Geology

Neoproterozoic-Devonian stratigraphic evolution of the eastern Murzuq Basin, Libya: a tale of tilting in the central Sahara

by Daniel Le Heron

Le Heron, D.P., Meinhold, G., Bergig, K. in press. basin Research, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2117.2012.00555.x

The Murzuq Basin is one of the most petroliferous basins of North Africa. Its remote eastern flank, has been largely... more The Murzuq Basin is one of the most petroliferous basins of North Africa. Its remote eastern flank, has been largely ignored since early reconnaissance work in the 1950s and 1960s. This paper presents new stratigraphic and sedimentological data on the Neoproterozoic through Devonian succession from the Mourizidie and Dor el Gussa regions. The Neoproterozoic to Cambrian Mourizidie and Hasawnah formations in the eastern part of the Mourizidie dip to the east and north-east, resting directly on late Precambrian metasediments and granitoids. These strata record the initial progradation of sand-dominated braidplain systems upon peneplained Precambrian basement. Rhyolite clasts in the Hasawnah Formation may record tectonically driven uplift and unroofing in the southern Tibesti Massif or tectonomagmatic rejuvenation to the south of this massif. In the western part of the Mourizidie region, Late Ordovician through Silurian strata (Mamuniyat and Tanezzuft–Akakus formations) directly overlie late Precambrian metasediments and granitoids, and dip at a low angle toward the west into the Murzuq Basin. Elsewhere at the eastern Murzuq Basin flank, in Dor el Gussa, Late Ordovician glaciogenic sediments rest with angular unconformity upon shallow marine sandstones of Cambrian–Ordovician age. This angular unconformity may also occur in the Mourizidie region and indicates widespread tectonism, either as a result of a Middle–Late Ordovician orogenic event, far-field tectonism related to the opening of the Rheic Ocean along the northern margin of Gondwana, or alternatively crustal depression associated with the growth of Late Ordovician ice sheets. Unconformity development was also probably associated with glacial incision. Following ice sheet retreat, isostatic rebound during deglaciation resulted in uplift of tens to hundreds of metres, locally removing all Cambrian and Ordovician formations. Rising sea levels in the Silurian led to deposition of the Tanezzuft Formation on Precambrian basement in the northwestern Mourizidie region.

Egyptian Cosmetic Palettes

by Paul Roberts

I DEPOSITI DEL PLEISTOCENE INFERIORE DELLA BASSA VAL DI CECINA (TOSCANA, ITALIA): RICOSTRUZIONE STRATIGRAFICO–DEPOSIZIONALE E PROPOSTA DI SUDDIVISIONE IN UNITA’ ALLOSTRATIGRAFICHE

by Florence ReSeT

Giovanni Sarti, Andrea Ciampalini, Ilaria Consoloni & Andrea Cerrina Feroni

Using a Ground Based radar interferometer during emergency: the case of A3 motorway (Salerno Reggio-Calabria) treated by landslide

by Florence ReSeT

Chiara Del Ventisette, Emanuele Intrieri, Guido Luzi, and Nicola Casagli

The costal landslide from analogue experiments: perspectives and limitation

by Florence ReSeT

Chiara Del Ventisette, Teresa Nolesini, Sandro Moretti, Riccardo Fanti

The onset of the assembly of Pangaea in NW Iberia: constraints on the kinematics of continental subduction

by Ruben Diez Fernandez

Gondwana Research (2012)
Díez Fernández, R., Martínez Catalán, J.R., Arenas, R., and Abati, J.

Excellent exposures of high-pressure rocks developed in a Variscan continental subduction system outcrop in NW Iberia.... more Excellent exposures of high-pressure rocks developed in a Variscan continental subduction system outcrop in NW Iberia. The kinematic criteria provided by the high-pressure metamorphic fabrics can be used to infer tectonic flow within the deep sections of this system. The dominant trend of the ductile flow is oblique to that of the orogenic belt, indicating oblique continental subduction. Its azimuth, a few tens of degrees clockwise relative to the orogenic trend, suggests dextral transpression between Gondwana and Laurussia during continental subduction that took place at the Upper Devonian, and provides a consistent kinematic reference for the earliest assembly of Pangaea in NW Iberia.

