Understanding the properties and history of the core of Earth-like planets is essential to constructing a global planetary structure and evolution model and has implications for the planet's thermal, compositional, and orbital evolution. Unraveling planetary cores' structures, dynamics, and history, however, requires a synergy between many fields of expertise, such as mineral physics, geochemistry, seismology, geodynamics, gravimetry, geomagnetism, or remote sensing. This session welcomes contributions from all the aforementioned disciplines following theoretical, numerical, observational, or experimental approaches and aims to serve as a catalyst for multidisciplinary studies of Earth and Earth-like planetary cores.

The mantles of Earth and other rocky planetary bodies may have been partly or fully molten early in their histories because of the energy of accretion, decay of short-lived radioisotopes, core differentiation, and giant impacts. These “magma oceans” played a fundamental role in early planetary evolution. Exchange between magma oceans and the atmosphere and core may have established the distribution of elements among major planetary reservoirs, while the evolution of magma oceans as they crystallized determined the initial thermal and chemical structure of planetary mantles. Understanding the magma ocean stage is therefore essential for reconstructing the initial conditions for the evolution of rocky planets and the formation of habitable environments. Furthermore, this early stage can be constrained by detecting its subtle fingerprints preserved in the geological records of Earth and other terrestrial planetary bodies and through astronomical observations of atmospheres of exoplanets with present-day magma oceans. Magma oceans have been an active topic of research as rapid developments in laboratory, computational, numerical, and observational capabilities push the boundaries of research closer to the conditions of this extreme stage of planetary evolution.
This session welcomes contributions on all aspects of magma oceans; relevant topics include magma ocean formation, the fluid dynamics and geochemistry/petrology of magma ocean evolution and crystallization, exchange between a magma ocean and other planetary reservoirs including degassing and core-mantle equilibration, and characterization of magma oceans based on evidence retained in the geological and magmatic records of planetary bodies. This session emphasizes exchange across disciplines and scales by inviting research employing a broad spectrum of experimental, observational, analytical, computational, and numerical approaches, such as laboratory experiments (e.g., diamond anvil cell, shock compression, tank fluid dynamics); geochemical and isotopic analyses of minerals and rocks; scaling and stability analyses; ab initio calculations and molecular dynamics simulations; and modeling (e.g., multiphase flow, smooth particle hydrodynamics, atmospheric chemistry). Contributions combining different techniques, comparing different planets, and making links between the magma ocean stage and observables in the planetary record are particularly encouraged.

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, interaction with their fluid envelopes through outgassing and regassing, 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.

Planetary cores host a rich variety of dynamical processes related to the thermal, compositional, and magnetic evolution of Earth and other planetary bodies. Understanding core dynamics and the magnetic field generation process is key to constraining the evolution of planetary interiors. Coupling between planetary cores and surrounding solid layers can influence these dynamics, providing further constraints on planetary evolution.

Magnetic field generation in planetary cores results from flows of electrically conducting, iron-rich liquids strongly influenced by rotation and driven by a combination of thermal convection, compositional convection, and mechanical forcing. Observations of the geomagnetic field and other planetary magnetic fields represent unique windows into these flows. Numerical models and experiments can be used to understand these observations and provide constraints on dynamical regimes of planetary cores and their coupling with surrounding solid layers.

In this session, we welcome observational, theoretical, numerical, and experimental studies aimed at improving our understanding of the complex dynamics occurring in planetary cores and of the evolution of planetary magnetic fields. These include research on thermal, compositional, and mechanically forced convection in planetary cores, magnetic field generation and observation, and dynamical coupling between solid layers and planetary cores.

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 reorganization 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

On Earth, plate tectonics is closely coupled to mantle upwellings and downwellings which help drive the dynamic system. In this session, we explore the complex interactions between mantle plumes and plate tectonics, including how mantle plumes may interact with tectonic processes across a range of settings, from continental rifts and mid-ocean ridges to subduction zones, and are themselves modified by tectonics. Such interactions may include, but are not limited to, plume-induced lithospheric thinning and continental rifting (and associated excess melting), the deflection of rising conduits by subducting slabs and cratonic roots, and the geochemical exchange between plume melts and the lithosphere they traverse. In systems such as Iceland and Afar, there are observed interactions between rifting and mantle plume upwelling, yet the extent to which these processes influence one another remains unclear. Similarly, the nature of the relationship between subducting slabs and plumes, where they interact, is complex and may be fundamental to understanding some of the small- and large-scale patterns of convection, LIP emplacement, and hotspot systems. Together these gaps highlight how plumes both modify, and are modified by, plate tectonics.

We invite contributions from across geosciences including, but not limited to, numerical and analogue modelling, geochemistry, petrology, geophysics, volcanology, seismology, planetary science and tectonics. We especially encourage cross-disciplinary studies spanning different spatio-temporal scales and approaches which will foster conversations on emerging questions and future directions in the study of plume-tectonic interactions, particularly among early career researchers.

The Earth’s magnetic field is produced by dynamo action in the liquid iron core, which has profound influence on our habitable planet. One of the most striking manifestations of the geodynamo are complete reversals of the dipole. Numerical simulations indicate that the lower mantle has a manifold impact on the dynamo whereby the absolute value and pattern of the heat flux through the core-mantle boundary affects the field strength, field geometry and reversal rate. However, neither the structure and the long-term evolution of the lower mantle and the core, nor the coupling between the two, are well understood. Moreover, field strength and reversal rate likely influence the survival and evolution of magnetoreceptive organisms, especially magnetotatic bacteria. We invite contributions that aim at understanding the long-term evolution of the geomagnetic field and Earth's core dynamics, deep mantle dynamics and its influence on the geodynamo. This interdisciplinary session aims to bring together paleomagnetists, seismologists, dynamo modellers, mantle dynamicists, mineral physicists, and biologists.

Over 4.5 billion years of dynamic evolution has shaped the Earth’s surface and interior, from core formation, magma ocean crystallisation, and mantle plumes, to crustal formation and recycling processes. These processes are recorded in volcanic rocks spanning a temporal range reaching back to the Archean, shaping our ongoing understanding of Earth's mantle chemistry and structure. In this endeavour of understanding deep Earth processes and how they shape planetary physiochemical evolution, integrating multiple fields of study is essential.

This session aims to provide a comprehensive dialogue on the processes that shaped Earth’s chemically heterogeneous mantle that is recorded in mantle-derived rocks. This includes research on Hadean to modern geodynamic processes such as magma ocean differentiation, core-mantle exchange, subduction, plume and oceanic volcanism by use of novel and standard geochemical methods. This may further include interdisciplinary studies from geodynamics and seismology with implications for the chemical composition of Earth’s mantle and mantle-derived rocks.

Cratons preserve some of Earth’s oldest continental crust and provide fundamental insights into the formation, stabilization, and dynamics of the early continents. Their emergence established long-lived, stable environments that may have influenced the development and persistence of early life. While many cratons survived since Archean, advances in seismic imaging, integrated with geochemical and geological observations suggests that some of them are modified or even destroyed in the recent past. While the mechanisms of destruction and modification remain debated, their destabilisation of the cratonic lithosphere may have disrupted deep lithospheric reservoirs, facilitating the release of volatiles into the atmosphere and establishing an important link between Earth’s deep interior, lithosphere, and atmosphere. This connection further emphasizes the economical significance of cratons, as the primary repository of diamonds and critical minerals essential for modern technologies, making their study central to the energy transition. For this session, we invite multidisciplinary contributions including but not limited to geodynamics, geochemistry, geology, seismology, and biogeodynamics. The focus is on investigating craton dynamics and its critical role in shaping Earth’s processes, from early planetary development to modern geological history.

