The Carnian Pluvial Event: M.Sc projects are available

The Carnian Pluvial Event

The Carnian (Upper Triassic) was a time of major changes in the biosphere. On land, the Carnian marks the appearance of "true" dinosaurs

(Theropoda) and the rapid spread of "modern type" conifer forests. In the oceans, the Carnian is characterized by rise of scleractinian corals, and the first appearance of dinoflagellates and coccolithophorids, two groups of phytoplankton that dominate the oceans today. The Carnian can thus be considered a critical interval of evolutionary innovation after the Permian-Triassic mass-extinction event.

In the Alpine realm, the Carnian is also known for its marked changes in sedimentary facies. Siliciclastic and evaporitic deposition terminated the build-up of widespread reefs, a phase known as the "Carnian Pluvial Event". Cause and consequence of the Carnian Pluvial Event remain to be determined and form the basis for MSc-projects carried out under the supervision of Dr. Bas van de Schootbrugge, Dr. Rainer Petschick, and Prof. Dr. Jörg Pross.

We propose Master-projects dealing with palynology (reconstructing vegetation change), sedimentology (expression of CPE in carbonate platforms), geochemistry (stable isotope records), clay mineralogy (climate reconstructions) and paleontology (evolution) of Carnian sediments in the Alps (Austria, Italy, Slovenia), Oman (collaboration with Dr. Sylvain Richoz, Graz), Turkey (collaboration with Dr. Alexander Lukeneder, Wien), and Greece.

Contact

Interested students should contact Dr. Bas van de Schootbrugge

van.de.schootbrugge@em.uni-frankfurt.de

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