IAG

International Association of Geomorphologists
Newsletter no. 13 (2/1996)

International Association of Geomorphologists
European Regional Conference,
9-12 April 1996

The conference on Geomorphology and the Changing Environment in Europe was held at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest and Veszprem. The number of participants was approximately 130, half of which were from Hungary and the rest from 22 other countries, mainly in Central and Eastern Europe. The Pannonian or Carpathian Basin, crossed by the Danube, formed the scenic backdrop of the meeting which started in good weather and ended in snow in mid-April.

On the first day, the delegates were welcomed by Erno Meszaros from the Department of Geosciences of the Academy and Olav Slaymaker from the IAG. The keynote lectures were delivered by Marton Pecsi (Evolution of surfaces of planation controlled by tectonic and erosion/accumulation cycles) and V.R. Baker (Geomorphology and global habitability). A delicious buffet lunch which included local specialities was served on a Danube boat and the standard of the food available stayed high throughout the conference. A tour on the geomorphology of the city of Budapest was led by Marton Pecsi on the afternoon of the first day.

Next morning, the participants travelled to Veszprem, 100 km southwest of Budapest. Eighty papers and 30 posters were presented in the afternoon and also on the fourth day of the conference, the venue for which at Veszprem was an old castle. The sessions included fluvial geomorphology, long-term geomorphic evolution, nature conservation and environmental protection, Quaternary landscape evolution, recent geomorphic processes, geomorphological hazards, karst geomorphology, volcanic landforms, basin evolution, geomorphology and development, soil erosion, human impact on rivers, climate change, and geomorphological and geoecological mapping.

A fascinating full-day excursion to the Bakony Mountains and the surroundings of Lake Balaton took care of the third day. A farewell party in the restaurant "Under the Bridge" was a memorable way of concluding the conference. A post-conference excursion to the Great Hungarian Plain was led by Z. Borsy, A, Kerenyi, G. Mezosi, and J. Szabo. The kind donation of $10,000 to the conference by the Suzuki Corporation at the behest of Professor Takasuke Suzuki should be recognised. The British Geomorphological Research Group sponsored two young graduate students to participate in the meeting.

We should congratulate the conference organiser Denes Laczy and his colleagues for putting together a successful and professional conference.

Moshe Inbar

The Fourth International Association of Geomorphologists Conference,
Bologna, 28 August-3 September 1997

The second Circular for this conference along with registration forms are out. If it has not reached you, please write to IV International Conference on Geomorphology, Planning Congressi s.r.l., Via Crociali 2, I-40138 Bologna, Italy (Phone: 39-51-302980, Fax: 39-51-309477). You can also communicate by e-mail: MICHELE.GALANTINO@PLANNING.INET.IT

Registration with advance registration fees and abstracts of papers/posters is expected by 31 October 1996. It will be possible to register after this date but at an enhanced rate. Advanced reservation of accommodation is highly recommended. The conference will include 5 plenary lectures, 12 sessions, and 8 symposia. The sessions will be on fluvial geomorphology, littoral and submarine geomorphology, glacial geomorphology, periglacial geomorphology, arid and subarid geomorphology, tropical geomorphology, tectonic geomorphology, volcanic geomorphology, applied geomorphology, weathering and soils, karst, and theoretical geomorphology. The symposia topics include geomorphology and global change, landslides management, Antarctic geomorphology, geomorphology and environmental impact assessment, magnitude and frequency in geomorphology, methods and tools in geomorphology, geomorphology and global tectonics, and the 28th Binghamton Symposium (Changing the Face of the Earth: engineering geomorphology). The meeting will also include a workshop for young geomorphologists and an educational and commercial display.

Three pre-conference and 13-post conference excursions are offered. The pre-conference excursions will cover

The post-conference trips are

Five one-day excursions have been planned during the conference. Three of these will take the delegates to Venezia (Venice), Firenze (Florence), and Ravenna. The remaining two are on the geomorphic evolution of karst and fluvial basins in the surroundings of Bologna, and on fluvial and littoral geomorphology and ecology in the Po Delta. Besides these, five meetings with field trips will take place before the conference.