Geodiversity, Suffolk: an Introductory Excursion

by Tim Holt-Wilson

Published in Dixon, RGD (ed): A Celebration of Suffolk Geology. GeoSuffolk 10th Anniversary Volume (GeoSuffolk, Ipswich; 2012). ISBN 0-9508154-7-0

The geodiversity and hence landscape of the county of Suffolk, England, is dominated by the influence of glacial... more The geodiversity and hence landscape of the county of Suffolk, England, is dominated by the influence of glacial deposits of the Lowestoft Formation of Anglian (Elsterian) age. This paper is cast as a series of radial excursions from the centre of the county, introducing the elements of pre-Anglian and post-Anglian geodiversity as they relate to this Lowestoftian legacy, featuring particularly the last two million years. Set against two centuries of scientific study of Suffolk’s Earth heritage, it introduces the major elements of the geodiversity of this classic eastern English lowland landscape.

Landslide hazard and forest fires-the relevance of geology for landslide type and development

by Tomas Fernandez-Steeger

Fernandez-Steeger, T.M., Wiatr, T., Papanikolaou, I., Reicherter, K. (2010): Landslide hazard and forest fires - the relevance of geology for landslide type and development. Geophysical Research Abstracts, 12 (EGU2010-13310) .

Large-scale lateral spreading and related mass movements in the Northern Calcareous Alps

by Tomas Fernandez-Steeger

Rohn, J., Resch, M., Schneider, H., Fernandez-Steeger, T.M., Czurda, K. (2004): Large scale lateral spreading and related mass movements in the Northern Calcareous Alps. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment 63, 71-75.

Lateral spreading is an important geotechnical phenomenon in the Hallstatt zones of the Northern Calcareous Alps where... more Lateral spreading is an important geotechnical phenomenon in the Hallstatt zones of the Northern Calcareous Alps where rigid limestones overlie marls and salt clays. Following the last glaciation, mass movements have developed with a general spreading of limestone blocks resulting in a complicated ldquojigsaw puzzlerdquo of rock. Two typical examples from Mt. Sandling and Mt. Raschberg in the Northern Calcareous Alps of Austria are discussed.

Active basins and neotectonics: morphotectonics of the Lake Ohrid Basin (FYROM and Albania)

by Tomas Fernandez-Steeger

Reicherter, K., Hoffmann, N., Lindhorst, K., Krastel, S., Fernandez-Steeger, T.M., Grützner, C., Wiatr, T. (2011): Active basins and neotectonics: morphotectonics of the Lake Ohrid Basin (FYROM and Albania). Z. dt. Ges. Geowiss 162, 2, 217 -234.

The Lake Ohrid Basin in FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) and Albania meets all criteria of an active,... more The Lake Ohrid Basin in FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) and Albania meets all criteria of an active, seismic landscape: linear step-like fault scarps in the landscape and under water within the lake. Post-glacial (or Late Pleistocene) bedrock fault scarps at Lake Ohrid are long-lived expressions of repeated surface faulting in tectonically active regions, where erosion cannot outpace the fault slip. Other morphotectonic features are wind gaps, wineglass-shaped valleys and triangular facets, which are well preserved. Generally, the faults and fault scarps are getting younger towards the basin centre, as depicted on seismic and hydroacoustic profiles. Additionally, mass movement bodies within the lake and also onshore (rockfalls, landslides, sub-aquatic slides, homogenites, turbidites) are likely to have been seismically triggered. These morphotectonic observations are in line with focal mechanisms of earthquakes in the greater Lake Ohrid area. We investigated the neotectonic history and tectonic geomorphology of the Lake Ohrid Basin by means of an integrated multidisciplinary approach, using tectonic geomorphology and a variety of geophysical and remote sensing methods.

Performing the Fault Line: A Community Arts Dialogue

by Kris Darby

Exeter PGR Humanities Conference, 2012, Co-authored with Erin Walcon

On Sunday the 4th and Monday 5th of July 2010 a performance took place in Torquay spanning
200m along a stretch... more On Sunday the 4th and Monday 5th of July 2010 a performance took place in Torquay spanning
200m along a stretch of white carpet connecting Torre Abbey to the seafront.

For the performers, the site-specific piece had three objectives:
1. Get people onto the carpet.
2. Change their perceptions of the site and the landscape.
3. Keep it playful. And fun.

