Today, 7 September 2012, marks the 10th anniversary of the European Geosciences Union, Europe’s premier geosciences union.

Ten years ago today, the European Geophysical Society (EGS) and the European Union of Geosciences (EUG) merged to form the EGU. Members of the Councils of EGS and EUG founded the Union on 7 September 2002 in the Hotel Platzl in Munich, Germany.

In 2002, the founding members of the new “dynamic, innovative, and interdisciplinary learned association” signed a statement stating the objectives of the Union: advance the Earth, planetary, and space sciences, and promote cooperation between scientists. The document also established the means of achieving these objectives, such as organising meetings, including an annual General Assembly, and publishing scientific journals.

The EGU has grown to unite over 12,500 members from all over the world. It has a current portfolio of 14 diverse open-access journals, annually bestows awards and medals to both eminent researchers and promising young geoscientists, and organises a number of meetings and education activities. EGU’s General Assembly is now the largest and most prominent European geosciences event, attended by over 11,000 scientists every year.

The Union also has a strong and varied portfolio of outreach initiatives, including a mentoring programme and Imaggeo, the open-access geosciences image repository. Most recently, the EGU has enjoyed an increasingly strong presence on social media channels, such as Twitter and Facebook, and has consolidated its activities online with an official blog, GeoLog.

GeoQ, the Union’s new-look newsletter, and its predecessor, The Eggs, have also played an important role in achieving the objectives stated 10 years ago. Don’t miss the next issue of GeoQ, which will be dedicated to the 10th EGU anniversary.

Here’s to 10 more years!