On 14 November 2011, the Geological Society hosted a one-day conference on ‘The Coupling of Tectonics and Surface Processes’ - first in the Society’s new ‘Frontiers’ format where registration is free: the idea being to stimulate debate and research around a rapidly developing theme.
This conference theme was originally conceived by Philip Allen, Chair of Science Committee. The aim was to bring together scientists from as many fields as possible, to discuss how tectonics and surface processes interact. It was timely: it is now widely recognised that there are feedbacks between tectonics and surface processes across a range of time- and length-scales. Such feedbacks have long been under-appreciated, perhaps because the subjects have tended to be taught and researched in isolation.
The day drew over 100 people to a program of 17 varied talks, from specific regional case-studies integrating structural geology and geomorphology, to attempts to understand the coupling of mantle dynamics and landscape evolution on a global scale. A key feature of the day was the construction of a “living slide”, whereby each speaker suggested a topic or question that they believed merited more research. This slide formed the focus for a lively discussion at the end of the day.
One thing was clear: major leaps in understanding are encouraged by diverse approaches. The more multidisciplinary we can make such meetings, the better. Our thanks go to Georgina Worrall and the Conference Office.