Intraplate regions record deformation, vertical motion, and magmatism far from active plate boundaries. These responses reflect interactions among changes in plate motion, lithospheric stress transmission, inherited structures, surface loads, rheology, and mantle dynamics. Lithosphere–upper-mantle models and plate-reconstruction-informed mantle-flow models provide broad-scale kinematic and dynamic frameworks, while geological, geophysical, and geochemical records reveal how these processes are expressed at regional and local scales. Connecting these perspectives can improve our understanding of how plate–mantle–lithosphere interactions generate diverse intraplate responses.
This session brings together observational, computational, and theoretical studies of intraplate deformation, vertical motion, and magmatism and their links to plate and mantle dynamics. We welcome contributions addressing intraplate deformation and the reactivation of inherited structures; uplift and subsidence recorded by unconformities, sedimentary basins, drowned platforms, and lithospheric flexure; and the distribution, composition, timing, and age progression of intraplate magmatism, including seamount chains and continental volcanic provinces. We also invite studies exploring how changes in surface loading associated with climate, particularly glacial loading and unloading, influence intraplate stress, fault reactivation, vertical motion, and magmatic systems.
Contributions may draw on field observations, geophysical data, petrological and geochemical analyses, geochronology, plate reconstructions, and numerical models, individually or in combination. Studies of both oceanic and continental plates are encouraged. We particularly welcome studies that compare observations with model predictions, integrate evidence across spatial and temporal scales, or quantify model sensitivity and uncertainty. Our aim is to foster collaboration across disciplines and develop more integrated and better-constrained interpretations of intraplate processes.

Carbon and sulfur, despite their low bulk-planet abundance, are crucial to life as we know it, to mantle melting and volcanism, and to the climate (in-)stability of the Earth and beyond. Yet whilst every planet follows the same laws of chemistry, the specific roles of carbon and sulfur can play out to vastly different conclusions, as with Venus and the Earth. Clues to carbon and sulfur’s behaviour among the exoplanet population can be remotely accessed by observing their atmospheres. This session will explore the importance of these elements now and in deep time, across Earth, the Solar System, and exoplanets. We welcome new work from any discipline on carbon and/or sulfur in a range of contexts, from planet formation, mantle dynamics, and tectonics, to atmospheric chemistry and geobiology, progressing towards a cosmic picture of planetary evolution shaped by carbon and sulfur.

The Tethyan Belt is the most prominent collisional zone on Earth, covering the vast area between far eastern Asia and Europe. The geological-tectonic evolution of the belt shows along-strike heterogeneity between its various regions, including the Indo-Burman Range, the Tibetan-Himalayan region, the Iranian Plateau, Anatolia and the Alps. 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. A major role in the evolution of life by the Tethyan evolution has also been proposed.

We invite contributions based on geological, tectonic, geophysical and geodynamic studies of the Tethyan Belt. We particularly invite interdisciplinary studies, which integrate observational data and interpretations based on a variety of methods. This session will include contributions on the whole suite of studies of the Tethyan Belt with the aim of providing a comprehensive overview of its formation and evolution.

Subduction zones are complex, evolving systems in which the downgoing plate, plate interface, mantle wedge, overriding plate and surrounding mantle interact across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. These interactions govern plate motions and deformation, shape mountain belts and sedimentary basins, drive mantle flow and chemical recycling, and generate much of Earth’s seismicity and volcanism. Yet fundamental questions remain about how subduction initiates, how it is maintained, why its geometry and style vary, and how subduction zones reorganize or cease.

This session focuses on the dynamics of the complete subduction system, from the surface and plate boundary to the transition zone and lower mantle. We invite contributions addressing subduction initiation, propagation, maturation and termination; slab geometry, strength and deformation; plate-interface coupling, seismicity and slow slip; mantle-wedge and sub-slab flow; overriding-plate deformation and topographic response; trench migration and slab rollback; flat-slab and stagnant-slab behaviour; tearing, break-off and delamination; interactions with ridges, plateaus, seamounts and inherited lithospheric structure; and slab penetration into, or stagnation within, the deep mantle.

We also welcome studies examining how rheology, thermal structure, phase transitions, hydration and dehydration, fluids, melts and compositional heterogeneity influence subduction dynamics and their surface expression. Contributions may address present-day or ancient systems and may use geophysical, geological, geodetic, geochemical and petrological observations, laboratory experiments, analytical theory or numerical models.

The subduction plate interface is Earth's most dynamic plate boundary. It hosts the planet's largest earthquakes and tsunamis, drives global crustal recycling, and governs global volatile budgets through CO2 and H2O fluxes between the surface and deep mantle. Deciphering its physical, mechanical, and chemical processes is essential for mitigating geohazards and understanding Earth's geological evolution.
A decade after the conclusion of a multi-disciplinary initiative, namely the European ITN ZIP (Zooming In between Plates), the subduction community has experienced ten years of rapid observational, technological and methodological advances. High-density geodetic and seismic networks, advanced marine geophysics, high-pressure rock deformation experiments, high-precision isotopic geochronology, 3D and 4D seismo-thermo-mechanical numerical models, as well as seismotectonic analogue models have fundamentally reshaped how we view the boundary between converging plates.
Despite past advancements, several key questions remain: how do transient rheologies interact to control megathrust earthquake nucleation, rupture propagation, and post-seismic relaxation? What governs the multi-scale spatial and temporal transitions from creep to seismic slip? How does mechanical mixing and stacking of tectonic slivers within the subduction channel alter mass and fluid fluxes from the shallow seismogenic zone down to the sub-arc mantle wedge?
Marking 10 years since the conclusion of the ZIP network, this session aims to review a decade of progress, to assess open questions, and to identify new directions in subduction interface research. We invite contributions from a broad, international pool of geoscientists from various disciplines.

The geodynamics of Southeast Asia presents a wide range of processes operating both at Earth’s surface and Earth’s deep interior, which together have shaped the evolution of our planet since the onset of plate tectonics. These processes include continental rifting and marginal basin rifting, long- to short-lived oceanic subduction, arc- and plume-related magmatism, collisional orogeny, and arc accretion. Many of these processes are ongoing today or were active during the Cenozoic, providing opportunities for detailed study. Main unknowns on the geodynamics of SE Asia include questions on the reconstruction of the proto-South China Sea plate, paleo-Pacific subduction, and proto-Philippines Sea plate as well as the connection with the Tethyan realm to the south, the collision of Australian-derived fragments in eastern Indonesia and associated extension processes. To address these issues, we invite contributions from across the Earth sciences, including field-based geology, geochronology, geochemistry of detrital minerals and magmas, seismology, geodynamic and thermo-mechanical modeling, and plate kinematic and tectonic reconstructions.

The Caribbean supra-subduction system has undergone continuous evolution and repeated reorganizations since the Late Mesozoic, while remaining intensely active today. Subduction, arc and back-arc dynamics interact with major strike-slip systems, collision zones and distributed deformation, together shaping a broad, complex and evolving plate-boundary region. The geological record and present-day activity of this system provide complementary constraints on how plate boundaries initiate, evolve, interact, merge and disappear, and on the processes controlling their localization and reorganization.
Increasingly refined geological, geochemical, geochronological, geophysical and geodetic observations constrain this evolution from Mesozoic plate configurations to present-day fault kinematics and deformation. Geochronological, geochemical and isotopic records provide temporal and petrogenetic constraints on magmatism, metamorphism, deformation, crust–mantle interactions and changes in geodynamic regime through time. Together, these observations reveal interactions between crustal deformation, inherited structures, subduction dynamics, mantle flow and magmatism, providing an opportunity to investigate how these processes interact across crustal and mantle depths and how past evolution influences present-day deformation.
We welcome contributions addressing the structure, kinematics, dynamics and evolution of the Caribbean tectonic system, including plate reconstructions and boundary reorganization, active faulting and deformation partitioning, subduction and back-arc processes, mantle dynamics, seismicity, magmatism and arc evolution, fluid-rock interactions, and vertical motions. We encourage contributions integrating geological, geochemical, geochronological, geophysical, geodetic and modelling approaches, particularly those using the Caribbean to address broader questions about the dynamics and evolution of plate boundaries and supra-subduction systems.

