Research at the Department of Geology
Projects have been grouped under main research themes at the museum. The list combines data from full-time and part-time staff members, as well as from project researchers and associate researchers. Research projects in palaeontology are grouped as follows:
A. programme Geology of the Netherlands and related areas in Europe
B. programme Geology of Southeast Asia & Indo-West Pacific
C. programme Island Palaeobiogeography
D. Geology and palaeontology of other regions
E. theme General Systematics (palaeontology).
F. theme Physical Earth.
Programmes A-C fall under the long-term research theme “Biodiversity and Environmental Change”. D groups other projects under this theme, but not falling under one of the three programmes. E summarises general systematic research, in many cases related to the long-term study of specific taxa of a well-defined time period. F covers all research activities lacking a (palaeo)biological component, with a strong emphasis on earth materials.
Click here for a list of publications of 2008.
A. GEOLOGY OF THE NETHERLANDS AND RELATED AREAS IN EUROPE
1. Pliocene-Quaternary stratigraphy of the southern North Sea Basin
Naturalis staff: F. Wesselingh
Collaborators: Drs A. Slupik (Natuurmuseum Rotterdam); Mr. A. Janse, Mr. T. Meijer, Mr. F. van
Nieulande (Naturalis); Drs. E. Wijnker (WUR); Mr. G. Peeters (Schiedam); Mr. P. Moerdijk (Middelburg).
Project summary
From the Miocene (c. 15 Ma) until the early Quaternary (c. 1.8 Ma), marine mollusc faunas in the North Sea Basin changed from tropical and diverse to empoverished boreal-arctic. By studying composition of molluscs in successive time intervals and place them in a biostratigraphic framework, this programme intends to document the anatomy of molluscan extinctions and turnover (immigrations) events and their relation to the palaeogeography and climate in NW Europe. In 2008 an important paper on the stratigraphy of the Neogene from the famous Langenboom locality (Wijnker et al., 2008) was published. Currently we are working on borehole Zevenbergen that was provided to us by TNO in 2008 and that contains a beautiful Pliocene-Pleistocene transition. We expect to finalise the borehole in 2009. Also work on various Deltadienst boreholes is progressing. Finally we were involved in a relatively shallow (55 m depth) borehole executed at Morriaanshoofd (Schouwen Duiveland) as part of a project run by the Natuur Museum Rotterdam.
2. The Late Cretaceous floras from the Netherlands.
Naturalis staff: J.H.A. van Konijnenburg - van Cittert
Collaborators: Dr. R.W.J.M. van der Ham (National Herbarium of the Netherlands); H.F.Bosma, M.Sc.
Project summary
Hylke Bosma has officially been appointed by the faculty as PhD student, next to his work as student advisor for the faculty. The next part of his research will be on a revision of the Cretaceous conifer genus Cunninghamites, in cooperation with Dr. Kvacek, Prague, and Dr. Kunzmann, Dresden.Work continues on stems and roots of the sea grasses, and an enigmatic, possibly marine lycophyte from the Maastrichtian of South Limburg.
3. Westphalian D-Stephanian of the Netherlands
Naturalis staff: I.M. van Waveren, J.H.A. van Konijnenburg -van Cittert, K. Rijsdijk
Collaborators: Dr. O. Abbink & Dr. T. van Hoof (TNO Utrecht)
Project summary
Palaeobotany of the De Lutte Core was finished through report and publication; palynology is being continued
4. IGCP project in Prague: Permo-Carboniferous of South-Eastern Europe
Naturalis staff: I.M. van Waveren
Collaborators: Prof. K. Krainer (sedimentologist at the University of Innsbruck), Dr. E. Kustatcher (Bolzano museum), Dr. A. Kleijne (volunteer, Naturalis)
Project summary
Inventory of sections where the relation between plant fossil association and depositional environment at the transition between the Upper Carboniferous and the Permian can be made. Trying to correlate limnic and paralic basins both from a Variscan setting and a Palaeotethys setting (if possible).
5. Cretaceous and Paleocene of The Netherlands
Naturalis staff: S.K. Donovan
Collaborators: Dr. J.W.M. Jagt (Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht)
Summary of activities and results in 2006:
6. Quaternary mammals of the Netherlands and the North Sea
Naturalis staff: J. de Vos
Collaborators: D. Mayhew, J. C. van Veen, B. van Geel, K. Post, D. Mol, J. van der Plicht.
