February 2018

Goldschmidt2018

Goldschmidt2018: Abstract deadline is 30 March

The abstract deadline for Goldschmidt2018 is fast approaching. Submit your abstract online by 30 March. View the full list of sessions here.

Bookings are now open for the extensive pre-conference workshop program and for the several exciting 1-3 day field trips that have been proposed.

Looking for accommodation in Boston? The conference has put arrangements in place with local hotels and Boston University to help delegates secure the best rates possible at all budget levels .

ECS

The Goldschmidt Conference strives to support scientists in the early stages of their careers, and various opportunities and events have been organised for Early Career Scientists at Goldschmidt2018:

An extensive Early Career Program, as well as special workshops, all at reduced prices, are now open for bookings. Reserve your place soon to be sure not to miss out on these popular events.

The Goldschmidt Conference is committed to making participation accessible to early career scientists from every country in the world through its travel grant and fee-waiver program. Apply by 30 March.

Get involved at the heart of Goldschmidt2018 and volunteer as a Student Helper. Application deadline: 30 March.

Society News

2018 EAG medallists

We are proud to announce the 2018 EAG medallists, who will be presented with their awards at Goldschmidt 2018 in Boston.

Susan L. Brantley (Pennsylvania State University) receives the Urey Award.

Jess Adkins (Caltech) receives the Nicholas Shackleton Science Innovation Award.

Morgan Schaller (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) receives the Houtermans Award.

Caroline Slomp (Utrecht University) receives the GS/EAG Paul Gast Lectureship.

EAG and GS announce the 2018 Geochemical Fellows

The Geochemical Society and European Association of Geochemistry are pleased to announce those receiving the honour of 2018 Geochemical Fellow.

Jess Adkins Caltech (USA), EAG Science Innovation Award medallist

Michael Arthur Penn State (USA), GS Goldschmidt medallist

Miryam Bar-Matthews Geological Survey of Israel (Israel)

Robert J. Bodnar Virginia Tech (USA)

Daniel Frost University of Bayreuth (Germany)

Jérôme Gaillardet Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (France)

George Helz University of Maryland (USA)

Janet G. Hering Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, ETH Zurich, EPFL (Switzerland)

Catherine Jeandel LEGOS, Toulouse (France)

Craig Manning University of California, Los Angeles (USA)

William S. Reeburgh University of California, Irvine (USA)

Niels Revsbech Aarhus University (Denmark)

Zachary Sharp University of New Mexico (USA)

Susan Trumbore Max Planck Institute (Germany) and University of California Irvine (USA)

Fu-Yuan Wu Chinese Academy of Sciences (China)

The medallists will all receive their honours at the 2018 Goldschmidt Conference in Boston.

Elements February issue: Luminescence Dating: Reconstructing...

Luminescence dating is a geochronological tool used to determine the timing of sediment burial, pottery firing, mountain evolution, mineral formation and the exertion of pressure. The luminescence dating technique covers a large age range from modern-day to millions of years. The technique is inherently holistic, drawing upon understanding from disciplines such as physics (quantum mechanics), mineralogy (grain structure and composition), geochemistry (natural radioactivity), archaeology and Earth sciences. Read more

Current EAG members will soon receive print copies of Elements Magazine. Members also have online access to all back issues (user id = email address, password = EAG membership number). To find your membership number, login to your member area.

Early Career Science Ambassador Program: next deadline 1 March

The EAG Early Career Science Ambassador program is aimed at Early Career Scientists based in Europe who wish to attend conferences outside Europe (excluding the Goldschmidt conference). The program supports up to 6 scientists per year. Supported scientists will have 50% of their expenses covered by EAG, up to 1500 Euros, and be viewed as EAG Ambassadors while attending the event. The next application deadline is 1 March. Find out more.

New in Geochemical Perspectives Letters

Atmospheric helium isotopic ratio from 1910 to 2016 recorded...

C. Boucher, B. Marty, L. Zimmermann, R. Langenfelds

The atmospheric helium isotope composition (R_A= ³He/⁴He_air = 1.39 × 10^-6) could have varied over recent times due to anthropogenic activities. In order to check this possibility, we conducted high-precision helium isotope measurements of air trapped in various stainless steel containers from France (pétanque balls, a float carburettor; 1910–2016) and Cape Grim, Tasmania (archived air tanks; 1978, 1988). Read more

Th/U and U series systematics of saprolite: importance for...

N. Suhr, M. Widdowson, F. McDermott, B.S. Kamber

The presence of excess ²³⁴U in seawater is a compelling argument for active delivery of solutes from the continents to the oceans. Previous studies found, however, that the complementary ²³⁴U deficit on the continents is surprisingly modest, which would require protracted U loss from a large continental weathering pool. Read more

Noble gases and nitrogen in Tissint reveal the composition...