The dynamic convergent systems along the western margin of the Americas offer exceptional natural laboratories for studying subduction and related plate-boundary processes across a broad range of spatial and temporal scales. Long-lived convergence has generated complex records of mountain building, basin and landscape evolution, magmatism, and margin reorganization. Today, these boundaries remain actively deforming, producing seismicity, volcanism, and vertical motions that pose significant hazards to densely populated regions. This session welcomes contributions on short- and long-term plate-boundary processes, including active deformation, seismicity, magmatism, fluid circulation, deformation partitioning, mantle dynamics, landscape evolution, and plate-kinematic changes. We particularly encourage studies that integrate present-day observations with the geological and tectonic record—such as investigations of arc initiation and extinction, flat-slab subduction, terrane accretion, subduction of seismic and aseismic ridges, slab breakoff, slab-window development, vertical motions, and surface-process interactions. We also welcome multidisciplinary approaches drawing on geophysics, seismology, geodesy, structural geology, geomorphology, geochronology, geochemistry, and numerical or analogue modeling. By bridging regional and process-based perspectives, this session aims to foster dialogue among communities working on active tectonics, geological reconstructions, landscape evolution, and geodynamic processes, and to advance our understanding of how convergent margins initiate, evolve, reorganize, and terminate over geological time.

Mid-ocean ridges, transform faults, and fracture zones provide natural laboratories to study the formation and evolution of oceanic lithosphere. Advances in deep-sea exploration, geophysical imaging, analytical techniques, and numerical modelling have improved our understanding of these systems. At the same time, observations from modern oceanic lithosphere provide constraints on the processes recorded in ancient oceanic and ophiolitic sequences.

The relative roles and interactions of magmatism, tectonic deformation, and hydrothermal circulation remain poorly constrained. Recent advances reveal significant complexity of transform faults and fracture zones, with increasing evidence for magmatism and hydrothermal circulation within and beyond the transform domain. Their role in fluid transport, heat transfer, and chemical exchange between the lithosphere and the ocean remains an open question.

This session brings together multidisciplinary studies of oceanic lithosphere along and beyond mid-ocean ridges, including transform faults, fracture zones, and off-axis regions. We welcome geological, geophysical, geochemical, petrological, and modelling studies, particularly those integrating complementary datasets or approaches. Contributions based on high-resolution deep-sea observations, ocean drilling, and geodynamic modelling are encouraged. The session also welcomes studies addressing ancient oceanic lithosphere and Proterozoic or Archean analogues.

It is becoming clear that Wilson Cycle processes including rifting, drifting, inversion, and orogenesis are more complex than standard models suggest. 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, accretion, collision and orogeny. 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. Rio Grande Rise), wide-magmatic rifted margins (e.g. Laxmi Basin), extensive subsidence and sedimentation during rift-basin inversion (e.g. Pannonian basin), and thermal imprinting from continental rifting affecting subsequent orogenesis (e.g. 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 the Wilson Cycle. Works investigating time-dependence, inheritance, plate kinematics, strain localization, 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-disciplinary, innovative, thought-provoking, and convention challenging studies spanning different spatio-temporal scales. Contributions are welcomed from all researchers of any background, and of course especially students.

Plate tectonics has revolutionized our understanding of the motions and deformation of the Earth’s surface and provides the framework for reconstructing the evolution of oceans and continents through geological time. Advances in space geodesy, geophysics, and structural geology have provided increasingly detailed observations of the present-day plate mosaic and increasingly precise constraints on its kinematics and deformation. Meanwhile, sophisticated plate reconstruction models and growing archives of marine and continental magnetic data are extending our view of plate configurations further back in time, revealing the continuously evolving nature of the plate network through the repeated formation and dislocation of plates and reorganisation of plate boundaries. In parallel, advances in numerical geodynamics are opening new avenues to investigate how plate tectonics emerges and evolves, and how lithospheric dynamics couple with processes operating in Earth’s deep interior. Yet, six decades of progress have highlighted persistent limitations. Our knowledge of present-day surface deformation remains fragmentary and spatially uneven, with dense measurements restricted to a small fraction of Earth’s surface, calling for broader observational coverage and new acquisition approaches. At the same time, increasingly detailed observations, measurements and numerical models are exposing the limits of plate tectonics as a primarily geometric description of plate motion, challenging the very definition of tectonic plates and highlighting the importance of structural inheritance, rheological heterogeneity and deformation history in shaping planetary surface deformation. We welcome contributions presenting new observations, measurements and constraints on present and past plate motions and deformation, from geodesy and seismology to marine geophysics and paleomagnetism. We also invite new conceptual and modelling approaches that explore planetary surface deformation and plate dynamics, processes operating in the Earth’s deep interior, and their coupling to the evolving plate mosaic.

Rifting is a complex process that spans from the inception of lithospheric extension through continental rupture and the onset of oceanic spreading, or alternatively to the formation of a failed rift. This session aims to combine new data, concepts and techniques elucidating the structure and dynamics of rifts and rifted margins, and to investigate how continental extension evolves into, or fails to evolve into, a new plate boundary and oceanic spreading system.

We invite submissions addressing the time-dependent evolution and interactions of processes including faults and ductile shear zones development, tectonic and sedimentary history, magma migration, storage and volcanism, lithospheric necking and rift strength loss, influence of lithospheric inheritance, rift kinematics and plate motion, mantle flow and dynamic topography, as well as continental break-up and the transition to oceanic seafloor spreading.

We welcome multidisciplinary and innovative approaches using field geology, geochronology, geochemistry, petrology, seismology, geodesy, marine geophysics, plate reconstruction, or numerical or analogue modelling.

Emphasis will be given to presentations that bridge spatial and temporal scales and integrate insights from active rifts, passive margins, nascent oceanic domains, and failed rift arms.

The Eastern Mediterranean is among the most tectonically active regions that evolved by the complex interaction of the three major plates: African, Arabian and Eurasian. Its geodynamic evolution involves a diverse range of tectonic processes, including subduction, continental collision, strike-slip faulting, large-scale extension, crustal block extrusion, and slab deformation. This region therefore provides a natural laboratory for investigating how lithospheric deformation develops and is accommodated across a broad range of spatial and temporal scales.

Devastating earthquakes have occurred along all of the major tectonic structures in the region, including the continental transform faults of the North Anatolian, East Anatolian, and Dead Sea fault systems, as well as the subduction zone along the Hellenic Arc, both throughout the historical records and in recent years. The interaction between shallow fault activity and deep-seated mantle processes remains an important and debated question. Recent destructive earthquakes have further highlighted the need for better understanding of the seismic cycle and the underlying geodynamic process that governs active deformation in the region.

We invite multidisciplinary contributions spanning neotectonics, seismology, tectonic geodesy (e.g., GNSS, InSAR), paleoseismology, tectonic geomorphology, structural geology, remote sensing, and geodynamic modelling to strengthen our comprehension of active tectonics and geodynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean. We particularly encourage submissions from early-career researchers.

This special session pays tribute to the scientific legacy of our colleague César R. Ranero, whose vision and leadership fundamentally transformed our understanding of plate boundary dynamics through state-of-the-art seismic imaging and integrated geodynamic modeling.
A central theme of César’s career was obtaining the highest quality observations from unique seismic datasets to conceptually advance tectonic models. In particular, his contributions help understanding the intricate linkages between long-term tectonic deformation, earthquake generation, and fluid flow dynamics through complex multidisciplinary experiments, and the development of bleeding-edge geophysical processing and inversion methods.
Although we encouraged studies based on seismic data, this session is open to all researchers working on the characterization of active and passive margins through observational, numerical, or experimental approaches. We particularly welcome contributions covering:
- Rifted margins and continental breakup: Crustal thinning, mantle exhumation, magmatic vs. magma-poor margin architecture, and the transition to seafloor spreading.
- Subduction zone processes: Megathrust structure, faulting and hydration of the bending incoming plate, forearc architecture, fluid flow, and controls on seismogenesis.
- Methodological advances in seismic imaging: Innovative acquisition strategies, processing workflows (e.g., FWI, advanced migration), and joint inversion techniques applied to deep crustal and lithospheric studies.
By integrating seismic data with seismology, drilling data, and geodynamic modeling, this session aims to foster discussions at the frontiers of subsurface imaging and global tectonics, honoring César’s passion for data-driven, breakthrough geosciences.