The ‘Extended Cloister’ project encapsulated a moment in time where a community engaged in active dialogue with artists, local bureaucracy, and each other raising pertinent questions concerning identity and place. Amidst a climate of pressing economic concerns, setting aside money to fund arts projects becomes a luxury in the eyes of many. How does a community attempt to defend its right to art in the public space, to defend the role of artists, and to talk to itself through the medium of performance art? Perhaps more importantly, how does the local authority respond to the resulting conversations?

In this paper we will present two different perspectives of the same project, from the point of view of the project manager meeting the audiences at the beginning and end of their journey and a performer who walked with them, in a bid to observe the challenges faced in fulfilling these three objectives.

Active gas migration systems offshore northern Israel, evidence from seafloor and subsurface data

by Nicolas Waldmann

Continental Shelf Research (in press)

An active gas migration system across the eastern Mediterranean continental shelf, offshore northern Israel, is... more An active gas migration system across the eastern Mediterranean continental shelf, offshore northern Israel, is described for the first time. Seven vintages of industrial multi-channel seismic reflection and high-resolution single-channel data are integrated with data from a deep borehole, bathymetry and backscatter maps. Combined interpretation, aided by seismic attribute analysis, exhibits a variety of seismic gas signatures across the subsurface and seabed: acoustic blanking, bright spots, phase reversals, gas chimneys, reflector smearing, pockmarks and presumed gas release into the water column. Sub-seafloor gas stems from three main sources: (1) Mid-Pleistocene and (2) Last Glacial Maximum unconformities and (3) a series of incised channels in-between which are also related to glacial maxima. Close to the seafloor, gas accumulates across an area of 72 km2 at depths ranging from 37-112 m below sea-level, while ~720 pockmarks pierce the seafloor mainly at the gas front periphery. Active emission from one seep at the seafloor was recorded repeatedly over three years. We hypothesize that the well developed active gas system shown here for the first time is not unique to the continental shelf off northern Israel. Conversely, it represents the usually underestimated marine methane contribution from mid-latitude continental shelves into the marine environment and maybe into the atmosphere. This study suggests that global warming and sea level rise induces a negative, restraining feedback for gas emission across mid-latitude continental margins and thus being inverse to high latitudes, where this feedback is most likely positive due to the stronger impact of bottom water warming.

Ice-sheet collapse and sea-level rise at the Bølling warming 14,600 years ago

by Alex Thomas

Past sea-level records provide invaluable information about the response of ice sheets to climate forcing. Some such... more Past sea-level records provide invaluable information about the response of ice sheets to climate forcing. Some such records suggest that the last deglaciation was punctuated by a dramatic period of sea-level rise, of about 20 metres, in less than 500 years. Controversy about the amplitude and timing of this meltwater pulse (MWP-1A) has, however, led to uncertainty about the source of the melt water and its temporal and causal relationships with the abrupt climate changes of the deglaciation. Here we show that MWP-1A started no earlier than 14,650 years ago and ended before 14,310 years ago, making it coeval with the Bølling warming. Our results, based on corals drilled offshore from Tahiti during Integrated Ocean Drilling Project Expedition 310, reveal that the increase in sea level at Tahiti was between 12 and 22 metres, with a most probable value between 14 and 18 metres, establishing a significant meltwater contribution from the Southern Hemisphere. This implies that the rate of eustatic sea-level rise exceeded 40 millimetres per year during MWP-1A.

A deep subaqueous fan depositional model for the Palaeoarchaean (3.46 Ga) Marble Bar Cherts, Warrawoona Group, Western Australia

by Patrice Rey

N. Olivier, G. Dromart, N. Coltice, N. Flament, P. Rey and R. Sauvestre, 2012, Geological Magazine, FirstView Article : pp 1-7, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0016756812000131

The 3.46 Ga Marble Bar Chert Member of the East Pilbara Craton, Western Australia, is one of the earliest and... more The 3.46 Ga Marble Bar Chert Member of the East Pilbara Craton, Western Australia, is one of the earliest and best-preserved sedimentary successions on Earth. Here, we interpret the finely laminated thin-bedded cherts, mixed conglomeratic beds, chert breccia beds and chert folded beds of the Marble Bar Chert Member as the product of low-density turbidity currents, high-density turbidity currents, mass transport complexes and slumps, respectively. Integrated into a channel-levee depositional model, the Marble Bar Chert Member constitutes the oldest documented deep-sea fan on Earth, with thin-bedded cherts, breccia beds and slumps composing the outer levee facies tracts, and scours and conglomeratic beds representing the channel systems.

