INSTRUCTORS
Lectures: | M. Triantafyllou, Prof. A. Antonarakou, Prof. M. Dimiza, Assoc. Prof. T. Tsourou, Assist. Prof. E. Besiou, Laboratory Teaching Staff |
Lab. Training: | M. Triantafyllou, Prof. A. Antonarakou, Prof. M. Dimiza, Assoc. Prof. T. Tsourou, Assist. Prof. E. Besiou, Laboratory Teaching Staff E. Stathopoulou, Laboratory Teaching Staff |
| eClass Webpage |
COURSE KEY ELEMENTS
LEVEL / SEMESTER: | EQF level 6; NQF of Greece level 6 / 3rd |
TYPE: | General background (obligatory), Skills development |
TEACHING ACTIVITIES - HOURS/WEEK - ECTS: | Lectures-seminars & laboratory work and exercises, optional fieldwork
2 hours of lecturing,
2 hours of practical exercises per week,
6 ECTS credit |
Prerequisites: | Υ2201 - Introduction to Geology (recommended) |
Language of instruction and Assessment: | Greek (V.S.1 English) |
Availability to Erasmus+ Students: | YES in English |
COURSE CONTENT:
A. Lectures
- Introduction to BioGeosciences
- Basic elements of cell function, the role of biological metabolism in changing environmental conditions, the biological derivatives preserved in the geological record as well as the changes that occur in biomolecules and elements due to sedimentary processes and the recycling of organic matter and inorganic elements through biogeochemical cycles.
- Basic principles of Micropaleontology
- Physiology and morphology, basic principles of identification, description, determination and classification of the main groups of microfossils (coccolithophores / calcareous nannoplankton, benthic and planktonic foraminifera, diatoms, radiolaria).
- Geoenvironmental applications of microfossils
- Use of microfossils in biostratigraphic applications, and in paleoceanographic, paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic research, as well as their contribution to the processes of sedimentation and their interaction with the modern environment and climate. Computational exercises.
- Laboratory techniques
- Sampling and analyses protocols.
- Biofacies
- Identification and use of the microfacies and the content in microfossils for the determination of the characteristic sedimentary sequences in the Greek area.
B. Practical & Laboratory Exercises
- Exercises 1 to 4: Identification of the main microfossil groups (coccolithophores/calcareous nannoplankton, benthic and planktonic foraminifera): with contemporaneous use of PCs, stereoscopes and polarizing microscopes.
- Exercises 5 & 6: Dating of depositional sequences based on calcareous nannoplankton and planktonic foraminifera -biostratigraphy. Understanding of transport and reworking processes in the sedimentary sequences.
- Exercise 7: Practical exercises in the lab and the Scanning Electron Microscope.
- Exercise 8: Computational exercise-methods for estimating marine environmental paleo-conditions in the surface sediments.
- Exercise 9: Computational exercise-methods for estimating marine environmental paleo-conditions in the water column.
- Exercise 10: Microfacies-microfossils in carbonate rocks
C. Fieldwork
ONE-DAY FIELDTRIP TO CORINTH-ARGOLIS:
Facies (neritic-pelagic) and characteristic microfossils of alpine and postalpine formations.
Collection of micropaleontological samples in alpine and postalpine deposits (recognition of various lithologies and included microfossils, sampling techniques in the field: sample collection and coding)
LEARNING ACTIVITIES - TEACHING METHODS:
PLANNED LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
| Activity | Student’s effort |
| Lectures | 26 hours |
| Laboratory work and/or exercises | 26 hours |
| Fieldwork | 8 hours |
| Study and analysis of articles | 10 hours |
| Small personal essays | 50 hours |
| Preparation for progressive laboratory tests | 30 hours |
| Total student effort | 150 hours |
ASSESSMENT METHODS AND CRITERIA
The assessment process is conducted in Greek (there is the possibility of examination in English for Erasmus students).
For the lab:
- Essays concerning the identification of microfossils, biostratigraphic applications, proxies calculations and computational exercises 50%
For the theoretical part:
- written assessment and multiple choice exercises (35%)
- questions concerning the topics discussed in the fieldwork (15%)
RECOMMENDED BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Course Book is:
- Τριανταφύλλου Μ.Β., Δήμιζα M.Δ., 2012. Μικροπαλαιοντολογία και Γεωπεριβάλλον. εκδόσεις ΙΩΝ, σελ. 168, ISBN 978-960-508-058-7. [Κωδ. ΕΥΔΟΞΟΣ: 22769096]
Additional Learning Material:
- Δερμιτζάκης, Μ.Δ., Γεωργιάδου- Δικαιούλια, Ε., 1985, Εισαγωγή στη θαλάσσια Μικροπαλαιοντολογία. σελ. 720, Εκδόσεις Επτάλοφος, Αθήνα.
- Η Μικροπαλαιοντολογία και οι Εφαρμογές της, Α. Ζαμπετάκη-Λέκκα, Α. Αντωναράκου, Χ. Ντρίνια, Θ. Τσουρού, A. Di Stefano, N. Baldassini (e-book: pdf, e-pub)[Κωδ. ΕΥΔΟΞΟΣ: 320254]
- Haq, B.U., Boersma, A., 1998. Introduction to marine micropaieontology. Elsevier Science (Singapore) Pte Ltd, p. 376.
- Armstrong, H.A., Brasier, M.D., 2005. Microfossils. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, p. 296.
- Bown, P.R., 1998. Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy. Chapman and Hall, Kluwer Academic,
- Thierstein, H.R., Young, Y.R., 2004. Coccolithophores from Molecular Processes to Global Impact. Springer, Berlin
- Murray, J., 2006. Ecology and Applications of Benthic Foraminifera. Cambridge University Press, p. 426.
- Nomaki et al., 2015. Variation in the nitrogen isotopic composition of amino acids in benthic foraminifera: Implications for their adaptation to oxygen-depleted environments. Limnology and Oceanography 60, 1906-1916.
- Šupraha & Henderiks, 2020. A 15-million-year-long record of phenotypic evolution in the heavily calcified coccolithophore Helicosphaera and its biogeochemical implications. Biogeosciences 17, 2955-2969.
Additional bibliographic resources and lecture contents are available to students participating in the course through the relevant course website in (e-class) platform.
1 V.S.: Visitor Students (e.g. ERASMUS)