How does continental crust deform, evolve, and reorganise during orogenesis? The Variscan Mountain Belt provides an exceptional natural laboratory to address this question across space and time scales. This session brings together field-based, analytical, experimental, and modelling approaches—from microstructures to crustal and orogen-scale processes— to build an integrated view of crustal dynamics during orogen formation. Contributions exploring the Variscan Belt and its analogues that bring together a multidisciplinary approach are particularly welcome.
We welcome contributions addressing structural and kinematic processes, from grain-scale microstructures to orogen-scale shear zones; petrological and geochemical characterisation; geochronology, thermochronology, and petrochronology; integrated P–T–t–D reconstructions; and analogue and numerical modelling. Particular emphasis is placed on studies that connect observations across scales and demonstrate how processes operating at the mineral and rock scale can be linked to crustal- and orogen-scale dynamics. This includes differentiation processes during melting, and preservation of structures across successive orogenic events. Comparative studies of other Variscan-age and peri-Gondwanan orogens are also encouraged, as well as contributions that explore how insights from the Variscan record can inform our understanding of more recent orogenic systems.
By bringing together complementary approaches, this session aims to promote discussion on how we can bridge scales and integrate geological observations with modelling to better understand the dynamics and evolution of continental crust through space and time.
The session will feature a keynote presentation by Dr Petra Maierová, specialist in numerical modelling of tectonic processes, from the Centre for Lithospheric Research, Czech Geological Survey.

Recent findings from the Paleozoic Caledonian (North European), Appalachian (North American), and Variscan (European–North African) belts highlight overlapping timelines for major magmatic and tectono-metamorphic events. This synchronization suggests these orogenies were interconnected, driven by the simultaneous subduction of the Iapetus and Rheic oceans during much of their evolution. However, reconstructing this complex orogenic collage remains difficult because subsequent tectonic and thermal events have overprinted primary structures, obscuring vital geochronological, structural, and geochemical data. Consequently, understanding the continuity between distinct terranes and oceanic sutures remains a major challenge. To address these questions, we invite contributions that advance our understanding of these large-scale geodynamic processes. We highly encourage multidisciplinary regional studies, detailed petrological and geochronological research, and integrative lithospheric- to mantle-scale models.

Partial melting of Earth’s crust and mantle occurs in a wide range of settings, e.g., within plate, and at divergent, convergent, and transform plate boundaries. Although some of the factors triggering partial melting and the mechanisms allowing the ascent of magma through the crust have been well studied in the past decades, the role of structural inheritance in triggering partial melting and creating preferential pathways for magma to rise through the crust and to the surface remains poorly understood.
Recent improvements and the development of new techniques in exploration geophysics, geochronology, numerical modelling, and the temporal and spatial resolution of data, make it now possible to better detect potential relationships both at regional and local scale. Examples of inheritance–magmatism interplay include but are not limited to fault-controlled mantle exhumation, partial melting at eroded anticlines, magmatic intrusions along fold axial cleavage, faults and shear zones, preexisting orogens controlling the formation of transform faults, triple junctions, radiating dyke swarms, Large Igneous Provinces, and core complexes.
These relationships may have profound implications for, e.g., the identification of natural resources, nature and origin of magma-rich/poor rifted margins, formation of seaward-dipping reflectors, morphology and seismicity of rifts and orogens, localization of transform faulting, formation of microcontinents, development of cratonic lithosphere, composition of anomalously thick crust (e.g., Iceland, Rio Grande–Walvis, Mozambique–Madagascar, Laxmi–Laccadive–Chagos, and South Tasman ridges), and plate and planetary tectonics (e.g., the supercontinent cycle).
We welcome contributions across the geosciences focusing on the interaction between structural inheritance and magmatism. Interdisciplinary studies combining various approaches, e.g., fieldwork, subsurface exploration, laboratory analysis, and/or modelling and fields, e.g., exploration for natural resources, geochemistry, geochronology, geodynamics, geophysics, mineralogy, petrology, seismic reflection, seismology, and structural geology, are particularly encouraged. The session aims at gathering scientists from various fields and with varied backgrounds to enhance discussion and multidisciplinary collaborations and identify potentially important causal relationships such as factors controlling partial melting, including the type and amount of magmatism.

Extensional detachments and low-angle normal faults (LANFs) are dynamic structures, shaping the Earth crust over geological time intervals and cumulating tens of km of vertical and horizontal displacement. In the oceanic realm, they are also major players accommodating (hyper-)extension, mantle exhumation and the development of oceanic core complexes at slow and ultra-slow spreading ridges and magma-poor passive margins, commonly associated with serpentinization, hydrothermal circulation and fluid-rock interactions. Detachments thus testify to past or ongoing crustal/lithospheric extension, where the localisation of ductile and brittle deformation is characterised by (i) a progressive ductile-to-brittle transition during shear zone evolution en route towards shallow crustal levels or (ii) can coexist at different structural levels, making the reconstruction of detachment evolution even more complex.
For this reason, constraints on brittle and ductile strain localisation and on their precise age of activation are increasingly relevant. This acquires even greater importance when investigating the architecture and mechanics of extensional detachments, where through-time superposed domains with different mineralogy and petrophysical properties change the mechanical response of shear- and fault zones. Coexisting or partitioned seismic vs. aseismic deformation, repeated cycles of shear zone weakening/hardening, and syn-tectonic fluid flow and fluid-rock interactions may all be governed by these (still partially underinvestigated) structural complexities in both continental and oceanic settings.
- What allows the initiation and evolution of detachments, whether continental or oceanic, and which processes act coevally or diachronously?
- What is the link between detachment formation, mantle exhumation and hydrothermal activity?
- What is the role of tectonic or thermal inheritance in the formation of LANFs and continental/oceanic detachments?
All contributions fostering discussions on these points are welcome in this session, including comparisons between continental and oceanic systems. We encourage the submission of research based on multidisciplinary and multiscale approaches, encompassing, among others, field analysis, seismic and other geophysical investigations, numerical and laboratory modelling, ocean drilling, and absolute dating and petrological constraints on syn-kinematic fabrics and mineralisation.

The Alpine-Mediterranean region is one of the world's most complex plate boundary systems where subduction, slab rollback, continental collision, back-arc extension, and lithospheric deformation coexist over relatively short spatial scales. Understanding the structure and dynamics of its lithosphere and upper mantle requires increasingly integrated geophysical observations and multidisciplinary interpretation.

Over the last decade, major observational initiatives such as AlpArray and AdriaArray, together with permanent seismic networks and complementary geophysical experiments, have substantially improved our ability to image the Mediterranean lithosphere and upper mantle at unprecedented resolution. At the same time, advances in seismic imaging, detection and location of seismic events, geodesy, gravity, magnetotellurics, field studies, tectonic reconstructions, petrology, mineral physics, and geodynamic modelling are providing new insights into the evolution and dynamics of this complex plate boundary system.

This session welcomes contributions that use integrated geophysical and geological observations and multidisciplinary approaches to investigate the structure, composition, evolution, and dynamics of the Alpine-Mediterranean lithosphere and mantle. Contributions addressing crustal architecture, lithosphere-asthenosphere interactions, slab geometry and evolution, mantle discontinuities, mantle flow, deformation processes, and links between deep Earth structure and surface tectonics are particularly welcome.

Subduction zones host a broad spectrum of seismic and aseismic activity, from the largest earthquakes on Earth to slow-slip events (SSEs) and tectonic tremors. These processes occur along the shallow megathrust, within the subducting slab, and on faults within the overriding plate. Understanding how short-term deformation and earthquake-cycle processes interact with the long-term tectonic evolution of convergent margins remains challenging. Earthquake occurrence, rupture size, and slip behaviour are influenced by several interacting factors, including the thermal and mechanical states of the subducting and overriding plates, fault-zone friction and rheology, megathrust structure, stress interactions, and fluid transport.

We invite multidisciplinary contributions addressing the mechanics controlling seismicity and fault deformation in subduction-zone settings, focusing on, but not limited to, the following questions: (i) How do the multiscale architecture of the megathrust and interacting faults control the spatial and temporal distribution of seismicity? (ii) How do rheological properties, stress interactions, and fluid and volatile transport govern transitions between different slip modes? (iii) Which physical processes produce the observed spectrum of coseismic and postseismic deformation? (iv) How do short-term earthquake-cycle processes interact with long-term tectonic processes in the subducting and overriding plates?

We encourage interdisciplinary contributions based on seismological, geodetic, geological, and other geophysical observations, as well as numerical and analogue modelling. By bringing together this broad range of disciplines and approaches, the session aims to assess the state of the art, identify current challenges, and discuss the coupling among processes operating across spatial and temporal scales, ultimately contributing to improved seismic and tsunami hazard assessment.

