Nominations for Early Career Board Member
June 12, 2025
Students, postdoctoral scholars, and other early career scientists form a crucial segment of the Geochemical Society's membership. To make sure that we consider the needs of this population, the society has two seats on its board specifically for early career researchers (ECR). The board is responsible for governing the organization and determining how our programs can best serve the international geochemistry community. Serving on the board is an opportunity to develop as a leader, meet colleagues from around the world, and make a real contribution to the society and larger community.
Early career scientists may self-nominate for this role by July 10, 2025.
Definition of ECR: Early career researchers are defined as higher degree (beyond Bachelors level) students in good standing who 1) have completed at least 2 years of a PhD program (e.g., equivalent to having passed qualifying or mid-term exams where applicable) OR 2) postdoctoral researchers or faculty within 4 years of being awarded their PhD, OR 3) employees in a geochemistry-related industry within 4 years of last degree completion at the year of nomination.
Term of Service: ECR directors will serve for 2 years. This reflects the competing heavy demands on ECR time at this stage of their careers and also allows for broader participation of ECRs on the GS Board.
Duties: The duties of the ECR directors will be the same and with full Board voting and participation rights equivalent to other Non-Officer/Directors and they will be expected to attend all Board meetings, including at Goldschmidt Conferences either in-person (preferred) or virtually. Financial assistance for travel to in-person meetings will be available. It is also expected that the ECR directors will serve on a GS committee during their tenures.
Selection Process: Candidates may self-nominate or be nominated by others. (In the case of nominations by others, the society will contact the candidate to confirm that they are willing to stand for election.) The terms of the two ECR directors will be staggered, with one ECR director elected last year and one this year. As part of the process, each potential nominee will be asked to write a 500-word statement indicating why they wish to serve on the Board and what they would like to accomplish, along with a brief description of their experience, which may include a website link. At least two candidates to stand for election will be selected by the Nomination Committee and the Board. These candidates will be presented to the entire society membership during the Board election in November.
Submit a nomination: To self-nominate, send your statement of interest to: nominations@geochemsoc.org. To nominate someone else, send their name and email address and a member of the committee will follow up with the nominee (confirmation from the candidate must be received by the same deadline, so if nominating someone else, please submit it in advance of July 10). Nominations for the position are due by July 10, 2025.
Annual Report to Our Members
June 09, 2025
The GS is pleased to present this report summarizing the annual activities of the society for 2024. It is designed to present important facts about the programs and finances of the society in a concise format. We welcome your comments on the report by contacting the business office.
Elements: Greenalite
June 05, 2025
Greenalite [Fe3Si2O5(OH)4] is an Fe(II)-serpentine mineral that was first identified in Lake Superior iron formations over 100 years ago, but its true extent is only now being recognized with the advent of in-situ nanoscale techniques. In the last decade, nanoparticulate greenalite has emerged as a prime candidate in the deposition of early Precambrian banded iron formations (BIFs). Together with experiments and modeling, new light is being shed on greenalite-forming conditions and environments, challenging long-held models that argue that BIFs were deposited from seawater as biologically oxidized phases of Fe. Greenalite–hisingerite minerals also occur as alteration products in meteorites, and recent in-situ and orbital data imply that Fe-serpentines are major products of serpentinization systems on early Mars, potentially recording widespread H2 production.
Geochemical Society members can access this issue now via the Elements website using your email address (UserID) and member number (Password).
Biomineral Geochemistry: Windows into Past Climates and Calcification
April 10, 2025
Marine calcium carbonate biominerals, especially the shells and skeletons produced by molluscs, corals, and the immeasurably numerous calcifying phytoplankton and zooplankton, are of both societal and environmental importance for two key reasons. Firstly, the mineralised remains of these organisms are one of the largest long-term sinks of carbon on Earth’s surface. Secondly, and perhaps more practically, the (trace) element and isotopic composition of these biominerals probably represents the most widely applied tool for quantitatively reconstructing past environmental conditions on timescales from days to millions of years. It has been known for some time that the processes of biomineralisation imprint on these ‘proxy’ systems, shifting their behaviour away from thermodynamic equilibrium, such that they typically require empirical calibration to an environmental variable of interest.
