Egu Open Thermochronology Info Session Summary
We hosted an Open Thermochronology information session on May 6th at the EGU General Assembly in Vienna. In this session we introduced the motivation and aims of Open Thermochronology, gave an update about where things are at, and had a lively discussion of what the initiative could provide to the community. A link to the presented slides and summary of the discussion can be found below.
Presentation slides
Discussion summary
The session focused on the development and long-term sustainability of the Open Thermochronology initiative, with discussions covering technical, organizational, and community-oriented aspects.
-
Supporting and structuring the initiative
Participants broadly supported the initiative and emphasized the importance of:
- promoting open, reproducible, and transparent research practices
- improving code harmonization and interoperability between thermochronology tools
- implementing clear organization, documentation, and version control practices
- providing a centralized repository for code/tools
The need for a sustainable and community-driven framework was repeatedly highlighted.
-
Broadening the user community
A major topic concerned how to make the initiative accessible to the widest possible audience, particularly for non-specialist or new users. Several ideas were discussed:
- developing more user-oriented resources and interfaces
- creating educational material and practical case studies
- improving onboarding for students and early-career researchers
Participants noted that accessibility should remain a central objective of the initiative.
-
Community engagement and long-term maintenance
The discussion also addressed how to motivate researchers to contribute actively to the initiative. Concerns were raised regarding:
- the long-term maintenance of individual codes
- software developed and managed by single developers and/or researchers approaching retirement
- continuity and preservation of community tools over time
The importance of shared ownership and collaborative development was emphasized.
-
Educational resources and training
Participants discussed the value of:
- tutorial-style case studies
- educational workflows accompanying software packages
- recorded webinars or online training sessions
- potential in-person workshops for code users and developers
The French Thermonet initiative was mentioned as a possible example for webinar organization and dissemination.
-
Interoperability and standardization
A consensus emerged around the importance of interoperability between thermochronology software packages. Suggested approaches included:
- standardized (and readable/intuitive) input/output formats
- common data structures
- facilitating workflows that combine or “mix” multiple software tools
Standardized input files were identified as a realistic and practical first step toward broader compatibility.
-
Centralized libraries and shared components
One of the highest priorities identified during the discussion was the creation of a centralized library for thermochronological age prediction and kinetic models. Such a resource could:
- reduce duplication of effort
- improve consistency between software packages
- simplify future software development and maintenance
-
Geological constraints and inverse modeling
Participants discussed the role of geological constraints in inverse modeling approaches, including:
- the balance between data-driven and constraint-driven methodologies
- the philosophical implications of imposing geological priors
- how constraints should be integrated transparently into modeling workflows
-
Risks and best practices
Some participants noted that making thermochronology tools easier to use may also increase the risk of inappropriate applications or misuse. The group emphasized the need for:
- proper documentation
- educational guidance
- examples of good modeling practices
It was pointed out that a growing community implies an increasing proportion of “end-users” compared to code developers, which needs to be accounted for in establishing educational material.
-
Funding and organizational support
The session concluded with discussions on potential long-term support mechanisms for the initiative, including:
- the possibility (or need) of a permanent core team or staff support
- potential funding sources
- partial support through conference registration fees
- possible contributions from conferences and organizations such as the EGU General Assembly or Thermo meetings
-
Outlook
Open Thermochronology will be introduced at the AGU and GSA 2026 meetings. A longer workshop towards establishing Open Thermochronology in the community is planned for the Thermo2027 conference.
Participants noted that added that adding a community forum to the Open Thermochronoloy website is a crucial next step for community engagement and collecting suggestions/ ideas for further developing the initiative.