Marie Tharp Medal Lecture by Christian Teyssier

The Marie Tharp Medal is awarded to scientists in recognition of their outstanding contributions to tectonics and structural geology. It acknowledges exceptional scientific achievements in advancing the understanding of tectonic processes that shape Earth's lithosphere and research that bridges these disciplines across spatial and temporal scales.

Classic models predicting a depth that separates brittle deformation in the upper crust from a region below in which deformation is dominated by ductile processes have long been outdated. In fact, the deformation behavior of Earth’s lithosphere is more complex and brittle and ductile processes may interact throughout the lithosphere. In the rock record, brittle deformation may be expressed as features ranging from micro-fracturing of mineral grains up to seismic ruptures (e.g., pseudotachylytes) or large-scale faults, and ductile deformation is typically expressed as shear zones ranging from millimeter to kilometer scales. Factors known to determine whether strain is accommodated by brittle and/or ductile processes include, but are not limited to: material properties (e.g., grain size, composition), strain rate, strain incompatibilities, pressure-temperature conditions, the availability of fluids, and rock modification by metamorphic reactions.

The multitude of possible factors determining the deformation style in the lithosphere make a comprehensive understanding of the deformation behavior of Earth’s lithosphere challenging. In this session we aim to tackle the complex topic of lithospheric deformation by combining observations from natural rocks with those from experimental and numerical studies.

Understanding rock deformation requires zooming into the finest details of mineral fabrics down to the nanoscale. Electron and X-ray microscopy performed with laboratory instruments or synchrotrons provides a wide range of imaging techniques in real space (e.g., micro-tomography, X-ray fluorescence microscopy, backscattered- and secondary-electron microscopy, ptychography) and reciprocal space (electron-backscatter diffraction, transmission micro-XRD, small-angle X-ray scattering). This session welcomes studies that use these cutting-edge analytical techniques to investigate strain localization, fluid–rock/mineral interactions, and the links between nano(geo)sciences- to regional-scale deformation across the Earth’s crust. We particularly encourage contributions that integrate such high-resolution datasets with natural observations, experimental techniques and numerical modelling.

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.

Fluids play a critical role in the physical and chemical evolution of the Earth’s crust. They control heat and mass transfer, drive mineral reactions, and have a strong influence on deformation processes. The movement and interaction of aqueous geofluids with rocks in the upper crust are therefore fundamental for processes such as critical raw material mineralisation and the development of geothermal systems. Understanding fluid flow drivers, pathways, and fluid–rock interactions requires approaches that can bridge spatial and temporal scales, from tectonic plates down to individual grains.

We invite to this session all contributions that address fluid flow and fluid–rock interaction in especial those that bridge scales, explore the dynamics of the systems and apply new numerical, experimental, or analytical techniques that improve our ability to understand fluid flow in the Earth’s crust.

Tectonic faults accommodate plate motion through a spectrum of seismic and aseismic slip that spans a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Understanding the mechanics and interplay between these deformation modes is central to seismotectonics, as it directly influences the seismic hazard assessment. Fluids play a key role by modulating effective stress and interacting with the evolving permeability and porosity of fault zones. Such hydro-mechanical and chemical feedbacks can promote transitions between stable and unstable slip, influencing earthquake nucleation and arrest as well as the occurrence of slow fault slip phenomena. Advancing our understanding of these processes is essential for constraining the physical conditions that control fault slip behaviors. We invite contributions from observational, experimental, geological, and theoretical studies that explore the diversity and interplay among seismic and aseismic slip phenomena in various tectonic environments. Key questions include: (1) How do fluids, fault properties, and loading conditions shape the distribution of seismic versus aseismic slip? (2) Can the same fault patches host different slip behaviors over time? (3) What systematic spatial or temporal relations exist between aseismic and seismic slip?

Fracture systems are fundamental structural features controlling the mechanical, hydraulic, and geochemical behaviour of rock masses. Their influence ranges from the stability of natural and engineered slopes to fluid migration processes.
This session aims to bring together researchers from different fields to explore and compare methodologies for investigating fractured rock masses, emphasising the value of integrated multi-scale (from grain-scale microcracks to meso-scale fracture networks, up to tectonic-scale systems) and multidisciplinary approaches.
We welcome contributions across a broad geological and process-based context, linking observations and methods from field-based surveys, outcrop characterisation, laboratory testing, microstructural analysis, numerical and analogue modelling, remote sensing, and geophysical imaging. Applications to natural hazards (e.g., rockfalls, landslides), energy and resource exploration, fluid transport and storage, structural geology and tectonics, are particularly encouraged. By bringing together structural geology, rock mechanics, and engineering geology, the session aims to foster a constructive and stimulating discussion on fractures across scales and disciplines, addressing both scientific and practical challenges.

Continental rifting is a complex process spanning from the inception of extension to continental rupture or the formation of a failed rift. This session aims to combine new data, concepts and techniques elucidating the structure and dynamics of rifts and rifted margins. We invite submissions addressing the time-dependent evolution of processes such as faults and ductile shear zones development, tectonic and sedimentary history, magma migration, storage and volcanism, lithospheric necking and rift strength loss, influence of the pre-rift lithospheric structure, rift kinematics and plate motion, mantle flow and dynamic topography, as well as break-up and the transition to seafloor spreading. We encourage contributions using multi-disciplinary and innovative methods from field geology, geochronology, geochemistry, petrology, seismology, geodesy, marine geophysics, plate reconstruction, or numerical or analogue modelling. Emphasis will be given to presentations that bridge spatial and temporal scales and integrate insights from active rifts, passive margins, and failed rift arms.

Crustal-scale low-angle normal faults (LANFs) and extensional detachments are dynamic structures, shaping the Earth’s crust over geological time intervals and potentially cumulating tens of kms of vertical and horizontal displacement. In the oceanic realm, they are also major players that accommodate (hyper) crustal extension and mantle exhumation at magma-poor passive margins and at slow to ultra-slow oceanic ridges, often linked to hydrothermal systems. Detachments testify thus to the past or ongoing crustal/lithospheric extension, where ductile and brittle deformation during strain localisation are characterised by (i) a progressive ductile-to-brittle transition during the 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 a higher importance by looking at the architecture and mechanics of extensional detachments, where through-time superposed domains with different mineralogy and, thus, petrophysical properties, dramatically change the mechanical response of shear- and fault zones during progressive deformation. Coexisting or partitioned seismic vs. aseismic deformation, as well as repeated cycles of shear zone weakening/hardening and syn-tectonic fluid flow and fluid-rock interactions, might be governed by this through-time (and still partially underinvestigated) structural complexities.
- What guides this different deformation response of shear and fault zones?
- What allows the initiation and evolution of detachment zones, should they be continental or oceanic, and which processes act coevally or diachronously?
- What is the link between detachment formation and hydrothermal activity?
- What is the role of tectonic or thermal inheritance in the formation of LANFs and 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 a multidisciplinary and multiscale approach, encompassing, among others, field analysis, seismic and other geophysical investigations, numerical and laboratory modelling and absolute dating and petrological constraints of syn-kinematic fabrics and mineralisation.

