The 5th Academic Exchange Conference on "Carrying Forward the Spirit of Li Siguang and Promoting Innovative Development of Geomechanics" was recently held. This conference was organized by the Institute of Geomechanics, China Geological Survey, in a hybrid format combining online and offline participation.

　　Academician Kang Yuzhu from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, leaders from relevant departments of the China Geological Survey under the Ministry of Natural Resources, experts from Peking University, Southwest Jiaotong University, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), the China Institute of Surveying and Mapping, the Guizhou Provincial Bureau of Geological and Mineral Exploration and Development, as well as the leadership team and research staff of the Institute of Geomechanics, attended this meeting.

　　The conference pointed out that the academic exchange meeting titled “Carrying Forward the Spirit of Li Siguang and Promoting Innovative Development in Geomechanics” has played a vital role as an “open, collaborative, and innovative” platform for exchanging academic achievements, deepening inter-institutional cooperation, and driving innovation in geological sciences. In the new era, economic and social development poses higher demands on ensuring critical energy and mineral resources, managing water resources, preventing and mitigating geological hazards, planning land space, and restoring and protecting ecosystems. Regional coordinated development, building a strong maritime nation, achieving the “dual carbon” goals, revitalizing rural areas, modernizing national defense and the armed forces, and advancing the Belt and Road Initiative all require precise support from geological work. On this new journey ahead, we must inherit and carry forward Mr. Li Siguang’s spirit—his unwavering patriotic devotion, his scientific integrity in upholding truth, his strong and persistent spirit of innovation, his exemplary demeanor as a teacher who never tires of imparting knowledge, and his rigorous and pragmatic work ethic. Grounded in the overall strategic interests of the Party and the country and in response to the needs of economic and social development, we must accurately grasp the new situation and new tasks facing geological work, and strive to provide higher-quality resource security guarantees, more sustainable paths for green development, and more precise geological solutions.

　　The conference invited experts from the fields of structural geology, oil and gas exploration, and geological hazards to deliver special keynote reports. The reports covered the current status of structural geology research in China, the ore-forming models and exploration advances for effusive sedimentary manganese deposits and orogenic gold-antimony deposits, the progress in oil and gas exploration in the Qaidam Basin, the characteristics and mechanisms of giant high-speed long-distance landslides, and InSAR monitoring technology. Following its four major business sectors—basic geology, energy resources, geological hazards, and polar geology—the Institute of Geomechanics showcased to the attending experts its achievements over the past two years in areas such as geological-mechanical research supporting ecological civilization construction, structural control over mineral and oil deposits, enhanced geothermal system development, disaster prevention and mitigation for major national projects, and polar geological studies. The attending experts provided comments, guidance, and engaged in lively discussions and exchanges on each report.

　　The conference was marked by a vibrant academic atmosphere and received an enthusiastic response. The participating experts unanimously agreed that promoting the spirit of Li Siguang and driving innovative development in geomechanics are of great significance. They emphasized the need to align with the development trends of the geological sector in the new era, focus on major national development needs and critical geological science and technology issues, continuously innovate geomechanical theories and technical approaches, and make greater contributions to fully building a modern socialist country. (Qi Lin, Zhao Weihua, Guo Tao)