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Plunge (Credit: Ian Watkinson, distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

GD Geodynamics Division on Geodynamics

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European Geosciences Union

Division on Geodynamics
gd.egu.eu

Division on Geodynamics

President: Laetitia Le Pourhiet (Emailgd@egu.eu)
Deputy President: Boris Kaus (Email)
ECS Representative: Constanza Rodriguez Piceda (Emailecs-gd@egu.eu)

Studies related to the Geodynamics Division include all aspects of geodynamic processes in the lithosphere, mantle, and core. They encompass different approaches, including observations, imaging, theory, modelling (numerical simulations and laboratory experiments), and interpretation. Examples include the dynamics of subduction, mid-ocean-ridge processes, vertical and horizontal plate movements driving mountain building and basin formation, lithosphere dynamics, mantle convection, and core dynamics.

Latest posts from the GD blog

Melting Glaciers Move Lithospheric Plates and Fluctuate Mid-ocean Ridges’ Spreading

The rise and fall of massive ice sheets have shaped Earth’s surface for millions of years, but their influence may extend far deeper than previously recognized. This week in News & Views, Tao Yuan, a PhD student at the University of Colorado Boulder, explores how glacial cycles can alter lithospheric plate motions and even modulate the spreading of mid-ocean ridges. The ongoing melting of glaciers, including the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, is expected to raise global sea levels by …


The AI Revolution in Mining: Overhyped, Understood and Absolutely Unavoidable

Artificial Intelligence has dominated the world across various sectors. However, it is yet to be decided whether the use of AI in Mineral Exploration (and more broadly in Geosciences) will diminish the expertise and know-how of Geologists or instead provide a valuable tool for the years ahead. In this week’s blog, Dr. Nicholas Vafeas shares his perspective on AI technology in the mining industry and how it could reshape the narrative for the betterment of society. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has …


“You belong here”: reflections on gender inequality in Academia

Academia is often imagined as a space driven by merit, curiosity, and scientific collaboration. Still behind publications, conferences, and research achievements, many women in STEM continue to navigate environments shaped by subtle exclusion, normalized inequalities, and power imbalances that are not always openly discussed. In Earth Sciences, where collaboration and field-based research are fundamental, conversations about gender inequality are becoming increasingly visible. However, visibility does not necessarily mean resolution. Experiences such as being underestimated, interrupted, professionally devalued, or discouraged still …


Destruction of North China Craton: through the chronotunnel of time

The Asian continent has fascinated the world for at least 3,000 years with its music, food, and discoveries, as well as its breathtaking landscapes. Most of these incredible landscapes are formed by mountains that can be considered geologically “recent” (such as the Cenozoic formation of the Himalayas). However, there are also ancient terrains, pre-dating the Mesozoic, that pose intriguing questions for geoscientists. Today, Professor Yu Wang (王瑜) from the Institute of Earth Sciences (Beijing) at the Chinese University of Geosciences …

Recent awardees

Saskia Goes

Saskia Goes

  • 2026
  • Augustus Love Medal

The 2026 Augustus Love Medal is awarded to Saskia Goes for outstanding contributions to our understanding of Earth structure and evolution, using integrative research at the confluence of geodynamics, seismology, mineral physics, and geochemistry.


Siavash Ghelichkhan

Siavash Ghelichkhan

  • 2026
  • Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award

The 2026 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award is awarded to Siavash Ghelichkhan for pioneering the use of adjoint methods in geodynamics and developing open-source tools that integrate geodynamic models with observational data to improve understanding of Earth’s interior.


Neil M. Ribe

Neil M. Ribe

  • 2025
  • Augustus Love Medal

The 2025 Augustus Love Medal is awarded to Neil M. Ribe for outstanding and fundamental contributions to a wide range of geodynamical problems using rigorous mathematical approaches.


Iris van Zelst

Iris van Zelst

  • 2025
  • Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award

The 2025 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award is awarded to Iris van Zelst for a profound impact on the geodynamics community through outstanding scientific contributions, inspiring leadership, enthusiastic outreach, and fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment.


Berta Vilacís

Berta Vilacís

  • 2025
  • Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award

The 2025 Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award is awarded to Berta Vilacís Tracking dynamic topography through hiatus surfaces


Charlotte Gaugne Gouranton

Charlotte Gaugne Gouranton

  • 2025
  • Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award

The 2025 Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award is awarded to Charlotte Gaugne Gouranton GRACE observations of rapid mass variations at the core-mantle boundary during deep mantle phase transitions in interaction with core flow

Current issue of the EGU newsletter

In our May issue, we look back on another amazing General Assembly in Vienna and online, the EGU awards and medals are now open for nominations, funding is now open for public engagement grants, distinguished lecture speakers, science journalism fellowships, an Early Career Scientist career development workshop and more - and there is a vacancy for an Editorial Manager at the EGU Executive Office in Munich!

All this and much more, in this month's Loupe!