This session focuses on studies that use space or sea-floor geodetic data in order to investigate and infer tectonic plate motions, deformation zones between and within plates, and the current status of earthquake cycles in different settings.

We are looking for studies that investigate how tectonic plates move through time, how such movements are accommodated in deformation zones, and how elastic strain builds up and is then released along faults and at plate boundaries. These studies should combine space or sea-floor geodesy with observations like seismicity, geological slip-rates and rakes, or sea-level and gravity changes.
Key questions concentrate on earthquake likelihood, fault slip-rates, uplift rates, non-elastic strain, and sea-level changes: How to best reference relative InSAR rate maps to plate motions? How to distinguish between horizontal/vertical InSAR signals in order to inform geodynamical inferences? How can we infer the likelihood of future earthquakes from elastic strain buildup? How persistent are fault asperities over multiple earthquake cycles? Are paleoseismic fault slip rates identical to those constrained by geodesy? What portion of plate motion results in earthquakes, and where does the rest go? How do mountains grow in the geologically-short term? 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?

Accretionary wedges and fold-and-thrust belts provide outstanding natural laboratories for investigating the dynamics of orogens and their adjacent foreland basins, as well as the interactions between deformation and surface or mantle processes. They are also prime targets for geothermal energy exploration, subsurface energy and gas storage, and the exploitation of critical raw materials, playing a strategic role in the transition toward low-carbon, sustainable, and renewable energy systems.
On short timescales, the pattern of deformation and erosion sheds light on crustal mechanics and its relation to earthquakes, the potential influence of climatically or tectonically driven erosion, as well as the importance of fluid flow. Over long time scales, the structure and dynamics of fold-and-thrust belts and accretionary prisms offer unique insights into the influence of structural and rheological inheritance and the interaction with foreland basin evolution, including, where present, the impact of salt tectonics on deformation styles.
This session aims to bridge the gap between spatial and temporal scales, from shallow depths to the full lithospheric scale, and from short-term to long-term- processes, to improve our understanding of the evolution of orogenic wedges. It will bring together researchers from all disciplines concerned with compressive wedges and associated sedimentary basins to meet, exchange ideas and discuss their perspectives.
We warmly welcome contributions focusing on topical works on these fascinating geological systems, including but not limited to seismology, mechanics, structural geology, dating of deformation, geomorphology, hydrogeology, and analogue or numerical modeling. We also encourage regional case studies of fold-and-thrust belts and accretionary wedges and their links to hinterland and foreland portions of mountain belts. In addition, we welcome applied studies focusing on subsurface low-carbon solutions such as geothermal energy, critical raw material exploration, subsurface gas storage systems, and challenges associated with exploration or geohazards.

Rifting is a complex process that spans from the inception of lithospheric extension through continental rupture and the onset of oceanic spreading, or alternatively to the formation of a failed rift. This session aims to combine new data, concepts and techniques elucidating the structure and dynamics of rifts and rifted margins, and to investigate how continental extension evolves into, or fails to evolve into, a new plate boundary and oceanic spreading system.

We invite submissions addressing the time-dependent evolution and interactions of processes including faults and ductile shear zones development, tectonic and sedimentary history, magma migration, storage and volcanism, lithospheric necking and rift strength loss, influence of lithospheric inheritance, rift kinematics and plate motion, mantle flow and dynamic topography, as well as continental break-up and the transition to oceanic seafloor spreading.

We welcome multidisciplinary and innovative approaches using field geology, geochronology, geochemistry, petrology, seismology, geodesy, marine geophysics, plate reconstruction, or numerical or analogue modelling.

Emphasis will be given to presentations that bridge spatial and temporal scales and integrate insights from active rifts, passive margins, nascent oceanic domains, and failed rift arms.

The Eastern Mediterranean is among the most tectonically active regions that evolved by the complex interaction of the three major plates: African, Arabian and Eurasian. Its geodynamic evolution involves a diverse range of tectonic processes, including subduction, continental collision, strike-slip faulting, large-scale extension, crustal block extrusion, and slab deformation. This region therefore provides a natural laboratory for investigating how lithospheric deformation develops and is accommodated across a broad range of spatial and temporal scales.

Devastating earthquakes have occurred along all of the major tectonic structures in the region, including the continental transform faults of the North Anatolian, East Anatolian, and Dead Sea fault systems, as well as the subduction zone along the Hellenic Arc, both throughout the historical records and in recent years. The interaction between shallow fault activity and deep-seated mantle processes remains an important and debated question. Recent destructive earthquakes have further highlighted the need for better understanding of the seismic cycle and the underlying geodynamic process that governs active deformation in the region.

We invite multidisciplinary contributions spanning neotectonics, seismology, tectonic geodesy (e.g., GNSS, InSAR), paleoseismology, tectonic geomorphology, structural geology, remote sensing, and geodynamic modelling to strengthen our comprehension of active tectonics and geodynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean. We particularly encourage submissions from early-career researchers.

Rocks are porous, multiphase, reactive materials whose mechanical response depends sensitively on deformation rate, pressure, and temperature. To grasp their effective rheology, one must consider processes that operate across a wide range of scales—from atomic‑level interactions involving vacancies and dislocations, fluid-rock interactions, to planetary‑scale models in which rock rheology is described as a long-term visco-elastic fluid flow.

The aim of this session is to bridge short‑time, small‑scale observations with long‑time, large‑scale processes. By integrating geodynamic investigations, experimental constraints, and theoretical formulations, we seek a unified understanding of the interacting mechanisms that drive geological deformation.

We invite contributions from all disciplines that explore how grain‑scale processes and rheology influence the overall mechanical behavior of geomaterials.

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.

Deformation and chemical transformation in metamorphic rocks are often strongly coupled. Microstructural evidence from natural and experimentally deformed rocks, together with numerical models, demonstrates that mechanical stresses can influence diffusion pathways, reaction kinetics, strain energy, and phase stability at the grain scale, while chemical processes can in turn generate or redistribute stresses. This feedback between mechanics and chemistry operates across scales, from intracrystalline deformation to stress gradients across rock volumes, to the rheological evolution of the lithosphere as a whole. This session aims to bring together researchers from different backgrounds in order to fill the gap from nanoscale observations to large-scale geodynamic processes.
We welcome multidisciplinary contributions that address open questions on how chemical and mechanical processes interact at the nano- and microscale, how these interactions are best captured in numerical models, and how they influence the interpretation of the rock record and larger-scale geodynamic processes. These comprise contributions focusing on the coupling of mechanical and chemical processes in Earth materials, spanning from microstructural and analytical studies (e.g., EBSD, EPMA, Raman spectroscopy, TEM), to experimental studies (e.g., deformation experiments across scales), to numerical and thermodynamic modelling. We particularly encourage studies that seek to bridge processes at multiple scales, including the development and evolution of shear zones, the mechanisms governing seismicity, and the rheological behavior of the lithosphere.

Fluid-rock interactions play a pivotal role in shaping crustal dynamics and influencing subsurface engineering processes. From the shallow sedimentary rocks down to the deep magmatic and metamorphic rocks, fluids govern aspects such as deformation localization, earthquake genesis, and the emergence of metamorphic reactions and rheological weakening. In most cases, there is a dynamic feedback between fluids, deformation and metamorphism at all scales. Fluids are critical not only for creating robust models of the solid Earth but also for advancing subsurface engineering endeavors like geothermal energy recovery, hydrogen storage and extraction as well as permanent carbon storage.
As we navigate through the ongoing energy transition, enhancing these interactions for maximum geo-resource efficacy is a vital priority. The legacy inscribed within rock records paints a vivid picture of intricate interplay between mineral reactions, fluid flow and deformation—testaments to the often-intense nature of fluid-rock interactions.
This session aims to draw the current picture of the advances and challenges, whether conceptual, methodological, or experimental when considering the role of fluid-rock interactions. We invite contributions that utilize an array of methodologies, ranging from natural observations, microstructural assessments, and geochemical analyses to rock mechanics, all intertwined with modelling techniques. This modelling can span from ab initio simulations to continuum scale simulations, ensuring a comprehensive exploration of fluid-rock/mineral interactions. Contributions that harness the power of artificial intelligence and its subsets are particularly encouraged.

