Category: News

Three members of our Lendület Research Group — Márta Berkesi, Ákos Kővágó and Tamás Spránitz — spent the past two weeks in southern Spain as part of a Hungarian–Spanish collaboration, contributing to the H2RISE research project (Natural hydrogen and underground storage in rift-inversion systems).

The aim was once again to investigate fluid-flow systems, but this time the focus was not on CO₂, but on the formation and migration pathways of H₂. The research took place in the Ronda peridotites, the world’s largest exposed subcontinental upper-mantle complex. In addition to its spectacular scenery, the Ronda massif provides a unique opportunity to study the deeper layers of the continental lithosphere and to gain insight into the generation of geological hydrogen through peridotite–water interaction.

Together with colleagues from the Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (Geological and Mining Institute of Spain), members of our research group contributed to the collection of rock, spring-water and gas samples. We hope that the selected rock samples will also provide opportunities for fluid inclusion studies. The success of the fieldwork is reflected in the large number of samples collected.

This collaboration is, of course, only just beginning, and we look forward to sharing further developments in the future.

Led by our research group member Eszter Békési, and co-authored by Kristóf Porkoláb, Tamás Spránitz and Márta Berkesi, a new review article has been published in Hungarian in the journal Földtani Közlöny. This time, the focus is not on CO₂, but on natural hydrogen.

Representing the work of our research group, Tamás Spránitz gave an invited lecture at Montanuniversität Leoben (https://www.unileoben.ac.at/) on 22 June 2026 as part of the university’s Geosciences Seminar series.

The approximately 50-minute presentation introduced new scientific results and analytical approaches related to fluids involved in metamorphic processes across different geodynamic settings. The lecture attracted considerable interest and was followed by a lively professional discussion.

Title of the lecture:
The role of metamorphic (CH4-N2-CO2-H2-H2O) fluids from an inclusion perspective: new results and methods to better understand subduction zone fluid processes, mantle degassing and retrograde subsurface fluid migrations

The visit also provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen our existing scientific collaboration, which may be further developed through joint research projects, including the Austrian-Hungarian Action Foundation project starting in August 2026.

We are grateful for the kind invitation!

Congratulations to our colleague and research group member, Mátyás Hencz, who has been successful with two proposals submitted to the Scientific Patronage Programme (MEC_26):

✅ Foreign conference participation (MEC_R_26), and
✅ Organisation of an international conference in Hungary (MEC_SZ_26).

Under the foreign conference participation scheme, the MEC_26 programme will support the presentation of our research results, published earlier this year in the prestigious journal Global and Planetary Change (https://www.sciencedirect.com/…/pii/S0921818126000986…), at the AGU26 Annual Meeting (https://www.agu.org/annual-meeting).

Under the programme supporting the organisation of international conferences in Hungary, MEC_26 contributed to the successful organisation of the IAVCEI Volcandpark 2026 conference (https://volcandpark2026.epss.hu/). A report on the conference will be coming soon!

❗️We warmly congratulate Mátyás on this fantastic achievement!

List of projects supported under MEC_26

How do petrological transformations and fluid–rock interactions affect deformation in the lower crust and, consequently, large-scale tectonic processes?

To address this question, members of our research group studied rock samples originating from the lower crust beneath the Pannonian Basin and carried out numerical simulations. The results indicate that the breakdown of strong garnet minerals may contribute to maintaining the lower crust in a weak and easily deformable state. This process may have played a role in the development of the present-day structure of the Pannonian Basin and may also influence the style of currently active tectonic deformation and the pathways of fluid flow.

Further details can be found in our publication in Scientific Reports, a journal of the Nature Portfolio:

Kristóf Porkoláb, Kálmán Török, Tamás Spránitz, István János Kovács, Eszter Békési, Márta Berkesi

Large-scale rheological and tectonic effects of localized garnet breakdown: a case from the Pannonian Basin

Scientific Reports,

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43790-4

https://epss.hun-ren.hu/research/legujabb-publikaciok/?title=Large-scale%20rheological%20and%20tectonic%20effects%20of%20localized%20garnet%20breakdown:%20a%20case%20from%20the%20Pannonian%20Basin

The IAVCEI Volcandpark 2026 Conference was held at HUN-REN Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science in Sopron, Hungary, between 26 and 29 May 2026, as an official event of the IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Geoheritage and Protected Volcanic Landscapes. The meeting brought together more than 40 researchers, geopark professionals, educators, and geoconservation experts to discuss the scientific, educational, and societal value of volcanic geoheritage. We are very grateful for the support of IAVCEI, which helped strengthen the international visibility and scientific quality of the conference.

The scientific programme included two days of oral presentations, discussions, and networking activities. The sessions covered a wide range of topics, including volcanic geology from a geoheritage perspective, geodiversity assessment, geoconservation of volcanic regions, volcanic geoparks, geoeducation, geotourism, hazard communication, and the relationship between volcanic landscapes and society. The programme also included a roundtable discussion about the future and the possibilities in volcanic geoheritage research, and publication-related opportunities, creating an active and friendly environment for scientific exchange. Keynote speakers of the conference were: Joan Martí, Karen Holmberg, Paraskevi Nomikou, Benjamin Van Wijk de Vries, Maria Fernanda Martínez-Báez Téllez, Gino Gonzalez Ilama. Paula Naomi Irapta received the MDPI Best Paper Award.

A central element of the conference was the intra-conference field day on 27 May to the Little Hungarian Plain Volcanic Field. Participants visited the Kemenes Volcano House in Celldömölk, an important geotourism centre at the foot of the monogenetic Ság Hill. The visit introduced the volcanism of Hungary and the Carpathian Basin, as well as the geological and educational value of the 5.5-million-year-old Ság Hill basalt volcano. The field programme continued inside the former quarry of Ság Hill, where participants could directly observe the internal structure of a monogenetic volcano and discuss the links between volcanic processes, geosite conservation, and geotourism. The day concluded with the conference gala dinner and volcanic wine tasting at Somló, another iconic eroded volcanic hill.

