Eduard Suess Lectures 2009/2010
Eduard Suess (1831-1914), one of Austria's most famous geologists, was a scientist and a politician. He was teaching paleontology and geology at the University of Vienna and was the founder of the "Viennese Geological Scool". As president of the Austrian Academy of Sciences he contributed significantly to exchanges and collaborations with other academies in Europe and the USA. As part of his political career he initiated and supported the installation of the water pipelines from the Alps to Vienna to secure the freshwater supply for the city (1863-1873) and he was a driving force of the flood control measures at the River Danube (1870-1875) in Vienna.
The "Eduard Suess Lectures" consist of a series of lectures on current and highly relevant geoscience topics by well-known scientists from all over the world.
For more informatione see the webpage of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Eduard Suess Lectures Folder [PDF]
PROGRAM
28 October 2009
Hans-Ulrich Schmincke
Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften, IFM-GEOMAR, Kiel, Deutschland
Vulkanologie in einer sich schnell wandelnden Welt – die vergangenen 2500 Jahre
Unser Verständnis von vulkanischen Vorgängen hat sich in den vergangenen 2500 Jahren sprunghaft entwickelt, von den griechischen Naturphilosophen bis zum tieferen Verständnis von Vulkan-Magmasystemen basierend auf dem fundamentalen Paradigma der globalen Plattentektonik. Praktisch alle Problembereiche von aktueller globaler Bedeutung haben einen engen Bezug zu Vulkan-Magmasystemen: Erzlagerstätten, alternative (geothermische) Energie, Klima, Böden. Angesichts der Vernetzung und daher zunehmenden Vulnerabilität unserer heutigen Gesellschaft ist die Vorhersagbarkeit von Vulkaneruptionen ein Paradebeispiel für Gefahrenerkennung und Katastrophenvorsorge.
2 December 2009
Harrison H. Schmitt
Apollo 17 Science Astronaut, and University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Origin and History of the Moon and Earth Through an Explorer's Eyes
Apollo 17's exploration and observation of geological features in the valley of Taurus-Littrow provide new insights into the origin and history of the Moon and how that knowledge relates to the early history of the Earth. Volatiles associated with orange volcanic glasses indicate that lunar origin by giant impact is unlikely; the age of rock melted by the impact event that formed the 740km diameter Serenitatis Basin helps constrain similar, life-associated events on Earth 3.8 billion years ago; crystalline rocks older than 4.4 billion years define major melting events within the Moon soon after it formed around the sun.
Harrison H. Schmitt, has the diverse experience of a geologist, pilot, astronaut, administrator, businessman, writer, and U. S. Senator. He received his PhD from Harvard, was selected for the Scientist-Astronaut program in 1965, and flew in space as Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 17 - the last Apollo mission to the moon. On December 11, 1972, he landed in the Valley of Taurus-Littrow as the only scientist and the last of 12 men (of which 9 are still alive) to step on the Moon. In 1976, after two years managing NASA's Energy Program Office, he was elected to serve a six-year term as Senator in the U.S. Senate beginning in 1977. He is Adjunct Professor of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison and serves on numerous committees and received many awards.
27 January 2010
Bernd Lammerer
Universität München, Deutschland
Warum gibt es die Alpen?
In den Gesteinen der Alpen ist eine lange und aufregende Geschichte gespeichert, welche die Erdgeschichte lebendig werden lässt. Kontinente zerfallen, Ozeane kommen und vergehen, Festland taucht unter, Meeresboden formt hohe Gipfel, scheinbar feste Gesteine zerfließen wie Honig. Moderne geophysikalische Forschungen erlauben heute einen Einblick auch in die tiefsten Strukturen dieses Gebirges, mit deren Hilfe die Entwicklung der Alpen rekonstruiert werden kann. Es wird das Zusammenspiel der erdinneren und äußeren Kräfte und all der Vorgänge aufgezeigt, die letztlich zu diesem grandiosen Gebirge geführt haben.
24 March 2010
Gerald H. Haug
Department Erdwissenschaften, ETH Zürich, Schweiz
Sedimente als Klimaarchiv: Klimaveränderungen von Jahrmillionen bis Jahre
Während der gesamten Erdgeschichte unterlag das Klima großen Schwankungen – lange bevor der Mensch massiv in diese Abläufe eingegriffen hat. So war es in der Kreidezeit und im frühen Känozoikum, bis vor etwa 55 Millionen Jahren, deutlich wärmer als heute und die Pole waren eisfrei. Die Klimageschichte danach war vor allem durch ein Thema geprägt: Die Erde kühlte ab. Das Klimasystem kann aber auf weitaus kürzeren Zeitskalen von Jahrtausenden bis Dekaden drastische Änderungen durchmachen. Das Klima im Holozän, der jüngsten Warmzeit, zeichnet sich hingegen durch vergleichsweise kleine Schwankungen aus, was sicherlich eine wichtige Voraussetzung für die Entwicklung und das Wachstum unserer heutigen Zivilisation war.
28 April 2010
Neil Williams
Society of Economic Geologists + CEO Australian Geoscience, Canberra, Australia
Are We About to Run Out of Minerals – No We Are Not!
Ever since the Industrial Revolution there have been concerns about the exhaustion of non-renewable mineral resources. The concerns are serious because modern society depends on a variety of metals which are widely used but geochemically scarce. Both geological and economic evidence indicates that there is an abundance of minerals in the earth’s crust, but the big problem is our growing inability to discover major new ore deposits.
9 June 2010
Richard Fortey
Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
The Shape of Life History from the Fossil Record
Since the nineteenth century many of the "missing links" between major animal groups have been discovered, especially those connected with breakthroughs into new habitats - like water to land, or earth to air. Fossils also yield surprises: from feathered dinosaurs to unsuspected human side branches. And puzzles remain, such as the cause of the great breakthrough in life's diversity at the base of the Cambrian. Life can best be understood as a series of evolutionary and ecological breakthroughs. But some ecologies seem to emerge "spontaneously" many times over hundreds of millions of years, so maybe life's history can be seen as a story of "advancement", or one of re-playing similar ecological themes. And is human consciousness part of the same scenario?