7. Fluvial Landsystem Dynamics
Naturalis staff: K. Rijsdijk
Collaborators: I. Kroon (TNO), T.A.G.P. van Dijk (Deltares), S. Passchier (MontClair State University)
8. Atlas of fossil shells on Dutch beaches
Naturalis staff: F. Wesselingh (author & series editor), L.W. van den Hoek Ostende (series editor)
Collaborators (incl. research associates): P. Moerdijk, T. Meijer, T., Anton Janse, F. van Nieulande, E. Wijnker, A. Slupik, and many other Dutch colleagues
9. GeoMAX (new website name: “Ondergrond van Nederland”)
Naturalis staff: F. Wesselingh, L.W. van den Hoek Ostende, K. Hendriks, B. van der Hoorn (coordinators); other staff members of the Geology Department
Collaborators:TNO; funded by Dutch government
http://www.geologievannederland.nl/
B. GEOLOGY OF SOUTHEAST ASIA & INDO-WEST PACIFIC
10. Neogene and Quaternary molluscan diversity of Indonesia
Naturalis staff: F. Wesselingh, W. Renema
Collaborator(s) Dr. F. Hasibuan, Dr. E. Sufiati (PSG, Bandung, Indonesia); Dr. Aswan (ITB, Bandung,
Indonesia); Dr. C. Herthler (Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany); Drs J. Joordens (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam); Dr. F. Hufmann (University of Austin, USA).
Project summary
The study of molluscan diversity in Neogene and Quaternary deposits of Indonesia will be a major focal point in the next years. Several smaller projects, aiming at getting acquainted with these very diverse faunas are running. In 2006, a short fieldwork was carried out in the Bay of Jakarta and the reefs of the nearby Pulau Seribu in order to complete a sample set for a baseline (palaeoecological) study of shallow marine molluscs in a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic setting. Another fieldwork was carried out in the Jogyakarta area in order to study the Early – Middle Miocene faunas. Several faunas were recovered in classical outcrops that have been assessed. Quaternary freshwater faunas were studied from two regions on Java: from Majalengka on west Java and from the Trinil area on East Java, as part of external projects. In 2006 two very large collection projects involving the Martin collection and the Mijnwezen collection as part of the NWO-groot programme, were carried out; data were made available in 2007 and the types were published on the internet early 2008 as part of a new project “types on the web’. Wesselingh & Renema gave a workshop (‘What fossils can tell us”) at the PSG Bandung, targeting a young generation of palaeontologists holding tenure track positions. Finally, an update of the Martin type catalogue (Leloux & Wesselingh) is foreseen early 2009.
11. Long-term Natural Ecological Consequences of Disturbance on Coral Reefs: the Benthic Foraminifera
Naturalis staff: W. Renema
Collaborators: John M. Pandolfi, Jody M. Webster (University of Queensland)
12. Recent benthic foraminifera from SE Asia
Naturalis staff: W. Renema (& other members of Naturalis Marine Biology Team)
Collaborators: LIPI-PPO, Indonesia
13. Biogeography of Cenozoic larger benthic foraminifera in SE Asia
Naturalis staff: W. Renema
Collaborators: K. Johnson (Natural History Museum, London) and the IPAEG team
14. The Lower Permian flora from Jambi, Indonesia
Naturalis staff: I.M. van Waveren (coordinator), J.H.A. van Konijnenburg – van Cittert; M. Booi
Collaborators: Dr M. Crow (retired from British Geological Survey); Prof. Dr. P. De Boer, PhD. researcher A. de Leeuw (Utrecht University), Dr. F. Hasibuan (Geological Research and Development Centre of West Java, Indonesia)
Project summary
Analysis of the interrelation of mesophytic and palaeophytic floras in the Early Permian of Sumatra. Methodology: taxonomy and taphonomy, sedimentology, stratigraphy, petrology and palaeomagnetism
15. Pleistocene vertebrates of Southeast Asia
Naturalis staff: J. de Vos
Collaborators: F. Aziz (Museum Bandung, Indonesia), A. Bautista (National Museum of Manila, Philippines), J.-J. Hublin (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig)
Project summary
Sedimentology and faunas of terrestrial sites, especially of Java and the Asian continent.
| C. ISLAND PALAEOBIOGEOGRAPHY |
16. Unbalanced endemic island faunas
Naturalis staff: J. de Vos
Collaborators: A.A.E. van der Geer, G. Lyras (University and Museum of Athens)
Project summary
Pleistocene faunas and faunal-development in the Greek Archipelago, Indonesian and Philippines Archipelago
17. Micromammals and birds from Liang Bua
Naturalis staff: L. van den Hoek Ostende, H.J.M. Meijer
Collaborators: M. Morwood, G.D. van der Bergh (University of Wollongong, Australia), R. Awe Due (Indonesian Centre for Archaeology, Jakarta)
Project summary
The work on the Liang Bua fauna continued in 2006-2008, and the first paper on the micromammals was published (Van den Hoek Ostende et al., 2006). Preliminary results, suggesting anthropogenic influence in the taphonomy of the micromammals, were presented at the NAC in Veldhoven. Jelle Zijlstra made an inventory of Papagomys, in order to disprove an identification that suggests that P. theodorverhoeveni is still extant. A manuscript on the overall fauna has been prepared as part of a special issue of the Journal of Human Evolution on Liang Bua.
