About the Conference
The 31st Meeting of the Petrology Group of the Mineralogical Society of Poland - PTMin 2026 will be held under the theme “Rhyolite – Rock of the Year 2026”.
This meeting embraces the idea of designating a “rock of the year” as an opportunity to highlight rhyolite—a rock of exceptional scientific and societal significance. Rhyolite is fascinating from multiple perspectives: it is associated with climatically impactful eruptions, hosts important mineral resources, and preserves key records of magmatic processes involved in the evolution of continental crust. Moreover, rhyolitic supereruptions capture the imagination and provide a powerful gateway for public engagement with Earth sciences.
The conference aims not only to promote high-quality scientific exchange but also to strengthen outreach efforts through collaboration with the UNESCO Geopark of Extinct Volcanoes (The Kaczawskie Mountains and Foothills), bringing petrology closer to a broader audience.
This celebration of Rhyolite – Rock of the Year 2026 provides an opportunity to bring together scientists working on silicic rocks across Central Europe. We would like to invite all those particularly interested in this topic to the pre-conference Rhyolitic Group Meeting, dedicated to enhancing, establishing new, and strengthening existing cooperation in this field of research.
Traditionally, the main Petrology Group PTMin meeting will serve as a platform for mineralogists and petrologists to come together, exchange ideas, and foster collaboration during thematic and general sessions. The conference will also provide a special opportunity to honor the contributions of Professor Jacek Puziewicz, founder of the Petrology Group. To celebrate his scientific legacy, a dedicated session on mantle evolution – his primary field of research – will be held.
Organised by:
- Mineralogical Society of Poland
- University of Wrocław, Institute of Geological Sciences
- Polish Geological Institute ‒ National Research Institute
Venue
Located in the Kaczawa Valley, the Palace in Krotoszyce is a historic 17th-century estate set within a six-hectare landscaped park and accompanied by preserved farm buildings. Its advantageous location—near Legnica, with direct access to the A4 motorway and S3 expressway, and within convenient reach of Wrocław, Prague, and Berlin—ensures accessibility for both national and international participants.
Constructed circa 1600 as a fortified residence with a moat, the palace underwent successive architectural transformations, culminating in a Neo-Baroque form while retaining its original structural character. Despite later renovations, the site preserves its historical integrity. The venue combines cultural heritage with a calm and focused environment, offering an appropriate setting for academic exchange, while also providing access to the distinctive landscape of the Kaczawa Foothills and Mountains.
Notably, the region forms part of the Land of Extinct Volcanoes Geopark, an area of significant geological interest. This unique setting – characterized by remnants of ancient volcanic activity – makes the location particularly relevant and inspiring for conferences addressing rhyolite as the Rock of the Year 2026.
The Krotoszyce Palace
ul. Parkowa 3
59-223 Krotoszyce
Registration & Important Dates
Important dates:- Opening Registration – 4th May 2026
- Deadline for Early Registration – 15th June 2026
- Deadline for Registration – 1st September 2026
- Deadline for Abstract – 2nd September 2026
- The Second Circular – 6th October 2026
Registration information:
The registration fee provides full participation in the conference, including conference materials, accommodation, breakfasts, lunches, coffee breaks, evening social events.
| Early Registration Fee Received until 15th June 2026 |
Regular Registration Fee Received after 15th June 2026 |
Post-conference field trip | Pre-conference Rhyolitic Group Meeting | |
| PTMin member full fee | 1750 PLN | 1850 PLN | 100 PLN | 300 PLN |
| PTMin non-member full fee | 1850 PLN | 1950 PLN | ||
| Student/PhD student fee (triple room) | 1500 PLN | 1600 PLN |
* Single room – 400 PLN extra.
** Please note that we do not offer lower fees in case of a shorter day.
*** The bank account number will be included in the registration confirmation.
Registration
Program & Abstracts
Abstracts from both oral presentation and posters will be included in Mineralogia Special Papers. Please note that your abstract should be limited to one page (including references). Abstract template is available from the attachment below.
Please submit abstracts via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
POSTERS – preferred size of your poster is vertical A0 (118,9 cm x 84,1 cm).
PRESENTATIONS – preferred proportions of presentations are 16x9, estimated time for one presentation is 15 minutes including discussion.
