The Interior of the Earth GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes an array of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.
The 2027 Interior of the Earth GRC will focus on the critical role that Earth’s deep interior plays in shaping our understanding of the planet’s past, present, and future. The earliest chapters of Earth's history will be explored, including accretion, giant impacts, and the processes that set the stage for a dynamic interior capable of sustaining plate tectonics and a protective magnetic field. These processes set in motion the formation of a dense iron-rich core, whose evolving composition and structure would come to define the planet for billions of years. At the core’s edge, the core-mantle boundary hosts a dramatic thermochemical landscape, modulating heat through the mantle and shaping the vast, heterogeneous provinces, such as multi-scale upwellings and former oceanic crust. The mantle transition zone plays an important role in regulating the flow of material between deep and shallow Earth. The dynamic interplay of the lithosphere and asthenosphere facilitates plate motions, volcanism, and continental adjustment. Looking beyond our own world to the interiors of other planetary bodies within our solar system and distant exoplanets, we gain a comparative framework that situates our understanding of Earth's interior within a far broader planetary context.
The 2027 Interior of the Earth GRC will explore these fascinating and intertwined processes by integrating perspectives from geochemistry, petrology, geophysics (including seismology and geodynamics), mineral physics, and planetary science, while charting the next frontiers of understanding the dynamic planet within. The participation of junior scientists (graduate students and postdocs) is particularly encouraged, both in the preceding Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) and in the GRC. Both the GRC and the GRS will include vibrant, interactive poster sessions with abundant time for discussion, and unscheduled afternoons during the GRC will allow for free interactions among participants at all career stages. These meetings represent an excellent opportunity to start cross-disciplinary collaborations and to learn about cutting-edge findings in adjacent fields.
