From September 14 to 17, the inaugural ceremony of the Seismological Commission of the Chinese Geophysical Society (CGS) and the first symposium on the Future of Seismology was held at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech).

More than 100 experts and scholars from universities, research institutions, and enterprises attended the event.

Xiaofei CHEN, Professor and Head of the Department of Earth and Space Sciences (ESS) at SUSTech and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. He said that as a supporting unit, the Department of ESS would support the committee’s work and contribute to the development of seismology in China.

Several scholars presented keynote reports at the symposium. They included Peizhen ZHANG & Rui GAO, Professors at Sun Yat-sen University and Academicians of the CAS; Yongxin PAN, Researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGGCAS); Jian LIN, Chair Professor of the Department of Ocean Science and Engineering at SUSTech and member of the Academia Europaea; and Professor Xiaofei CHEN.

In their reports, various topics were discussed, such as the driving mechanisms of current tectonic deformation in the North and South of China and the seismic tectonic characteristics of coastal areas, the fossil subduction and craton evolution revealed by deep reflection seismic profiling, the impact of China’s first Mars exploration mission Tianwen-1, the development of cutting-edge marine technology and high-end talent training, the significance of research in numerical simulation of earthquake processes, an introduction to numerical methods for earthquake processes, and the preliminary application of this method in earthquake disaster prevention and mitigation.

Other experts and scholars who presented reports at the symposium included Sidao NI, Researcher at the Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, CAS; Weidong SUN, Researcher at the Institute of Oceanology, CAS; Zhifeng DING, Professor at the Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration; Haijiang ZHANG & Jie ZHANG, Professors at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC); Ling CHEN & Yinshuang AI, Professor and Researcher, respectively, at IGGCAS; and Xiaodong SONG, Professor at Peking University (PKU).

Those in attendance also visited the Baguang Exhibition Hall and the Shenzhen Ocean University (preparatory) campus, and held on-site exchanges.

The inaugural ceremony of the Seismological Commission of the CGS and the first symposium on the Future of Seismology was hosted by the CGS.

It was organized by SUSTech, the Key Laboratory of Geophysical High-Precision Imaging Technology of Guangdong Province, and the Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Deep Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration Technology, and co-organized by the Preparatory Office of the Shenzhen Ocean University and the Youth Committee of the CGS.