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 SEDBAS project
    IP-2019-04-7042

Sedimentary paleobasins, water corridors and biota migrations
(Taložni paleobazeni, vodeni prolazi i migracije biote)

Leader: Prof. Marijan Kovačić (Faculty od Science)

Sedimentary basins have so far been the subject of scientific interest from different, most commonly sedimentological and paleontological points of view, and they are also environments where important mineral resources are generated – such as coal and hydrocarbons. Sedimentary deposits in such basins bear numerous records about the Earth’s geological past, such as changes in continents’ layout, land and sea distribution, evolution of the living world and climate changes. Moreover, they are important for detecting geological hazards, such as volcanic eruptions. Aquatic basins have been intensively studied in recent years worldwide, as well as migration corridors and factors limiting biota migration. Deposits in isolated sedimentary basins – where endemic species commonly develop – are given special attention in terms of age determination and are studied by means of various radiometric methods to determine the time of first appearance, development and extinction of biota. Sedimentary deposits on the territory of the Republic of Croatia accumulated in different depositional basins and environments, from oceanic, over epicontinental marine to brackish or fresh-water lacustrine and terrestrial environments.

Objectives:

Proposed research has four research goals:
  1. Definition of stratigraphic course of development and characteristics of biota from ocean-type depositional basins from the end of the Paleozoic and the beginning of the Mesozoic Era
  2. Reconstruction of the development and interconnections of the epicontinental marine depositional environments and their biota during the Miocene Period at the territory of Northern Croatia
  3. Definition of stratigraphic succession and key intrabasinal and extrabasinal factors influencing the development of the Neogene isolated lacustrine-terrestrial environments and their endemic biota at the territory of Northern Croatia
    4.  Organization, administration and dissemination

Contribution:

  • to the knowledge on less known fossil groups (supplement to the knowledge on the fossil treasure of Croatia)
  • classification of stress events and behavior of biota, as the model for recognition of hazards in modern environments and possible effects on living biota
  • importance of climate changes and their influence to sedimentary basins and biota – model for understanding the consequences of global warming
  • more accurate reconstruction of chronology of geological events
  • Recognized the influence of sedimentological, paleontological and tectonic influences on genesis and accumulation of mineral deposits (particularly hydrocarbons)