Programme

Historical definition of Quaternary: paleontological and climatic criteria. Historic excursus on the Plio-Quaternary chronostratigraphy. The Plio-Quaternary boundary. Ages and Stages of the marine Quaternary. GSSP and the most relevant Quaternary marine Italian successions. The Holocene and the ice cores. Historical palaeoclimatology during Holocene. The Anthropocene. The Anthropocene. The Plio-Pleistocene successions in the Rome surroundings. Quaternary isotopic stratigraphy. Sea-level oscillations during Quaternary: the eustatic curves.Quaternary magnetostratigraphy. Quaternary dating methods. Plio-Quaternary marine biostratigraphy: planktonic and benthonic foraminifers, calcareous nannofossils, marine molluscs and ostracods (concept of “northern” and “senegalese” guests).
History of the continental Plio-Quaternary stratigraphy.
Plio-Quaternary biochronology based on large and small mammals, freshwater molluscs and non-marine ostracods. Pollen stratigraphy and climatic stratigraphy. Man and industry. Archaeogeological analyses. Examples of relevant continental quaternary records in central Italy: the Plio-Quaternary deposits of the Roman Campaign; the intermontane basins in central Italy (Tiberino and l’Aquila basins).

Core Documentation

Pdf and copies of updated specialistic scientific publications given by the teacher

Type of delivery of the course

Lectures are carried on using ppt slides. Practical lessons are based on the description and identification of the main macro- and microfossils typical of the Quaternary period. During lessons, students are encouraged to ask questions and make comments.

Type of evaluation

The examination consists in an evaluation interview in order to assess the student acquired knowledge of the topics discussed during the lessons.

Programme

Historical definition of Quaternary: paleontological and climatic criteria. Historic excursus on the Plio-Quaternary chronostratigraphy. The Plio-Quaternary boundary. Ages and Stages of the marine Quaternary (3h) GSSP and the most relevant Quaternary marine Italian successions. (8h).
Quaternary stratigraphic methods (isotopic stratigraphy. Magnetostratigraphy, dating methods. Geomorphological and palaeobiological sea-level indicators. The eustatic curves (9h).
Plio-Quaternary marine biostratigraphy: planktonic and benthonic foraminifers, calcareous nannofossils, marine molluscs and ostracods (concept of “northern” and “senegalese” guests) (6h).
History of the continental Plio-Quaternary stratigraphy (1h).
Plio-Quaternary biochronology based on large and small mammals, freshwater molluscs and non-marine ostracods. Pollen stratigraphy and climatic stratigraphy (“mutual temperature methods”) (6h).
Integrated stratigraphic-paleoclimate case studies: Campagna Romana and Tiberino Basin) (5h)
The climate system: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere (3 h)
The cryosphere: glaciers, permafrost, ice sheet, sea ice (3 h)
The climate system and its natural and anthropogenic perturbations: Variation of the relative position of the continents, astronomical, greenhouse gases, aerosols, volcanic eruptions, solar activity, land use variations, meteorite impacts, (3h)
Climate variability, climate change, anthropocene (3h)
The paleoclimate: main data for the reconstruction of climate change in the past (ice cores, speleothems, marine cores, etc.). (3 hours)
History of climatology, international organisations, Global warming: reality and negation (3 h)

Core Documentation

Pdf and copies of recent specialistic scientific publications given by the teacher

Type of evaluation

The examination consists in an evaluation interview in order to assess the student acquired knowledge of the topics discussed during the lessons.