简介:Inthelate19thandtheearly20thcentury,withexpandingindustrialismandurbanisation,theideaofthenationstategrewstronginSweden.Inthisnationalisticenvironment,natureandthenaturalsciencesassumedanimportantunifyingrole.Thesearchfornaturalresourcesandsourcesofenergyinspiredpoliticalsupportandresearch.Theexploitationofnaturewaslookeduponasaprerequisiteforthemodernizationofthecountry,andindeedwastobecomethebasisforSweden'swelfare.Itwasunderthesecircumstancesthat,in1906,the11thIGCwasinvitedtoStockholmin1910.ArequestforaGovernmentgrantfocusedontheinternationaldevelopmentofsciencebutalsostressedthenationalimportance.Swedenhad,itwassaid,itsrankingpositionamongnationstodefend,toupholditspositionamongcivilizednations,andtomaintainitsdistinguishedtraditioninthespheresofnaturalsciencesandminingoperations.ThemaintopicsoftheCongresswereironoreresources,post-glacialclimatechange,glacialerosion,theCambrianfauna,geologyofthePrecambrian,andgeologyofthepolarregions.Threeexhibitionsand24excursionswerearranged,and41guidebooksprinted.Thenumberofmemberspresentwas625,from37countriesandsixcontinents.Thefinalcostforarrangingthe11thIGCwasSEK125,000(approximately∈540,000today).AnovelexperienceinthetraditionoftheIGCswastheworld-wideinquiriesabouttheresourcesofironoreandaboutclimatechange.Suchthematic,worldwideinvestigationssubsequentlycametoattracttheattentionofmanyIGCs.ApropositiontoestablishacommissionforthepublicationofaninternationalstratigraphicdictionarywasapprovedbytheCongress,andasubcommissionwassetupwithcommissionersfromtencountries,butitwasnotuntil1956thatthefirstvolumesofLexiqueStratigraphiqueInternationalappeared.FromaSwedishpointofview,theCongresscompelledSwedishgeologiststocarryoutaninventoryoftheresultsofSwedishgeologicalr