Continental collision is one of the most significant processes in lithospheric evolution, driving mountain building, crustal thickening, and the formation of supercontinents. Within the context of the Wilson cycle, continental collision follows a sequence of continental rifting, ocean spreading, and subduction. Early-stage rifting and the development of passive margins therefore precede the accretion of continental fragments and the collision of continental margins, leaving behind intricate structural and stratigraphic records that complicate tectonic interpretations in convergent settings. Similarly, the resulting fold-and-thrust belts and orogens feature important characteristics of structural, thermal, and chemical inheritance that may impact future rifting events. Present-day fold-and-thrust belts demonstrate considerable diversity in spatial extent, rift-related structures, rheological characteristics, syn- and post-orogenic sedimentation, and magmatic activity—all of which influence the dynamics of previous collision and future rifting episodes and the distribution of georesources.
Positive and negative inversion tectonics have been the subject of intensive study, aiming to understand how inherited geological features control both short- and long-term evolutionary trends. Yet, several key questions remain open: i) How do variations in sequence stratigraphy, the presence of multiple décollements, structural segmentation, and syn-tectonic sedimentation influence collision and rifting processes? ii) How does the thermal evolution of rifting and post-rifting stages affect lithosphere-scale orogenesis and vice versa? iii) How does the rifting style (fast vs. slow, magmatic vs. non-magmatic) shape the structural and chemical character of deep orogenic roots and their subsequent activation as extensional zones? iv) What are the implications for georesources accumulation and preservation?
This session seeks to address these questions through a multidisciplinary lens. We invite abstracts that explore the short- and long-term dynamics, as well as the structural geometry and evolution of rift systems and orogens subsequently involved in positive or negative tectonic inversion, using a range of methodologies—including, but not limited to, structural fieldwork, cross-section construction and balancing, 3D structural modelling, seismic analysis, analogue and numerical modeling, rock mechanics, geomorphology, thermochronology, and geophysical investigations.

The Mediterranean Sea and the surrounding orogenic belts are located in a diffuse plate boundary zone accommodating the convergence between Africa and Eurasia. A broad range of geodynamic processes characterise this complex deformation zone, resulting in a significant geohazard.
The Mediterranean domain has been and continues to be a test bed for new imaging and geodynamic modelling techniques. While significant progress has been made in understanding the tectonic processes in the region, important questions regarding the driving forces, the three-dimensional lithospheric stress field, seismic coupling, and magma ascent remain unanswered. The integration of 3D geophysical imaging with geologic observations and modelling allows us to bridge spatial and temporal scales, providing an overview of the entire crust-mantle system.

In this session, we intend to create an interdisciplinary platform to present recent results and new concepts, as well as to highlight open questions and methodological challenges. Our focus will be on the evolution of Mediterranean tectonics and geodynamics, covering a time span from the Permian to the present.

We invite contributions from all disciplines and scales in the earth sciences including, but not limited to, field geology, geochemistry, petrochronology, volcanology, geophysical methods, geodesy, seismology, sedimentology, geodynamic modeling, and marine geology.

The North European (Caledonian), North American (Appalachian), and European–North African (Variscan) Paleozoic orogenic belts are a complex collage of accreted terranes and oceanic sutures defined by magmatism, deformation, and metamorphism. These orogenic belts do not represent isolated systems, detailed mapping and geochronological work has shown that subduction of oceanic crust in the Iapetan and Rheic systems was at least partly coeval. In addition, late Paleozoic overprinting of earlier orogenic features by tectonic and thermal events has obscured crucial geochronological, structural, and geochemical records. As a result, defining the continuity between individual terranes and oceanic sutures of various age in different areas remains a significant challenge. To address these issues, we invite colleagues across Earth Sciences to contribute to advancing our understanding of geodynamic processes and the large-scale organization of this complex orogenic collage. We particularly welcome detailed petrological, structural, geochronological, and multidisciplinary regional studies, as well as lithospheric- to mantle-scale modeling studies that target an integrated picture of Paleozoic re-arrangement of continents and ocean.

Subduction is a dynamic process that drives and maintains plate tectonics, recycling the lithosphere and shaping Earth’s long-term evolution. Subduction zones are responsible for a large proportion of Earth’s volcanism and seismicity, where complex interactions between the subducting slab and the overriding plate occur. Observations from geophysics, geology, and geodesy have revealed intricate slab geometries and mantle flow patterns, linking subduction dynamics directly to surface deformation and hazards. Geochemical studies of volcanic arcs provide further insights into the chemical and thermal processes at play at the slab surface and within the mantle wedge, underscoring subduction's uniqueness among terrestrial planets and its implications for planetary evolution and habitability.

Recent advances in numerical and laboratory modeling have enhanced our understanding of subduction zone processes. However, challenges remain in achieving a consistent picture of the controlling parameters of subduction dynamics. Variations in methodologies, model setups, and input assumptions often lead to contrasting conclusions across geochemical, geodetic, tectonic, and modelling studies.

This session focuses on the dynamics of subduction zones from processes occurring at the Earth’s surface to interactions deep within the mantle, and on the physical mechanisms that control deformation and magmatism in the overriding plate. Topics include, but are not limited to: subduction geometry, kinematics, and dynamics; mineralogical processes in subduction; dynamics, generation and migration of fluids and melts; controls on volcanic arcs; subduction-induced seismicity; role of sediments and volatiles; influence of subducting seamounts, LIPs and ridges; links between surface tectonics, slab dynamics and mantle flow; slab delamination and break-off; imaging subduction processes; and the role of subduction dynamics in the supercontinent cycle.

We invite contributions from across disciplines — including geodynamics, geophysics, geochemistry, petrology, volcanology and seismology — to discuss subduction dynamics at all scales from the surface to the lower mantle, in both present-day and ancient natural laboratories. We particularly encourage integrative studies that bridge observations, models and scales. While the session is Earth-focused, we also welcome contributions that place subduction in a broader planetary perspective.

Dynamic convergent systems along the western margin of the Americas and in the Caribbean provide exceptional natural laboratories to investigate subduction and plate-boundary processes across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. The boundaries of the Caribbean plate are actively deforming today, generating seismicity, volcanism, and vertical motions that pose significant hazards to densely populated regions. Along the west coast of the Americas, ongoing subduction is similarly associated with active deformation and records a complex long-term history of mountain building, basin evolution, and margin reorganization. This session welcomes contributions addressing short- and long-term subduction and plate-boundary processes, including active deformation, seismicity, magmatism, fluid circulation, deformation partitioning, mantle dynamics, 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, terrane accretion, collisions, and vertical motions. Contributions employing multidisciplinary approaches are especially encouraged, including geophysics, seismology, geodesy, structural geology, geochronology, geochemistry, and numerical or analogue modeling. Comparative studies linking the Caribbean with other segments of the American convergent margins are also welcome. By bridging regional and process-based perspectives, this session aims to foster dialogue between communities working on active tectonics, geological reconstructions, and geodynamic processes, and to advance our understanding of how subduction systems initiate, evolve, and reorganize through geological time.

