The International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences （INHIGEO） Symposium on the historical relationship between geology and religion

The 32nd INHIGEO Symposium was held between 28 July and 5 August 2007 in Eichstatt, northeast Bavaria. This part of Bavaria is celebrated for many things, not least its diverse Jurassic fossils. Amongst the latter, the most famous is one of the great ＂missing links＂ in paleontology, the feathered Archaeopteryx with its reptilian teeth. Equally renowned is the lithographic limestone from Solnhofen that was used to produce the early illustrations of Archaeopteryx along with other countless maps and figures in publications well known to historians of geology. It was fitting that the symposium theme was ＂The Historical Relationship of Geology and Religion＂.     

The IUGS Commission on Geological Sciences for Environmental Planning （COGEOENVIRONMENT） completes its term

During the last 2 years the IUGS has reviewed its Organisation and Operations to allow more efficient and effective administration into the future. Among the items reviewed was the life of Commissions which have now been defined at a maximum of 8 years. As a consequence COGEOENVIRONMENT, which has been in existence since early 1990, was formally closed down at the IGC in Florence in August 2004. The decision by the IUGS Council to close COGEOENVIRONMENT did not in any way imply that the role of the IUGS in promoting geoscience in environment matters was completed.     

Science and Honour： The 11th International Geological Congress in Stockholm 1910

In the late 19th and the early 20th century, with expanding industrialism and urbanisation, the idea of the nation state grew strong in Sweden. In this nationalistic environment, nature and the natural sciences assumed an important unifying role. The search for natural resources and sources of energy inspired political support and research. The exploitation of nature was looked upon as a prerequisite for the modernization of the country, and indeed was to become the basis for Sweden‘s welfare. It was under these circumstances that, in 1906, the 11th IGC was invited to Stockholm in 1910. A request for a Government grant focused on the international development of science but also stressed the national importance. Sweden had, it was said, its ranking position among nations to defend, to uphold its position among civilized nations, and to maintain its distinguished tradition in the spheres of natural sciences and mining operations. The main topics of the Congress were iron ore resources, post-glacial climate change, glacial erosion, the Cambrian fauna, geology of the Precambrian, and geology of the polar regions. Three exhibitions and 24 excursions were arranged, and 41 guidebooks printed. The number of members present was 625, from 37 countries and six continents. The final cost for arranging the 11th IGC was SEK 125,000 (approximately ∈540,000 today). A novel experience in the tradition of the IGCs was the world-wide inquiries about the resources of iron ore and about climate change. Such thematic, worldwide investigations subsequently came to attract the attention of many IGCs. A proposition to establish a commission for the publication of an international stratigraphic dictionary was approved by the Congress, and a subcommission was set up with commissioners from ten countries, but it was not until 1956 that the first volumes of Lexique Stratigraphique International appeared. From a Swedish point of view, the Congress compelled Swedish geologists to carry out an inventory of the results of Swedish geological research of about half a century. The Congress was, in other words, an incentive to finish ongoing projects and bring together summaries of the major research areas. In the history of Swedish geosciences there is thus reason to speak about a pre- and a post-1910.     

The American Geological Institute （AGI）

The American Geological Institute (AGI) is a federation of 42 professional geoscience organizations representing more than 100,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other Earth scientists. In addition, 12 regional societies are Geoscience Associates, 150 colleges and universities are Academic Associates, and 45 companies are Corporate Associates. Geoscience societies and organizations outside of the United States are invited to affiliate with AGI to become part of a growing international community of Earth scientists working in concert to strengthen the global geoscience community.     

The Geological History of the Kerch–Taman Area Based on a Reconstructed Regional Balanced Section

The geological framework and tectonics of the East Black Sea region is characterized through balancing a geological cross-section and paleoreconstruction during the Paleogene–Neogene period. The studied area includes the Kerch–Taman trough, the Anapa Swell (a continuation of the immersed part of the Greater Caucasus Orogen), the Tuapse trough, and the Shatsky Swell. This paper is mainly focused on the Russian shelf zone of the Black Sea. The results are important for understanding the trap formation time and the preservation of hydrocarbon deposits in the Russian sector of the Black Sea shelf.     

The Association of Geoscientists for International Development （AGID） ： Adapting to a changing world

It is just two years since a profile of AGID appeared in Episodes ( Vol 25, No 3, p. 218).At that time we recounted the many achievements of the organization, first established in 1974, but also noted that ‘an awareness of the relevance of geoscience to many aid projects, and the proliferation of NGO‘s, both large and small, working in the environmental and resource sectors has radically changed the world in which AGID seeks to operate‘. We also noted that the change has happened to such an extent that AG1D has ‘to address the question as to whether the time has come either for it to wind up its operations and retire gracefully from the international scene or to continue‘.     

Geological research at the Natural History Museum of Moscow University, 1759-1930 （in Russian）

In 2006, the Moscow publishing house Nauka （Science） published a 246-page book by Zoya A. Bessudnova entitled Geological Research at the Natural History. Museum of Moscow University, 1759-1930 as No. 32 in its series ＂Sketches on the History of Geological Knowledge＇. The author is a geologist and Senior Researcher in the Department for the History of Geology of the Vernadsky State Geological Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and a member of the International Commission on the History of Geological Sci- ences （INHIGEO）.     

Bursting the limits of time： the reconstruction of geohistory in the age of revolution

Bursting the Limits of Time by the distin- guished historian of geology Martin Rudwick is a massive, two-part book. The first part contains what he calls a synchronous history of what eventually became historical geology in western Europe between the time of de Sans- sure＇s epoch-making ascent of Mont Blanc in 1787 and the discovery of the Kirkdale hyaena cave by Buckland in the winter of 1821-1822,     

Nordic Geoscience and the 33rd International Geological Congress： Introduction

Geology has been of profound importance for the Nordic countries since the Middle Ages. Strong economies were built on an understanding of the occurrence in bedrock of minerals containing metals, e.g., silver, copper, zinc and iron, and eventually led to the establishment of the first Geological Surveys in Norway and Sweden in the middle of the nineteenth century. The geology of Norden ranges from the oldest to youngest rocks on the planet. Based on the papers in this special issue, this introduction provides a brief summary of the geological evolution of Norden, from the Archean of Greenland and northern Fennoscandia to the on-going volcanicity in Iceland on the MidAtlantic Ridge. It also refers to aspects of Geoscience that are particularly important for society in Norden, including geo-resources （petroleum, geothermal energy, nuclear energy, metals, industrial minerals and groundwater） and environmental geology （including natural and anthropogenic processes, medical geology, geo-hazards and climate）. Information on the early history of geology in Norden and the geological surveys is also included and, finally, an outline of the 33rd International Geological Congress with its main theme “Earth System Science： Foundation for Sustainable Development”.     

It＇s 126 years old, but it doesn＇t look it：The 32^nd International Geological Congress

While attendance at previous IGC‘s was remarkable, the more than 7,000 earth scientists, exhibitors and guests who met in Florence for the 32^nd International Geological Congress set an all-time record as the highest number of participants. They came from 120 countries and 75% were not Italian. This proportion of foreign attendees was the largest ever; in line with a trend of increasing nonlocal participation, it testifies to the vitality and international character of the IGCs.     

The Working Group on International Borders——Geoenvironmental Concerns （IBC）

The Working Group on International Borders---Geoenvironmental Concerns (IBC) was established in late 2003 and operates under the auspices of The IUGS Commission on Geological Sciences for Environmental Planning (COGEOENVIRONMENT). The following is a brief report of the first year‘s activities of the IBC during 2003.