G. Avice, D.V. Bekaert, H. Chennaoui Aoudjehane, B. Marty

Comparative planetology is crucial to unravel the origin and evolution of volatile elements on terrestrial planets. We report precise measurements of the elemental and isotopic composition of nitrogen and noble gases in the Martian meteorite Tissint. Read more

EAG Blogosphere

Core logging course – Navan, Tara Mine Corestore

[By Alexandra Stavropoulou] Recently I have had the chance to attend a core logging course organised by IAEG (Irish Association for Economic Geology) and hosted by Boliden, Tara Mines. The course was dense and helpful and most importantly, included actual core logging. Below you can take a glimpse of how the corestore looks like from the inside. Read more

All things volcanic and magmatic at VMSG 2018

[By Diego González García] During the first week of the year I travelled to Leeds, UK, where the Volcanic and Magmatic Studies Group (VMSG) 2018 conference was held from January 3^rd to 5^th. I am very grateful to the EAG for supporting my trip there with a Student Sponsorship. This is my second time at a VMSG conference after a great experience in Dublin two years ago, and it was an excellent opportunity to present the final results of my PhD thesis, which is now in its final stage. Read more

33rd Nordic Geological Winter Meeting

[By Konstantinos Thomaidis] The Nordic Geological Winter Meeting is organised every two years in a different Nordic country (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland) and is considered one of the foremost multidisciplinary geological conference in…the Nordic countries! The 33^rd Nordic Geological Winter Meeting (Fig. 1) was held at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), in Copenhagen, Denmark, between the 10^th and 12^th of January 2018. Read more

Metal stable isotopes: a tool for improving sustainable land-use

[By Nils Suhr] Metal Stable Isotope Geochemistry Workshop – Final Workshop of the ITN IsoNose. I am very grateful that the EAG supported me to attend “The International Conference and final IsoNose workshop" “Metal Stable Isotope Geochemistry”, which took place from January 8-11 2018 in a beautiful French abbey in Sorèze, France. Read more

Geochemistry making the news

The seemingly unremarkable crystals that could help...

[phys.org] They may look inconspicuous and unremarkable, and most people wouldn't notice them, but small crystals in volcanic rocks, such as lava, may hold the key to better understanding advance warnings of volcanic eruptions. The crystals form inside the volcano when molten rock—magma—starts moving upwards from depths of up to 30 km towards the Earth's surface. Read more

Massive reserves of mercury hidden in permafrost

[Science Daily] Researchers have discovered permafrost in the northern hemisphere stores massive amounts of natural mercury, a finding with significant implications for human health and ecosystems worldwide. In a new study, scientists measured mercury concentrations in permafrost cores from Alaska and estimated how much mercury has been trapped in permafrost north of the equator since the last Ice Age. Read more

What will it take to go to Venus?

[Science News] There’s a planet just next door that could explain the origins of life in the universe. It was probably once covered in oceans (SN Online: 8/1/17). It may have been habitable for billions of years (SN Online: 8/26/16). Astronomers are desperate to land spacecraft there. Read more

Phosphorus pollution reaching dangerous levels worldwide...

[phys.org] Man-made phosphorus pollution is reaching dangerously high levels in freshwater basins around the world, according to new research. A new study published in Water Resources Research, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, estimated the global amount of phosphorus from human activities that entered Earth's freshwater bodies from 2002 to 2010. Read more

EAG Partners

80th EAGE Annual Conference and Exhibition: registration open!

Join EAGE in Copenhagen (11-14 June) for the world's largest multi-disciplinary geoscience and engineering event- and take part in the conversations that will define the industry.

With an in-depth technical programme (boasting its highest ever number of submissions), short courses, workshops, field trips, a fantastic social programme, and capped off by an extensive exhibition, the EAGE Annual has something to offer everyone in the fields of geophysics, geology, geothermal energy, geochemistry, environment and geoscience-related applications. Register Now at: www.eageannual2018.org. EAG members benefit from member rates.

Job opportunities

Current job opportunities

ECS

Receive job ads as they are posted: like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (@EAG_). To post a position on the EAG job page (free of charge): click here.

PhD & MSc positions:

PhD position in Environmental Geochemistry - University of Vienna

5 PhD positions for a Belgian inter-university project in different fields (geochemistry, geobiology, numerical modeling) - Multiple locations in Belgium

PhD in Anaerobic Methane Oxidation in Freshwater Systems - Nordcee, University of Southern Denmark

One PhD position available at the University of Liege (Belgium) in the field of petrology-volcanology to investigate magmatic processes under one volcano of the andean arc (Chili) - University of Liege

Two PhD positions available in Environmental Biogeochemistry and Soil Science to study arsenic uptake and speciation at the soil/plant and plant/mammalian interface - University of Bern

2 PhD Positions: Winter Soil Processes in Transition - A research project to advance the process-based understanding of the function of soil biogeochemical processes in cold region - University of Waterloo

PhD position in eco-hydrology (Hydrological constraints on Rare Earth Elements dynamics in the regolith-plant continuum) - LIST Luxembourg

PostDoctoral and Fellowship positions:

Postdoc in isotope geochemistry [German] - GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences

3 postdoctoral positions for a Belgian inter-university project in different fields (geochemistry, geobiology, numerical modeling). - Multiple locations in Belgium

Two Postdoctoral positions in Biogeochemical and Ecosystem Modeling - Global Water Futures Program, Ecohydrology Research Group, University of Waterloo