18. Reconstructing the world of the Dodo and determining the factors of its demise
Naturalis staff: K. Rijsdijk (also UvA/IBED and The Geological Survey of The Netherlands), L.W. van den Hoek Ostende, J. de Vos, W. Renema, F. Wesselingh, Edi Gittenberger
CollaboratorsL Core partners IBED-University of Amsterdam, TNO, Deltares, University of Mauritius, MSIRI, NHF. Principal collaborators: Dr J. Hume, Dr L. Steel (Natural History Museum of London); Dr B. Shapiro, Dr J. Haile (University of Oxford); Prof J. van der Plicht (University of Groningen); Drs R. Jayasena (University of Amsterdam); Dr F. Bunnik, Dr H. Cremer (The Geological Survey of The Netherlands); Dr U. Sass Klaasen (University of Wageningen); Dr I. Poole (University of Utrecht); Drs T. Vernimmen (Hollandia Archeology); Dr C. Baidier, Dr J-C. Autrey (Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute); Dr J. Anwar (Mauritius Natural Heritage Fund); Mauritius Museums Council, Dr. Hanneke Meijer (as of 20 May 2009: Naturalis)
Project summary
Mulitidisciplinary and international palaeontological and geological research of a dodo-Concentration Lagerstätten in Mauritius. Rijsdijk has set up and coordinates an international multidisciplinary research initiative, the Dodo Research Programme (DRP). The DRP aims to “reconstruct the world of the dodo and determine the factors of its demise”. Core activities included venturing out three times to Mauritius for fieldwork, logistic and museum activities. In January attending the official opening of the dodo gallery. In July one week of fieldwork in Mauritius with Prof H Hooghiemstra of IBED – UVA to sample pollen and other microfossils of natural archives (Volcano lakes), with the aim to reconstruct paleoclimate and vegetation dynamics. In October 2.5 weeks of fieldwork in Mauritius, processing 65 “mud” samples (30 kg pro mud) of fossil rich sediments yielding 4000 fossils, including 51 dodo bones. One paper was published in Science (Buckley et al. 2008), one paper in non-peer reviewed journal Stromingen (de Louw and Rijsdijk 2008) and one volume of abstract (Rijsdijk and Janoo 2008 guest editors) was published. One poster was produced (Rijsdijk et al. 2008). Rijsdijk co-organised two seminars one in the Netherlands (DRP, IBED, Naturalis) and one in Mauritius (Royal Society of Mauritius, MSIRI). Two Msc Students were supervised yielding one finished Msc dissertation on erosion rates at Mauritius, and ongoing Msc research is supervised on the hydrology of Mare aux Songes. A third student studied the Pteropus remains and a fourth student gave an overview of the life history of Rattus rattus, focusing on the aspects that make this rodent such a successful exterminator of island faunas.
19. Fossil mammals from the Mascarenes
Naturalis staff: L.W. van den Hoek Ostende, K. Rijsdijk (also TNO)
Collaborators: J.P. Hume (Natural History Museum of London)
Project summary
Before the field campaign at the Mare aux Songes (Mauritius), it was still uncertain whether or not mammals would be found. The only indigenous mammals on the island are bats. As far as this project was concerned, the goal of the 2006 campaign was twofold: to see whether mammals could be found, and to consider the best way of collecting them. As far as the first point was concerned, our minds were put at ease already during the campaign, as fossils of fruit bats were found. This partly obscured the second goal. As subsamples were screened, the realization grew that we should have fully screened the 2 mm fraction. As yet, the results of the –even smaller- 0.5 mm subsample are not known. Not withstanding, enough bat material has been collected for a contribution to the Mare aux Songes special volume, which is scheduled for 2009.
D. GEOLOGY AND PALAEONTOLOGY OF OTHER REGIONS
20. Molluscan diversifications and landscape evolution in Miocene western Amazonia
Naturalis staff: F. Wesselingh, W. Renema
Collaborators: J. Salo, M. Räsänen (Biodiversity Centre, Biology Faculty, University of Turku, Finland); H. Vonhof, R. Kaandorp (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam); C. Hoorn (Universiteit van Amsterdam); J. Guerrero (Universidad Nacional, Bogota, Colombia); L. Anderson (Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA), O. Macsotay (Valencia, Venezuela); L. Romero Pittmann (INGEMMET, Lima, Peru).
