Generations Of Geologists Research Articles

Applied geology – basic training program for mining and geological industry personnel

The development of the human resources potential of the mining and geological industry in Russia is largely a task of the state and its institutions. The shortage of qualified personnel in the field of geological study of the subsurface, as well as the gap in the “education – science – production” system are indicated among other things in the list of challenges and threats to the development of the mineral resource base of the Russian Federation in the new Strategy of Development of the Mineral Resource Base of the Russian Federation until 2035. This strategy was developed and adopted by Order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 2914 of 22.12.2018 (hereinafter – Strategy). Obviously, the solution of the tasks aimed at developing the geological industry of Russia and reproduction of the mineral resource base, formulated in the Strategy, will be provided mainly by the geological knowledge and skills formed in the scientific and practical activities of the new generation of geologists. The current modernization of geological education in the absence of professional standards is aimed at combining the competences of university graduates and qualifications of representatives of the profession of geologists, geophysicists, geochemists, hydrogeologists and geological prospectors. Interaction of universities with mining and geological companies in terms of improving educational standards and training programs is especially important in the conditions of the development and large-scale implementation of new technologies for mineral resources study at all stages of the geological exploration process. Reproduction of the personnel potential of the exploration industry should certainly be under the close attention of the state and under its direct management, as it will largely determine the mineral resources sovereignty of the country.

Izazovi za geologe generacije Z

The emerging generation of geologists is facing some problems which are known to their predecessors, as well as, until now, new and unknown challenges. The fact that many associate geology with dirty technologies in which there will be less job opportunities, at the time when clean water, soil and air are being pursued, as well as considering it as old-fashioned in current time of rapidly advancing technologies, which have led to significant interest drop in geology studies. It is necessary, even in early education phase, to intrigue future geology students by explaining them that geology uses most advanced technologies and has skills which could be efficiently used in environmental protection projects. Energy transition is impossible without active participation of geologists who would implement their knowledge and experience during carbon-oxide storage, geothermal energy use and future wind farm location. The construction of high-quality climate forecast models is impossible without geologists, who study climate changes in the geological history. One of the challenges is the COVID 19 pandemic which will most probably leave a mark in the Anthropocene sedimentary record.

From paleontological collections to the Paleontological Museum of Lviv University as an object of historical, cultural and natural values


 
 
 
 The creation of the Paleontological Museum of Lviv University is the implementation of one of many projects of scientists of geologists and paleontologists in the territory of first Eastern Europe, and later modern Western Ukraine. The foundation of the «temple of muses» of geological sciences (natural sciences, Earth sciences) and their component of paleontology in the West of Ukraine is the stage of formation of geological (paleontological) research and the Lviv geological (paleontological-stratigraphic) school at the Lviv University. The beginning and development of natural sciences – geology and paleontology on a global scale became the basis for the creation of the Geological Faculty and the Department of Historical Geology and Paleontology (1945) at the Lviv University, and the Geological/Paleontological Museum acquired importance in the study, collection, conservation, protection, and popularization of Earth Sciences among various segments of the population. The history of the foundation and the development of the Geological/Paleontological Museum of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv is covered. Prerequisites that contributed to the foundation of the Paleontological Museum are given, the scientific and theoretical concept based on it, the directions of research and the results of achievements of each stage are substantiated. The museum place in the «spectrum» of historical, cultural and natural values has been clarified. The scientific research works of different generations of geologists and paleontologists over the 200-year history and their contribution to the development of Earth Sciences were analyzed. Its significance as a cultural and spiritual center for the development of society is highlighted. The description of the activity of the scientific goals of various political systems in which the territories of the West of Ukraine were located and their contribution to the development of the Paleontological Museum is given. The structure and classification of natural objects (fossils, naturals) of museum collections and foundations by purpose and significance have been determined. Modern and further trends in the development of the Paleontological Museum have been clarified. Fundamental, research, educational and informative, cultural, propaganda aspects of the Paleontologic Мuseum are shown.
 