A new Silurian microvertebrate assemblage from the Tortworth inlier, Avon, England

by Susan Turner

The geology and terrestrial life of the Carboniferous.

by Alan R. T. Spencer

Garwood, R.J. & Spencer, A. 2011. The geology and terrestrial life of the Carboniferous. Deposits Magazine. 28:38-47

The Carboniferous Period is a fascinating time in earth history. It spanned 60myrs (359.2 to 299.0mya), towards the... more The Carboniferous Period is a fascinating time in earth history. It spanned 60myrs (359.2 to 299.0mya), towards the end of the Palaeozoic era, falling between the Devonian and Permian. During the Carboniferous, the supercontinent Pangaea was assembling and the oceans were home to invertebrates such as corals, bryozoa, ammonoids, echinoderms, trilobites and crustaceans. Fish were also well represented (especially sharks), which were rapidly diversifying at the time. The continents were no barren wasteland either – they were host to some of the first widespread terrestrial forest and swamp ecosystems. In these lived both invertebrates, which had crawled onto land by the Silurian period (at least 423mya) and vertebrates, which were relative newcomers to this realm. This article provides us with an excuse to write about the Carboniferous. We will first introduce the geology and palaeogeography of the Carboniferous, including an overview of the most common mode of preservation we see in terrestrial fossils. Then, we will provide an overview of terrestrial life during the period, as land-based ecosystems of this age are among the best known from the Palaeozoic and an exciting time in the history of life.

TURNER, S., & BURROW, C.J., 1999. Micropaleontology, vertebrate. Pp. 740-749. In R. SINGER (ed.), Encyclopedia of Paleontology. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. vol. 2; Chicago.

by Susan Turner

Co-authored with Dr Carole Burrow

Consideration of vertebrate microfossils, especially early vertebrates, agnathans and fish Consideration of vertebrate microfossils, especially early vertebrates, agnathans and fish

TURNER, S. 1995h. Professor Thomas Stanley Westoll Ph.D., D.Sc., F.R.S., F.R.S.E. 1912-1995. A memorial. Ichthyolith Issues 16, Dec. 1995,16-17.

by Susan Turner

brief memorial to important British vertebrate palaeontologist

Rekoumi, Ch., & Kalogiannakis, M. (2008). Diachronic study of the course of Geology in Greek school through the curriculum and the textbooks: a first approach, In P. Koumaras & F. Seroglou (eds.) Proceedings of the 4th Panhellenic Conference for the didactic of physics, 9-11 May 2008, 184-190, Thessaloniki: EDIFE - PTDE Aristotle University (in Greek).

by Michail Kalogiannakis

For more than a decade a significant decline of geological education has been witnessed in Greece. During the academic... more For more than a decade a significant decline of geological education has been witnessed in Greece. During the academic year 1998-1999 in an effort to reform the curriculum the teaching of geology in high school is repealed. Today, geology does not exist as a separate subject in secondary education and geosciences data is included in the curriculum of the course of "Geography" of A and B class of the high school, and electives in the second grade of Lyceum "Principles environmental Science "and" Management of Natural Resources. "In the present investigation an attempt to approach the presence of Geology in Greek Curriculum and textbooks in the establishment of the Greek state until the late 20th century. With the main methodological tool to analyze the content of the leaves of Government (GG) of Secondary Education for Science to approximate the temporal course of Geology in the period 1834-1999.
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Ρεκούμη, Χ., & Καλογιαννάκης, Μ. (2008). Διαχρονική μελέτη του μαθήματος της Γεωλογίας στο Ελληνικό σχολείο μέσα από τα Αναλυτικά Προγράμματα και τα σχολικά εγχειρίδια: μια πρώτη προσέγγιση, Στο Π. Κουμαράς & Φ. Σέρογλου (επιμ.) Πρακτικά 4ου Πανελλήνιου Συνεδρίου για τη Διδακτική των Φυσικών Επιστημών, Θεσσαλονίκη, 9-11 Μαΐου 2008, 184-190.