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

How can we identify active faults when surface evidence is limited or ambiguous? Which strategies best capture their geometry and kinematics from the surface to seismogenic depths? How can present-day deformation be linked to long-term tectonics, and how can emerging technologies and big data reduce uncertainties in seismotectonic models?
These key questions guide this session. Characterizing active faults structurally and dynamically is challenging because geological, seismological, geophysical, and geodetic observations are often fragmented, scale-dependent, or indirect. This leads to major uncertainties in fault geometry, slip behavior, and related stress and strain fields, especially where direct evidence is scarce. To address these challenges, we invite researchers engaged in fieldwork, seismological and geophysical imaging, geodetic monitoring, modelling, and data-driven approaches to share insights. Bringing together diverse expertise will foster cross-disciplinary discussion and highlight strategies for advancing seismotectonic models. High-resolution field investigations, geophysical and seismological imaging, satellite-based deformation monitoring, and numerical or analogue modelling provide complementary perspectives. Alongside these, artificial intelligence—including machine learning and generative models—offers powerful ways to identify patterns, bridge data gaps, and improve the reliability of seismotectonic interpretations.
We welcome contributions on (but not limited to):
-geological and structural investigations of active faults, including volcanic settings;
-innovative, multidisciplinary approaches integrating geology, seismology, and geophysics;
-development and integration of new or updated datasets, from field observations to remote sensing;
-fault imaging, tectonic analysis, and construction of 3D/4D seismotectonic models;
-numerical and analogue modelling of fault systems and tectonic processes;
-studies comparing seismicity, fault characteristics, and seismotectonic interpretations;
-applications of big data, artificial intelligence, and deep learning in tectonic and seismic research, including advances using AI and generative models to extract, simulate, or enhance seismotectonic signals.
By encouraging open, collaborative exchange, this session aims to advance our capacity to recognize, model, and understand active fault systems, ultimately supporting the development of robust, integrative seismotectonic frameworks.

Every year brings new observations about earthquakes with a level of detail never reached before. In parallel, observational and computational methods keep improving significantly in seismology, geodesy, and in paleoseismology-geomorphology. Hence, on one hand, the number of earthquakes with well-documented rupture processes and deformation patterns is increasing. On the other hand, the number of studies documenting long time series of past earthquakes, including quantification of past deformation, has also increased. In parallel, the modeling community working on rupture dynamics, including earthquake cycle, is also making significant progress. Thus, this session is the opportunity to bring together these different contributions to foster further collaboration between the different groups all focusing on the same objective of integrating earthquake processes into the earthquake cycle framework. In this session, we welcome contributions documenting earthquake ruptures and processes, both for ancient events or more recent ones, such as the 2023 Turkey sequence, the 2025 Myanmar earthquake, or the 2025 Kamchatka M 8.8 earthquake, from seismological, geodetic, or paleoseismological perspectives. Work combining different approaches is particularly welcome, as are contributions documenting deformation during pre-, post-, or interseismic periods, which are highly relevant to understanding earthquake cycles. Finally, we seek contributions looking at the earthquake cycle from the modeling perspective, both numerical or analogue, especially including approaches that mix data and modeling.

Fault systems accommodate deformation through a wide and complex spectrum of slip behaviors, ranging from aseismic creep and episodic slow-slip events to earthquakes. Field and laboratory observations, and seismological and geodetic data along with numerical and analogue modelling show that slip behavior of faults is governed by the interplay of multiple factors acting over a wide range of spatial (from nanometers to kilometers) and temporal (from milliseconds to million years) scales. These factors include tectonic setting, interactions between fault network patterns, structural and geometrical complexity, mechanical and rheological heterogeneities, slip history, fluid pressure and chemistry, and temperature. Despite significant advances, how these interconnected factors collectively control the deformation partitioning within fault systems and the resulting seismic or aseismic behavior of individual fault segments and patches remains a fundamental and unresolved challenge, with major implications for understanding the seismic cycle. This session invites contributions that investigate how fault zones and fault systems accommodate deformation using multidisciplinary and multiscale approaches. We particularly encourage studies based on field and microstructural analyses of exhumed faults, laboratory experiments, geochemical characterization of fluids, seismological and geodetic observations of active faults, and numerical and analogue modelling. Our aim is to foster discussion on fault geometrical complexity and slip behavior, from the scale of entire fault systems down to the physico-chemical processes controlling local fault properties, with implications for understanding complex earthquake sequences and improving seismic hazard assessment in seismically active regions.

Seismicity and deformation in subduction and collisional settings result from diverse interacting processes operating over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Subduction zones, which account for 90% of the global seismic moment release, host a spectrum of earthquakes from shallow megathrust and overriding-plate events to intermediate- and deep events, while collisional settings show distributed faulting and complex interactions between shortening, strike-slip and extensional deformation. In both settings, the role of stress transfer, fluids and lithospheric structure remains central questions in understanding earthquake occurrence.
This session invites interdisciplinary contributions that address the mechanics controlling seismicity and fault deformation in subduction and collisional settings. We welcome studies that integrate seismological, geodetic, and modelling approaches to address key questions including: (i) what physical processes control seismicity patterns and fault behaviour across different depths and tectonic settings?; (ii) How do stress interactions, rheology, fluids, climate and surface processes drive the spatial and temporal evolution of seismicity?; (iii) How can multi-scale observations, from high-resolution geophysics to paleoseismology, improve our understanding of active fault systems and short- to long-term seismic hazard assessments?
By bridging insights from different convergent margins, this session aims to advance our understanding of earthquake generation and the factors shaping seismic hazard worldwide.

Subduction zones generate numerous natural hazards, including volcanism, earthquakes and tsunamis, and shape the landscape through a series of processes lasting from seconds to millions of years. Their dynamics are driven by complex feedbacks between stress, strain, rock transformation and fluid migration along and across the plate interface, from shallow to deep environments. Despite their utmost importance, the intricate time-sensitive thermo–hydro–mechanical–chemical (THMC-t) processes remain largely puzzling. This is essentially due to the complexity of integrating observations across multiple spatial, magnification and temporal scales (from the nanoscale and the grain boundary size to the plate interface, and from seconds to millions of years). Our session aims, therefore, at gathering recent advancements in observatory techniques, monitoring and high-resolution imaging of i) the plate interface kinematics, ii) the accretionary wedge, iii) the subducting slab, and iv) the mantle wedge in active and fossil subduction interfaces. This includes studies from a wide range of disciplines, such as seismology and geodesy, geodynamics, marine geosciences, field-based petrology and geochemistry and microstructure, rock mechanics and numerical modelling. We particularly encourage initiatives that foster collaboration between communities to achieve a comprehensive understanding of subduction systems through space and time.

