The GeoMinKöln was organized as a joint conference of the DMG and the German Geological Society—Geological Association (DGGV). It was held at the University of Cologne from September 11 to 15 and marked the 100th anniversary of the annual DMG meeting. With the conference venue being set in Cologne, the event returned to the place where the first annual meeting of DMG was held in 1908.
The conference started on Sunday with a public program for young and old to interactively explore geosciences and mineralogy. In exciting lectures, during workshops, on laboratory tours, and at many different exhibition stalls, the visitors could discover, for example, what it is like to live close to a volcano, which raw materials are found in smartphones, or how crystals grow. The large number of visitors spoke for itself and illustrated a generally high level of enthusiasm for the geosciences and the importance of such formats for society.
After a pleasant ice-breaker on Sunday evening, the conference started on Monday with the first scientific sessions and the opening ceremony. The scientific community was welcomed with amusing and exciting stories about the 100 years of tradition of the annual DMG meeting. The first plenary lecture of the conference, given by Prof. Konhauser of the University of Alberta (Canada), also looked far back—namely, to the time when cyanobacteria significantly changed the atmosphere of our Earth.
However, the geosciences also need to look ahead and allow for changes in the future. The Report of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, entitled “Earth System Sciences – Research for the Earth in Transition,” made that very clear. Leopoldina president Prof. Gerald H. Haug emphasized how essential the Earth system sciences are for tackling current societal challenges. However, new, sustainable structures and changes are necessary to face these challenges.
This requires, above all, interdisciplinary communication, which was promoted and initiated during the conference in various additional formats. The DVGeo organized at Town hall meeting, which openly discussed a stronger representation of the geosciences in politics and society. In the evening, the DMG’s moderated multigenerational talk brought together scientists from different generations and provided valuable insights into the development of the field over the past decades. Upcoming changes, such as the possible merging of the individual geoscientific societies into one umbrella society, were also presented and constructively discussed.
As every year, the DMG awarded various prizes and honors. To the delight of the award winners and conference participants, these were introduced musically by the two chairmen of the DMG and DGGV, Prof. Friedhelm von Blanckenburg and Prof. Martin Meschede. Prof. Hartmut Schneider received the Georg Agricola Medal for outstanding achievements in the field of applied mineralogy. The Abraham Gottlob Werner Medal (silver) was awarded to Prof. Hans Keppler. Catharina Heckel received this year’s Beate Mocek Prize, and Dominik Mock and Johannes Pohlner were honored as winners of last year’s Paul Ramdohr Award. In addition, the DMG awarded the first Doris Schachner Medal to Dr. Kerstin Lehnert. This medal replaces the Abraham Gottlob Werner Medal (gold), which was awarded to Andreas Nägele. Dr. Sarah Incel was honored with the Victor Moritz Goldschmidt Prize for 2022.
The scientific program of the conference included many highlights. The engaging lectures and poster sessions ranged from the deep Earth’s mantle to archaeometry of ancient temples and beyond. The plenary lecture by Prof. Cyril Chelle Michou impressively demonstrated how the size of mineral deposits could be better understood by the use of various geochemical tools. Prof. Carina Horn’s plenary talk showed how the Andean uplift affected the evolution of species in the Amazon drainage basin. Because the previous meetings had to be postponed, this year’s conference also included two Goldschmidt Lectures. The 2020 winner, Dr. Mathias Burisch-Hassel, presented how critical mineral resources relate to the rise and fall of the supercontinent Pangaea. The lecture of Dr. Daniel Herwartz, winner of the 2021 Victor Moritz Goldschmidt Award, highlighted the importance of the new triple oxygen isotope systematics for studies of the water cycle and chemical sediments.
As always, there were many lively discussions during the coffee breaks, at the exhibitor stalls, and in the poster sessions with a regional “Kölsch” beer in hand. The social program left plenty of time for the exchange necessary after such a long break. The conference dinner at Quater 1 in downtown Cologne once again gave participants the opportunity to get together and celebrate a successful conference. Next year the annual meeting of the DMG will take place together with the Austrian Mineralogical Society (ÖMG) and the Slovenská mineralogická spoločnosť (SMS) in Vienna, Austria.
Marie Gentzmann