 
 

Witness of the history: A hundred years old the geological hammer of Jovan Zujovic

During the celebration of thirty years of existence and work of the Serbian Geological Society (SGS) on February 10, 1921, as a sign of great respect toward Academician Jovan Zujovic, the President and founder of the Serbian Geological Society and father of the Serbian Geological School, all the members of SGS gave him an unique geological hammer with engraved dedication and their signatures. Over the past hundred years, many generations of geologists have found inspiration by looking at the hammer and sharing this story with great reverence. Today, when geologists visit the Memorial Room of Geology (Faculty of Mining and Geology, Kamenicka Street No. 6), where this hammer is carefully kept as well as other valuable exhibits from the history of Serbian geology, similar feelings fill us.

What do geologists do when the coronavirus bites? Ideas for educators

The spread of the 2020 Covid‐19 pandemic has had a major effect on the way that geologists carry out their work—and particularly those engaged in educating the next generation of geologists. There are a number of resources available, and some, focussed on fostering interest in budding geologists, are presented here.

TO EXPLORE THE UNEXPLORED—A GEOLOGIST'S PATH A MEMOIR OF JOVAN STÖCKLIN (1921–2008)

ABSTRACT This article provides a brief survey of the life and career of Swiss geologist Jovan Stöcklin (1921–2008) with highlights of some of his important findings and extensive references to his published works. Additionally, it includes exclusive information and photographs provided by the late geologist's family. Dr. Stöcklin belonged to a generation of geologists who believed in field geology and followed their conviction that any theories or models needed to be—above all—based on direct observation of nature. Even early in his career, he hungered to conduct large-scale reconnaissance work in areas that were geologically unknown. That is why his expeditions took him to the most remote parts of Iran, where at that time camels were the only means of transportation. He also trekked through the rugged central mountains of Nepal, accompanied by Nepalese geologists and a column of porters. Fieldwork by Dr. Stöcklin and his teams provides modern geologists with much of what we know today about an area thousands of square kilometers in size extending from Iran (Persia) all the way to the central Himalayas. In addition to his native German tongue, Dr. Stöcklin was fluent in French, English, Russian, and Persian. This allowed him to converse with geologists from many different nations, read and correlate their published research, and exposed him to many ideas he might not otherwise have known about. He published his research in many languages as well. Dr. Stöcklin also acquired a comprehensive knowledge of the geology of the Middle East and Central Asia from his extensive travelling. Today's geologists owe many thanks to Dr. Stöcklin. As the reader of this article will come to discover, we have much we can learn from him.

Earth science education: The current state of play

Earth science education: The current state of play

South Devon, UK

Where can you teach the fundamental principles of geology in three short field days? In this feature article, I introduce South Devon as a classic area of geology, useful for introducing basic concepts relevant to school and first‐year degree curricula. That this region remains a catalyst for developing young geologists is especially fitting given that it was here that Henry de la Beche embarked on the first mapping project of what would later become the British Geological Survey. In South Devon, a novice geologist can learn about plate tectonics, the unifying theory of our subject, through a visit to two quarries. At Chipley Quarry, near Newton Abbott, sea‐floor spreading is well illustrated by Devonian pillow‐lavas extruded within the back‐arc margins of the Rheic Ocean. At Burrator Quarry, near Yelverton, the aftermath of continental collision is represented by the north‐verging Variscan fold belt, intruded and thermally metamorphosed by the Dartmoor granite. A trip along the coast to Paignton provides an informative lesson about the distinctive stratigraphic imprint that is created by this plate tectonic cycle. Here, tightly folded Devonian slates are unconformably overlain by near‐horizontal Permian breccia‐conglomerates at Waterside Cove. The ‘abyss of time’ at their junction represents the tens of millions of years involved in the uplift and denudation of Rheic Ocean sediments in the course of the Variscan Orogen. The Devonian and Permian successions of South Devon additionally serve as an excellent training ground for interpreting ancient environments with both marine and terrestrial facies spectacularly represented. Fossils abound in these strata, too, including the stromatoporoid life assemblage at Triangle Point, Torquay, where students have the opportunity to do a virtual scuba‐dive over a Devonian reef. Finally, given current discussions about employability in UK universities, there is even room in an excursion to instill the practical importance of geology: for example, a trip to the scenic Burrator Reservoir on Dartmoor reveals what can go wrong for geotechnical engineers when a major dam is sited on a granite weakened by chemical weathering. In summary, South Devon has it all—a brilliant natural laboratory for training and inspiring the next generation of geologists.

