简介:TheearthquakeactivityanddamageinmainlandChinain2003arereviewed.Therewere27earthquakeswithamagnitudeofover5.0,resultingin319peoplekilledand7147peopleinjured.Thetotaleconomiclossofover560millionUSdollarsrepresentsthehighestfigureformainlandChinasince1977,anditiscomparabletothetotallossduringonedecadeinthe1980's.ForthefirsttimeChinaInternationalSearchandRescue(CISAR)teamsweredispatchedtodisasterareasinChina,Algeriaandlran.
简介:Inthelate19thandtheearly20thcentury,withexpandingindustrialismandurbanisation,theideaofthenationstategrewstronginSweden.Inthisnationalisticenvironment,natureandthenaturalsciencesassumedanimportantunifyingrole.Thesearchfornaturalresourcesandsourcesofenergyinspiredpoliticalsupportandresearch.Theexploitationofnaturewaslookeduponasaprerequisiteforthemodernizationofthecountry,andindeedwastobecomethebasisforSweden'swelfare.Itwasunderthesecircumstancesthat,in1906,the11thIGCwasinvitedtoStockholmin1910.ArequestforaGovernmentgrantfocusedontheinternationaldevelopmentofsciencebutalsostressedthenationalimportance.Swedenhad,itwassaid,itsrankingpositionamongnationstodefend,toupholditspositionamongcivilizednations,andtomaintainitsdistinguishedtraditioninthespheresofnaturalsciencesandminingoperations.ThemaintopicsoftheCongresswereironoreresources,post-glacialclimatechange,glacialerosion,theCambrianfauna,geologyofthePrecambrian,andgeologyofthepolarregions.Threeexhibitionsand24excursionswerearranged,and41guidebooksprinted.Thenumberofmemberspresentwas625,from37countriesandsixcontinents.Thefinalcostforarrangingthe11thIGCwasSEK125,000(approximately∈540,000today).AnovelexperienceinthetraditionoftheIGCswastheworld-wideinquiriesabouttheresourcesofironoreandaboutclimatechange.Suchthematic,worldwideinvestigationssubsequentlycametoattracttheattentionofmanyIGCs.ApropositiontoestablishacommissionforthepublicationofaninternationalstratigraphicdictionarywasapprovedbytheCongress,andasubcommissionwassetupwithcommissionersfromtencountries,butitwasnotuntil1956thatthefirstvolumesofLexiqueStratigraphiqueInternationalappeared.FromaSwedishpointofview,theCongresscompelledSwedishgeologiststocarryoutaninventoryoftheresultsofSwedishgeologicalr
简介:IthasbeenatraditiontoorganizeverysuccessfulUNESCOPostgraduateCoursesonGeochemicalProspectingMethodsintheformerCzechoslovakiafrommid70's.Thefirstcertificatedcourse--GEOCHIMPRAHAUNESCO1975waslaunchedonSeptember5,1975andlastedtillOctober25,1975.SincethattimethiscoursehasbeenorganizedbiannuallybytheCzechGeologicalSurveyinPraguetogetherwiththeDionyzSturGeologicalSurveyinBratislavaandsponsoredbytheDivisionofEarthSciences(UNESCO/Paris)andtheInternationalAssociationofGeochemistryandCosmochemistry(IAGS).Thecoursewasspecializedonboththeoreticalandpracticaltraininginclassicalgeochemicalprospectingmethods.AteamofinternationallyexperiencedgeoscientistsasDrs.J.Pokorny,F.Mma,J.Manour,V.LomozovaZ.Sulcek,I.Rubeska,A.Spackova,V.Sixta,J.Juna,J.Veselu,J.Dornicandothers,co-ordinatedbyDr.ZdenekPacalfromtheCzechGeologicalSurveyinPraguehassoonearnedhighinternationalreputationandtheGEOCHIMCSSRUNESCOPostgraduateCoursedevelopedintooneofthemostsuccessfulPostgraduateTrainingProgrammesofUNESCO.