Εδώ και περισσότερο από μία δεκαετία παρατηρείται µία σημαντική υποχώρηση της γεωλογικής εκπαίδευσης στην Ελλάδα. Κατά το ακαδημαϊκό έτος 1998-1999 σε μια προσπάθεια αναμόρφωσης του Αναλυτικού Προγράμματος καταργείται η διδασκαλία της Γεωλογίας στο Λύκειο. Σήμερα, η Γεωλογία δεν υφίσταται ως ανεξάρτητο μάθημα στη Δευτεροβάθμια Εκπαίδευση και στοιχεία των Γεωεπιστημών περιλαμβάνονται στο Αναλυτικό Πρόγραμμα του μαθήματος της «Γεωγραφίας» της Α΄ και Β΄ τάξης του Γυμνασίου, καθώς και στα μαθήματα επιλογής της Β΄ τάξης του Ενιαίου Λυκείου «Αρχές Περιβαλλοντικών Επιστημών» και «Διαχείριση Φυσικών Πόρων». Στα πλαίσια της παρούσας έρευνας επιχειρείται μια προσέγγιση της παρουσία της Γεωλογίας στα Ελληνικά Αναλυτικά Προγράμματα και στα σχολικά εγχειρίδια από τη σύσταση του Ελληνικού κράτους μέχρι και το τέλος του 20ου αιώνα. Με βασικό μεθοδολογικό εργαλείο την ανάλυση περιεχομένου των Φύλλων της Κυβέρνησης (ΦΕΚ) της Μέσης Εκπαίδευσης για τις Φυσικές Επιστήμες προσπαθούμε να προσεγγίσουμε διαχρονικά το μάθημα της Γεωλογίας κατά τη χρονική περίοδο 1834-1999.

Kalogiannakis, M., & Rekoumi, Ch. (2008). Teaching geology in secondary education: steps forward or backwards? Kinitro, 9, 105-125 (in Greek).

by Michail Kalogiannakis

The earth constitutes a compound and dynamic system and its better and broader knowledge and processes that are in... more The earth constitutes a compound and dynamic system and its better and broader knowledge and processes that are in progress on it might enable us to better understand as well as foresee the future of our planet. The research of historic development of the Earth system as a total deep in time distinguishes geology from the other natural sciences. Our research deals with the questions: should - and for what reasons - geology be taught at school? What is its presence in the curriculum and school textbooks nowadays? Is the geological school education sufficient so that the educational innovations which rely on the holistic view of the world and the interdisciplinarity approach of knowledge can operate effectively? The results of our research have shown that geology does not exist as an integral cognitive matter in Greek education and it is regarded with a fragmentary, marginal way. Today’s students and tomorrow’s active citizens - do not acquire substantial geological knowledge which is an essential component for the solution of the worldwide environmental problems.
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Καλογιαννάκης, Μ. & Ρεκούμη, Χ. (2008). Η διδασκαλία της Γεωλογίας στη Δευτεροβάθμια Εκπαίδευση: βήματα εμπρός ή βήματα πίσω; Κίνητρο, 9, 105-125.

Η παρούσα εργασία μελετά την παρουσία της Γεωλογίας στα ελληνικά Αναλυτικά Προγράμματα και σχολικά εγχειρίδια από τη δημιουργία του Ελληνικού κράτους μέχρι και το τέλος του 20ου αιώνα και θέτει ορισμένα βασικά ερωτήματα: Ποια είναι η παρούσα κατάσταση της διδασκαλίας της Γεωλογίας στη Δευτεροβάθμια Εκπαίδευση της χώρας μας; Ποιοι τρόποι φαίνεται να υπάρχουν για να ενταχθούν οι γεωεπιστήμες σήμερα στο εκπαιδευτικό μας σύστημα; Σχετικά με το μεθοδολογικό πλαίσιο της έρευνας ανατρέξαμε στα Φύλλα Εφημερίδων της Κυβέρνησης (ΦΕΚ) που αναφέρονται στην Εκπαίδευση και από αυτά ξεχωρίσαμε τα αναφερόμενα στη Μέση Εκπαίδευση και στα μαθήματα των Φυσικών Επιστημών.