GEODYNAMICS OF THE KAZAKHSTAN OROCLINE, CENTRAL ASIA

Curved mountain belts, commonly referred as to oroclines that result from bending of quasi-linear orogenic belts, have fascinated generations of geologists. Such structures are widely recognized in modern and ancient orogens, and are fundamentally important for understanding geodynamics of convergent plate boundaries. However, how and why orogenic belts become bent has been in debate. Here we investigate the Kazakhstan Orocline in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt with an aim at understanding the geodynamics of oroclinal bending in accretionary orogens.

The legacy of Ardito Desio concerning the geological exploration of Karakorum

Ardito Desio’s dream was to live across three centuries and two millennia, and so he did (1897–2001). His interest covered a large range of subjects, spanning from Glaciology to Applied Geology, from the exploration of desert areas to research for oil, gas, water and ores. Curious, energetic and tireless as he was, he has been a successful leader of the Italian expedition of 1954 to the K2 (8611 m) “la montagna degli Italiani”. Desio’s legacy for the exploration of the Karakorum is the subject of this essay, starting from his participation in the 1929 expedition led by Aimone di Savoia-Aosta, Duke of Spoleto, when he was a young curator of Geology at the Museum of National History in Milan. Desio, with the alpine guide Croz and the banker Ponti as step counter, had the responsibility to create a topographic map of the so-far unexplored area south of K2. Of the 14 peaks higher then 8000 m (5 in Karakorum and 9 in Himalaya) the first to be reached in 1950 was Annapurna. Nanga Parbat, and Everest fell in 1953 and K2—considered the most difficult—was successfully reached in 1954 thanks to the efficient, military style of Ardito Desio who started the Geological exploration of this “two expeditions in one” when the climbing part was terminated. In the following years, other smaller Geological expeditions were organized by Desio in the highest mountain chain of our planet until there has been a “passage of the baton” to the next generation of Geologists. With the Himalayan workshops the research became more international, more interdisciplinary and more interesting. The 12th workshop was convened by Gaetani in Rome, at the Accademia dei Lincei, when Desio was 100 years old. Two epilogues follow: the first deals with Geology and ends with brand new information concerning innovative research on deep oceanic sediments obtained with continuous coring in the Arabian Sea (Indus submarine delta fed by Karakorum) and in the Bengal gulf (Gange Delta, fed by Himalaya). The second epilogue deals with mountaineering and earthquakes. Great successes and incredible records are accompanied by disasters and catastrophes of increasing proportions and culminated with the presence of over 200 persons on the way to Everest when the area was hit, on April 25, 2015 by an earthquake of Richter magnitude 7.8. The last science project launched by Ardito Desio and funded by CNR was the Pyramid, which wears his name, and is now providing new important seismic data for the geodynamic reconstruction of a continent–continent collision that created the highest mountain chain on Earth.

Meeting sustainability and water resources: a dialogue about groundwater science and hydrogeology practice

An impressive dialogue with the Portuguese Hydrogeologist Jose Martins Carvalho, Emeritus Professor of Polytechnic of Porto (IPP), retired Professor of Hydrogeology, professional EuroGeologist (EurGeol.) and European Federation of Geologists (EFG) panel of experts on Hydrogeology, was highlighted in the scope of the thematic issue—Sustainability and Water Resources—in Environmental Earth Sciences journal honouring his long career over the last 50 years. This approach encompassed insights from his life-long outlook acting as a professional hydrogeologist and professor of groundwater science that contributed to the graduation of several generations of geologists and engineers. Moreover, Emeritus Professor J. Martins Carvalho served as mentor to numerous geo-professionals in environmental hydrogeology practice and research.

