Information
The DTTG is pleased to announce the 12th Mid-European-Clay Conference (MECC 2026) to be held at ETH Zurich, Campus Zentral, from 06 to 11 September 2026. The conference will be organized by the DTTG and ETH Zurich under the auspices of Dr. Michael Plötze.
More information regarding the conference and invited speakers, the organizing committee and the program will be provided here soon.
For more information feel free to contact us at mecc2026@dttg.org.
Programm
The scientific committee strongly encourages young (female) postdoctoral researchers to propose and chair sessions, and will provide active support throughout the organising and abstract reviewing processes.
Please note that the session proposals will be reviewed by a scientific committee and the accepted sessions will be announced shortly after the abstract submission deadline.
We are welcoming session proposals on all clay-related topics including but not limited to:
- Geology
- Soils
- Geomicrobiology
- Clays in geotechnics
- Applications of clays
- Atomic-scale processes
- Characterizing clays
- ...
Venue
The conference will be held in the main building (HG) of the Zentrum Campus of ETH Zurich, which is located in the heart of Zurich. For more information about how to reach the venue and detailed site plans please visit the link above.
Accommodation
Information about hotels will be provided here...
Registration
The registration process will be handled by the ETH Conference Office. As soon as the registration is open, you will find the link here.
Field Trips & Workshops
So far we have planned four exciting field trips and one workshop on 1D Rietveld refinement for you. More information regarding costs and maximum participants will follow soon.
Clay pit "Gruhalde" (Frick, Aargau)
Late Triassic to Lower Jurassic terrestrial and marine sediments plus a visit at the dinosaur museum Aathal.
Visit to the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory
Guided tour and insights into the world-renowned underground research laboratory for geological and environmental studies.
Visit to the ZWILAG
Interim storage facility of radioactive waste – learn about the management and safety of radioactive materials in Switzerland. More information at https://www.zwilag.ch/
Clay pits in N-Switzerland
This excursion will provide an insight into the mining and use of clays in the region. Participants will be guided along the Geo Hiking Trail from the clay pit "Passhöhe Staffelegg" (contact zone between Staffelegg formation and Opalinus clay) to the gypsum pit "Riepel" (contact zone between Gipskeuper and Staffelegg formation).
1D Rietveld refinement workshop
This workshop will provide an introduction to 1D Rietveld refinement and its application in the analysis of clay minerals. The workshop will utilize the Profex/BGMN software to perform the refinement and aims to provide slots for 15-20 participants.
Sponsors
Our official sponsors will be announced soon! If you are interested in sponsoring the conference, please contact us at mecc2026@dttg.org and we will send you information about the different sponsorship packages.