GSA Connects 2026 puts tectonics, rivers and 3D data on the agenda
The October 11–14 programme in Denver brings together Earth dynamics, river landscapes and geoscience education, with sessions on planetary mapping and data visualisation.
RockGeo Editorial · Published on
Event date: 10/11/2026 · Source date: not stated on the source page
Sources accessed on 10/11/2026, 15:12 GMT
Quintin Soloviev / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 4.0 · CC BY 4.0
The main technical programme of GSA Connects 2026 begins on October 11 and continues through October 14 in Denver, Colorado, United States, according to the Geological Society of America. Its agenda brings together sessions across the geosciences. This article describes activities scheduled by the organisers without attributing scientific results that have not yet been verified to the meeting.
The three guiding themes connect tectonics, surface processes and exploration. One highlights continental drift and understanding Earth in motion; another examines changing river landscapes, dynamics, hazards and human futures. The third follows exploration innovations from deep Earth to space, including technologies and resources.
In the education programme published by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT), Sunday, October 11 includes a research poster showcase for students at two-year and four-year institutions. Another session brings together empirical research in geoscience education, linking the presentation of work with investigations of how geoscience is learned and taught.
For Monday, October 12, NAGT announces a session on the Solar System’s astrogeoheritage. It connects history, education and other values of these places with planetary geological mapping and terrestrial analogues. The programme also addresses preparing people for non-terrestrial environments as a topic for discussion and training.
On Tuesday, October 13, a session focuses on technologies and tools for three-dimensional visualisation of field and laboratory data for teaching and research. Its description emphasises spatial thinking and presents examples of digital tools. A tool’s inclusion in the agenda does not, by itself, constitute independent validation of its performance.
The general agenda also offers field trips, short courses and thematic lectures. For those following mapping methods and professional education, the interest lies in the questions proposed and the work to be discussed. Dates, rooms and details should be checked in the final programme; an announced session is not equivalent to a published discovery or an activity already completed.