First volcanology field workshop in Hungary

Through the collaboration of the MTA–HUN-REN CSFK Lendület PannonVulkán Research Group and the international volcanological community (IAVCEI), participants had the opportunity to study volcanic deposits at fifteen different sites. The workshop offered insight not only into the eruptive products of basaltic, andesitic, and rhyolitic magmas, but also into their sedimentary transformations – such as mudflows and debris flows. 

kép: The pumiceous beds of pyroclastic flows and surges as well as volcanic ash falls in the cliffs beneath the Sirok Castle indicate the pulsating explosive volcanic eruption of the massive, destructive Demjén eruption 15 million years ago. 

Participants came from ten countries, ranging from Brazil to New Zealand. The goal of the workshop was to deepen young researchers' understanding of the relationship between volcanic activity and sedimentation through hands-on field experience. In addition to scientific knowledge, they also gained perspective on how geoscience connects with cultural and natural heritage. This was supported by the staff of the Novohrad–Nógrád and Bükk-vidék Geoparks, as well as the Bükk National Park. 

The leaders and organizers of the field program were Réka Lukács, head of the MTA–HUN-REN CSFK Lendület PannonVolcano Research Group; Péter Gál, a member of the research group; Profs Orsolya Sztanó and Szabolcs Harangi from the Eötvös Loránd University; and Italian researchers Andrea Di Capua (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche) and Federica Barilaro (University of Calabria). The program demonstrated once again that the Pannonian Basin offers outstanding opportunities for international geoscience education – and that Hungarian researchers play an active role in building shared scientific knowledge.