We are looking for studies that investigate how tectonic plates move, how this movement is accommodated in deformation zones, and how elastic strain builds up and is released along faults and 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.

How to best reference relative InSAR rate tiles to a plate? 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? 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?

We seek studies using space and sea floor geodetic data that focus on plate motion, deformation zones, and the earthquake cycle. Key questions include earthquake likelihood, fault slip-rates, uplift rates, non-elastic strain, and sea-level changes.

The Eastern Mediterranean is one of the most tectonically active regions on the earth, shaped by the complex interaction of the African, Arabian, and Eurasian plates. Its geodynamic evolution involves subduction, collision, strike-slip faulting, crustal block extrusion, and slab deformation. These processes generate a natural laboratory to investigate how lithospheric deformation is driven and accommodated across spatial and temporal scales.

The region hosts major continental transform faults, including the North Anatolian, East Anatolian and Dead Sea Faults, along with the Hellenic Arc, all of which have produced devastating earthquakes both in historical times and in the recent past. The interplay between shallow fault activity and deep-seated mantle processes remains a matter of debate, and recent destructive earthquakes have emphasized how critical it is to improve comprehension of seismic cycle and the geodynamic process that controls it.

This session welcomes multidisciplinary contributions — including neotectonics, seismology, tectonic geodesy (e.g. GNSS, InSAR), paleoseismology, tectonic geomorphology, structural geology, remote sensing, and geodynamic modelling — to advance our understanding of active tectonics and geodynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean. We particularly encourage submissions from early career researchers.

Tectonic faults exhibit a spectrum of failure modes ranging from aseismic creep, to slow slip and devastating earthquakes. Despite the growth in observations of slow earthquakes, debates about their mechanisms, scaling properties, and interplay with fast (ordinary) earthquakes remain. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies in the laboratory, advanced observational methods, and sophisticated modeling, this session aims to bring together the diversity of works associated with several aspects listed below, to broaden our understanding and encourage discussions:

Underlying Mechanisms: What mechanism(s) limits slip speed? We encourage studies about the micro-mechanics, frictional behaviors, rupture dynamics, fluids and temperature and pressure conditions initiating and driving slow slip events.

Scaling Relationships: Decoding the scaling of slow earthquakes across time, space, and energy dimensions, offering insights into their core dynamics.

Technological Innovations: Showcasing avant-garde tools and methodologies that boost our proficiency in detecting, analyzing, and understanding slow earthquakes.

Interplay between Slow and Fast Earthquakes: Probing into the seismic cycle, their mutual impacts, and potential warning signs exhibited by diverse seismic phenomena.

We encourage contributions that span from laboratory experiments to volcanic and tectonic research; from geological and geophysical observations, including but not limited to seismic and geodetic, to imaging and modeling.

This Fault2SHA session will focus on state-of-the-art progress in Earthquake Rupture Forecast (ERF) and its integration into probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) and probabilistic fault displacement hazard analysis (PFDHA). Recent developments highlight the importance of combining physics-based simulators, inversion-based fault system solutions, and fault-based approaches with geologic and geodetic data to produce models that are modular, transparent, and more suitable for practical applications in hazard and risk mitigation.
Geological investigations continue to provide critical insights into fault behavior and earthquake recurrence. Paleoseismological trenching, high-resolution coring, structural geology, tectonic geomorphology, and geodesy extend the earthquake record from recent events to multi-millennial timescales, enabling the characterization of earthquake source parameters and long-term fault behavior. These multidisciplinary observations, when combined with physics-based and multi-cycle earthquake simulations, offer new opportunities to address epistemic uncertainties, capture complex rupture processes, and refine time-dependent hazard models.
The session aims to foster dialogue on how innovative approaches and diverse datasets can be integrated into seismic hazard frameworks, ultimately improving our ability to quantify uncertainties and support applications ranging from building codes and land-use planning to insurance and risk management.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• ERF approaches and their role in PSHA and FDHA
• Advances in physics-based earthquake cycle simulations
• Incorporation of paleoseismological and geological constraints into hazard models
• Structural geology, tectonic geomorphology, and geodesy applied to fault characterization
• Methods to quantify and reduce epistemic uncertainties in hazard assessments
• Case studies linking recent earthquakes, long-term fault behavior, and hazard analysis
We particularly encourage contributions that present innovative, integrative, and multidisciplinary approaches to studying active faults and their role in seismic hazard assessment.

The evolution of orogenic systems is governed by processes operating across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, extending from the asthenosphere through the lithosphere and the Earth’s surface, and acting from seconds to millions of years. Understanding the links between deep-seated, lithospheric and surface processes and their role in orogenic evolution is an increasingly prominent research topic that requires multidisciplinary approaches to gain robust spatio-temporal constraints. This involves the integration of data generated from a variety of techniques such as low- and high-temperature thermochronology, geophysics, tectonics, petrology, geochemistry, sedimentology, structural analysis, geomorphology, and modeling.
Such a strategy enables the reconstruction of the timing, rates, and magnitude of processes driving orogenic evolution, as well as their relationships with mantle, crustal, and surface dynamics.
This session focuses on the intrinsic links between surface and deep-Earth processes in shaping orogenic systems and controlling their spatial and temporal evolution. Topics include the exhumation and surface uplift history of mountain ranges and orogenic plateaus, evolution of foreland and intermountain sedimentary basins, methodological developments on the integration of diverse dataset, landscape evolution, and tectonic plate reconstructions. Research focused on both collisional and subduction-related orogens affected by hinterland extension is welcome.

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, crustal tectonics, and mantle dynamics—including magmatism—remain poorly understood.
We aim to better understand the overall source to sink system from eroding orogens to subsiding lacustrine or marine basins and their sedimentary infill. 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.

It is well recognized that the coupling between tectonics, climate, and surface processes governs the evolution of mountain belts and sedimentary basins. Yet, the strength of these couplings and their precise impact on landscapes are less constrained. Robust first-order quantitative constraints are therefore needed. These can be derived from geomorphic and sedimentary archives such as longitudinal river profiles, fluvial and marine terraces, landslides, downstream fining trends, growth strata, sediment provenance, sequence stratigraphy, and shifts in depositional environments. Complementary insights can be gained from geodetic analyses (e.g., GPS, UAV, satellite imagery) and innovative geoinformatic approaches. Increasingly, the integration of geochronological methods for quantifying erosion rates and source-to-sink sediment fluxes with landscape evolution, stratigraphic, climatic, and tectonic models is advancing our understanding of how these systems interact across scales.

