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Work Packages

1. Work Package 1 (WP1) will be developed during the first 12 months of the project and will focus on the emergence of megalakes. In this phase, the team will focus on investigating episodes of isolation from the planetary ocean and their consequences in the Paratethys and Euxinic areas. For the Paratethys, we will conduct field testing in Middle to Upper Miocene successions of the Panonian Paratethys and the Transylvanian Basin (eg, Našice – Croatia, Comănești, Oarba de Mureș – Romania). These basins are located in areas close to the Slovenian Strait, also known as the Trans-Tethyan Seaway22, which connected the Paratethys to the Mediterranean Sea during the Middle Miocene. Postdoc3 and Postdoc4 will work together with PhD3 to identify a series of secondary sections to enable a composite geological record encompassing the regional Sarmatian substages, with an interval of 13-11 million years (Ma). On the composite section, PhD3 will sample paleomagnetic and volcanic ash layers for Ar/Ar tephrochronological dating. The same levels sampled for magnetostratigraphy will be used for biostratigraphy, i.e. foraminiferal (Postdoc3) and nannofossil (Postdoc2) investigations. The macrofossils found in the investigated sites will be investigated by Postdoc4, who will also perform ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and stable isotope analyzes on selected microfauna (foraminifera and ostracodes) and macrofauna (teeth, otoliths and bones). The results will be integrated into a chronological framework using the age model developed by the PhD3 in collaboration with the project director and other senior researchers. PhD4 will work on the development of palaeogeographic reconstructions of the Paratethys during the Sarmatian, starting from existing lithofacies maps with updates from field studies.
2. Work Package 2 (WP2) will be developed in the second year of the project and will focus on the disappearance of megalakes. In this phase, the team will focus on investigating global ocean reconnection episodes and their consequences in the Paratethys and Euxinic ranges. For Paratethys, we will carry out field sampling in upper Miocene age successions from the Getic Basin and the Dacian Basin (e.g., Cerna, Dara and Rușavațu – Romania); Black Sea Basin (Kavarna and Kaliakra – Bulgaria) and North Aegean Basins (Strymon Basin, Ano Koufonisi and Kato Koufonisi – Greece) of the Paratethys. These basins are located in areas close to the Aegean Strait, the marine link that crossed the Cyclades Strait23 connecting the Paratethys to the Mediterranean Sea during the Upper Miocene. The sections from the Getic-Dacic basin and the Black Sea have already been sampled; in the case of Greek sections, we will use classical sections that are reviewed in scientific publications24. Postdoc3 and Postdoc4 will work together with PhD3 to develop a composite stratigraphic record for the regional Upper Sarmatian, Maeotian and Lower Pontian stages (interval 8-6 Ma) in the Dacian, Black Sea and Aegean basins. On these composite sections, Phd3 will collect paleomagnetic samples and sample volcanic tuff strata for magnetostratigraphic investigations and Ar/Ar tephrochronological dating. The same intervals will be sampled for biostratigraphy and then split for micropaleontological (Postdoc3) and nannofossil (Postdoc2) investigations. As in WP1, the macrofossils found in the investigated sites will be investigated by Postdoc4, who will perform ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and stable isotope analyzes on selected microfauna and macrofauna samples for paleoenvironmental characterization; PhD3 in collaboration with other team members will develop age models for the sections to allow the results to be placed in chronological context. PhD4 will work on developing palaeogeographic reconstructions of the Paratethys during the Lower and Upper Miocene from pre-existing lithofacies maps with updates from literature and field studies. The results of WP2 will then be overlaid on paleogeographic reconstructions in a GIS database.
3. Work package 3 (WP3) will be developed in parallel with WP1 and WP2 and will focus on the emergence of the Euxinic megalake (Pleistocene Black Sea). In this case we will investigate a collection of drill cores covering several meters that record the appearance of the lake and its disappearance. Instead of analyzing these events separately, we will perform a complete analysis of each of the data. Lake Euxin data from the cores will enable high-resolution research to reveal climatic and biological events that are otherwise impossible to observe. The description of these events provides a new level of detail that can be combined with the study of the Paratethys megalake for paleogeographic reconstructions. Postdoc1, 2 and PhD1 and 2 will perform high-resolution investigations on 8 drill cores from the Black Sea basin. These cores are in the collections in host institution and will be analyzed in the GeoEcoMar laboratories. PhD1 and PhD2 will provide lithological and sedimentological descriptions of the cores and perform high-resolution XRF, TOC and stable isotopes. They will use the same approach for samples collected from the Paratethys. Postdoc1 and 2 will carry out petrographic and biostratigraphic investigations on the cores. The microfossil content will be analyzed by Postdoc3 and selected samples of microfauna and macrofauna (teeth, otoliths and bones) will then be studied by Postdoc4 using ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and stable isotope (eg, ¹⁸O and ¹³C) analyses.
4. Work package 4 (WP4) will focus on studying the rhythm of endemism (foraminifera, ostracods, nannoplankton and aquatic vertebrates) and how their occurrence is related to geochemical changes in the basins, changes induced by isolation from or reconnection with the planetary ocean. Postdoc2, 3, 4 and PhD1 will review key palaeontologically studied sections to better date the chronology of endemism in macro-, micro- and nannofossils, while Postdoc1, PhD2, 3, 4 will document how these changes are related to environmental changes and will help by developing accurate timelines and map support. The Project Director and Senior Researchers will be involved in all WPs.