Abstracts and field trip guide can be downloaded from here.
Preliminary program:
| WEDNESDAY 14.10. |
Registration for the Rhyolitic Group |
| THURSDAY 15.10. |
Meeting of the Rhyolitic Group Regular Registration Evening: NCN training course |
| FRIDAY 16.10 |
Rhyolite – Rock of the Year 2026 Session and General Session. Poster Session. |
| SATURDAY 17.10 |
Mantle Fascination Session and General Session. Poster Session. |
| SUNDAY 18.10 |
Field Trip |
Keynote speakers
Marek Awdankiewicz
Marek Awdankiewicz is a geologist specialised in studies of volcanic rocks in ancient successions. He carried out research mainly in the Sudetes in the eastern part of the Variscan Belt, working on metabasites and other Lower Palaeozoic metavolcanic rocks, Permo-Carboniferous lamprophyres, trachyandesites, rhyolites and rhyolitic tuffs, as well as Cenozoic basalts. Using the results of field work, petrographic and mineralogical methods, geochemistry and isotope geochemistry as well as U-Pb zircon dating he tries to reconstruct the evolution of ancient volcanic systems: the timing of volcanism, the origin and differentiation of magma and the emplacement and eruptive processes of the volcanic and subvolcanic rocks, in the context of tectonic and environmental setting. The planned keynote lecture will provide an overview of Permo-Carbonifeorus volcanism in the Sudetes area.
Réka Lukács
Réka Lukács is a geologist specializing in magma reservoir processes and silicic volcanism, with a focus on the Carpathian–Pannonian Region. Her research primarily employs zircon petrochronology as a key tool to constrain eruption timing, magma evolution, and reservoir characteristics. She has produced the first high-precision zircon U–Pb ages for the large-volume Miocene silicic volcanism in the region, significantly refining its chronostratigraphy and revealing the areal extent and impact of these eruptions. Her work integrates geochemistry, stratigraphy, and geodynamics to reconstruct eruption histories and magma system evolution. Another major focus of her research is the Ciomadul volcanic complex, the youngest volcano of the Carpathian–Pannonian region, where she investigates the longevity of the magma storage, melt evolution, and the causes of variations in eruptive behaviour using zircon and apatite crystal records. Her current projects provide unique access to subsurface volcanic records through drill cores, enabling the reconstruction of previously hidden volcanic histories in the Pannonian Basin and offering new insights into the evolution of continental magmatic systems.
Michael S. Petronis
Michael S. Petronis is a geologist who applies paleomagnetic, rock magnetic, and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility methods to volcanic and tectonic problems. In rhyolitic volcanic systems, his research investigates deposition and emplacement processes, the magnetic mineral phases that carry remanence and define magnetic fabrics, and vertical variations in Fe–Ti oxide (magnetite) phases within volcanic deposits. His studies in the western USA, Scotland, the Bohemian Massif of Central Europe, and volcanic provinces of France have provided important insights into ignimbrite emplacement, magma flow fabrics, caldera evolution, and post-emplacement deformation in silicic volcanic terrains. His keynote presentation will explore how rhyolites preserve magnetic signals carried by the titanomagnetite phases, and how magnetic remanence and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility fabrics record the processes of emplacement, flow, and deformation in silicic volcanic systems.
Dawid Szymanowski
Dawid Szymanowski is a geologist specialising in high-precision U-Pb geochronology, which is excellent at providing temporal constraints to a variety of processes in the magmatic, tectonic, and sedimentary realm and across geological time. His recent research has focussed on silicic magmatism, the timing of magmatic-hydrothermal ore-forming processes, of large igneous province emplacement and the related climate change, through to the early formation histories of the Moon and Vesta. Common to many of these problems is the underlying understanding of the fate of zircon in magma, and how it can be exploited to track the internal dynamics of a magma system and to improve geochronology itself. His talk will explore zircon as an archive for silicic magma, how this mineral can be analysed to obtain useful information, and what zircon age spectra can tell us about the underlying magma system.