We invite contributions that use geomorphic, geochronologic and/or sedimentary records to understand tectonic deformation, climate histories, and surface processes, and welcome studies that address their interactions and couplings at a range of spatial and temporal scales. In particular, we encourage coupled catchment-basin studies that take advantage of numerical/physical modelling, geochemical tools for quantifying rates of surface processes (cosmogenic nuclides, low-temperature thermochronology, luminescence dating) and high resolution digital topographic and subsurface data. We invite contributions that address the role of surface processes in modulating rates of deformation and tectonic style, or of tectonics modulating the response of landscapes to climate change.

In the past two decades, unexpected and impactful moderate magnitude co-seismic surface rupturing earthquakes occurred in intraplate and low strain regions in Europe, North America, and Australia. Potential active and seismogenic structures in these regions have been frequently overlooked despite capable of hosting moderate-size to large damaging earthquakes. Poorly characterized fault Quaternary activity and seismogenic assessment are conditioned by long recurrence periods, frequently by a lack of Quaternary sediments, and sparse seismic and geodetic networks. Furthermore, older fault systems at these settings prone to reactivation favor active wide fault zones with distributed deformation within a previous deformed bedrock, masking subtle Quaternary deformation. Analyses and investigations for long-term deformation may be useful to recognize a built-in imprint of subtle deformation through time, and to corroborate tectonic activity, but these are under-utilized for seismic hazard analyses, which usually focus on shorter time scales. Evidence for long-term deformation analyses can be provided through geomorphic analyses and detailed geologic and paleoseismologic studies combined with geochronology and geophysical data. All of them may help to constrain regions with seismogenic potential or to reveal Quaternary cryptic structures and distributed Quaternary deformation. Short-term activity and deformation can be investigated using dense local seismic networks, which may further help to associate local instrumental seismicity with faults localization. Depending on the strain and period of observation, remote sensing and geodesy may also highlight noteworthy regions.

In this session, we welcome studies that focus on intraplate deformation using and/or testing methods to investigate surface and sub-surface evidence of Quaternary tectonic deformation and seismic sources characterization. These methods include but are not limited to geology, geomorphology, paleoseismology, geochronology, geophysics, observational/statistical seismology, seismic tomography, and remote sensing/geodesy. We encourage studies on indirect evidence of regional seismicity such as liquefaction, deformed stalactites, and patterns of regional landsliding.

The evolution of continents represents one of the most fundamental processes shaping our planet’s long-term physical, chemical, and biological development. Continental formation began early in Earth’s history, with episodic growth driven primarily by plate tectonics. Continents undergo significant reworking through a suite of dynamic processes, including tectonic deformation, metamorphism, intracrustal melting, and erosion and sedimentation, which collectively redistribute and refine the continental material. The formation, growth, and reworking of continents throughout Earth’s history involved transitions from non-plate to plate tectonics, supercontinent assembly and breakup, and the co-evolution of environment and life. This session explores the co-evolution of continents and Earth systems through deep time, addressing the following issues: processes and mechanisms of continental formation, assembly (accretion/collision) and breakup from Archean to the present; quantification of crustal growth (mantle-derived additions) vs. reworking (e.g., melting, metamorphism, erosion); feedbacks between continental evolution and surface environments; coupled deep-surface processes.
We invite contributions that integrate geology, geophysics, geochemistry, and numerical modeling to decode how continents act as planetary-scale regulators, driving the development of habitability through various tectonic processes, from pre-plate tectonics to plate tectonics, including plate subduction, collision, accretion, and coupled tectonics-topography-climate processes.

Accurate knowledge and understanding of the subsurface stress state and their variation are crucial for a wide range of topics, from plate tectonics and geohazards to mass transport and engineering applications. Conventional and emerging applications such as geothermal energy, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), hydrogen or gas storage or disposal of nuclear waste are pivotal for a low-emission society, with their efficacy heavily reliant on knowledge of the subsurface stress state. The difficulty in determining the stress state and constraining subsurface structures though requires advances in modelling algorithms and inversion methods, as well as the development of concepts, experiments, and new measuring techniques.
This session calls for contributions that showcase novel methodologies and/or ambitious case studies. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Advances in stress orientation and magnitude estimation
- New methodologies for 3D geomechanical modelling, including deterministic, stochastic, hybrid approaches or stress state visualisations
- Outstanding case studies highlighting crustal stress characterisation, fault stability, and/or the application of geomechanical modelling
- Advances in computational efficiency and uncertainty quantification
- Innovative use of machine learning and AI in enhancing models and approaches
This session brings together geoscientists, modellers, and computational experts from an academic and application background to discuss the latest advancements and challenges, offering insights into the future direction of characterizing the present subsurface stress state.

Naturally fractured reservoirs and faulted rock masses govern fluid flow, mechanical behaviour and long-term performance across a wide range of subsurface applications, including hydrogeology, geothermal energy, hydrocarbons, nuclear waste disposal and CO₂ storage. This joint session brings together contributions that advance our understanding of fracture and fault systems, their hydraulic and mechanical properties, and the complex interactions between fluids, stresses and evolving discontinuities.

Fractures and faults can modify bulk rock properties by orders of magnitude, impose strong anisotropy, and form the primary conduits for fluid flow and transport. Their behaviour is inherently nonlinear and highly sensitive to fluid-rock interactions, which can enhance or diminish transmissibility over time. These dynamic processes influence reservoir productivity, containment performance, induced seismicity potential and operational risks in geoenergy and storage projects.

Representing and modelling these systems remains a challenging task due to their structural complexity, spatial variability in physical properties, and multi-scale deformation processes. Integrating field observations, monitoring data, laboratory measurements and numerical modelling is essential to capture fracture-network evolution and fluid-driven changes. We especially welcome contributions addressing:

• Structural characterisation of fractures and faults using deterministic or stochastic approaches
• Numerical methods for continuous, discontinuous (DFN), or hybrid representations of fractured media
• Simulation of coupled hydraulic, mechanical and THMC processes in faulted and fractured systems
• Deterministic and stochastic inversion techniques for model calibration and uncertainty reduction
• Interdisciplinary studies linking deformation processes, transmissibility changes and fluid-rock interactions
• Applications to geothermal, groundwater, petroleum, CO₂ storage, waste repositories and other low-carbon subsurface technologies

We encourage submissions spanning multiple scales from laboratory experiments to reservoir-scale analyses and studies that bridge the gap between observation, measurement and simulation. Research integrating diverse methods to improve predictive understanding of fault and fracture behaviour in subsurface energy systems is particularly welcome, and early-career scientists are warmly encouraged to contribute.

Fluid-rock interactions of ultramafic rocks in the subsurface have a substantial potential for large-scale CO2 storage by long-term mineralization, are a source of natural H2 resources, and play an important role in the formation of various critical ore deposits (e.g. Ni, Co). Understanding the underlying processes is therefore highly relevant for climate crisis mitigation and the energy transition. The coupled chemical, hydrological and mechanical feedbacks and the interplay between dynamic changes in pH, redox conditions and critical metal mobility during these interactions are not yet fully understood. We cordially invite contributions that advance our understanding of the conditions, mechanisms and rates of CO2 mineralization, H2 generation and element mobility during fluid-rock interactions in peridotites and serpentinites from microscopic to industrial and tectonic scales, including studies of natural analogues, field surveys, pilot injection sites, laboratory experiments and theoretical simulations.

