Strategic program of scientific research, Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, 2018-2023

The starting point of the Development Strategy of the Department of Geology of the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, in accordance with goal 5 stated in the Elements of the PMF Strategy, is that the connection of the educational process with the results of research work should be further increased as an unavoidable starting point of higher education at the Department. The Geology Department is open to changes in geosciences and participates in them, relying on a rich and important tradition, especially in the basic sciences.

The Department of Geology will also encourage the renewal of scientific infrastructure and actively participate in the planning and construction of new department spaces on the Horvatovac campus, which will contribute to the improvement of scientific research (Objective 6).

Taking into account that scientific activity systematically covers all important areas of research at the Department of Geology, several basic topics stand out as the main strategic interest.

The Division of Geology and Paleontology is based on stratigraphic, paleontological, sedimentological and paleoecological research of the Dinarides and the Pannonian area in order to contribute to the understanding of the structure, origin and evolution during the geological past. Special attention will be paid to lithological, sedimentological and paleontological features of Dinaric (Phanerozoic) and Pannonian (especially Neogene and Quaternary) deposits, clastic sediments of the Dinarides (flysch, molasses), stressful events in the geological past (extinctions, impacts, glaciations), paleoichnological findings and their application in paleogeographic reconstructions of these areas and the specifics of shallow-water carbonate environments during the Jurassic, Cretaceous and Paleogene. As part of the study of the fossil record in the Phanerozoic rocks, the evolution of life on Earth will also be investigated. In order to explain the changes in the environment in the geological past, recent sediments and sedimentation in the Adriatic, the dynamics of coastal changes and the reflection of climate changes at sea level on coasts and coastal processes will be investigated. Part of the interest will also be focused on zooarchaeological research.

The Division of Mineralogy and Petrography will investigate the crystallochemical characteristics of minerals and their application in mineralogy, geology, materials science and environmental research. Particular emphasis will be placed on clay minerals, zeolites and oxides. Another area of ​​scientific interest will be the study of the origin and change of rocks in the Republic of Croatia and neighboring countries with reference to sedimentary and evolutionary models of development of the Pannonian, Dinaric and Adriatic areas and the Alps and the Carpathians. Related to this, geochemical research of lithostratigraphic units and geological structures will be carried out. Furthermore, geochemical environmental research will be conducted to distinguish between geogenic and anthropogenic factors influencing the distribution of metals and other substances relevant to the environment, all for the purpose of characterization, remediation and management of endangered and sensitive environments. Finally, part of the research will focus on geoarchaeology, that is, on the characterization of archaeological materials using mineralogical methods.

Among the goals of the Department of Geology is the creation of community between different research institutions with similar research topics (such as the Doctoral Study of Oceanology) - thus automatically striving to meet goal 3 of the PMF Strategy (i.e. increasing interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity), and especially objective 3B, strengthening commercial activities based on scientific research, and also meeting objective 4 through the preparation and implementation of personnel policy, which are in line with the needs of each of the divisions.

Projects such as current HRZZ project Cretaceous geodynamic evidence in the Dinarides and Pannonian Basin, public institution NPPL Sedimentology, stratigraphy and structural-geological features of Plitvice Lakes, InterReg – DINOKRAS and Croatian-Hungarian Stratigraphy and correlation of Upper Miocene-Pliocene sediments along the Croatian border stated, strengthen the role of the Faculty of Science in the regional scientific field (goal 2), and cooperation with other components of the University of Zagreb, other universities and polytechnics in the Republic of Croatia and international scientific institutions retains the important role of the Department of Geology in the international scientific field (goal 1).

 

Source: Prirodoslovno-matematički fakultet - Strateški program znanstvenih istraživanja od 2018. do 2023.