The Hellenic Sedimentological Association (HSA)

Letter to the Editor

It is a distinct honor and a great pleasure for me to contribute to the glorious Inaugural Edition of the Austin Journal of Earth Science. This nice journal is dedicated to publish articles on all areas of geology and related technology in the exploration and utilization of earth resources and will contribute significanly to the geological community by stimulating collaboration between geoscientists.

The editorial team of the Austin Journal of Eart Science is to be strongly congratulating for their initiative in launching this new journal which will significant enhance our understaning of our planet worldwide.

It was in the late 70’s, when Greek pioneer sedimentologists, a team of less than 10 enthusiastic and almost self taught researchers, adopted the difficult task to map and describe sedimentary outcrops surrounding them. At the same time, they were trying to evaluate the mechanisms responsible for their formation, following the course of the current sedimentological thought, the development of processresponse models and the application of plate-tectonic concepts to basin analysis.

Following the 80’s, they attempted to accept the development of sequence stratigraphy and, aware of their responsibility for the representation of their country in the international sedimentological meetings, started participating in them. This participation was of great benefit both to them and to the sedimentological community, as well, because through this contact, windows of thought were opened and new paths of collaboration were elaborated. As a result, Greece attracted many experienced sedimentologists from other countries. During that time, the first publications of Greek sedimentologists, both in local and regional, as well as in applied, sedimentologyappeared in outstanding journals of sedimentary field.

However, it was only in the last decades that Sedimentology started to be recognized in Greece as a sine qua non dynamic geoscience that may approach the geological problems through a different angle and philosophy. Strong efforts flourished in the 90’s, by the formal introduction of Sedimentology in the academic programs, including the study of clastic and non-clastic sedimentary formations. Nowadays, a significant number of Master’s and PhD students perform interesting sedimentological research. In that period, sedimentologists started to expand the platform of their thinking by facing the sedimentary formations as the result of myriads interacting processes.

In the rise of the 21th century we are facing lots of new challenges and we have come across many problems that have to be solved. Among them are the enormous environmental problems. Although the descriptive method is still an important part of Sedimentology, recent work has been more directed towards an understanding of the processes involved. The rapid technological advancement has played a crucial role in the transition into the information society.

This technological development has undoubtedly facilitated the quick transfer and the exchange of information. However, undoubtedly, the need to bridge academic research with industry still exists.

Greek sedimentologists have traversed a long, but lonely way and under a great need of sharing knowledge and experiences between themselves and the international community they decided to be formally represented. On 2003, the Hellenic Sedimentological Association was established with principal target the promotion of Sedimentology, both as a specialty as well as an applied sector in Research and Industry.

Recognizing the significant service that the International Association of Sedimentologists (IAS) has provided to the sedimentological community, the members of the Hellenic Sedimentological Association have decided to develop strong links with it, by fostering enhanced cooperation and participation with IAS and by establishing firm relationships worldwide with respective scientific associations, committees and journals.

Today the Sedimentological Association (HSA) numbers more than 120 members, but we expect that in the future will become even stronger. Members of our Society are not only sedimentologists sensu stricto. Since Sedimentology is a multidisciplinary science, we have accepted as members not only stratigraphers and micropalaeontologists, but ecologists, biologists, geochemists, oceanographers, geographers and climatologists as well, to list just a few of the principal disciplines involved in the last years in the sedimentological research.

Especially, being convinced that the ultimate objective of fundamental research in the earth sciences is to reconstruct the geological environment of the entire earth, they regarded Palaeogeography, as one of the most fundamental disciplines of the earth sciences. Palaeogeographical analysis plays such a keyrole in understanding Earth history and the development of natural resources, involving detailed analysis of sedimentary basins and petroleum exploration, reconstructing past continents, oceans and climates.

The fact that Greece hosted the 25^th Meeting of the InternationalAssociation of Sedimentologists “Sedimentology and Environment” (Patras, 4-7 September 2007) is considered a significant contribution of IAS towards the strengthening of the Sedimentological Association, and, undoubtedly, encouraged greek sedimentologists to affiliate and join efforts. Moreover, in 2009 the HAS organized the Symposium “Evaporites: Sedimentology, Evaluation and Economic Significance” (Zakynthos, 28-31 May, 2009 and the Conference “The Contribution of Universities in the Hydrocarbons Research” (Athens, 26 January 2012). It has also to be mentioned that quite a few renown sedimentologists from all over the world were invited and deliveredlectures for the benefit of our students and the academic staff.

Hoping to a continual collaboration and support,

Best wishes and success to your efforts,

Dr Fotini A. Pomoni

Founder and Former President of HSA (2003-2011)

Vice-President of HSA (2011-2014)

Professor of Sedimentology & Lithostratigraphy