Paleoecology and biostratigraphy

The aim of this EU is to acquire, reinforce, and synthesize concepts and knowledge in evolutionary paleontology, sedimentology, and paleoecology, in order to apply them to the fossil world. Taken together, these concepts provide the keys to inferring the stratigraphic context and past environments in which extinct organisms lived.

Not required, but recommended: EU in Earth Sciences (S5, equivalent to LMD5 of HLST508)

Additional information:

• Brief description of the concepts covered in CM:

Presentation of techniques and methods in paleontology; principles, methods, and significance of stratigraphy; dating methods related to stratigraphy (biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy); stratigraphic correlations 

Paleoenvironments: characterization of current environments (marine, continental) and their fossil analogues; paleoenvironmental reconstruction (Proterozoic-Pleistocene) using fossils, sediment types, and sedimentary structures.

• Brief description of tutorial sessions and number of hours associated with each session

TD1: Techniques for drawing outcrops and fossils

TD2: Use of geological maps in paleontology and field preparation

TD3 and 4: processing of data collected during the field trip, thickness calculations, stratigraphic log, etc.

• Brief description of practical sessions and number of hours associated with each session

Taxa and marker assemblages in stratigraphy:

TP1: Biostratigraphy – Paleozoic Era

TP2: Biostratigraphy – Mesozoic Era

TP3: Biostratigraphy – Cenozoic Era

TP4: Marine Paleoenvironments

TP5: Continental paleoenvironments

• Description of the topics/activities covered during your field trip(s) and details of the destinations/sites

Application of all concepts covered in lectures, tutorials, and practical sessions; paleoenvironmental and faunal variations during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras, in the vicinity of Pic Saint-Loup.

=> Apply fundamental concepts and technologies in sedimentology and paleontology to address an issue in the field and/or analyze a research or presentation document;

=> Identify and select various specialized resources to document a topic;

=> Analyze and synthesize data for use 

=> Develop arguments with logic and critical thinking;

=> Know how to successfully complete a project within a group.