Third Joint International Earthquake Science Symposium 2026

27.04.2026, 08:30 → 28.04.2026, 19:10 Europe/Berlin

5-1.214 - ATLANTIK / ATLANTIC - Linke Seite – Großer, unterteilbarer Konferenzraum (GEOMAR - Standort Ostufer / GEOMAR - East Shore)

Prof. Dr. Heidrun Kopp, Roberto Benavides (GEOMAR - GDY)

 

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Third Joint International Earthquake Science Symposium 2026

27th and 28th April 2026

GEOMAR, Kiel

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The Third Joint International Earthquake Science Symposium will be held at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (Germany) on 27–28 April 2026. The symposium is jointly organized by the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG), the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), and GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

This international symposium aims to advance our collective understanding of earthquake and volcano-tectonic processes, including faulting, rupture dynamics, magmatic–tectonic interactions, and related geohazards. By bringing together leading researchers from seismology, volcanology, geodesy, geology, laboratory rock physics, marine geophysics, and numerical modeling, the meeting provides a forum for interdisciplinary exchange spanning spatial and temporal scales.

Beyond scientific exchange, the symposium is explicitly designed to support the development of joint international research projects and competitive funding proposals. The meeting will emphasize collaborative thinking across disciplines, regions, and observational approaches, with the goal of translating scientific ideas into concrete project concepts.

Primary Objectives

The primary objectives of the symposium are to:

• Identify key unresolved questions and emerging research opportunities in tectonic and magmatic systems,

• Identify shared scientific priorities that are well suited for coordinated international research efforts, and

• Initiate and advance joint project ideas and collaborative funding proposals, involving partners from multiple institutions and countries.

Project and Proposal Development

A dedicated Project and Proposal Development component will be an integral part of the symposium. This will include structured discussion sessions, thematic breakout groups, and open forums aimed at:

• Developing joint research concepts that build on complementary expertise and infrastructure,

• Identifying suitable national and international funding opportunities (e.g., NSF, DFG, JSPS, Horizon Europe, and bilateral or multilateral programs),

• Defining potential work packages, data-sharing strategies, and coordination mechanisms for international projects, and

• Establishing new research teams and strengthening existing collaborations in earthquake and volcano-tectonic science.

These sessions are intended to create a productive environment for moving beyond discussion toward concrete project outlines and proposal roadmaps.

The Joint International Earthquake Science Symposium is an annual rotating series hosted in the United States, Japan, and Germany, with each meeting emphasizing topical areas where coordinated international efforts can accelerate scientific progress and foster long-term collaboration.

The previous symposia in this series were held at:

• The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, USA, on 14–16 February 2024, and

• The JAMSTEC Yokohama Institute for Earth Sciences, Japan, on 22–23 May 2025.

The Third Symposium in Kiel will continue this tradition, with a particular emphasis on marine-based observations, subduction-zone processes, fault-zone physics, and volcano-tectonic interactions, reflecting the unique research strengths of GEOMAR and its international partners.

The symposium will be conducted in English.

Registration ended on 31.03.2026.

Hotel costs should be covered by the participants. 

No-host dinner at Restaurant: LAGOM Kiel 
Menu

https://www.lagom-kiel.de
(Please take note that the dinner costs should be covered by each participant)

We look forward to welcoming you in Kiel!

With kind regards, 

The Organizing Committee

 

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How to find us:

GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel
Wischhofstr. 1-3
24148 Kiel

Bus timetable:
https://www.nah.sh/en/timetable/planner/ (external link)
Search for Kiel main station "Kiel Hbf" to bus stop "Kiel Seefischmarkt":

--> 5 min walk to GEOMAR, Building Nr. 5 (ENB)

54.327642939198526, 10.180099216106347
Plus code: 85HH+5R Kiel

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Hotel Am Segelhafen
https://am-segelhafen-hotel.com

Room contingent blocked until 30th Jan. 2026

Am Segelhafen Hotel GmbH
Schönberger Str. 32-34
24148 Kiel

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Organising Committee:

In case of questions or requests please contact us directly

Email: office-fb4@geomar.de

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↓  UPDATED Agenda, speakers and poster list   ↓

3rdJointSymposium_UTIG-JAMSTEC-GEOMAR_Schedule.pdf

Mo., 27. April

08:30 → 09:00 Welcome / Registration

09:00 → 09:15 Welcome and Goals

• Introduction to workshop mechanics (oral sessions, posters, breakouts, pitches)
• Purpose: Shift from results to proposal ideas
• Oral sessions Day 1: Focus on new results that unlock new proposals
• Output Day 2: Proposal skeleton notes with leads, core idea, and funding pathway

09:15 → 11:00 Highlighting Scientific Results I: Integrating geodesy

(6 talks 8+2 min, 1 keynote 12+3min)

Subduction Zone Dynamics: Locking, Slow Slip, and Rupture Dynamics
Integrating geodesy, seismology, drilling, and modeling

