Geoscience Frontiers Best Paper Award

GEOSCIENCE FRONTIERS （GSF） has instituted an Award （GSF Best Paper Award） to the author（s） of the paper judged to be the best published each year from 2012 onwards. The objective of this recognition is to encourage high quality studies on the frontier fields of Earth Sciences. Only articles that contain original research data and/or models are eligible for the Award, and can include arti- cles published under the categories of ＂FOCUS＂ and ＂RESEARCH PAPERS＂. The Award Committee comprising of members nomi- nated from the Editorial Board/Council of GEOSCIENCE FRONTIERS, shall be responsible for assessing the papers published during each year, and for selecting the winning paper.

Major contribution to carbon neutrality by China’s geosciences and geological technologies

In the context of global climate change,geosciences provide an important geological solution to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality,China’s geosciences and geological technologies can play an important role in solving the problem of carbon neutrality.This paper discusses the main problems,opportunities,and challenges that can be solved by the participation of geosciences in carbon neutrality,as well as China’s response to them.The main scientific problems involved and the geological work carried out mainly fall into three categories:(1)Carbon emission reduction technology(natural gas hydrate,geothermal,hot dry rock,nuclear energy,hydropower,wind energy,solar energy,hydrogen energy);(2)carbon sequestration technology(carbon capture and storage,underground space utilization);(3)key minerals needed to support carbon neutralization(raw materials for energy transformation,carbon reduction technology).Therefore,geosciences and geological technologies are needed:First,actively participate in the development of green energy such as natural gas,geothermal energy,hydropower,hot dry rock,and key energy minerals,and develop exploration and exploitation technologies such as geothermal energy and natural gas;the second is to do a good job in geological support for new energy site selection,carry out an in-depth study on geotechnical feasibility and mitigation measures,and form the basis of relevant economic decisions to reduce costs and prevent geological disasters;the third is to develop and coordinate relevant departments of geosciences,organize and carry out strategic research on natural resources,carry out theoretical system research on global climate change and other issues under the guidance of earth system science theory,and coordinate frontier scientific information and advanced technological tools of various disciplines.The goal of carbon neutrality provides new opportunities and challenges for geosciences research.In the future,it is necessary to provide theoretical and technical support from various aspects,enhance the ability of climate adaptation,and support the realization of the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.

Geoscience Frontiers 2017 Annual Convention

The 2017 Geoscience Frontiers Annual Convention was held in Beijing, China during October 19e21, 2017 hosted by China University of Geosciences, Beijing (Fig. 1). This convention assembled earth scientists from seven countries, including Australia (Dr. Christopher Spencer and Dr. Stijn Glorie), Korea (Dr. S. Kwon), India (Dr. Shaji Erath), Japan (Dr. Toshiaki Tsunogae and Dr. Masaki Yoshida), Russia (Dr. Inna Safonova), UK (Dr. Nick Roberts), China, and also representatives from Elsevier (Beijing).

Special Issue of Mathematical Geosciences for the 33^(rd) IGC

The papers published in this issue are selected from manuscripts submitted by invited authors and most of these papers will be presented at the 33^rd International Geological Congress （33^rd IGC） in Oslo, August 2008. It receives 25 manuscripts and 16 were accepted after going through the journal normal peer reviewing process. The topics of the papers cover various aspects of ＂metallogenic complex processes and mineral resource quantitative assessment＂, one of the strategic research areas of the State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes Resources （GPMR） sponsored by the Science and Technology and the and Mineral Ministry of Ministry of Education of China. Researches in the area are also supported by the National Natural Science Foundation and Ministry of Land and Resources of China as well as by mining companies. Thanks are due to these funding programs and organizations for supporting the research activities of GPMR. Sincere thanks are due to those who have reviewed the manuscripts and provided critical comments and even English editing of some of the papers. We are very appreciated for the assistance of the editorial office especially Professor Wang, the editor-in-chief, Ms. Yuan and many others who have worked hard to make this issue be printed before the event of 33^rd IGC. Special thanks are given to Professor Xie Shuyun, Xu Deyi and Tali Neta and many other members in the Geomatics Research Lab of York University for handling the manuscripts during the reviewing processes.

Quantitative Geoscience and Geological Big Data Development： A Review

After long-term development, mathematical geology has today become an independent discipline. Big Data science, which has become a new scientific paradigm in the 21st century, gives rise to the geological Big Data, i.e. mathematical geology and quantitative geoscience. Thanks to a robust macro strategy for big data, China＇s quantitative geoscience and geological big data＇s rapid development meets present requirements and has kept up with international levels. This paper presents China＇s decade-long achievements in quantitative prediction and assessment of mineral resources, geoscience information and software systems, geological information platform development, etc., with an emphasis on application of geological big data in informatics, quantitative mineral prediction, geological environment and disaster management, digital land survey, digital city, etc. Looking ahead, mathematical geology is moving towards ＂Digital Geology＂, ＂Digital Land＂ and ＂Geological Cloud＂, eventually realizing China＇s grand ＂Digital China＂ blueprint, and these valuable results will be showcased on the international academic arena.

