere, cratons, subduction zones, D'', or the inner core. The aim of this session is to bring together scientists working on different aspects of mechanical anisotropy to provide a comprehensive overview of the field. We encourage contributions from all disciplines of the earth sciences (including mineral physics, seismology, magnetotellurics, geodynamic modelling) focused on mechanical anisotropy at all scales and depths within the Earth.

Solicited authors:
Martha Savage,Joseph Asplet
Co-organized by EMRP1/SM4
Convener: Manuele Faccenda | Co-conveners: Tuna Eken, Judith ConfalECSECS, Brandon VanderBeekECSECS
CR2.8 EDI

Understanding the complex interplay between microstructural evolution and stress distribution during the viscous deformation of polycrystalline geological materials is pivotal for unravelling Earth's large-scale geodynamic processes. This session aims to synthesise insights across disciplines, merging research on the microstructural intricacies of materials like ice and olivine with advanced methodologies for quantifying stress in the lithosphere.


Join us to explore the impact of crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO), grain size, and dynamic recrystallization on the rheological behavior of Earth materials, alongside innovative techniques for stress analysis at various scales, from intragranular heterogeneity to plate boundary dynamics. We welcome contributions that employ numerical modelling, laboratory experiments, or observational studies that highlight the intersection of microstructural evolution and stress, emphasizing time-dependent processes, such as creep transients, and their role in viscous deformation.


This session aims to foster an inclusive, interdisciplinary dialogue, inviting researchers from all backgrounds to bridge scales and methodologies. We encourage participation from early career researchers to collectively advance our understanding of the stress-microstructure relationship and its implications for viscous deformations in the cryosphere, crust, and mantle.

Solicited authors:
Thomas Chauve,David Wallis,Sascha Zertani
Co-organized by GD7/TS1
Convener: Daniel RichardsECSECS | Co-conveners: Alissa KotowskiECSECS, Lisa CrawECSECS, Caroline SeylerECSECS, Ágnes KirályECSECS, Nicholas RathmannECSECS, Diede HeinECSECS
TS1.3 EDI

Classic models predicting a depth that separates brittle deformation in the upper crust from a region below in which deformation is dominated by ductile processes have long been outdated. In fact, the deformation behavior of Earth’s lithosphere is more complex and brittle and ductile processes may interact throughout the lithosphere. In the rock record, brittle deformation may be expressed as features ranging from micro-fracturing of mineral grains up to seismic ruptures (e.g., pseudotachylytes) or large-scale faults, and ductile deformation is typically expressed as shear zones ranging from millimeter to kilometer scales. Factors known to determine whether strain is accommodated by brittle and/or ductile processes include, but are not limited to: material properties (e.g., grain size, composition), strain rate, strain incompatibilities, pressure-temperature conditions, the availability of fluids, and rock modification by metamorphic reactions.
The multitude of possible factors determining the deformation style in the lithosphere make a comprehensive understanding of the deformation behavior of Earth’s lithosphere challenging. In this session we aim to tackle the complex topic of lithospheric deformation by combining observations from natural rocks with those from experimental and numerical studies.

Solicited authors:
Marie Baïsset
Co-organized by GD7/GMPV4
Convener: Sascha ZertaniECSECS | Co-conveners: Anna Rogowitz, Giovanni ToffolECSECS, Friedrich Hawemann

GD8 – Core Dynamics

Sub-Programme Group Scientific Officer: Phil Livermore

GD8.4 EDI

The dynamics of planetary cores and subsurface oceans represent fundamental components of planetary evolution models, contributing to the balance of heat and angular momentum, energy dissipation, and the generation of magnetic fields, which can be observed both in situ and remotely.

The steering mechanisms in the fluid layers of planetary cores encompass a range of processes, including slow thermal and compositional convection, as well as diurnal orbital perturbations, such as precession, nutations, librations, and tides. The resulting non-linear dynamics present a significant challenge for both numerical and experimental approaches. The increasing volume of data from satellite and Earth-based missions requires ongoing efforts to enhance our understanding of these dynamics through theoretical, numerical, and experimental research.

In addition, seismological observations provide a picture of the core as it is today. The increasing body of observations and data processing techniques offers new avenues to study the structure and physical properties of both the outer and inner core. This is complemented by information from high pressure mineral physics which can help in understanding the underlying effects of composition, chemical, and crystalline structure on the core as it is today or during its evolution since the formation of the Earth.

In this session, we welcome contributions from all disciplines to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of planetary core and geodynamo models. This includes research on thermal and compositional convection, mechanically driven flows by precession/nutation, libration, and tides, dynamo processes, high pressure mineral physics, and seismological observations.

Co-organized by PS1
Convener: Jerome Noir | Co-conveners: Eric EdmundECSECS, Jessica Irving, Sébastien Merkel, Daria Holdenried-Chernoff, Maylis Landeau, Santiago Triana

GD9 – Geodynamics of Specific Regions

Sub-Programme Group Scientific Officer: Laetitia Le Pourhiet

GD9.1 EDI

The Alps are an orogen that offers an exceptional natural laboratory to study the evolution of mountain-building processes from short- to long-term and small- to large-scales, including the evolution of plate margins from rifting to subduction, inheritance from previous orogenic cycles, ophiolite emplacement, collision and (ultra)high-pressure rock exhumation, and upper-plate and foreland basin evolution.

Advances in a variety of geophysical, geochronological, geochemical and geological fields provide a rich and growing set of constraints on the crust-lithosphere and mantle structure, tectonics and geodynamics of the entire mountain belt.

We invite contributions from different and multi-disciplinary perspectives ranging from the Earth’s surface to the mantle, and based on geology (tectonics, petrology, stratigraphy, geo- and thermochronology, geochemistry, paleomagnetism and geomorphology), geophysics (seismotectonics, seismic tomography and anisotropy) and geodesy and modelling (numerical and analogue). The aim is for contributions to provide new insights and observations on the record of subduction/exhumation/collision; pre-Alpine orogenic stages; the influence of structural and palaeogeographic configuration; plate/mantle dyna