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

As climate change accelerates, the transition to renewable energy systems, such as geothermal energy, underground hydrogen storage, and carbon capture and storage (CCS), is essential. These technologies introduce new challenges in the subsurface, including limited data availability, highly heterogeneous reservoirs, and complex thermal and multiphase fluid-flow behavior.

Geo-modelling and geophysical inversion are powerful tools for addressing these challenges, enabling the integration of geological, geophysical, and petrophysical data into consistent three-dimensional subsurface representations. Recent advances in modelling algorithms, inversion techniques, and computational approaches, including machine learning and AI, allow for improved accuracy, uncertainty quantification, and interpretability across multiple spatial and temporal scales, even in data-scarce environments.

This session highlights recent developments in 3D geological modelling, reservoir and fluid-flow simulation, and model-based inversion, with a focus on applications supporting the energy transition and sustainable subsurface use. Both methodological contributions and case studies are welcome.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• 3D geological and structural modelling approaches
• Geo-modelling for geothermal energy, CCS, and hydrogen storage
• Fluid-flow and reservoir modelling (single- and multiphase)
• Model-based geophysical inversion and data integration
• Multi-scale modelling, upscaling, and representative elementary volumes (REVs)
• Uncertainty quantification and computational efficiency
• Machine learning and AI in geological modelling and inversion

Tectonics and Structural Geology addresses fundamental and applied questions about crustal deformation across scales, lithospheric dynamics, and the forces driving rock deformation. By linking processes in the mantle with those at the Earth’s surface, the field provides crucial insights into geodynamic evolution and natural hazards. Beyond academic interest, its relevance extends directly to societal challenges such as nuclear waste disposal, carbon capture and storage, securing critical raw materials, adapting to climate change, and/or safeguarding of critical infrastructure.

Yet, despite its broad impact, the practical applications of this discipline are still too often perceived as serving primarily hydrocarbon exploration. At the same time, like much of the geosciences, it suffers from limited public visibility and declining student enrollment, posing challenges for its future vitality. This session invites the community to reflect on the directions the field of Tectonics and Structural Geology needs to develop or reinforce to remain relevant for industry, society, and policy makers, while also strengthening its visibility to future students and the broader public.

Abstracts by invitation only.

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 last year's collection of BUGS - ranging from clay bricks to atmospheric temperature extremes - at https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/session/52496.

Mantle convection, core dynamics, and the geodynamo are fundamental processes governing the long-term evolution of Earth and other terrestrial planets. Advances in observational techniques and numerical modelling now allow these Earth processes to be investigated across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. This session will provide a holistic view of the influence of mantle convection and core dynamics and their surface expressions from geodetic to geological time scales using multi-disciplinary methods, including (but not limited to): geodetic, geophysical, geological, long-term evolution of the geomagnetic field, Earth's core dynamics, mineral physics, magnetism and the seismic imaging of mantle convective processes, as well as numerical modelling.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Over recent decades, geochronological techniques such as cosmogenic nuclides, thermochronology, radiocarbon and luminescence dating have improved in accuracy, precision and temporal range. Developments in geochronological methods, data treatment and landscape evolution models have provided new insights into the timing, rates and magnitude of earth surface processes. The combination of geochronological data from different techniques with numerical modeling has enormous potential for improving our understanding of landscape evolution.

This session includes studies ranging from erosion rates, sediment provenance, burial and transport times, bedrock exposure, surface uplift rates, cooling histories and landscape dynamics to technical developments and novel applications of key Quaternary geochronometers such as cosmogenic nuclides and luminescence. We welcome contributions that apply novel geochronological methods, that combine geochronological techniques with numerical modeling or landscape evolution analyses, and that highlight the latest developments and open questions in the application of geochronometers to landscape evolution problems.

Geochronology and thermochronology provide the temporal framework to quantify the timing, rates, and durations of Earth-system processes, from deep mantle dynamics to surface evolution. Ongoing improvements to established techniques, together with the development of new analytical methods, data reduction strategies, and modeling approaches, are rapidly expanding the resolution and applicability of age and thermal history constraints across the Earth Sciences. This session aims to present recent methodological advances and innovative applications in geochronology and thermochronology across a wide range of temperature sensitivities and timescales. We welcome contributions addressing developments in analytical techniques, theoretical and experimental frameworks, data processing, uncertainty quantification, and forward or inverse modeling, as well as novel or unconventional applications, including attempts to develop new geochronometers or thermochronometers. Contributions integrating geochronology and thermochronology with field observations, geomorphology, remote sensing, isotopic methods, and numerical or analog modeling are especially encouraged. This session highlights how advances in geochronology and thermochronology continue to refine, and in some cases challenge, our understanding of Earth’s dynamic systems.

Reconstructing the controls of pressure-temperature-chemistry-time-deformation (P-T-X-t-d) on pathways of orogenic systems is essential to unravel Earth’s tectonic evolution. Cutting-edge advances in high-resolution geochronology, diffusion modeling, and microanalytical techniques now empower unprecedented 4-D reconstructions of tectono-metamorphic histories. This session addresses timely challenges by bridging and linking microscale rock records to planetary-scale geodynamics.
We seek interdisciplinary contributions integrating petrochronology, structural geology, and experimental / metamorphic petrology. Key approaches include diffusion chronometry; accessory-phase geochronology; geochemical tracers; microstructural analysis; thermodynamic modeling of phase equilibria; and geodynamic simulations. Studies quantifying metamorphic rates (e.g., burial/exhumation, fluid pulses), reconciling P-T-t path ambiguities through multi-method validation, or bridging microscale reactions with tectonic drivers are particularly encouraged.
We welcome innovative case studies from diverse settings—subduction zones, collisional orogens, and rift systems—alongside methodological advances that connect field observations with modeling.