The organising committee is trying to subsidise partially the expenses of deserving delegates. The deadline for applying for these grants is also 31 October 1996. The number of preliminary registration for the IAG Bologna meeting now stands at approximately 1000.

International Association of Geomorphologists News Update

The IAG is now affiliated to the International Council for Scientific Unions (ICSU). IAG has been invited to join COGEOENVIRONMENT as a corresponding member. IAG will have a presence at the International Geographical Union meeting in August 1996 at The Hague, where the IAG symposium will be chaired by Jesse Walker and lectures delivered in the morning by D. Brunsden, H. Bruckner, and T. Spencer. This will be followed by a panel discussion to be introduced by R. Allison, N. Psuty, O. Slaymaker, and J. Terwindt.

The Executive Committee of the IAG would like to record its appreciation of the support provided by journal editors and Jeff Lee for dissemination of this newsletter via journals and e-mail. The Committee also agreed to regularly hold a regional meeting about half-way between two main international conferences which are organised at four-year intervals. In this context, the national adhering bodies are invited to submit offers of conference venues for both the 5th International Conference in 2001 and the next regional meeting in 1999. The offers should be sent formally to R.J. Allison, Secretary, IAG. All offers will be discussed at the next IAG formal council meeting at Bologna in 1997. In case of multiple invitations, the final selection will be made by the ballot of voting council members.

Future Conferences

Poznan, Poland, 17-18 October 1996: Symposium on Quaternary Relief and Deposits of Present-day and Pleistocene Glaciations in the Northern Hemisphere.

Contact: Gregorz Rachlewicz, Adam Mickiewicz University, Quaternary Research Institute, 61-701 Poznan, Poland (Fax: 48-61-530234; e-mail: grzera@hum.amu.edu.pl)

Pitzcuaro, Mich., Mexico, 23-25 October 1996, Cuarta Reunion Nacional de Geomorfologia.

Contact: J.L. Palacio, Instituto de Geografia, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Coyoac n, D.F., Mexico (Fax: 5-616-2145; e-mail: palacio@servidor.unam.mx) or Gerrardo Boco, A.P. 27-H, Santa Maria Guido, 58090 Morelia, Mich., Mexico (e-mail: gbocco@miranda.ecologia.mx).

The conference sessions include a number of themes covering various aspects of volcanic and tectonic geomorphology, process geomorphology, soil erosion and conservation, theory and methods in geomorphology, Quaternary stratigraphy, geomorphology and archaeology, remote sensing, etc. Registration and abstracts requested by 31 July 1996. The meeting is organised by the Instituto de Geografia and the Centro de Ecologia of UNAM.

Lima and Arequipa, Peru, 4-9 November 1996, Second Latin-American Symposium on Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Mitigation.

Contact: J.-C. Thouret, Instituto Geofisico del Peru - ORSTOM, Calle Calatrava 216, Urbanizacion Camino Real, La Molina, Lima 100, Peru (Fax: 51-14-368437/375055; e-mail: jct@geo.igp.gob.pe).

The main topics of the conference are active volcanoes, eruptive activity and products; earthquakes and threatened communities; geophysical monitoring on active volcanoes and in seismic areas; and mitigation and public response, particularly in cities. A workshop on assessment and mitigation of hazards and a short course on mitigation will be held in Lima, followed by a workshop in Arequipa. The workshop in Arequipa will end with an one-day fieldwork around the Misti Stratovolcano and the dry stream valleys which cross the city of Arequipa. Additional trips may be arranged to enable the participants to visit the nearby volcanoes, the valley of Rio Colca, the cities of Puno and Cusco, and the Titacaca Lake.

Xalli: the newsletter of the Sociedad Mexicana de Geomorfologia

Xalli is published by the Mexican Society of Geomorphologists. Apart from regional news of geomorphological research and conferences, it carries a list of recent publications in geomorphology, mainly from Mexico and neighbouring regions. Further details are available from the President of the Society, Jose Lugo Hubp, Instituto de Geografia, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Coyoac n, D.F., Mexico (Fax: 5-616-2145/0539; e-mail: lugoh@servidor.unam.mx)

Please send material for IAG Newsletter to Avijit Gupta, Publication Secretary, IAG, Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119260. Fax: 65-777-3091. e-mail: geoagup@nus.sg

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