Conference

The "Biennial Castle Meetings" New Trends on Rock, Palaeo and Environmental Magnetism, held for 30 years, have become a success story attracting researchers from all over the world.

The relaxing ambience enables easy and intense exchange of existing knowledge and insights into new trends in palaeo-/archaeomagnetism, magnetostratigraphy, rock and environmental magnetism and adjacent disciplines.

The Castle meetings are thus an attracting place, motivating and supporting young generation of scientists. Therefore young researchers, such as PhD students and PostDocs, are strongly encouraged to seize this opportunity and present the results of their studies.

Therefore, we have no special preference and original contributions dealing with any of the following topics are welcome:

• Rock magnetism and its physical background
• Rock magnetism applied to activities with potential economic interest (e.g., mineralization processes and hydrocarbon exploration)
• Palaeomagnetism and dating (archaeomagnetism, palaeointensity, secular variation, magnetostratigraphy, excursions…)
• Palaeomagnetism and/or marine magnetic anomalies applied to tectonics
• Coupling between palaeomagnetic data and geodynamo models
• Environmental magnetism
• Magnetic record of global changes
• Rock magnetic fabrics – new frontiers
• New Techniques and approaches
• Assessment of the quality of the palaeomagnetic and rock-magnetic data

Short course related to conference – title to be defined later

Dates 26-28 August 2022, Trakošćan, Croatia

Participants 20 undergraduate / postgraduate students

32 years of Castle meetings (1988-2020)

Welcome address from Eduard

Dear Colleagues,

This year we have the pleasure to attend already the 16th “Castle Meeting” on Paleo, Rock and Environmental Magnetsim. Although 16 is not the right reason to celebrate, these meetings started exactly 30 years ago as meeting on Paleomagnetism, Rock Magnetism and Database Usage.

The very first one was held in Liblice (Czechoslovakia) in 1988, being motivated by discussions held during the International Association for Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) Assembly in 1985 in Prague. Actually, since the beginning in 1988, the meetings have been recognized by and sponsored by IAGA. I remember the first one in 1988 pretty well – I gave my very first oral presentation on paleomagnetism of rocks from Cap de Chevre (France).

My shirt got completely wet and I had barely idea what I was talking about. However, I met several great personalities in our field of research, such as legendary Vit Jelinek (who otherwise practically did not attend any meetings). One year later, in 1989, the political situation in our country changed dramatically. This change resulted in exit of several of my co-workers, including my supervisor, to private business and I was left almost alone with the decision of the first meeting to continue the organization of these events on regular bi-annual basis. Thus, I had to organize the second one in 1990 in Bechyne.

At that meeting we agreed with colleagues from Bratislava (Slovakia) to hold the meetings alternately in both new countries – Czech and Slovak Republics (see the list of meetings held until now at the end of this text). As a result, it has been my privilege and great pleasure to organize, or be at hand to organizers, of these great meetings for 3 decades. These meetings got a worldwide reputation in particular for the atmosphere, which has always combined scientific work with excellent social programme, consisting of local tours, cultural performances, food and drinks tasting, etc. I especially appreciate very much that the attendees varied from regular, well recognized experts to young PhD (or even master) students; many of the latter ones developed later on to well established and known scientists.

All the participants easily got the idea that the meetings represent ideal training for young colleagues – acting as chairs of sessions, being evaluated for their performance and nominated for the IAGA award, etc. And one could not count how many working cooperations, projects and good personal friendships were established at these meetings.

To conclude, we successfully “survived” three decades of these bright events. Four years ago we moved for the first time outside former Czechoslovakia and no doubts local organizers (Pedro Silva in Portugal in 2014 as well as Simo Spassov in Belgium in 2016) proved that they got these meetings deeply under their skin.

I only wish this trends remains also for the future, having meetings of this size, with relaxed atmosphere and participants from about 25 countries worldwide, combining various ages and cultures. It will be always my great honour and pleasure to attend them.

Wishing the meetings and the community behind them promising and prosperous future.

In Prague, 9 May 2018
Eduard Petrovsky

List of Castle Meetings