Comment on “Using a modern analogue to interpret depositional position in ancient fluvial-tidal channels:Example from the McMurray Formation,Canada” by Andrew D.La Croix,Shahin E.Dashtgard,James A.MacEachern,Geoscience Frontiers,Volume 10,Issue 6,Pages 2

1.Introduction La Croix et al.(2019)attempt to interpret the depositional position of the Lower Cretaceous McMurray Formation"A Valley"deposits using the tidally-influenced Fraser River in British Columbia as a modern analogue.Analysis of a portion of seven cores from three study areas(South,Central,and North)positioned along a 145-km basinward transect suggests that observed sedimentological and ichnological trends are indicative of a time-equivalent fluvial-tidal transition(FTT)zone within the"A Valley".

New horizons in energy geoscience

Energy is the driving force of universe.Energy released by chemotropic and/or phototropic reactions is considered to have driven the formation of primitive life on the early Earth.The dynamic Earth,the only planet so far recognized with horizontal motion of lithospheric plates and plate tectonics,provides the best example for the interaction of various forms of energy from different sources which made this planet habitable.The ever-increasing energy needs of the modern society has led to the identification,exploration,and exploitation of various forms of conventional and unconventional energy sources as well as the development of advanced techniques and tools.Although there are several established publications that cover various topics of energy,a common platform to address and integrate all aspects of the planet's energy sources,their exploration and development,utilization,and economic and social implications is lacking.With this objective,we launch our new journal“Energy Geoscience”(ENGEOS)to cover a broad spectrum of topics catering to a large segment of scientific community who are interested in various aspects of natural energy.

Corrigendum to“Structural geometry of orogenic gold deposits:Implications for exploration of world-class and giant deposits”[Geoscience Frontiers 9,(2018)1163e1177]

Fig.8e in our paper(Groves et al.,2018)was incorrectly ascribed to Caddey et al.(1995).It is actually taken from Figure 3 in Morelli et al.(2010).In turn,this was derived from Bell(2013).The authors apologise for this unintentional error.

"Miles wide and miles deep"-Exploring the depth and breadth of geoscience during the first ten years of Geoscience Frontiers

When early explorers first crossed the Platte River in what is now Nebraska (USA), it was said the river was “a mile wide and an inch deep”(Mokler, 1923;Smith, 1971). This phrase was used to describe not only the difficulty in crossing the river but also in navigating its length. The trouble with a river being too wide is the risk that it won’t provide the depth necessary to be useful. The same thing can be said of multidisciplinary scientific journals. While a journal can claim to be multidisciplinary, there is a risk of it being so broad that its articles can only engage the reader at a superficial level. Nothing could be further from the truth with Geoscience Frontiers. Over the past ten years, this journal has successfully navigated the wide breadth of geoscience while providing a level of depth and detail that rivals discipline-specific journals.

Geoscience Frontiers 2019 Annual Convention

The 2019 Geoscience Frontiers Annual Convention was held at the China University of Geosciences(Beijing),China on September 20,2019(Fig.1).This convention assembled earth scientists from four countries,including Australia(Dr.Christopher Spencer),Italy(Dr.Andrea Festa),UK(Dr.Pieter Vermeesch),China,and also representative from Elsevier(Beijing).The Convention started with the introduction by Dr.Lily Wang,Editorial Assistant at Geoscience Frontiers,followed by the inaugural address by Prof.M.Santosh,Editorial Advisor of Geoscience Frontiers.

Geoscience Frontiers 2021 Annual Convention

The 2021 Geoscience Frontiers Annual Convention took place at Qingdao, China and online during September 17–20, 2021, together with 2021 IAGR Annual Convention and 18th International Conference on Gondwana to Asia. This grand event assembled about 190participants(including students) from China, USA, Russia, UK,Australia, Austria, India, Japan, Italy, Netherlands, and Korea.

Geoscience Frontiers 2015 Annual Convention

The 2015 Geoscience Frontiers Annual Convention was held in Beijing, China during October 29, 2015 hosted by China University of Geosciences, Beijing （Fig. 1）. This convention assembled earth scientists from 5 countries, including Australia （Prof. Franco Pirajno）, China （several delegates）, Germany （Prof. Daniel Harlov）, Italy （Prof. Carlo Doglioni）, Norway （Dr. Mathew Domeier）, South Korea （Prof. S. Kwon） and United States （Prof. Richard Goldfarb）, along with representatives from Elsevier （Beijing）.

