About the Eurolithos project
Eurolithos is a GEOERA research project on European Ornamental Stone Resources. Although ornamental stone is today an important raw material produced all over Europe, its use locally and regionally is decreasing, along with related knowledge, traditions and skills.
Eurolithos was founded upon the premise that increased knowledge of the geological quality and historical use of natural stone in Europe can stimulate more sustainable use of this resource, which will in turn benefit enterprise, promote cultural heritage, and contribute to developing effective land-use practices.
Eurolithos Objectives
The objectives of the Eurolithos are the following: 1) establish a descriptive framework for natural stone resources in Europe, 2) create a directory database for stones and their properties, 3) make a natural stone atlas on a European and country level linked to databases and directories, 4) identify heritage values and establish guidelines for assessing the heritage value of natural stone, and finally 5) communication and dissemination to relevant stakeholders.
The Eurolithos consortium is composed of 16 partners from 14 countries, collectively forming a strong and innovative research group. In addition, Eurolithos will interact and collaborate with more than 150 different stakeholders that will ensure good integration of the project with relevant associates, authorities and industry partners.
For more information: http://geoera.eu/projects/eurolithos1/
About GeoERA
GeoERA is a H2020 ERA-NET that started in January 2017 to establish the European Geological Surveys Research Area,advocating the free movement of researchers,
knowledge and technology and align national geoscientific research agendas.
The GeoERA programme has been allocated 30M EUR.
United to make European geodata accessible
Within GeoERA 48 national and regional Geological Survey Organisations from 33 European countries joined forces and will carry out 15 transnational research projects. Projects will focus on harmonizing data, information and expertise across borders, improving current methodologies and modelling techniques. GeoERA will create valuable, accessible results for the public, policymakers and end-users of geological data and information in Europe. All results will be made public through the GeoERA Information Platform a web-based information system building up on the existing European Geological Data Infrastructure (EGDI).
Learn more about the GeoERA and its projects at: http://geoera.eu/
Eurolithos News and Events
Eurolithos workshop in Athens, March 20-21, 2019
The participants of the Eurolithos workshop finalized the structure for the directory for ornamental stone and defined actions necessary for the completion of the Work Packages, including the spatial database and atlas, case studies on heritage values and communication activities. On the second day of the workshop, participants visited the Dionysos Marble quarry near Athens and the Acropolis Museum – modern and ancient production and use of the Penteli marble. The Annual meeting will take place in Trondheim, Norway, the first week of July 2019.
Old university building in red sandstone, Salamanca. Photo: Tom Heldal
Heritage Stone, Salamanca
The IUGS Heritage Stone Subcommission meeting was held in Salamanca, October 2018. About 50 participants from all over the globe discussed various issues related to global heritage stone. The meeting included walks in the beautiful “stone city” and field trip to the major sandstone and granite deposits applied in building Salamanca.
Old sandstone quarries near Salamanca
EGU 2019: Vienna, 7-12 April
The EGU General Assembly 2019 was held in Vienna, April 17-12. The annual event brings together geoscientists from all over the world and covers all disciplines of the Earth, planetary, and space sciences. More than 16000 scientists participated in this years EGU conference which is the largest geoscience conference in Europe.
European Geoscience Union flag
Several EGU sessions were relevant to the Eurolithos project, in particular:
Heritage Stones: construction and restoration materials for sustainable development
Novel approaches: on stone heritage conservation: Biomaterials, biotechnology and bioremediation.
Geomaterials in construction: resources, properties, performance, environmental interactions, and decay.
Geodiversity and Geoheritage: Global Geoparks, geoheritage assessment, geodiversity, geoheritage protection.
Fauske marble, North Norway. Photo: Tom Heldal
Natural stone has an outstanding track record
A recent study solicited by the German Natural Stone Association shows the superior ecological performance of natural stones compared to other kinds of floor coverings used for public applications. Read the news article “Comparing life-cycle assessment of floor coverings, natural stone has an outstanding track record” here and download the study.
Send us your suggestions for news items
This newsletter was produced by Jakob Keiding and Anne Liinamaa-Dehls, coordinators of communication. Our next newsletter is scheduled for July 2019. Please help to develop and keep this newsletter vibrant by sending all your news and views, meeting announcements, links to recent publications, photos, etc. to Anne Liinamaa-Dehls ald@ngu.no
To be REMOVED or ADDED to the Eurolithos mailing list please contact ald@ngu.no
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 731166