Vendian reference section of southern Middle Siberia

Geological, chemo-, and biostratigraphic data indicate that the Vendian section of the Ura uplift is the most complete one in southern Middle Siberia and contains analogs of main units of the Vendian stratotype. This section is well known having been investigated by several generations of geologists, well exposed, and easily accessible; therefore, it is proposed to serve as a regional reference section for Vendian deposits of the entire southern Middle Siberia. Its description is accompanied by presentation of new biostratigraphic and radioisotopic data. The section is correlated with other Vendian sections of the Baikal-Patom and some other world regions.

Structural evolution history of the Red Sea Rift

The Red Sea Rift has been an object of comprehensive studies by several generations of geologists and geophysicists. Many publications and open-file reports provide insights into the geological history of this rift. Paleogene and Cretaceous rocks, which are considered to be prerift, are locally exposed at the margins of the Red Sea Rift. At the same time, some evidence indicates that at least some of these rocks are related to the early stage of the evolution of the Red Sea Rift. The available geological data suggest that the Red Sea region started its active evolution in the Cretaceous. As follows from lithostratigraphic data, the Cretaceous-Paleogene trough that predated the Oligocene-Quaternary rift covered this region completely or partially. The pre-Oligocene magmatism and geological evidence show that the Cretaceous-Paleogene trough was of the rift type. The Cretaceous-Eocene and Oligocene-Quaternary phases of rifting were separated by an epoch of uplifting and denudation documented by the erosion surface and unconformity.

Basic stratigraphy and tectonics of the Southern Alpsaround the Giudicarie Lineament (Southern Alps, Italy)

One of the most fascinating problems of the Southern Alps is the meaning of the strong structural indentation between the Sothern Alps and the Austroalpine units along N-Giudicarie fault, where the Europe-verging nappe stack of the Alps (Austroalpine and Penninic nappes) and the Africa-verging thrust belt of the Southern Alps face each other and appear sinistrally displaced more than 50 km. Starting from the beginning of ‘900 century, several generations of geologists considered the sinistral slip on the fault responsible of the indentation of the Alps along the Giudicarie lineament, occurred during N-S Neogene compressions. Old and new data, on the contrary, indicate that most of the extensive sinistral displacement affecting the N Giudicarie Lineament originated during late Cretaceous-early Eocene times. The Pre-Adamello structural belt is present only in the internal Lombardy zone, located W of the Adamello massif. This belt is unknown in the Dolomites and surrounding areas located to the E of the Giudicarie lineament. Upper Cretaceous-early Eocene thick Flysch deposits of Lombardy and Giudicarie are well preserved along the Southern and Eastern border of the Pre-Adamello belt (S-verging Alpine orogen). Towards the E, in the Dolomites and in the Carnic Alps and external Dinarides, only incomplete remnants of Flysch deposits, Aptian-Albian and Turonian-Maastrichtian in age, are present. They can be considered as equivalent to those of Lombardy and Giudicarie formerly in connection along the N-Giudicarie corridor. All these deposits may correspond to the foredeep syntectonic sedimentary records of the S border of the new Cretaceous-Eocene orogenic belt of the Alps. Differences between the eastern and western blocks (the Dolomites versus the pre-Adamello belt) can be related to the Cretaceous-Eocene N Giudicarie transfer zone, which produced the basic structural setting discussed here. Due to these data and interpretations the Giudicarie bending of the Alps appears to be a late Mesozoic-early Tertiary tectonic inheritance rather than the result of the Neogene compressional evolution. During the late Eocene to early Oligocene the transfer zone was utilized for the ascent and emplacement of the Paleogene Adamello batholith. Oligocene to Neogene compressional evolution inverted the N-Giudicarie fault into a back-thrust of the Austroalpine units over the South-Alpine chain rearranging most of the former structural setting.