The formation of metal ore deposits (e.g., porphyry Cu-Au systems, orogenic Au deposits, volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits, alkaline and carbonatite REE-HFSE systems) is a complex process that typically requires original ore sources to be transported from the mantle, followed by ore concentration and deposition in the crust. Understanding ore formation processes and the associated dynamics is crucial for assessing economic potential and guiding exploration strategies. Regardless of the specific processes involved, reactions between fluids and rocks fundamentally impact ore deposits. These reactions affect the formation of ore minerals, the mobilization of metallic materials from the source zone to the deposit, leaving significant footprints that aid in understanding how these metals are transported and concentrated to form the deposit. At nano- and microscales, physical patterns in ore deposits provide fundamental records of fluid-rock interaction processes, including dendritic structures, banding, fractures, mineralogical replacement textures, growth patterns, and deformation features. At meso- to macroscales, the interactions manifest as alteration zones characterized by systematic mineral replacement, overgrowth, and hydrothermal alteration. The spatial and temporal regularity of these patterns elucidates the physicochemical evolution of ore-forming environments during ore formation. Concurrently, accompanying chemical reactions that drive ore formation control mineral dissolution and precipitation, and the redistribution of ore-forming components. These phenomena petrologically reflect the processes of elemental transfer and exchange during fluid-rock interactions that contribute to the formation of ore deposits. Such natural observations enable thermodynamic and kinetic simulations of the fluid-rock interaction processes responsible for ore formation, deepening our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Moreover, recent advances in machine-learning methods have significantly enhanced geochemical quantification and uncovered hidden physicochemical relationships during the spatiotemporal evolution of ore minerals and deposits.
In this session, we invite multidisciplinary contributions that investigate various ore deposits and their associated formation dynamics, using fieldwork, microstructural and petrographic analyses, geochemistry, machine learning, thermodynamic and numerical modeling. Case studies of economic ore deposits are welcomed.

Understanding the petrogenesis of igneous, metamorphic and mineralised rocks is fundamentally grounded in crystal-scale observations of rock microstructures and textures. The dynamic conditions under which a rock forms can be reconstructed by investigating the features of its crystals – shape, size, zonation, and inclusions (mineral, melt and/or fluid) – along with their crystallographic orientations and spatial arrangements. These data provide insights on a wealth of processes: cooling and heating rates; crystallisation regimes and resulting nucleation, growth and dissolution kinetics through space and time; ore mineralisation; fluid flux and speciation; and the extent, mechanisms, and timing of deformation. Correlating such textural and microstructural data with complementary geochemical and field datasets (e.g., elemental maps and hyperspectral images) offers unparalleled quantitative insights into the evolution, makeup, and dynamics of the Earth’s interior. Rock microstructures and textures are therefore key to solving geological problems with direct societal impact, such as critical mineral supply and volcanic risk mitigation.
We invite contributions focused on applying textural and microstructural approaches to igneous and metamorphic problems, using both traditional (e.g., universal stage) and more modern (e.g., EBSD, XRT, XMapTools) methods. We also seek submissions focused on developing new methods to acquire and process textural data, including numerical models of microstructural and/or textural evolution. We particularly encourage contributions that combine microstructural analysis with other datasets, e.g., geochemical data, to address geological questions.

The session deals with the documentation and modelling of the tectonic, deformation and geodetic features of any type of volcanic area, on Earth and in the Solar System. The focus is on advancing our understanding on any type of deformation of active and non-active volcanoes, on the associated behaviours, and the implications for hazards. We welcome contributions based on results from fieldwork, remote-sensing studies, geodetic and geophysical measurements, analytical, analogue and numerical simulations, and laboratory studies of volcanic rocks.
Studies may be focused at the regional scale, investigating the tectonic setting responsible for and controlling volcanic activity, both along divergent and convergent plate boundaries, as well in intraplate settings. At a more local scale, all types of surface deformation in volcanic areas are of interest, such as elastic inflation and deflation, or anelastic processes, including caldera and flank collapses. Deeper, sub-volcanic deformation studies, concerning the emplacement of intrusions, as sills, dikes and laccoliths, are most welcome. We also particularly welcome geophysical data aimed at understanding magmatic processes during volcano unrest. These include geodetic studies obtained mainly through GPS and InSAR, as well as at their modelling to imagine sources.

The session includes, but is not restricted to, the following topics:
• volcanism and regional tectonics;
• formation of magma chambers, laccoliths, and other intrusions;
• dyke and sill propagation, emplacement, and arrest;
• earthquakes and eruptions;
• caldera collapse, resurgence, and unrest;
• flank collapse;
• volcano deformation monitoring;
• volcano deformation and hazard mitigation;
• volcano unrest;
• mechanical properties of rocks in volcanic areas.

The dynamics of magmatic systems are governed by complex, multiscale processes that span from melt generation in the mantle to magma transport, storage, and surface eruptions. These processes include fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, phase changes, and chemical and rheological interactions, which are coupled and operate over spatial scales from nanometres to kilometres and temporal scales from seconds to millions of years. Understanding such systems increasingly relies on computational approaches that integrate, interpret, and test insights from experimental and observational data.

At the same time, rapid advances in imaging, microscopy, and monitoring techniques are producing large, high-dimensional datasets across a wide range of scales and modalities. Visualisation and correlation methods are therefore becoming central to the modelling workflow, enabling meaningful comparisons between simulations, laboratory experiments, and natural observations, and facilitating the identification of patterns, structures, and emergent behaviour in complex magmatic systems.
This session brings together computational modelling, visualisation, and data correlation approaches applied to volcanic and magmatic processes across the GMPV domain. We invite contributions that develop, apply, or validate forward and inverse models, machine learning techniques, and other computational methods. We also welcome work demonstrating advanced 2D, 3D, and 4D visualisation, multiscale data integration, and cross-technique correlation, particularly where these approaches bridge scales and connect models with observations and experiments.

The session aims to provide a platform for in-depth technical exchange between researchers working on modelling, data analysis, and visualisation, strengthening links between computational, experimental, and observational communities within GMPV.

Among planetary bodies, Earth presents the strongest set of constraints, making it a particularly valuable reference for understanding planetary systems and their evolution. This session focuses on innovative research that bridges planetary sciences and Earth system studies. We invite contributions that present techniques and methodologies developed for planetary sciences applications that can be applied to advance our understanding of Earth's systems. Additionally, we encourage submissions in comparative planetary sciences that analyse multiple celestial bodies, including Earth, to gain broader insights into planetary processes.

Computational earth science uses modelling to understand complex physical systems which cannot be directly observed. Over the last years, numerical modeling of earthquakes has provided new approaches to apprehend the physics of earthquake rupture and the seismic cycle, seismic wave propagation, fault zone evolution, and seismic hazard assessment. Recent advances in numerical algorithms and increasing computational power enable unforeseen precision and incorporation of multi-physics components in physics-based simulations of earthquake rupture and seismic wave propagation but also pose challenges in terms of fully exploiting modern supercomputing infrastructure, realistic parameterization of simulation ingredients, and the analysis of large synthetic datasets. Meanwhile, advances in laboratory experiments link earthquake source processes to rock mechanics.

This session brings together modelers and data analysts interested in the physics and computational aspects of earthquake phenomena and earthquake engineering. We welcome contributions spanning all aspects of seismic hazard assessment and earthquake physics - from slow slip events, fault mechanics and rupture dynamics, to wave propagation and ground motion analysis, to the seismic cycle and interseismic deformation and links to long-term tectonics and geodynamics - as well as studies advancing the state-of-the art in the related computational and numerical aspects.

