I organised the first conference exclusively on geological hazards in Hungary 20 years ago. It was called Bluff Conference. Adapting to the opening application systems and taking the environmental and economic requirements we widened the subject of the series of conferences every year to virtually all geological hazards.

The XI. Geological Hazards Conference will be held on 1-2 June 2017, at a new venue, in Fonyód, Hungary, near Lake Balaton. The town has a two-kilometre-long and maximum fifty-metre-high, continuously flowing and falling bluff and the edge of the bluff moves back 10 cm / year on average towards the city and the slide of the debris cone regularly blocks motorway No: 7. for weeks. The choice of venue is also important, because the basin of Lake Balaton is bordered by a many-kilometre-long bluff and one of the largest landslides of the country of 1.5 million cubic metres took place here in Balatonfűzfő 1914.

Major topics of the earlier years were landslips and their damages. However, recently there have been many high magnitude, demolishing earthquakes worldwide. So this year we wish to open this topic. We do not only welcome presentations on the dreadful and unpredictable force and surface forming effect of this phenomenon, but also ones on the work of disaster protection organisations. Since these organisation take the huge task of rescue and reorganisation after the earthquakes in Italy, Nepal and New Zealand.

A technical innovation will provide the opportunity to attend the conference not only personally, but also through the Internet. Although the magic of personal meetings is lost, but many participants will be able to join us from distant countries. The conditions of participation will be available on our website soon.

We welcome presenters and participants personally as well as through the Internet who are either professional researchers, designers or construction experts or are simply interested in the following topics:

• Landslips and their disaster prevention,
• Surface-forming earthquakes,
• Risk prevention and adapting to geological hazards,
• Work of civil protection organisations after geological disasters.

The patron of the conference is Dr. Ferenc Tóth, Civil Defence Superintendent, National Directorate for Disaster Management, Ministry of Interior. Our major professional supporter is Vitor Correira, President of the European Federation of Geologists.

Tamás Oszvald Geologist, Chairman of the Conference tamas.oszvald@geohazardsconference.com +36 20 9330 639

Kinga Botos Conference organiser kinga.botos@geohazardsconference.com +36 70 3680 432