Juliana Troch
Juliana Troch is a petrologist, geochemist, and volcanologist whose research investigates the role of water and other volatile components in controlling the evolution of silicic magmatic systems. She combines field studies, microanalytical techniques, high-temperature and high-pressure experiments, and numerical modelling to examine how volatiles influence magma storage, differentiation, eruption dynamics, crustal assimilation, and ore-forming processes. Her studies of silicic volcanic systems in Yellowstone, Iceland, and other volcanic regions have provided insights into the behaviour of water, CO2, lithium, halogens, and other volatile elements in magma reservoirs. This research has shown how water can limit crustal assimilation, how CO2 affects magmatic systems without necessarily enhancing eruptivity, and how evolved silicic reservoirs can develop chemically enriched domains comparable to those associated with lithium- and rare-earth-element mineralization, advancing our understanding of the transition from magmatic to hydrothermal conditions in rhyolitic systems. Her keynote presentation will explore how volatiles govern the evolution of rhyolitic magmatic systems and their role in linking volcanic processes with the formation of critical mineral resources.
Photo credit: Bettina Engel-Albustin 2025, Foto Agentur Ruhr.
Sponsors & Partners
General sponsor:
This project is funded by the state budget under the “Science Vectors” Programme (Program Wektory Nauki), as awarded by the Minister of Science and Higher Education (Project no. WNK/SP/0274/2025/01). Funding amount: 71 500 PLN. Total cost 210 000 PLN.
Official sponsors:
Partners:
Awards
The Bureau Veritas Polska patronage over the Prof. Ryszard Kryza Prize for students and PhD students in the field of petrology, mineralogy and geochemistry.
The Prof. The Ryszard Kryza Prize for young researchers in petrology, mineralogy, and geochemistry is a tribute to the outstanding geologist and science enthusiast Professor Ryszard Kryza – a great authority in the field of Earth sciences, author and co-author of over 400 scientific publications, one of the top most frequently cited Polish geologists. The Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories in Poland proudly announces its patronage of the prestigious competition for young researchers and the Prof. Ryszard Kryza award:
“We are happy to combine our services with the aspiration of exploring new perspectives and developing young talents. The figure of the eminent geologist continues to inspire the exploration of the mysteries hidden deep within the Earth. We are pleased to fund two grants worth PLN 6,000 each for the best student oral presentation and the best student poster that will cover geochemical analyses of rocks, soils, and sediments conducted by our laboratory in Kraków. With these awards we would liked to honor the great scientist’s legacy and promote research and development in the field of mineralogy.”WHO IS ELIGIBLE: students and PhD candidates before their PhD defence.
Commitees & Contact
Organising committee
Co-Chairs of the Organizing committee- Dr. Elżbieta SŁODCZYK (University of Wrocław, Poland)
- Dr. Magdalena PAŃCZYK (Polish Geological Institute – NRI, Poland)
- Dr. hab. Anna PIETRANIK (University of Wrocław, Poland)
- Dr. hab. Marek AWDANKIEWICZ (University of Wrocław, Poland)
- Dr. Jakub BAZARNIK (Polish Geological Institute – NRI, Poland)
- Msc. Monika CYRKLEWICZ (Polish Geological Institute – NRI, Poland)
- Christian GEORGEON (Polish Geological Institute – NRI, Poland)
- Dagmara MAGOCH (University of Wrocław, Poland)
- Dr. Alexander REPSTOCK (Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology, Germany)
- Paulina TARKA (University of Wrocław, Poland)
- Msc. Kinga ZIMERMAN (Polish Geological Institute – NRI, Poland)
Scientific committee
- Prof. dr. hab. Bogusław BAGIŃSKI (University of Warsaw, Poland)
- Prof. dr. hab Agnieszka GAŁUSZKA (Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce, Poland)
- Prof. dr. hab. Janusz JANECZEK (University of Silesia, Poland)
- Prof. dr. hab. Monika KUSIAK (Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland)
- Prof. dr. hab. Jarosław MAJKA (Uppsala University, Sweden; AGH University of Krakow, Poland)
- Prof. dr. hab. Stanisław MIKULSKI (Polish Geological Institute – NRI, Poland)
- Prof. dr. hab. Andrzej MUSZYŃSKI (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland)
- Prof. dr. hab. Jacek PUZIEWICZ (University of Wrocław, Poland)
- Prof. dr. hab. Ewa SŁABY (Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Science, Poland)