91447 - Micropalaeonthological Application to Stratigraphy and Palaeoclimatology

Learning outcomes

This course provides the basis to understand 1) the distribution of microfossils at a geologic time scale; 2) the biostratigraphic, paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental applications of Micropaleontology; 3) the evolutionary trends of selected microfossils useful for dating sedimentary successions; 4) the suitable group of fossils for biostratigraphic studies in relation with the Chronostratigraphy and the paleoenvironment of a sedimentary succession. With laboratory work, the students will be able to provide a foraminiferal biostratigraphy of Neogene and Quaternary successions (and with low resolution within Cretaceous and Paleogene units), with details on paleoclimate and paleoenvironment.

Course contents

Microfossils in stratigraphic analysis. Principles and methods of biostratigraphy. Sampling strategies and laboratory techniques for biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental investigations. Fundamentals of the taxonomy and microscopic identification of planktonic and benthic foraminifera. Microscopic examination of key marker species for Pliocene and Pleistocene biostratigraphy. Micropaleontological proxies for paleoenvironmental reconstruction and relative sea-level change. Laboratory activities focused on reconstructing relative sea-level variations recorded in sedimentary successions through the analysis of foraminiferal assemblages, with examples from shelf and offshore depositional settings. Micropaleontology in paleoclimatic research. Latitudinal distribution of planktonic foraminifera. Laboratory activities aimed at reconstructing the paleoclimate of sedimentary successions through the study of planktonic foraminiferal assemblages, including their relationship with the oxygen isotope stratigraphic record. Integrated analysis of foraminiferal assemblages to provide a comprehensive interpretation of the biostratigraphy, paleoclimatology, and paleoenvironment of sedimentary successions. Benthic foraminifera in environmental biomonitoring; environmental quality indices derived from foraminiferal assemblages; distribution of benthic species in relation to organic matter content; microscopic examination of bioindicator species used for environmental quality assessment.

Readings/Bibliography

Pdf files and printed plates provided by the teacher.

Kennett, J.P., Srinivasan, M.S., 1983, Neogene planktonic foraminifera: a phylogenetic atlas. Hutchinson Ross Publishing Company, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

Murray, J.W., 2006. Ecology and Applications of Benthic Foraminifera. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Teaching methods

Theory lessons, microscope laboratory

Assessment methods

The final assessment includes both a laboratory and a theoretical examination.

The laboratory exam involves the micropaleontological analysis of two foraminiferal assemblages. The first focuses on planktonic foraminifera from a sample collected in a sedimentary succession, with the aim of identifying biostratigraphic markers, defining the biostratigraphic zone, and evaluating paleoclimatic conditions. The second focuses on benthic foraminifera from a Quaternary succession, in order to reconstruct the depositional paleoenvironment.

The theoretical exam consists of an oral test designed to assess the student’s understanding of the main topics covered during the course.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

 

Teaching tools

Classrooms equipped for teaching with: personal computers, video projectors, video cameras; PowerPoint presentations; micropaleontology slides, sample holders and microscopy tools, microscope with camera.

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Claudio Vaiani