Special Lectures at Goldschmidt 2025
March 06, 2025
(Pictured, from left: Nathalie Goodkin, Ronnie Glud, Benjamin Mills)
The Geochemical Society is pleased to announce three special lectures to be given at the 2025 Goldschmidt Conference. The Earl Ingerson Lecture will be delivered by Nathalie Goodkin of the American Museum of Natural History. She is recognized for outstanding work developing coral geochemical proxies and generating paleo records that clarify the ocean's role in driving climate on decadal to centennial time scales.
The Endowed Biogeochemistry Lecture will be given by Ronnie Glud of the University of Southern Denmark. The selection honors his research around oxygen fluxes in aquatic systems and the role of hydrological, chemical and biological processes in oxygen diffusion and consumption.
The Robert Berner Lecture (a joint award with EAG) will be presented by Benjamin Mills of the University of Leeds. He has made fundamental advances in understanding the evolution of the Earth and its habitability through time. He is at the forefront of the paleo-biogeochemical modeling discipline, continuing to adapt and extend Berner's original modeling approach.
Ellen Hopmans Named 2025 Recipient of Alfred Treibs Award
March 04, 2025
Ellen C. Hopmans, Head of Analytical Laboratory at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, will receive the 2025 the Alfred Treibs Award. Presented by the society's Organic Geochemistry Division, the award is given for major achievements, over a period of years, in organic geochemistry. Dr. Hopmans is recognized for significant contributions to organic geochemistry, particularly through pioneering analytical advances. She introduced liquid chromatography, enabling the detection of membrane-spanning lipids like GDGTs, revolutionizing paleoclimate research with the TEX86 proxy. Additionally, her teaching and mentoring have inspired and empowered the next generation of organic geochemists, especially women.
Birth and Growth of Minerals from Aqueous Solutions
February 25, 2025
The birth and growth of minerals from aqueous solutions is a ubiquitous process in both natural and engineered environments. This research field has recently experienced a paradigm shift due to the discovery of non-classical nucleation and growth processes. These insights have helped us to understand better the natural world and significantly impact various industrial and environmental applications, such as the development of more sustainable building materials, mineral processing, CO2 storage, and water treatment. Consequently, detailed knowledge of the mechanisms and kinetics underlying mineral nucleation and growth is vital in these areas. This issue provides a comprehensive overview of mineral formation by reviewing classical mechanisms and supplementing them with recent insights about the nucleation and growth of minerals, particularly those concerning non-classical crystallization pathways.
Current Geochemical Society members can access this issue now via the Elements website using your email address (UserID) and member number (Password).
The Geochemical Society is on Bluesky
February 21, 2025
The GS now has a Bluesky account. Follow us there to stay up to date with society news and connect with the community. Follow Us Now!
Chris Hawkesworth Named 2025 Recipient of V. M. Goldschmidt Award
February 11, 2025
Chris Hawkesworth, Professor Emeritus at the University of Bristol (UK) will receive the 2025 Victor M. Goldschmidt Award this July. The Goldschmidt Award is the society's highest honor, presented annually for major achievements in geochemistry over a career. Prof. Hawkesworth is recognized for exceptional scientific contributions, made through the application of advanced geochemical proxies, that have guided our understanding of the crust and lithosphere and their interactions with the convecting mantle. His work has helped transform geochemistry by emphasising its applicability to understanding the processes operating over the entirety of Earth's existence.
Avner Vengosh Named 2025 Recipient of Clair C. Patterson Award
February 11, 2025
Avner Vengosh, Distinguished Professor of Environmental Quality at Duke University (USA) will receive the 2025 Clair C. Patterson Award in July. The award is presented annually for an innovative breakthrough in environmental geochemistry of fundamental significance within the last decade, particularly in service to society. Prof. Vengosh is recognized for his work evaluating the impact of conventional and nonconventional energy development on environmental geochemistry, especially of water resources.