Development strategy of geology in next 5–10 years: Trends and countermeasures

Abstract

<p indent="0mm">The recent great development in science and technology has launched Earth Science to higher expectations. The connotation and extension of Earth science have been expanded to Earth system science, including the formation and evolution of the inner and outer layers of solid Earth, mineral resource enrichment, ecological environment change, Earth habitability and social sustainable development. As the core of Earth science and a traditional subject, geology urgently needs a rapid development through in-depth study of the subject development trend and formulation of development strategy. Relying on support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China through the project “research on development strategy of geology” and the great efforts made by a number of experts in various disciplines of Earth science, we have fulfilled the following tasks: (1) Investigated the current development status and future trend of geology at home and abroad and set up 6 subject development goals in scientific research innovation, optimization of scientific research organization, serving and meeting critical national needs, construction of testing technology innovation and platform, strengthening international cooperation and cultivation and innovation of geological talents. (2) Suggested to deploy a series of foresight projects around the national Earth science program of “deep Earth, deep sea, deep space and earth system science”, that are expected to make a breakthrough in the areas of structural geology and tectonics, mineralogy and petrology, sedimentology and stratigraphy, paleontology and biogeography, Quaternary geology, hydrology and engineering geology, mineral deposit science, and oil and gas geology. (3) Identified and summarized a number of key scientific issues from 13 priority development areas as follows. The distribution and circulation of the Earth’s key metal elements, the formation and evolution of continents and the initiation of plate tectonics, the mineralogical and petrological processes of the crust-mantle interaction in the subduction zones, deep processes and dynamics of the Earth, interaction between deep processes and shallow system and the habitable Earth environment, Earth’s multispheric interaction and dynamics and resource-environment effects of the basin-mountain system in the Tethys tectonic domain, reconstruction of the tree of life and evolution of the Earth’s habitability, dynamics of the multiscale climate and environment change under the conditions of the Cenozoic multispheric interaction, generation, development, evolution of sedimentary materials, the high-resolution chronostratigraphic system, the geodynamic processes and metallogenic mechanism, accumulation of conventional and unconventional oil and gas series, and coal mine enrichment mechanism, major hydrogeological and engineering geology of “One belt, one road”, utilization of city underground space, composition and structure evolution of the Moon and Mars and planetary habitability. (4) Selected 8 priority areas in international cooperation as follows. The dynamic processes of boundary zones between active blocks, the Tethys dynamic system and resource effect, the evolution and geodynamics of the oceanic lithosphere, the paleoclimate and paleo-ocean evolution in the key geological periods, the law and mechanism of climate and environment change in the Quaternary, the process and mechanism of major life evolution events in the geological history, the ore-forming law and mechanism in the key metallogenic belts and typical deposits, and the formation and enrichment mechanism of deep and super deep oil and gas. (5) Six priority research fields crossing science departments are proposed. The major focus is on the multispheric interaction of the Earth system science, the origin and evolution of life, exploration, development and efficient utilization of mineral and energy resources, and digital earth. (6) A series of safeguard measures to implement the development strategy of geology is also addressed.