Nomenclature and resolution in Holocene glacial chronologies

Most Quaternary research in Canada during the first half of the twentieth century focused on Pleistocene glaciation. Given the dramatic shifts in climate during the Pleistocene, it is not surprising that the Holocene was viewed as a time of benign climate. Holocene climate variability was first recognized around the middle of the century when paleoecologists found evidence that the early part of the epoch was warmer and drier than the later part. In 1970s and 1980s, another generation of geologists, geographers, and botanists began to recognize more complexity in Holocene climate and vegetation in western Canada. Several millennial-scale glacier “advances” postdating the early Holocene warm interval were defined, including the Garibaldi Phase (6.9–5.6 ka), the Tiedemann–Peyto Advance (3.5–1.9 ka), and the Little Ice Age (AD 1200–1900). Subsequently, application of dendrochronological techniques and stratigraphic studies in glacier forefields showed that the Little Ice Age was itself more complex than previously thought. During that 700-year period, glaciers repeatedly advanced and retreated in response to climatic variability on time scales ranging from centuries to decades. Recent work shows that the glacier record of the Garibaldi Phase and the Tiedemann and Peyto advances are similar in complexity to the Little Ice Age, with multiple advances of glaciers separated by intervals of more restricted ice cover. Researchers have also identified other times in the Holocene when glaciers expanded from restricted positions – 8.20, 4.90–3.80, and 1.70–1.40 ka. Continued research undoubtedly will reveal additional complexities, but with what is currently known the appropriateness of terms such as “Tiedemann Advance,” “Peyto Advance,” and “Little Ice Age” can be questioned. Only short periods of time separate these episodes as currently defined, and it seems likely that intervals of restricted glacier cover within each of these millennial-length intervals are just as long as the intervals separating them.

Richard Arthur Reyment: Father of the International Association for Mathematical Geology

Richard Arthur Reyment was born of parents of English, Swedish, and Spanish descent in Coburg, Victoria, Australia on 4 December 1926. After obtaining his bachelor degree from Melbourne University in 1948 he spent several years with the British Colonial Service in Nigeria. While there he obtained his masters degree from Melbourne and a doctorate from the University of Stockholm (Sweden). His work in Nigeria led to the appointment as professor at the University of Ibadan. He returned to Sweden in 1965 with an appointment from the Swedish Natural Science Research Council. In 1967 he was awarded his DSc from Melbourne University and was appointed to the Chair of Historical Geology and Paleontology at the University of Uppsala (Sweden), where he remained until his retirement in 1991. His early studies on random events, multivariate morphometrics, and statistical analysis in geology and biology naturally led him into the quantitative aspects of his chosen profession, and whetted his desire to share these experiences with others with similar interests. This, he decided, could best be accomplished through an organization to promote quantitative methods and approaches, which led to his concept of the International Association for Mathematical Geology (IAMG). His efforts and enthusiasm resulted in the founding of the Association at the ill-fated International Geological Congress (IGC) in Prague in 1968. Reyment was elected the first IAMG secretary general and later the second president. The IAMG is affiliated with both the IGC and the International Statistical Institute (ISI). In recognition of his scientific accomplishments he was awarded IAMG's highest award, the William Christian Krumbein Medal, in 1979 and a special Certificate of Merit in 2002. Reyment's pioneering efforts have influenced a generation of geologists and paleontologists.

