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NEWS
New chinese geochemical project
China is commencing a large project named ‘China Nationwide Geochemical Probe into the Earth Crust’, which is an Earth science programme with the objective to explore geochemical baselines, distribution and evolution of all elements in China’s continental crust. Different typical rocks from different ages, soil and sediments will be collected at each reference grid of 80 by 80 km. The budget for the 1st 5-year term is about 10 million USD.
EGS Groundwater geochemical atlas
The EuroGeoSurveys’ “Geochemistry” Working Group has completed the sampling and analysis of bottled mineral waters in Europe. At a recent meeting in March 2009 at the British Geological Survey the data processing and interpretation was decided, as well as the publication of results by the end of 2009. The volume will be entitled ‘European Groundwater Geochemistry Part One: Bottled Water’.
EGS geochemical atlas of agricultural and grazing land soil
The EuroGeoSurveys’ “Geochemistry” Working Group has completed in February 2009 the sampling of agricultural and grazing land soil in Europe. The samples are at the final stage of preparation at the Geological Survey of Slovakia. Their chemical analysis will start soon.
EGS GEOCHEMICAL ATLAS OF EUROPE
Sample splits collected during the EuroGeoSurveys’ Geochemical Atlas of Europe project are currently being analysed at different laboratories and Institutions. All results when ready will be made freely available at http://www.gtk.fi/publ/foregsatlas/
MEMORIAL ISSUE of geochemistry: exploration-environment-analysis
The Task Group devoted a thematic Issue of the journal of “Geochemistry: Exploration-Environment-Analysis” (GEEA) (Vol. 8, No. 3/4) to the memory of Dr. Arthur G. Darnley (1930-2006), the first Chairperson of the Task Group and its Honorary Chairman until his death. The special issue, edited by Clemens Reimann (Geological Survey of Norway) and David B. Smith (U.S. Geological Survey), was released just before the symposium honouring Arthur at the the 33rd International Geological Congress (IGC) [http://www.33igc.org/], Oslo, Norway, in August 2008
[http://intl-geea.geoscienceworld.org/content/vol8/issue3-4/].
33rd International geological congress, Oslo, Norway
Business Meeting
The Task Group had a business meeting on the 8th August 2008, during which many matters were discussed, and a new Co-chairperson was elected. Please refer to the minutes of the meeting.
Arthur Darnely Symposium
The Task Group organised, during the 33rd IGC on the 9th August 2008, a one-day symposium to commemorate Arthur G. Darnley’s contributions to the field of geochemical mapping. This symposium, titled “Geochemical mapping from the global to the local scale: The Arthur Darnley Symposium”, consisted of 19 oral presentations and 9 poster presentations. The abstracts can be viewed at http://www.33igc.org/, or file “1st AG_Darnley_Symposium_Oslo.pdf” can be downloaded. A Memorial DVD was also prepared for distribution at the IGC. This DVD contains many publications on geochemical mapping including the two-volume Geochemical Atlas of Europe and the papers published in the volume of Geochemistry: Exploration-Environment-Analysis, dedicated to Arthur Darnley. The Task Group wishes to thank the following publishers for granting permission to include papers from many of their journals on this DVD: Elsevier, Geological Society of London, Springer, and Maney Publishing. Copies of the DVD can be obtained from David B. Smith [E-mail: dsmith@usgs.gov] or Alecos Demetriades [E-mail: ademetriades@igme.gr].
IAGC Awards
The International Association of GeoChemistry (IAGC) used the Arthur Darnley Symposium as the forum for presenting two awards. The Vernadsky Medal is presented by IAGC in recognition of distinguished scientific accomplishment in geochemistry over the course of a career. It was most appropriate that the Darnley Symposium was chosen as the venue for presenting the 2008 Vernadsky Medal to Professor Bjørn Bølviken of the Geological Survey of Norway. Professor Bølviken has been a pioneer in developing methods for low-density geochemical mapping among his many other accomplishments.
Also at the Darnley Symposium, members of the Western European Geological Surveys Working Group on “Regional Geochemical Mapping” (active from 1986 to 1993) presented Professor Bølviken with a framed document signed at their last meeting in Hannover on the 1st July 1993. The dedication was: “Bølviken’s Regional Geochemical Mapping of Western Europe towards the Year 2000: A very important project ahead of its time. Conceived by a person with extreme foresight and supported by Europeans with different cultures, proving that European unity could be realised as long as people meet and discuss matters openly and with integrity. Thank you for bringing us together and hope that we meet again to complete the ‘dream’”. The ‘dream’ was in fact completed in 2006 with the publication of the 2nd volume of the Geochemical Atlas of Europe. Therefore, with this important acknowledgement of Professor Bølviken’s contribution, a significant chapter of European geochemistry was concluded. The recognition was indeed timely, because Professor Bjørn Bølviken passed away on the 19th January 2009 at the age of 81.
Other IAGC award recipients were:
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Thure E. Cerling (University of Utah, USA) and Gunter Faure (Ohio State University, USA) were elected as IAGC Fellows,
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The IAGC Hitchon Award went to Ralph Seiler, Ken Stollenwerk, and John Garbarino of the US Geological Survey for their 2005 paper “Factors Controlling Tungsten Concentrations in Ground Water, Carson Desert, Nevada” that appeared in volume 20 of Applied Geochemistry,
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Certificates of Recognition were presented to Rosa Cidu (University of Cagliari, Italy), John Gray (US Geological Survey, USA), David Long (Michigan State University, USA), Jodie Miller (University of Stellenbosch, South Africa), and LeeAnn Munk (University of Alaska – Anchorage, USA).
New IAGC Working Group
OTHER NEWS
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