• Thorsten Becker (Keynote)
Linking inherited lithospheric fabric and mantle flow to plate boundary stresses

• Eiichiro Araki
Monitoring seismogenic plate boundary in 4D

• Gou Fujie
Understanding geodynamics from the oceanic plate to the back-arc basin
through marine geophysical observations

• Luc Lavier
Coral δ¹³C as a Geodetic Proxy for Decadal Interseismic Deformation: A Proof of Concept from the Solomon Islands

• McKenzie Carlson
Slow Slip Accommodates the Full Plate Convergence Budget at the Northern Hikurangi Subduction Zone

• Kaitlin Schaible
Quantifying Tectonic Stress at Boreholes using IODP data from Tohoku and Nankai

• Elizabeth Sherill
tba

11:00 → 11:30 Coffee Break

11:30 → 12:30 Highlighting Scientific Results II

Highlighting Scientific Results II (4 talks 8+2 min, 1 keynote 12+3min)
Volcano–Tectonic Interactions: Deformation, Collapse, and Tsunami Hazard
Forecasting, modeling, and rapid response

• Tatsu Kuwatani (Keynote)
Understanding Submarine Volcanism and Subduction-Zone Dynamics Through Earth Materials

• Steffen Kutterolf
The KIKAI Caldera project: A multi-phased and multi-disciplinary marine and terrestrial investigation of a submarine Caldera system in SW Japan

• Morelia Urlaub
Sector collapse and debris avalanche escorted the 1883 Krakatau disaster

• Jens Karstens
Shared magma supply at Santorini and Kolumbo constrained by amphibious seismological and geodetic analyses of the 2025 dike intrusion

12:30 → 13:45 Lunch + Poster Session

ca. 25 posters

• 13:00–13:30: Poster Group A stands at posters (12–13 posters)
• 13:30–14:00: Poster Group B stands at posters (12–13 posters)

13:45 → 14:15 Opportunity Framing Session

• What shared scientific opportunities are emerging?
• What infrastructure / datasets / methods are unique to the joint UTIG-JAMSTEC-GEOMAR group?
• What must be done jointly to be impactful?
• What opportunities are there for international partners?
• What large AI projects would benefit from our cooperation?

• Anja Wenzel and Eva-Maria Zetsche
Overview of Funding Opportunities

• Demian Saffer
Current activities at UTIG

• Shuichi Kodaira
Outline of the JSPS International Leading Research Proposal "Establishing Subduction Zone System Science

14:15 → 16:00 Proposal Seed Pitches (‚Idea Market‘)

• Pitches for different topics/project ideas (5 Min presentations each)
• General discussion and ‚brainstorming‘
• More pitches are welcome!

• Laura Wallace
How and where is plate motion accommodated near the trench at subduction zones, and what are the implications for earthquake and tsunami generation?

• Demian Saffer
Integration of laboratory constraints on healing and rheology with models and geodesy: What we can learn about near-trench locking and slip behavior

• Gareth Crutchley
How (and how fast) do subduction trenches compact and shorten?

• Charlotte Pizer
Unravelling the spatiotemporal variability of past earthquakes on the Hikurangi margin

16:00 → 16:15 Coffee Break

16:15 → 17:15 Proposal Seed Pitches (‚Idea Market‘) (cont.)

• Christian Berndt:
Sediment magma interactions at the continent ocean boundary of back arc basins - Bay of Plenty, NZ

• Laura Wallace
Megathrust earthquake processes at ocean-ocean subduction zones

• Michael Riedel
IODP3 Proposal northern Cascadia

Overnight prompt:
• What would make an idea submission-ready in 12 months?

17:15 → 17:30 Group Photo

17:30 → 20:00 Dinner

Ferry to Kiel west shore and dinner together

Di., 28. April

09:00 → 09:15 Kickoff and Breakout Briefings

09:15 → 11:00 Breakout 1 — Concept Formation

• Draft concept skeleton (1/2 - 1 page)
• Who’s in the writing team
• What expertise is missing (international partners)

11:00 → 11:30 Coffee Break

11:30 → 12:15 Breakout 2 — Consolidation

• Problem & Relevance
• Innovation
• Provisional work plan (WPs)
• Consortium roles
• Funding path + next steps

12:15 → 13:30 Lunch + Poster Session

• 12:30–13:05: Poster Group A stands at posters (12–13 posters)
• 13:05–13:40: Poster Group B stands at posters (12–13 posters)

13:30 → 14:30 Lab Tour

• Tour of ORTC Ocean Research Technology Center at GEOMAR
• highlight how partners can plug in

14:30 → 15:30 Final Proposal Pitches

• Significance / novelty / feasibility / strategic fit / readiness

15:30 → 16:00 Coffee Break

16:00 → 17:00 Final Discussion + WrapUp/Commitment