Geoscience Frontiers 2013 Annual Convention

The 2013 Geoscience Frontiers Annual Convention was held in Beijing, China during Nov. 1-2, 2013 hosted by China University of Geosciences, Beijing （CUGB） （Fig. 1 ）. This conference assembled earth scientists from 5 countries, including China, India （Dr. C. Manikyamba, Miss Preetha Warrier）, Japan （Prof. T. Tsunogae）, South Korea （Prof. S. Kwon） and South Africa （Prof. H.M. Rajesh）, and also representatives from Elsevier （Beijing） and Thomson Reuters （Beijing） offices.

Geoscience Frontiers 2018 Annual Convention

The 2018 Geoscience Frontiers Annual Convention was held at the China University of Geosciences(Beijing),China,during September 20,2018(Fig.1).This convention assembled earth scientists from five countries,including Australia(Dr.Christopher Spencer),India(Dr.Mu.Ramkumar),USA(Dr.Richard Damian Nance and Dr.Joseph Meert),UK(Dr.Nick Roberts),Turkey(Prof.Yener Eyuboglu),China,and also representative from Elsevier(Beijing).

Geoscience Frontiers 2014 Annual Convention

Geoscience Frontiers 2014 Annual Convention was held in Beijing, China during September 19 21, 2014 hosted by China University of Geosciences, Beijing （CUGB）, together with 2014 IAGR Convention and 11th International Conference on Gondwana to Asia. This grand event assembled more than 100 earth scientists from 17 countries and regions, including United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Russia. Australia, Germany, Canada, India, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Romania, Belgium, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, China's Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Annual Meeting minutes of the Chinese Geoscience Union,2020

The Seventh Annual Meeting of the Chinese Geoscience Union was held in Chongqing Yuelai International Convention Center,from October 18 to 212020,together with the 36th Annual Meeting of Chinese Geophysical Society which was held.This annual meeting convened one main venue and 31 academic conference venues,hosting 92 sessions with 51 of them focused on geophysics(including one English session).In addition,there were also six union-wide invited talks,5 presentations on the frontiers of geophysics,and 8 award lectures for the 2020 Fu Chengyi Young Scientist Awardees.The annual meeting received about 3200 abstracts,2150 of which were oral presentations and 950 as posters.In total,there were about 4000 participants from the scientific community and more than 80 exhibitors.

Frontiers in geoscience: A tribute to Prof. Xuanxue Mo-Preface

In response to the proposal by the Earth Science community of China,we are delighted to organize this special issue of Geoscience Frontiers(GSF)in honor of the work by Xuanxue Mo,Professor of Petrology and Geochemistry of China University of Geosciences(Beijing)and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,as a tribute to him on his 80th birthday.In his over 50 years of professional career,Prof.Mo has contributed enormously to the developments of China’s Earth Sciences and it is fair to say that Prof.Mo is one of the most influential administrators,educators and researchers in China’s Earth Science community and also internationally.The research papers assembled in this special issue reflect the authors’appreciation of Prof.Mo who has benefitted them as students,collaborators and colleagues over the years.

Research on the Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutralization Model in Colleges and Universities:Taking China University of Geosciences(Beijing)as an Example

The“3060”goal demonstrates China’s responsibility in actively responding to global climate,enhances China’s voice and influence in climate governance,and sets an example of energy conservation and emission reduction for developing countries.As the main institutions that educate people for the Party and the country,colleges and universities have the responsibility to explore the realization path of carbon peak and carbon neutralization against the new problems encountered in the practice of energy conservation and emission reduction in colleges and universities.In response to the national strategy and the action plan of the Ministry of Education,taking the carbon practice of China University of Geosciences(Beijing)as the starting point,this paper conducts benchmarking research on the path of carbon peak and carbon neutralization in universities through the ecological factor method,campus carbon footprint,and questionnaire analysis.

Geoscience Frontiers 2016 Annual Convention

The 2016 Geoscience Frontiers Annual Convention was held in Beijing,China on October 14,2015 hosted by China University of Geosciences,Beijing（Fig.1）.This convention assembled earth scientists from six countries,including Australia（Dr.Christopher Spencer）,Italy（Prof.Emilio Saccani）,India（Prof.G.Parthasarathy and Prof.M.Jayananda）,Japan（Prof.Masaki Yoshida）,UK（Dr.Nick Roberts）,China,and also representative from Elsevier（Beijing）.