Issue #359 | 5 August 2024

A fortnightly news compilation by the European Federation of Geologists

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Dittrich: The Zinnwald Lithium Project: Transferring legacy exploration data into new m...

The Erzgebirge represents one of the most important metallogenic provinces in Europe and was mined for various metals (i.e. Ag, Sn, U) over centuries. All mining activities were abandoned in the early 1990s, but recent technological and geopolitical developments...

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EFG

New issue of European Geologist: Geology at the interdisciplinary nexus

EFG announces the release of issue 57 of its peer-reviewed Diamond Open Access publication, the European Geologist. The new issue is entitled "Geology at the interdisciplinary nexus: Why does collaboration matter".

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EFG

Election of EFG representative as GGPG Board member

Júlio Manuel da Costa Santos from EFG’s Portuguese National Association, the Portuguese Association of Geologists (APG), has been appointed as Secretary of the Global Geoscience Professionalism Group (GGPG).

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EFG

Join us in November 2025 for the 5th International Professional Geology Conference!

Under the theme “Building on the Past, Advancing towards the Future: Geology in the Era of Technology”, geology professionals and industry leaders from all over the world will gather to share knowledge and network.

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EFG

Open invite for language translators & proof readers

EFG currently has an open invite for language translators for all European languages represented within our association. We are also looking for geologists who are (near) native English speakers interested in gaining experience in language editing.

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EU looks at water strategy as conflict grows over agricultural use of large reservoirs

The re-elected president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced "a strategy for sustainable management of water" at a time when 21 EU ministers called for water to be a top priority on the European agenda and France was set to see de...

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EU, US energy chiefs keep clean tech rivalry on friendly terms in Bucharest

The European energy commissioner and the US energy secretary used a meeting of Central and Eastern European energy ministers in Bucharest this week to keep EU-US clean tech competition on a friendly footing.

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Hungary says Croatia is unreliable for oil transit, sparks outrage in Zagreb

Slovakia and Hungary on Friday (2 August) rebuffed a European Commission suggestion that they could replace lost Russian oil supplies via an alternative route through Croatia, saying the country is unreliable for oil transit.

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The EU should call Orbán’s oil bluff

Europe can survive without Russian oil. Hungary, Slovakia, and Czechia are no exceptions, even though they lobbied hard for exemptions from the EU's ban on Russian oil imports after Russia invaded Ukraine, writes Martin Dimitrov.

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Hungary to block EU funds for member states until Ukraine allows Lukoil transit

Hungary will block European Union refunds for member states that gave munitions to Ukraine until Kyiv allows the transit of oil from Russia's Lukoil through a pipeline over its territory, the Hungarian foreign minister said on Tuesday (23 July).

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Hungary and Slovakia ask EU to mediate with Ukraine over Lukoil

Hungary and Slovakia have asked the European Commission to mediate a consultation procedure with Ukraine, Hungary's foreign minister said, after Kyiv placed Russian group Lukoil on a sanctions list, stopping its supplies to the two countries.

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Czechs pick South Korea's KHNP over French bid in nuclear power tender

The Czech government on Wednesday (17 July) picked South Korea's KHNP to build two new nuclear power units, with the possibility of more.

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Italy to present hydrogen corridor plan in autumn, may involve Switzerland

Italy will host an event in the autumn to present a network to transport hydrogen from the southern Mediterranean to northern Europe, its energy minister told Reuters on Wednesday, saying Switzerland could also be involved.

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Spanish hydrogen experience qualifies Teresa Ribera for the climate job in the next EU ...

Teresa Ribera, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge of Spain understands the advantages of a multi-modal energy system encompassing renewable gases like hydrogen.

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Stricter EU rules and technology bans could deliver net zero in 2046, €6.1tn GDP boost

Economic and financial consultancy Oxera has published a report explaining that more investment and policy on decarbonisation would boost economic growth across the European Union.

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The changing dynamics of European electricity markets

The recently adopted electricity market reform sees the state becoming a major financial intermediary in the European electricity sector, with implications for its approach to recovering costs

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Large fire breaks out in Rome near public TV station and court of justice

A large fire broke out in Rome on Wednesday (31 July) on a hill near the Italian capital's court of justice and a public TV broadcasting centre, forcing the evacuation of several buildings and offices, firefighters said.

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What I wish someone told me early in my career: meet Hazel Gibson, our Head of Communic...

‘What I wish someone told me early in my career’ is a new Geolog series that aims to provide valuable insights and guidance to early-career professionals within the European Geosciences Union (EGU) community. Each month, I will interview a staff member...

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GeoPolicy: Your 2024 Science for Policy Summer Reading list

As the days grow warmer and you start to think about your summer holidays or field work, you might also be looking for a book or two to help you unwind! Whether you’re lounging by the pool, enjoying a picnic in the park, or resting after a long day in ...

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Tropical rainforest, the lungs of our planet, might be releasing more than just CO2!

When I was thirteen years old, my family and I almost lost our lives due to a carbon monoxide (CO) leak. I never stopped thinking about that incident even though it happened over twenty years ago. Not only because it was a premature realisation of my o...

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Learning beyond the classroom – bringing science teaching into the real world

Frank Täufer, a scientific assistant at Campus Wiesengut – the University of Bonn’s ecological teaching and research farm – asked a group of visiting 8-year-olds to speculate on why the rye plants in his field were all different heights. He was surpris...

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FP10 should break down barriers between industry and academia, says EMBL

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is calling for more focus on the translation of the fundamental insights its research generates, and for greater interchange between academia and industry in the next framework research programme, FP10

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How KU Leuven became the top Horizon Europe grant winner

At the halfway point, KU Leuven has won more grants from Horizon Europe than any other university. This isn’t accidental. Jan D'hooge, vice rector of research policy, told Science|Business how it took the lead.

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Studying multi-hazards from space

A new European Space Agency-funded project will study the effect earthquakes have on occurrences of other natural hazards in the long-term.

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Responsible extraction in South America's Lithium Triangle

A BGS team visited Argentina and Chile to investigate how to extract lithium more responsibly in the face of growing worldwide demand.

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Warnings for Scottish farmers and distillers as new data indicates climate change may d...

The agricultural and distilling sectors could face significant challenges after research finds the number of droughts in Scotland may double in the next 25 years.

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Spotlight on BGS coastal erosion data

BGS data can support researchers and practitioners facing coastal erosion adaptation challenges along our coastline.

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Lunar Lava Tube Revealed Beneath Collapsed Pit

The Sea of Tranquility is home to at least one lunar lava tube, which could preserve a pristine and unweathered record of lunar volcanism.

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Smells Like an Exoplanet

Hydrogen sulfide, spotted in the atmosphere of the exoplanet HD 189733 b, helps constrain how the planet formed.

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Extreme Wildfires Are Getting More Extreme and Occurring More Often

The world’s most energetic wildfires have doubled in intensity and number over the past 2 decades, with climate change and land management likely to blame.

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Fossilized Shells Reveal the Seasonality of a Warmer Climate

Summers could warm faster than winters in northern Europe, paleoclimate research suggests.

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Carbon Cycles Through Plants More Quickly Than Expected

A radioactive isotope produced by nuclear weapons reveals that plants take up more carbon—but hold on to it for less time—than current climate models suggest.

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China sees highest number of significant floods since records began

So far this year officials warnings have been issued for 25 floods, and China is only halfway through its peak flood season

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Deadly Mediterranean heatwave would not have occurred without human induced climate cha...

Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France and Morocco experienced extreme heat in July 2024, causing at least 23 fatalities, widespread wildfires and bringing public life to a hold.

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