Background

During the 13th International Symposium on the Ordovician System in Novosibirsk, Russia, in July 2019, the next meeting was proposed, and agreed by the delegates, to take place in Estonia in 2023. It will be after 41 years and 10 meetings that the major event for all friends of the Ordovician System will return to Baltica. The last time was in August 1982 in Norway, organised by Prof. David Bruton and his colleagues from the Palaeontological Museum in Oslo. Over 150 scientists from 22 countries attended the meeting back then and we expect no less participants for the upcoming event in 2023.
Estonia is an appropriate place for an Ordovician meeting as the Ordovician rocks occur throughout the country and crop out within 1/3 of its territory. The conference venue, the capital city Tallinn, is largely located on Ordovician strata and its medieval old town is built from the Middle Ordovician limestone (which, by the way, is the national stone in Estonia) and belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage. The Ordovician rocks of Estonia have been attracting geology students since the early 18th Century and the rich and well-preserved fossil record has made the region renowned worldwide. Together with the neighbouring Baltoscandian countries, Estonia has continued to serve as one of the model areas for Ordovician studies and welcomes you in July 2023!