The Third IGCP-649 Workshop will take place on April 3-14, 2017 in Havana, the capital of Cuba and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to investigate and discuss the origin of Cuba ophiolite, chromitites, and peri-Caribbean mantle dynamics during VII Cuba Earth Science Convention. The world-famous Mayarí-Baracoa ophiolite belt (MBOB) in northeastern Cuba is the best preserved oceanic lithosphere from the pre-Eocen Cuban orogeny. It is unique on some geological and structural characteristics, marking distinction with respect to other ophiolites of the island. The MBOB is fantastic as it hosts the most important chromitite deposits of Cuba with both metallurgical- and refractory-type.

This workshop is supported by the IGCP-649 project “Diamonds and Recycled Mantle”. In 2015 CARMA (Center for Advanced Research on the Mantle) was awarded a new IGCP (International Geosciences Program) grant sponsored by UNESCO and IUGS, in support of our current work on ultrahigh pressure and highly reduced minerals in ophiolitic peridotites and chromitites. The project will undertake systematic sampling of peridotites-chromitites in different ophiolites around the world with diverse ranges of ages and geochemical affinities to document the extent of diamond occurrence in the mantle. The creation of this new IGCP project emphasizes the global importance of our work, and provides support for a series of international workshops that will bring together students, young professional and established researchers to discuss and to evaluate some of the most significant scientific problems and questions pertaining to the mantle dynamics and composition.

Travel Directions

Havana, founded in the 16^th century, is the capital and largest city of Cuba with 2.1 million inhabitants. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean region. Havana is served by airlines from most European countries, which mostly fly into Jose Marti International Airport. Public transportation is somewhat limited so arrangements will be made to meet participants upon arrival

The Workshop will consist of four days of oral and poster presentations, focused on the geology of MBOB, chromitites, and comparisons with ophiolites elsewhere. This part of the program will be followed by 6 one-day field trips designed to provide a clear understanding of the geology and structure of MBOB and its chromitites. During the field trip, it will be possible to observe excellent expositions of the tectonite, mantle-crust and ultramafic – mafic cumulate transition zone, layered gabbro, and both metallurgical and refractory chromitite. We hope to briefly summarize and discuss each day’s findings in the evenings. This is also an opportunity to experience the scenery of the grass mountains with elevation range between 789 – 1,231m and to enjoy the Baracoa city located on the spot where Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba on his first voyage. The total number of field trip participants is limited so, if you don’t want to miss this wonderful journey full of characteristic geology and spectacular scenery, contact us soon!

Contact Information

Associate Professor Dr. Cong Zhang    Dr. Tingting Shen            Dr. Tian Qiu

E-mail: igcp649@163.com;           shentt@pku.edu.cn           qiutian2010@126.com

Mobile: +86 170-9013-7485          18810518746                13811054532

Dr. Angelica Isabel Llanes Castro

Geological Survey of Cuba

Email: isallanes@nauta.cu

Prof. Jingsui Yang

Head of the IGCP-649 Project

E-mail: yangjsui@163.com