This week, we learned a very sad news about the death of our colleague ing. Jiří Fiala, CSc.
Jirka graduated from University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague in 1961. His whole professional life was connected with the Academy of Sciences. He completed his post-graduate studies in the Institute of Geochemistry and Mineral Resources of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. After the re-organization of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, he was working in the Institute of Geology until his death. He was the Director of this institute in years 1991–1993. From the year 2008, he was an emeritus scientist of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Jirka was a very successful scientist, measured by his publications. He specialized in geochemistry and petrology of metamorphic and magmatic rocks. In his research, he collaborated with many colleagues from abroad. Besides others, he can be credited for the foundation of the laboratories of mineral separation at the Institute of Geology.
Jirka had very open and friendly relationships with his colleagues, always willing to share his broad field experience and scientific knowledge.
With Jirkaʼs decease, the Institute of Geology as well as Czech science are losing a significant scientist and an outstanding personality. May the memory of him be honoured.
The last respect will be paid in the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord in the main cemetery of Vimperk at 1 p.m. on Friday, February 16, 2018.

Assoc. Prof. Jozef Michalík, DrSc. of the Earth Science Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences was awarded the František Pošepný honorary professional medal for his achievements in the field of geosciences on January 18, 2017. This award was nominated by the Institute of Geology CAS, v.v.i. Congratulations!

Sandstones are porous rocks extremely sensitive to temperature and humidity changes. Climatic extremes of the last decades therefore induce accelerated destruction of sandstone outcrops in the whole Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. These events have not been registered yet. Now, a database of rockfall events, both recent and fossil, has been established with the support of the Geohazards Programme within Strategy AV21. Descriptions of individual objects are accompanied by photos taken at different times after – and before – the event. The database is fully open to contributions from professional and lay public. Annotation of the Kokořínsko – Máchův kraj  PLA in 2016 and Bohemian Paradise PLA in 2017 will be followed by other sandstone areas. To enter the application, click HERE.
Registration of users: Mgr. Jiří Adamovič, CSc., adamovicgli [dot] cas [dot] cz

X-ray scans over wood disks collected in the Tunguska region in 2008 partly unveiled the mystery of the Tunguska explosion. Several trees survived the event. While the trees contain a record of this event in the form of anomalous Ca concentration (and other elements), the size of the Ca anomaly also shows the direction towards the explosion epicenter. Figure: Four identical images of the larch anual rings, each showing the direction towards the TE epicenter (arrow in the compass rose). Graphical inset on top of each image shows the relative concentration of Ca across the wood section along a transect shown by the bottom edge of each inset. The x-axis distance scale on the Ca graphs has a 2-mm grid spacing, and the y-axis is the relative concentration of Ca. (A) North-south transect; black arrows show the extent of fire damage along the 1908 tree ring. (B) East-west transect; (C) Northwest-southeast transect; (D) Southwest-northeast transect.
Research results were published (Kletetschka et al. 2017: Survival Response of Larix Sibirica to the Tunguska Explosion) in the Tree-Ring Research journal.