Classic rheological 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 behaviour 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 large-scale faults with or without evidence of seismic ruptures (e.g. pseudotachylytes). On the other hand, 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.

Faults release tectonic strain through a wide and complex spectrum of slip behaviors, including aseismic creep, episodic slow-slip events and earthquakes. Field observations, seismological and geodetic data, laboratory experiments, and numerical modelling have shown that a range of factors, including structural and geometrical complexity, mechanical and rheological heterogeneities, fluid pressure and chemistry, and temperature, all interact across spatial and temporal scales to govern fault slip behavior. Yet, understanding how these interconnected factors control the occurrence of different slip modes and the transitions between them remains one of the fundamental challenges in earthquake science. This session welcomes contributions that investigate the wide range of fault slip behaviors using multidisciplinary and multiscale approaches, including field observations, structural and microstructural analyses, laboratory rock deformation experiments, geochemical and hydrological characterization of fault fluids, seismological and geodetic observations of active faults, and numerical modelling. We aim to foster discussion on the physicochemical and mechanical processes controlling fault strength, slip stability, rupture nucleation and propagation, and the evolution of fault zone geometry across the seismic cycle. By bringing together complementary perspectives across scales, this session seeks to improve seismic hazard assessment and our understanding of the mechanics of faulting and earthquakes.

The evolution of orogens and sedimentary basins is driven by the complex interplay between crustal deformation, mantle dynamics, and climate-driven surface processes. Despite longstanding recognition of their importance, the feedback mechanisms linking erosion, sediment transport and deposition, to crustal tectonics, and mantle dynamics — including magmatism — remain an area of intense research. In particular, the overall source to sink system from eroding orogens to subsiding lacustrine or marine basins and their sedimentary infill remains elusive.

Advancing our understanding of these coupled systems requires an interdisciplinary approach. A major challenge lies in quantifying uplift, erosion, subsidence, and sedimentation, while distinguishing the respective roles of crustal deformation, mantle flow, and climate-driven processes — each acting across different spatial and temporal scales and often leaving overlapping signals in the geological record.

This session brings together comprehensive studies that integrate observational data (e.g., field studies, geophysical and well data, thermochronology), theoretical frameworks, and both analogue and numerical modelling. Our goal is to foster dialogue between disciplines and highlight innovative approaches that bridge mantle, lithospheric, crustal, and surface processes.
We welcome contributions that explore the coupling of tectonics and surface processes, including the roles of climate, erosion, sedimentation, and deep Earth dynamics in shaping the Earth's surface over time.

Biogeodynamics, the study of the co-evolution of geo- and biosphere over geological time, brings together a diverse group of scientists, interested in how life and and planetary processes have co-evolved from the Precambrian to the present-day. This session highlights the interplay between biological evolution and tectonic, magmatic, and surface processes, exploring how changes in paleoenvironments and -geography have influenced the evolution of complex life - including animals, plants, and marine ecosystems - and how, in turn, biological processes reshape the solid Earth system. As a link between the two spheres, we seek to explore how greenhouse-icehouse climatic transitions have influenced biodiversity and ecosystems and how fossil records are linked to Earth system processes. As paleogeography exerts a fundamental control on Earth’s climate and the evolution of life, we welcome contributions that reconstruct paleogeography and explore its impacts, from the reconstruction of ancient supercontinents to the controls of ocean gateways on climate and biotic dispersals.
Biogeodynamics as an inherently multi-disciplinary subject aspires to better understand the complex coupling of biogeochemical cycles and life, the links between mass extinction 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 further encourage submissions that use new approaches to unravel the interplay between geodynamics, paleogeography, paleoclimate, and biological evolution across Earth’s history. We aim to understand our planet and its biosphere and climate through both observation- and modelling-based studies.

Earth's climate has undergone pronounced changes across geological time, from greenhouse states to icehouse conditions and back, to name just a few of the changes. While orbital forcing and carbon-cycle feedbacks are well established as pacemakers of Quaternary glacial cycles, the slower geodynamic processes that set the baseline climate state and modulate it on million-year timescales remain actively debated. Plate tectonics governs the carbon cycle at its source through volcanic degassing, and at its sink, through the uplift of terrains that accelerate chemical weathering. Seafloor spreading rates and the lengths of mid-ocean ridges, continental configuration and position, and the opening and closing of ocean gateways reshape global ocean circulation and heat transport. Large igneous province eruptions have been implicated in mass extinctions and hyperthermal events, while orogenesis and continental rifting alter atmospheric circulation patterns and the long-term drawdown of CO2.

This session invites contributions that explore the connections between solid-Earth dynamics and climate across all timescales - from the multi-hundred-million-year supercontinent cycle to million-year and sub-million-year variability. We welcome observational, modeling, and data-driven studies, including plate kinematic reconstructions, mantle convection simulations, paleoclimate proxy analyses, geochemical models, and statistical or spectral approaches that quantify the co-evolution of tectonic and climatic records. We particularly encourage contributions that bridge disciplinary boundaries linking geodynamic forcing functions to their surface expression in the sedimentary, geochemical, and paleobiological records.

Deep-Earth processes such as slab stagnation, folding and avalanching at the mantle transition zone, slab tearing and break-off in the upper mantle, and mantle upwellings and downwellings can influence surface deformation and topography, basin subsidence and uplift, magmatism, sedimentation and drainage evolution. Distinguishing these signals from those produced by crustal and lithospheric processes, climate, and surface dynamics remains a major challenge.
We invite contributions integrating geological records, geophysical observations, geochemistry, petrology, and numerical or analogue modelling to investigate the surface expression of deep mantle and slab dynamics. Particular emphasis is placed on distinguishing deep-Earth forcing from crustal, lithospheric, and climatic controls, and on identifying diagnostic observations that link processes at depth to the evolution of Earth’s surface.

Earth topography and its subsurface are the result of complex interactions between tectonics and climate. Sediments in the shallow subsurface contain resources including water and energy that are vital for mankind. They also provide temporary and long-term waste and energy storage. At the same time active deformation and rapid climate change interact posing significant risk for natural hazards such as debris flow, hillslope instabilities, and active faulting. To address these pressing challenges in the realm of Earth-climate interactions, it is imperative to enhance our expertise in connecting extensive datasets with deterministic forward models. This session aims to bring together research on climate - surface processes - tectonics interactions across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales using big-data informed models focussing on fundamental questions: (1) What are the short- and long-term interactions of the tectonic-surface process feedback system? (2) What is the influence of on-going climate change on the frequency and magnitude of rapid geomorphic events such as landslides and debris flow and how is this influenced by surface morphology and environmental conditions? (3) How is the subsurface responding to short-term climate variability including anthropogenic climate change and how does this affect water and energy resources? (4) How do tectonic processes such as mountain building, continental rifting, and mantle flow respond to changes in global climatic events and surface-mass transfers and how do inherited structures control this response? (5) How can we integrate and exploit big data in the Earth sciences to better constrain coupled geodynamic, surface process, and climate models?

This session focuses on the structural deformation, crustal shortening, and tectonic evolution of orogen–basin systems. Adjacent sedimentary basins and mountain belts record the fundamental interplay between tectonic convergence and associated fault activity at lithospheric scale. We aim to bring together studies investigating how active faulting, folding, and lateral displacement individually and interactively shape the geometry, mechanics, and spatio-temporal evolution of orogens and basins. We encourage multi-scale, multi-disciplinary contributions, particularly those leveraging emerging methods and addressing societal or environmental implications. Key topics include: Convergent tectonic settings including kinematics, mechanics, and structural styles of fold-and-thrust systems, and the quantification of crustal shortening across orogen–basin boundaries; active faulting and basin dynamics including magnitudes of displacement, slip rates, and kinematics of major faults, alongside the architecture, subsidence, and structural controls on critical resources (e.g., energy, minerals, groundwater) associated basins; strain partitioning and mantle-to-surface interactions including: the interplay of kinematics and strain accommodation between coeval or sequential contractional and active faulting, palaeostress evolution, and feedbacks with surface processes; novel approaches and methodological advances including the application of advanced technological capabilities — including high-resolution remote sensing/LiDAR, machine learning, advanced thermochronology, 3D/4D seismic imaging, geodetic modeling (InSAR/GPS), and high-resolution numerical or analogue simulations. We welcome contributions across diverse and disciplines as well as spatial and temporal frameworks to test and refine Earth System hypotheses.

