The American Geophysical Union (AGU) Chapman Conference entitled “Hydrothermal Circulation and Seawater Chemistry: What’s the chicken and what’s the egg?”, took place between the 15th and 19th May 2023, at Rodon hotel in Agros village, highlighting once again the international interest in the Troodos Ophiolite and consequently the Troodos UNESCO Global Geopark.

 

The Geological Survey Department (GSD) and the Troodos Geopark participated in the conference that focused on the geochemistry of the Troodos ophiolite rocks, as well as various regions where sea floor spreading is observed. During the opening of the conference proceedings, the Director of the GSD, Mr. Christodoulos Hadjigeorgiou, addressed the scientists from the United States, Central Europe and Asia. Furthermore, at the conference the GSD presented the scientific research on the biostratigraphy of the chemical sediments in Cyprus, which was the result of a collaboration between the GSD and the Geological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

 

The conference closed with an official dinner in honour of all the conference participants. The dinner was hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, which was attended by both the relevant Minister and the General Director. In his salutation, the Minister expressed his gratitude to the organizing committee of AGU Chapman for choosing the Troodos ophiolite and Cyprus, as the venue for the conference and confirmed the continuous support to the scientific community for further studies and research on the Troodos Ophiolite. The Conference organizers thanked both the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism for their support, and presented a commemorative plaque to the Geological Survey Department for its contribution to the successful organization of this conference and its continuous support for research and preservation of the Troodos Ophiolite.