Paleobiology and sedimentary geology (3rd Cycle)
Module Coordinator
Assoc. Prof. Aleksander Horvat, PhD
Research Fellow and head of the Ivan Rakovec Institute of Palaeontology, lecturer at 2nd and 3rd cycle study programmes at Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU
+386 1 4706 369
In the module Palaeobiology and Sedimentary Geology students will gain theoretical knowledge and deepen the content of the master’s course Palaeoecology. As an interdisciplinary subject, palaeoecology is based on taxonomic paleontology and incorporates knowledge from sedimentology, geology, geochemistry, ecology, palaeobiology, palaeoclimatology and palaeoceanography into the course.
In the module students will acquire in-depth knowledge of taxonomic palaeontology, biochronology, stratigraphic correlation, vertebrate palaeobiology, palaeoecology, taphonomy and the geology and geochemistry of carbonates. Knowledge of the sedimentological characteristics of rocks and the age, diversity, and ecology of the fossil inventory allows for comprehensive interpretation and reconstruction of different sedimentary environments, determination of their mutual geographic position over time intervals, and reconstruction of complex geological history. The acquired knowledge of the processes and temporal changes in the environment through geological history will be useful to understand and explain the environmental problems we face today.
Basic objectives of the Module Paleobiology and Sedimentary Geology are to support students in:
- understanding geology as a historical science that is largely non-experimental,
- gaining specific knowledge and experience in three fundamental areas of geology: palaeontology, stratigraphy and sedimentology,
- gaining practical experience in research (from the conception of the study to the presentation of results and the writing of a scientific article),
- transferring the acquired knowledge into practice; e.g. the use of knowledge in the context of nature conservation,
- international networking with researchers in a specific field of interest,
- knowledge of the application system for research and applied projects; autonomous preparation of project application.
The lecturers of the module Paleobiology and Sedimentary Geology are mostly researchers employed at the Ivan Rakovec Institute of Palaeontology at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. The institute specializes in three basic areas of geology: palaeontology, biostratigraphy, and sedimentology.
Research includes palaeontology, palaeoecology, palaeobiogeography and biostratigraphy of selected groups of organisms (diatoms, silicoflagellates, radiolarians, foraminifera, molluscs, corals and vertebrates), sedimentary geology of Mesozoic and Cenozoic carbonate platforms and deep-water basins, and geobiology of Tertiary and recent terrestrial carbonates, and geoarchaeology. The organisms studied by the Institute staff lived in different environments: on land (dinosaurs and other Cretaceous vertebrates, Quaternary mammals), in shallow coastal seas (benthic foraminifera, corals, sponges, molluscs) and in deep-sea intracontinental basins (radiolarians, diatoms, planktonic foraminifera), so their remains are found in very different sedimentary rocks. In the last decade, the Institute has put a special emphasis on sedimentology, which includes knowledge of the sedimentological characteristics of rocks as well as the age, diversity and ecology of the fossil inventory, allows comprehensive interpretation and reconstruction of different sedimentary environments, determines their mutual geographical position through time, and reconstructs the complex geological history of a given territory. Their research is mainly funded by the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) and partly by various marketing projects. The lecturers have a wide international network. They have pedagogical experience at Slovenian universities and universities abroad and have participated in the mentorship of many students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Izbirni predmeti modula z nosilci in nosilkami
Geochemistry of sedimentary carbonates
Assist. Prof. Špela Goričan, Ph. D. ,
Assoc. Prof. Aleksander Horvat, Ph. D. ,
ECTS: 6