Land surface processes play a crucial role in shaping Earth's climate system, mediating land-atmosphere interactions, and driving terrestrial water-carbon-energy feedbacks. Land Surface Models, as core components of Earth System Models (ESMs), influence climate projections in benchmarks such as the CMIP7. However, land hydrology and its interactions with other components of the Earth system (e.g. biosphere, biogeochemical cycles) remain poorly represented in most ESMs, potentially inducing erroneous responses to anthropogenic climate forcings at global to local scales and leading to misrepresentations of droughts and floods. For instance, ESMs do not represent the observed decline of groundwater levels in water-limited regions that threatens groundwater-dependent ecosystems and exacerbates drought persistence, thereby increasing the risk of ecosystem shifts and progressive desertification. This crosscutting session provides an open, interdisciplinary platform to bridge the gap between hydrologists, hydrogeologists, ecohydrologists, and climate modelers.

We invite observational, theoretical, and numerical modeling contributions that advance the integrated representation of hydrological, hydrogeological, biophysical, and ecosystem processes within land surface models across spatial and temporal scales. Key areas of focus include the representation of the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, plant hydraulics, vegetation stress dynamics, and biosphere-mediated moisture recycling, alongside subsurface hydrogeology such as explicit groundwater-table dynamics, lateral flow, and deep aquifer linkages. Contributions addressing human-water-ecosystem interlinkages (e.g., groundwater abstraction, irrigation, land-use change), high-resolution ESM configurations, advanced observational networks, and emerging AI/machine learning techniques are also strongly encouraged.

The overarching aim of this session is to overcome historical disciplinary silos and establish a shared agenda across modeling communities. By aligning interdisciplinary priorities, addressing cross-scale parameterization challenges, and improving the evaluation of land-based mitigation and adaptation strategies, this session seeks to define future needs and collaborative opportunities for the next ESM generation.

Intraplate regions record deformation, vertical motion, and magmatism far from active plate boundaries. These responses reflect interactions among changes in plate motion, lithospheric stress transmission, inherited structures, surface loads, rheology, and mantle dynamics. Lithosphere–upper-mantle models and plate-reconstruction-informed mantle-flow models provide broad-scale kinematic and dynamic frameworks, while geological, geophysical, and geochemical records reveal how these processes are expressed at regional and local scales. Connecting these perspectives can improve our understanding of how plate–mantle–lithosphere interactions generate diverse intraplate responses.
This session brings together observational, computational, and theoretical studies of intraplate deformation, vertical motion, and magmatism and their links to plate and mantle dynamics. We welcome contributions addressing intraplate deformation and the reactivation of inherited structures; uplift and subsidence recorded by unconformities, sedimentary basins, drowned platforms, and lithospheric flexure; and the distribution, composition, timing, and age progression of intraplate magmatism, including seamount chains and continental volcanic provinces. We also invite studies exploring how changes in surface loading associated with climate, particularly glacial loading and unloading, influence intraplate stress, fault reactivation, vertical motion, and magmatic systems.
Contributions may draw on field observations, geophysical data, petrological and geochemical analyses, geochronology, plate reconstructions, and numerical models, individually or in combination. Studies of both oceanic and continental plates are encouraged. We particularly welcome studies that compare observations with model predictions, integrate evidence across spatial and temporal scales, or quantify model sensitivity and uncertainty. Our aim is to foster collaboration across disciplines and develop more integrated and better-constrained interpretations of intraplate processes.

Numerical models are central to understanding the multi-physics processes governing the Earth's evolution, from mantle convection and lithospheric deformation to magmatic systems, faulting, and natural and engineered reservoirs. These processes couple hydrological, thermal, chemical and mechanical effects whose nonlinear interactions lead to spontaneous localisation of flow and deformation, posing persistent challenges for discretisation, solvers and computational resources.

The way such models are built is changing rapidly. Heterogeneous HPC architectures, differentiable programming and machine learning increasingly allow forward models to be tightly integrated with observations for inversion and uncertainty quantification. At the same time, AI-assisted and agent-based software development is reshaping how scientific codes are written, ported, tested and maintained. This raises new questions about verification, reproducibility and trust.

We invite contributions from three complementary themes:

1/ Computational advances
- Novel spatial and/or temporal discretisations for forward and inverse models
- Scalable, performance-portable HPC implementations (multi-vendor GPUs, multi-core), including energy efficiency
- Solver and preconditioner developments
- Hybrid physics–ML approaches: surrogates, neural operators, learned closures and ML-accelerated solvers
- Automatic differentiation (AD) and differentiable programming

2/ Theoretical and applied advances
- Development of PDEs describing geological processes
- Adjoint-based, Bayesian and ensemble inversion; uncertainty quantification
- Model validation against observables and data assimilation
- Coupled models exploring nonlinear interactions, and scientific discovery enabled by new modelling approaches

3/ Research software and development practices
- AI-assisted and agentic workflows for code development, porting of legacy codes, testing and documentation, including lessons learnt and limitations
- Verification of scientific software, AI-generated or not: benchmarks, manufactured solutions, convergence studies
- Code and methodology comparisons (community benchmarks)
- Open, reproducible and sustainable modelling software ecosystems

AI is rapidly transforming research in deep Earth geodynamics, shaping research strategy, driving new research pathways, and promoting new research directions. This session invites AI-driven contributions and Machine Learning applications from geodynamics and related disciplines focusing on the structure and evolution of the Earth's crust and upper mantle.

In recent years, technologies based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as image processing, smart sensors, and intelligent inversion, have garnered significant attention from researchers in the geosciences community. These technologies offer the promise of transitioning geosciences from qualitative to quantitative analysis, unlocking new insights and capabilities previously thought unattainable.
One of the key reasons for the growing popularity of AI in geosciences is its unparalleled ability to efficiently analyze vast datasets within remarkably short timeframes. This capability empowers scientists and researchers to tackle some of the most intricate and challenging issues in fields like Geophysics, Seismology, Hydrology, Planetary Science, Remote Sensing, and Disaster Risk Reduction.
As we stand on the cusp of a new era in geosciences, the integration of artificial intelligence promises to deliver more accurate estimations, efficient predictions, and innovative solutions. By leveraging algorithms and machine learning, AI empowers geoscientists to uncover intricate patterns and relationships within complex data sources, ultimately advancing our understanding of the Earth's dynamic systems. In essence, artificial intelligence has become an indispensable tool in the pursuit of quantitative precision and deeper insights in the fascinating world of geosciences.
For this reason, aim of this session is to explore new advances and approaches of AI in Geosciences.

Predictions of physical processes in aquifers, rivers and across compartments are strongly affected by uncertainties and errors in model structure, parameters and forcing data. Thus, reliable predictions at any scale (lab/field/catchment) require a rigorous and transparent treatment of these uncertainties, from parameter estimation to uncertainty quantification and model selection. Acknowledging uncertainties and equifinality as a fundamental part of modelling and understanding model-parameter interactions during calibration opens up otherwise-missed opportunities for scientific insight and decision support. This session is a platform for discussion of methodological advances and workflows addressing inverse problems in surface and subsurface hydrology, i.e., using available observed data to gain knowledge/ constrain uncertainty about related but unobserved quantities of interest. We invite contributions on improved concepts, approaches & computational algorithms (be they Bayesian, frequentist, optimization- or ML-based) as well as demonstrations of best practices, challenges & pitfalls, especially (but not exclusively) related to:

- parameter inference, model selection/ averaging, sensitivity and uncertainty analysis;
- representation of uncertain data and boundary conditions;
- integration of heterogeneous/multi-source data;
- identification and treatment of model-structural errors;
- distilling new model formulations (data-driven, physics-based, knowledge-guided or hybrid);
- data worth and optimal experimental design strategies toward maximum information/minimum uncertainty;
- constraint learning/ novel likelihood formulations to incorporate expert knowledge in inversion;
- other regularization strategies that help solve ill-posed problems;
- computational efficiency of solving inverse problems, including surrogate and ML-based techniques;
- Benchmarking and intercomparison efforts on synthetic or real-world, local or large-sample data-sets;
- transparent and reproducible workflows for robust predictions and visualization/communication of inference results to stakeholders;
- real-time inversion for operational forecasting;
- variations of all the above specific to low-dimensional, high-dimensional, dynamic, spatially distributed, geostatistical, linear, or non-linear inverse-problem settings.

