17th Swiss Geoscience Meeting

The Department of Geosciences of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, and the Platform Geosciences of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) cordially invite you to participate in the 17th Swiss Geoscience Meeting (SGM) to be held from 21-23 November 2019 in Fribourg, Switzerland.

Program

On Thursday 21 November, the 5th Swiss Geoscience Master Congress will be held for Master students and prospective Master students. All details: https://geoscience-meeting.ch/sgm2019/master-congress

On Friday 22 November, the SGM commences. The theme of the day's Plenary Session is "Geoscience goes underground: understanding resources & processes".

Knowledge of the shallow and deep underground has ever-growing importance in modern society. This is especially true for Switzerland, which has a longstanding tradition of exploring the deep that was acquired over the course of decades of building tunnels throughout its territories. Hydrocarbon exploration of the Alpine Molasse Basin and the Jura fold-and-thrust belt yielded modest successes, but the public controversy regarding shale gas exploration and induced seismicity in the wake of deep geothermal exploration has highlighted the importance and the role of communication of our geoscientific knowledge to the public.

The extraction of geothermal energy, building management, and land-use planning will increasingly rely on knowledge of the near and deep subsurface geology. Natural resources of the underground, such as geothermal energy (from shallow to deep), CO2 sequestration, shale gas, reservoir technology, water exploitation, subsurface energy storage, or "classic" mineral resources will thereby play a central role in the future. Geodata, GeoBIM, GeoCIM projects, and 3D geology models will reshape future management and use of underground resources and geoscientists must not miss the opportunity to get involved. Indeed, geoscientists should reach out to politicians and the public and take a position in a debate that will become increasingly more complex.

In this plenary session, the future of subsurface planning will be discussed in a first talk. Two speakers will present progress made in understanding the deep subsurface geologic system in the frame of geothermal projects and nuclear waste repository exploration. A fourth talk will discuss the relevance of understanding the state of stress in the crust, which is a key issue in planning of many projects.

On Saturday 23 November, 23 scientific symposia (see below) will cover the diverse spectrum of current research in geosciences, encompassing the lithosphere, the atmosphere and the anthroposphere.

The SGM also provides the ideal environment to foster informal contacts and discussions among scientists, in particular during the Swiss Geoscience Party on Friday evening but also at the poster sessions on Saturday. Time is reserved for two poster sessions, at which the authors will be present for active discussion and feedback.

Abstracts

Deadline for abstract submission is 30 August 2019.

Depending on the number and subject of abstracts submitted, proposed sessions may be merged or new ones created. Abstracts will be initially assigned to the session indicated by the authors at the time of abstract submission.

All abstracts must be submitted electronically following the instructions on the SGM2019 website https://geoscience-meeting.ch/sgm2019

Registration

Deadline for registration is 31 October 2019.

Registration and payments should be made electronically following the instructions on the SGM2019 website. Registration fee depends on your status (regular / student), on the options you select (with / without GeoParty) and the days you intend to attend the SGM (2 days / only Friday / only Saturday).

Onsite registrations will be charged an extra CHF 30.-

All details: https://geoscience-meeting.ch/sgm2019/registration/

Symposia at SGM 2019

You are invited to submit abstracts for oral presentations or posters addressing the following subjects:

1. Structural Geology, Tectonics and Geodynamics
2. Mineralogy, Petrology, Geochemistry
3. Stable isotope geochemistry: development and applications
4. Palaeontology
5. Stratigraphy
6. Seismic Hazard and Risk in Switzerland: From Science to Mitigation
7. Deep geothermal energy, CO2-storage and shale-gas
8. Quaternary environments: landscapes, climate, ecosystems and human activity during the past 2.6 million years
9. Geomorphology
10. Soil: Formation, Processes, and Conservation
11. Cryospheric Sciences
12. Hydrology, Limnology and Hydrogeology
13. Public Engagement with Climate Change: Interdisciplinary Challenges
14. Environmental Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements
15. Atmospheric Processes and Interactions with the Biosphere
16. Phenology and seasonality
17. Aerosols and clouds in a changing world
18. Remote Sensing of the Spheres
19. Geoscience and Geoinformation – From data acquisition to modelling and visualisation
20. Taking stock of transformative research and education on mountains. What future avenues?
21. Human Geographies: Bodies, Cultures, Societies
22. Human Geographies: Cities, Regions, Economies
23. Human Geographies: Materials, Natures, Politics

Early-career researchers

Young researchers can apply for several prizes and awards: https://geoscience-meeting.ch/sgm2019/infos/prizes-awards/

Further information

Download the SGM2019 flyer here (PDF): https://geoscience-meeting.ch/sgm2019/wp-content/uploads/SGM_2019_Flyer.pdf