The post-conference field trip on 29 May focused on the Bakony–Balaton Highland Volcanic Field within the Bakony–Balaton UNESCO Global Geopark. The planned stops included Tihany, Szentbékkálla, Hegyestű, and Szent György Hill, showcasing inverted volcanic landscapes, basalt columns, hydroclastic deposits, mantle xenolith-bearing pyroclastic rocks, volcanic necks, magma–sediment interaction, and maar–diatreme volcanism. These field stops provided an excellent opportunity to connect scientific research with geoconservation, geopark management, geoeducation, and the emerging theme of Deep-Earth Geoheritage.

Overall, Volcandpark 2026 successfully continued the tradition of previous Volcandpark meetings by creating a platform for interdisciplinary discussion on volcanic geoheritage and protected volcanic landscapes. The conference strengthened collaboration between the volcanological, geoheritage, geopark, and geotourism communities, and highlighted Hungary’s volcanic landscapes as valuable natural laboratories for research, education, and public engagement. We sincerely thank IAVCEI for its support and for helping make the meeting a successful international event.

 

An interview was given by Liane G. Benning, who visited our institute at the invitation of Dr. Márta Berkesi, the head of our research group; the interview can be read on the HUN-REN website here.

 

Our group participated in large numbers and in a remarkably diverse range of activities at EGU26 (https://www.egu26.eu/), organized by the European Geosciences Union in Vienna, as tradition dictates, between May 3–8, 2026. This clearly reflects the active and multifaceted work of our group.

Altogether, our group members contributed to EGU26 with 3 session-organizing roles, 2 oral presentations, 2 poster presentations, 1 award, and 1 additional scientific-organizational activity.

We thank all members of our group for their participation and for presenting our results on an international platform. Keep up the great work!

Tamás Spránitz gave a presentation on the research group’s latest fluid inclusion results from lower-crustal rocks and their key implications, entitled “Mantle-derived CO₂-rich fluid entrapment in the lower crust and release via decompression: fluid inclusion systematics from metasedimentary granulite xenoliths in the Pannonian Basin”, in the session “What Makes Earth So Special: Global Cycles of Volatiles”.

In addition to his presentation, Tamás also co-organized a new session dedicated to fluid/melt/crystal inclusion research. The invited speaker of the session, Prof. Bob Bodnar from Virginia Tech, USA, gave a fascinating and highly engaging presentation on fluid inclusion studies of meteorites. The session, entitled “Looking into the unreachable: Inclusions as snapshots into Earth processes, from the Crust to the deep Mantle and beyond”, aims to provide a European platform for the inclusion research community in the coming years, alongside the ECROFI meetings.

Kristóf Porkoláb gave a presentation on one of the research group’s recently published papers (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-43790-4) in the session “Chemistry, microstructures, and mineral physics: constraining crustal dynamics across scales”. His talk, entitled “Rheological and tectonic consequences of garnet breakdown in the lower crust: a case from the Pannonian Basin”, explored model-based links between lower-crustal instability, lithospheric weakening, and fluid flow.

Kristóf also received the prestigious Flinn-Hart Award of the International Lithosphere Program at EGU, in recognition of his outstanding research activity. We warmly congratulate him once again!

Tibor Rubóczki presented the latest results of geophysical research in the Bakony–Balaton Highland in the “Electromagnetic Induction in Geophysics (EMRP2.3)” session. His poster presentation was entitled “Analysis of Magnetotelluric and Gravity Anomaly Datasets in the Bakony-Balaton Highland Volcanic Field”. Our research combines state-of-the-art 3D gravity anomaly modelling and 3D magnetotelluric inversion methods, contributing to a more detailed understanding of the region’s complex crustal and lithospheric structure, as well as its geological and geochemical characteristics, including possible fluid flow processes.

Eszter Békési presented a poster at EGU on the numerical modelling of deep closed-loop geothermal systems, entitled “The effect of depth, temperature and pressure dependency of rock thermal properties on the performance of deep borehole heat exchangers: example from the Pannonian Basin”, in the session “Geothermal Systems in the Urban Energy Transition: Scientific, Engineering, and Integration Perspectives”. She was also active at the conference as co-organizer of the session “Soft rocks and Brittle rocks: comparison of geomechanics and insights for the Energy Transition”.

Márta Berkesi served as a session co-organizer for the third time in the session “Solving geoscience problems using mineralogy and minerals’ inclusions”. In addition, as a member of the Council of the European Association of Geochemistry (EAG), Márta organized an event for students and early-career researchers at the EAG booth, where she presented the EAG’s support activities and funding opportunities for students and postdoctoral researchers, and also welcomed ideas from visitors.

The leader of our research group, Márta Berkesi, together with Tamás Váczi and László Aradi, participated as lecturers in the international five-day intensive course Applied Raman Spectroscopy in Geoscience and Materials Research: Theory, Practice, and Applications, held on March 16–20, 2026, on the campus of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, USA.

This prestigious professional program offered comprehensive, practice-oriented training for researchers and PhD students, covering topics from the theoretical foundations of Raman spectroscopy to the most advanced applications in geoscience and materials research. Participants had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge using real measurement data in a modern instrumental environment.

We are especially pleased that researchers from Hungarian institutions actively contributed to the professional success of the course and represented Hungarian geoscience on the international stage.

We are grateful to the University of Kentucky for its support through the UKinSPIRE program, and to Gina Lukoczki for the invitation!