REGIONAL COMMITTEE ON MEDITERRANEAN NEOGENE STRATIGRAPHY

(R.C.M.N.S.)

The Regional Committee on Mediterranean Neogene Stratigraphy includes more than 1,500 scientists representative of about 36 countries. All of them are interested in the development of an accurate time scale of the geological and environmental events which occurred not only in the Mediterranean area sensu lato between 25 and 1.8 million years ago (Ma) but also in the world because the Mediterranean region is generally
considered as the world-wide reference for the period.
This Committee belongs to the Subcommission of the Neogene Stratigraphy (S.N.S.) which is itself a body of the International Commission of Stratigraphy (I.C.S.) and, as a consequence, of the International Union of Geological Sciences (I.U.G.S.). S.N.S. has in charge to prepare the definition of the Neogene subdivisions and of the respective boundaries of these stratigraphic stages, that is voted by I.C.S.
The goal of R.C.M.N.S. is to prepare such decisions using the data of the Mediterranean region. Some of the R.C.M.N.S. members are voting members of S.N.S. The R.C.M.N.S. is driven by a President assisted by several Vice-Presidents, a Secretary and a Council.
R.C.M.N.S. realises such a mission through meetings, workshops and congresses. The R.C.M.N.S. plenary Congress is organised every five years in a country rich in Neogene section and where recent developments on the Mediterranean Neogene Stratigraphy have been obtained (Greece, Hungary, Spain, Romania, Austria and Italy have been the last countries visited; Turkey will be the next one in the year 2014). The R.C.M.N.S. Congress generally attracts more than 400 scientists and focuses on several main topics (Symposia) which are selected in relation with the most significant recent advancements; nevertheless, all the matters interesting the Mediterranean Neogene can be presented and discussed (General Sessions). Several Interim Colloquia (less than 100 invited scientists) are organised during the inter-congress session in order to stimulate progresses and discussions on an important matter, that prepares efficiently the following congress. Workshops are also organised and attended by a reduced number of scientists: concrete results are expected from such meetings. Many volumes have been published on the occasion of these various meetings. The local organising committee of each meeting has in charge such publications.