The dynamics of magmatic systems are driven by complex processes that span from deep mantle melt generation to volcanic eruptions at the surface. These processes include: melt generation in the upper mantle and lower crust, magma transport, differentiation and emplacement in the crust, complex melt-rock interactions, genesis of energy and mineral resources, and volcanic extrusions with related hazards. Such fluid-mechanical and thermo-chemical processes operate across sub-millimetre to kilometre scales and timescales ranging from seconds to millions of years , and involve multiple phases, such as liquid melt, solid crystals, volatile and metal-bearing fluids, and pyroclasts. 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 development of a dedicated community across volcanic, petrology, and magmatic studies. For the fourth consecutive year, this session aims to address this gap by focusing on computational approaches to understanding volcanic and magmatic systems. We seek to bring together researchers working on forward and inverse modelling, machine learning, and other computational methods to foster a thriving and collaborative community that complements well-established observational and experimental lines of work.

We encourage contributions that explore the theory, development, application, and validation of computational approaches for integrating and interpreting experimental and observational data to improve our understanding of volcanic and magmatic processes. 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, immiscibility, 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.

Accurate knowledge of the subsurface stress state and mechanical behaviour is fundamental across a broad spectrum of geoscientific and engineering disciplines — from understanding plate tectonics, geohazards, and mass transport to the development of subsurface resources and infrastructure. The characterisation and management of geo-reservoirs, including geothermal energy, carbon sequestration, hydrogen and gas storage, and nuclear waste repositories, depend strongly on understanding the in situ stress, rock mechanical behaviour, deformation, and fault stability. Mining is another major frontier, as both open-pit and underground operations move to greater depths, encountering complex geological structures, heterogeneous rock masses, and challenging stress conditions, and require improved understanding and prediction of geomechanics.

Yet measuring, constraining, and predicting subsurface geomechanics remains inherently challenging and are subject to significant uncertainties. Addressing these challenges requires continued advances in laboratory and field measurements, modelling and inversion approaches, data integration, and emerging computational techniques — including the rapidly growing capabilities of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

This session invites contributions presenting novel methodologies, emerging approaches, and ambitious case studies spanning the full breadth of geomechanical research, from laboratory and field observations to numerical modelling, uncertainty analysis, and AI-driven approaches. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Advances in stress orientation and magnitude characterisation
- Novel laboratory and field techniques for stress characterisation
- Advances in 3D and 4D geomechanical modelling across spatial and temporal scales
- Machine learning and AI-driven approaches
- Data-driven integration of geological, geophysical, borehole and remote sensing observations
- Advances in computational methods, inversion techniques, and uncertainty analysis
- Innovative case studies

This session aims to bring together engineers, modellers, and computational experts from academia and industry to discuss the latest advances and persistent challenges in geomechanics. By bridging observations, experiments, modelling, uncertainty, and emerging AI-based approaches, the session seeks to promote interdisciplinary exchange and help shape the next generation of geomechanical methods, tools, and applications.

Sitting under a tree, you feel the spark of an idea, and suddenly everything falls into place. The following days and tests confirm: you have made a magnificent discovery — so the classical story of scientific genius goes…

But science as a human activity is error-prone, and might be more adequately described as "trial and error". Handling mistakes and setbacks is therefore a key skill of scientists. Yet, we publish only those parts of our research that did work. That is also because a study may have better chances to be accepted for scientific publication if it confirms an accepted theory or reaches a positive result (publication bias). Conversely, the cases that fail in their test of a new method or idea often end up in a drawer (which is why publication bias is also sometimes called the "file drawer effect"). This is potentially a waste of time and resources within our community, as other scientists may set about testing the same idea or model setup without being aware of previous failed attempts.

Thus, we want to turn the story around, and ask you to share 1) those ideas that seemed magnificent but turned out not to be, and 2) the errors, bugs, and mistakes in your work that made the scientific road bumpy. In the spirit of open science and in an interdisciplinary setting, we want to bring the BUGS out of the drawers and into the spotlight. What ideas were torn down or did not work, and what concepts survived in the ashes or were robust despite errors?

We explicitly solicit Blunders, Unexpected Glitches, and Surprises (BUGS) from modeling and field or lab experiments and from all disciplines of the Geosciences.

In a friendly atmosphere, we will learn from each other’s mistakes, understand the impact of errors and abandoned paths on our work, give each other ideas for shared problems, and generate new insights for our science or scientific practice.

Here are some ideas for contributions that we would love to see:
- Ideas that sounded good at first, but turned out to not work.
- Results that presented themselves as great in the first place but turned out to be caused by a bug or measurement error.
- Errors and slip-ups that resulted in insights.
- Failed experiments and negative results.
- Obstacles and dead ends you found and would like to warn others about.

For inspiration, see the collection of BUGS - ranging from clay bricks to atmospheric temperature extremes - at https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/session/52496

This session welcomes frontier research on foundational mathematical constructs underlying geophysically consistent system dynamic intelligence, with emphasis on rigorous, unifying formalisms that advance fundamental theoretical understanding across complex multiscale dynamics, including far-from-equilibrium behaviour, non-ergodicity, criticality, and emergence.

Mathematical contributions may encompass foundational paradigms (categorical, topological, algebraic), analytical frameworks (functional, geometric, stochastic), generalized operators (fractional, nonlocal, integro-differential, information theoretical), and unveil principled perspectives, theoretical advances and systems intelligence to shed light onto complex geophysical and multi-hazard problems.

Of interest is also how foundational mathematical structures inform and constrain modern paradigms in machine learning, explainable AI, physically informed and unified systems intelligence, enabling advances in interpretability, generalization, and robustness. Contributions are also encouraged where deep mathematical insight yields new understanding of scaling, regime behavior, extremes, and interacting hazards across the Earth system.

Collaborative dialogue is fostered among foundational mathematics, geophysical sciences and information technologies, co-evolving to shape new mathematical physics pathways in complexity science and systems intelligence.

Just as mathematical and systems intelligence advances can empower breakthroughs in the geophysical sciences, geophysical problems can inspire the development of new mathematical and systems intelligence methods and techniques that then vastly transcend the disciplinary scope that gave rise to it. Our session is therefore aimed not only at how mathematics can be developed and used to advance the geosciences, but also how new mathematics can fundamentally emerge from the challenges facing our planet.

Time series are a common type of data generated by observational and modelling efforts across Earth, environmental and space sciences. Long-term observations are particularly important for understanding gradual changes and assessing risks, yet are often difficult to sustain and fund. Their characteristics can vary substantially, from short to long records, linear to nonlinear dynamics, univariate to multivariate data, and single- to multi-scale variability. These differences call for both tailored methodologies and general approaches.

A key challenge is distinguishing random fluctuations from long-term changes in order to better understand processes within and across Earth system components. This requires knowledge of temporal variability and, often, sufficiently long observations. For example, reliable sea-level trends may require several decades of continuous measurements because of decadal variability. Likewise, the stochastic variability of geophysical time series can exhibit power-law scaling, requiring long records for robust statistical assessment.

Time series analysis encompasses a broad range of tasks, including:
- characterizing nonlinear variability in the time and/or frequency domain;
- quantifying complexity, predictability and scaling properties;
- identifying statistical interdependencies within and between time series;
- distinguishing co-variability from causal relationships;
- reducing dimensionality and identifying meaningful modes of variability; and
- developing stochastic and deterministic statistical or dynamical models.

This session invites contributions on the development and application of modern methods for analysing observational and model time series across the EGU community, including geophysical, geodynamic, oceanographic, geodetic and climate observations from terrestrial observatories and remote sensing. Contributions addressing advances in sensors, instrumentation, monitoring, analysis and interpretation, as well as comparisons of different approaches, are welcome. Studies using novel methods, including AI, for the analysis of long time series are particularly encouraged. We aim to foster interdisciplinary exchange and cross-fertilization between different EGU divisions.