Fibre optic based techniques allow probing highly precise point and distributed sensing of the full ground motion wave-field including translation, rotation and strain, as well as environmental parameters such as temperature at a scale and to an extent previously unattainable with conventional geophysical sensors. Considerable improvements in optical and atom interferometry enable new concepts for inertial rotation, translational displacement and acceleration sensing. Laser reflectometry on commercial fibre optic cables allows for the first time spatially dense and temporally continuous sensing of the ocean’s floor, successfully detecting a variety of signals including microseism, local and teleseismic earthquakes, volcanic events, ocean dynamics, etc. Significant breakthrough in the use of fibre optic sensing techniques came from the new ability to interrogate telecommunication cables to high temporal and spatial precision across a wide range of environments. Applications based on this new type of data are numerous, including: seismic source and wave-field characterisation with single point observations in harsh environments such as active volcanoes and the seafloor, seismic ambient noise interferometry, earthquake and tsunami early warning, and infrastructure stability monitoring.

We welcome contributions on developments in instrumental and theoretical advances, applications and processing with fibre optic point and/or distributed multi-sensing techniques, light polarization and transmission analyses, using standard telecommunication and/or engineered fibre cables. We seek studies on theoretical, instrumental, observation and advanced processing across all solid earth fields, including seismology, volcanology, glaciology, geodesy, geophysics, natural hazards, oceanography, urban environment, geothermal applications, laboratory studies, large-scale field tests, planetary exploration, gravitational wave detection, fundamental physics. We encourage contributions on data analysis techniques, novel applications, machine learning, data management, instrumental performance and comparison as well as new experimental, field, laboratory, modelling studies in fibre optic sensing studies.

Slow fault slip plays a fundamental role in releasing tectonic stress and modulating seismic hazard across various tectonic settings, including subduction zones, transform boundaries, continental fault systems, and collision margins. Decades of observations have shown that slow slip is often associated with seismic moment release (low-frequency earthquakes, tectonic tremor, regular earthquakes). Together, they seem to outline a continuum of moment release, from slow, distributed aseismic slip to seismically observable fast and localized slip acceleration. However, these slow-and-fast slip components are not equally represented in every slow-slip-prone area, and the seismic and geodetic parts of these phenomena are not always perfectly correlated in space and time. This suggests a multiscale organization of slow fault slip whose complexity may be underpinned by structural and chemical heterogeneities of the underlying materials.

This session aims to explore how and why slow slip becomes seismic, to improve our understanding of the dynamics of tectonic moment release in slow-slip-prone areas, from shallow to deep plate interfaces. We welcome contributions building towards a multidisciplinary understanding of the spatiotemporal variability of slow slip and its interactions with (a)seismic events, employing geodetic and seismic data, geological records, laboratory experiments, and modeling, as well as emerging technologies such as machine learning and distributed acoustic sensing (DAS).

Seismic attenuation, involving energy loss through scattering and intrinsic absorption, significantly affects seismic wave propagation. As a fundamental property, attenuation plays a central role in subsurface imaging, investigations of Earth’s deep interior, and seismic exploration of planetary bodies. Quantitative analysis of attenuation enables inference of key material properties, such as composition, fluids, or fractures. A comprehensive understanding of attenuation mechanisms also supports robust source characterization and accurate ground-motion modeling, with important implications for hazard assessment and mitigation. In recent decades, advances in theory, numerical modeling, and data analysis have substantially improved attenuation characterization. High-accuracy 3D simulations now allow realistic modeling of wave propagation through complex structures, while advanced inversion techniques better separate scattering from intrinsic absorption. On the observational side, dense seismic arrays and new sensing technologies provide major, yet still underexploited, opportunities to enhance resolution.
This session will bring together experts to present the latest innovations in seismic attenuation research. We welcome theoretical and applied contributions, from work deepening fundamental understanding to studies showcasing practical applications.
Topics of interest include:
• Theoretical advancements that improve understanding of attenuation processes, including scattering and intrinsic absorption.
• Resolve Earth’s internal structure through analysis of attenuation data.
• Numerical simulations of the relevant equations for seismic wave propagation in heterogeneous media and attenuation.
• Applications to the study and characterization of seismic sources.
• Attenuation studies in seismic hazard and damage assessment, including ground motion models and the effects of shaking on structures and infrastructure.
• Energy dispersion from geological heterogeneities, such as faults, fractures, and variations in rock properties.
• Attenuation as an indicator of energy conversion into heat, with applications to geothermal exploration and volcanic hazard assessment.
• Tomographic imaging that integrates attenuation, scattering, and absorption to investigate Earth’s structure from crust to core.
• Planetary science investigations that use seismic attenuation to probe the internal structure and dynamics of other planetary bodies.

The physical and structural properties of the crust and lithosphere are often explored independently through numerous geophysical modelling and inversion methods, from tomographic to potential field investigations, among others. Recent developments in joint processing and modelling has been beneficial in highlighting the advantages of complementary, multi-disciplinary geophysical datasets for the comprehensive understanding of the Earth's structure. This session invites studies undertaken for imaging at multiple spatial scales (from near-surface to lithosphere) of diverse parameters (physical state of the medium, identification of seismogenic zones, mapping natural resources, seismic hazard assessment) through joint modelling and inversion of complementary geophysical datasets (passive seismological, gravimetric, magnetic, geochemical, active seismics, etc.). As submissions are not restricted to the listed approaches, we look forward to receiving applications of other novel integrated approaches as well. We strongly welcome submissions from Early Career Scientists.

Are you unsure about how to bring order in the extensive program of the General Assembly? Are you wondering how to tackle this week of science? Are you curious about what EGU and the General Assembly have to offer? Then this is the short course for you!

During this course, we will provide you with tips and tricks on how to handle this large conference and how to make the most out of your week at this year's General Assembly. We'll explain the EGU structure, the difference between EGU and the General Assembly, we will dive into the program groups and we will introduce some key persons that help the Union function.

This is a useful short course for first-time attendees, those who have previously only joined us online, and those who haven’t been to Vienna for a while!

Landslide mapping is a crucial activity for many studies in the field of geomorphology. The purpose of this Short Course is to share criteria for the interpretation of remote sensing images such as stereoscopic aerial photographs and LiDAR derived images. The interpretation criteria will be defined and applied in specific hands-on practical examples in a collaborative environment using StereoPhotoMaker, a free and simple yet powerful 3D vision system that can be easily installed on any computer. Cyan-magenta anaglyph glasses will be provided to all participants. Line drawing will be done in QGIS. Simple landslide mapping tasks, increasing in complexity, will allow discussing and sharing ideas and opinions, as well as getting a visual idea of the expected variability behind different types of landslide inventories. This Short Course does not require any specific training or experience, so it is open to early-career researchers, students, and curious geoscientists.

Disclaimer: please note that not everyone can perceive stereoscopic 3D. Check this by simply searching for cyan-magenta stereoscopic anaglyphs online. Cyan-magenta anaglyph 3D glasses are necessary.