NEWS AND VIEWS OF THE NEW EDITOR: FEAR AND LOATHING IN PALEONTOLOGY, OR LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THINGS

The success of micropaleontology, and the employment of most of its practitioners (namely, paleontologists and biostratigraphers), has always been based on its utility (Martin, 1995). Indeed, the fortunes of all of paleontology throughout much of the 20th century were tied to the utility of micropaleontology in petroleum exploration (Martin, 1991; Gastaldo and others, 1997). But one of the most important things that I realized while I worked in industry was that micropaleontology was viewed indifferently by most non-paleontologists. Why? Perhaps because generation after generation of geologists was taught about paleontology, but never how to use it, and paleontologists did little to make themselves indispensable to exploration efforts. Identifying taxa, making a general paleobathymetric assessment of samples, and picking “tops” were all essential in short-term, day-to-day operations but they weren’t enough in the long run to ensure the future success of the field. And by the time paleontologists started to shift toward integrating bio-stratigraphic data with sequence stratigraphic interpretations, the outcome was pre-ordained. Perhaps it would have been no different otherwise, but paleontologists’ attitudes toward their own profession did not help. Also, major oil companies have moved much of their exploration efforts outside the U.S., where giant untapped oil fields still loom and oil companies will get bigger and faster returns on their investments. Although oil prices have risen substantially in the last year or so, at the time of this writing (January, 2001) they have returned to near their previous levels. At the same time, micropaleontology has been confronting a paradigm shift to “environmental” geoscience, and our research and attitudes toward application of micropaleontology have been changing accordingly. Fortunately, microfossils are ideally suited to environmental studies because of the same traits that made them so well-suited to biostratigraphy and petroleum exploration: short generation times that allow quick responses …

Hydrocarbon exploration in a complex incised valley fill: An example from the late Messinian Abu Madi Formation (Nile Delta Basin, Egypt)

Since the early 1960s, when the Nile Delta Basin started to show its potentiality, generations of geologists and geophysicists have applied different concepts and methodologies, keeping pace with the latest available technologies: regional gravity surveys were followed by more and more extended and sophisticated 2-D seismic surveys up to almost routine 3-D acquisition in the 1990s. Among the oil companies more active in the area, AGIP, through its affiliate International Egyptian Oil Company (IEOC), drilled in 30 years more than 50 new field wildcat wells, 29 of which had Messinian targets. Following this technological and conceptual evolution, the rate of technical success approached the 100% in the last exploratory phase of the Abu Madi Formation when 3-D seismic data and seismic attributes were extensively used to predict the sand distribution within the valley.

Stratigraphy of the upper horizons of the Precambrian sequence in the South Urals

The section through the upper horizons of the Precambrian of the South Urals, or more precisely, the Bashkirian anticlinorium, has been carefully studied by more than a generation of geologists, although the structure of some of its intervals has still not been finally established. This applies, in particular, to the deposits oc­ curring at the boundary between the Karatau and the Asha Series. In order to clarify the structure of this interval and explain the prob­ lem, let us first consider the very important section in the Krivaya Luka graben. The graben is one of the few sites in which the Vendian and the upper horizons of the Riphean have been observed on the eastern limb of the Bashkirian anticlinorium. This section is distinguished from that on the western limb of the Bashkirian anticlinorium by its completeness and adds substantially to it.

A review of data processing in the earth sciences in Canada

Much effort is presently being given in Canada to the development of a national system for storage and retrieval of geologic data. Coordination of these efforts is directed by the secretariat of the National Institute for Geoscience Data under guidance of the Geological Survey of Canada. Most files are project oriented but archival files are justified for data whose observations cannot be repeated, such as those for mineral deposits. Presently, extensive file systems have been created for storage of information obtained in petroleum exploration and exploitation, mineral deposits, field mapping, and geochemistry and geophysics. A Canadian Index to Geoscience Data has been prepared and contains references to all maps and reports, published or unpublished, data banks, and all documents on open file for the federal and provincial agencies.SAFRAS, a general, self-adaptive free-format retrieval and storage system, is employed to retrieve data in plain language. Although geologists are using data systems, it will be the coming generation of geologists who will make maximum use of data processing in geology.