Project summary
This project concerns the documentation of molluscan radiations in the long-lived lake Pebas in western Amazonia during the Miocene. A fauna of approximately 160 species has been treated, including at least 80 species new to science. The molluscs were used for a biostratigraphic zonation, and they are applied in various palaeoecological reconstructions of the Pebas system (including community ecological, taphonomic and stable isotope geochemical applications). The evolutionary ecology of several groups within the Pebas system was studied, as well as the role the system played in the emergence of modern neotropical biota. The main part of the project concerns a PhD-thesis. Eight papers that will form the PhD thesis were published in November 2006, four more papers covering the subject were published the same year. Apart from the processing of all collection material related to the project and the actual defence of the thesis, the project is nearing its end. The thesis was compiled in 2008 and has been accepted, to be defended at the University of Turku on February 21, 2009. In addition, Wesselingh & Hoorn edited the book “Amazonia, landscape and species evolution” that contains 27 peer reviewed papers and has been submitted in December 2008, to be published by Blackwell in 2009.
21. Long-lived lakes
Naturalis staff: F. Wesselingh
Collaborators: S. Kroonenberg (TU Delft), M. Taviani (Bologna University, Italy), H. Vonhof (VU Amsterdam), A. Svytoch (Moscow State University) and A. Eliyeva (National Academy of Sciences, Baku, Azerbaijan).
Project summary
Wesselingh has been involved in a number of research projects concerning long-lived lake faunas. A research-network proposal to the INTAS (EU) applying for 146 Keuro (“UNCAM: Uncovering hidden diversity in Caspian Sea Mollusca (Bivalvia: Lymnocardiidae) using combined morphological and molecular methods with implications for the demise of endemic Caspian mollusc species) failed. Wesselingh also has an affiliation with the PhD project of Jose Joordens (VU Amsterdam) concerning “Paleoecology of hominid bearing intervals in Lake Turkana, Kenya)”.
22. Caribbean palaeontology and geology
Naturalis staff: S.K. Donovan
Collaborators: T.A. Jackson and T.E. Stemann (University of the West Indies, Jamaica), R.K. Pickerill (University of New Brunswick, Canada), D.A.T. Harper (Geological Museum, University of Copenhagen), R.W. Portell (Florida Museum of Natural History) and C.R.C. Paul (University of Bristol).
23. Web-based catalogue for Eurasian fossil mammals, as a basis for (NEOGENE) Ecosystem Dynamics
Naturalis staff: L. W. van den Hoek Ostende
Collaborators: J. Alroy (The Paleobiology Database, http://paleodb.org/)
Project summary
As part of Naturalis’ ambitions on web-based taxonomy, a project was started in 2006 to provide basic nomenclatural data on fossil mammals from Eurasia. This project is nested in the Paleobiology Database (PBDB), since this program provides all the necessary software, is already well known in palaeobiology and already contains data on a number of species. Data for about fifty taxa have been entered, but since the PBDB requires all data from a particular publication to be entered, the work also involved entering data on localities and occurrences, which are not directly of importance to the WBT project. Willem Kakebeeke continued his literature scouting for the PBDB, which again proved a useful tool in the BSc-course. However, in preparation of the lectures on ecosystem dynamics, most database work was done for the NOW, correcting/adding 1000 records.
In the continuing struggle to unravel Neogene ecosystems, two presentations were given, One AT the EGU (Vienna), the second at the NECLIME meeting (Bonn).
24. Episodic fresh surface waters in the Eocene Arctic Ocean
Naturalis staff: J.H.A. van Konijnenburg
Collaborator(s)
Han van Konijnenburg is member of the so-called ‘Azolla-group’ (coordinated by the Palaeoecology Group of the University of Utrecht) that carries out research on ‘Episodic fresh surface waters in the Eocene Arctic Ocean’ and especially on the fossil plant material of Azolla remains that occurred in these fresh-water areas during the Eocene.
| E. GENERAL SYSTEMATICS (PALEONTOLOGY) |
25. Permian-Triassic floras from Northern Italy
Naturalis staff: J.H.A. van Konijnenburg - van Cittert
Collaborators: E.Kustatscher (Natural History Museum Bolzano), Guido Roghi (Padova), B.Meller (University of Vienna), Thilo Fischer (University of Munich), H. Kerp (University of Munster)
26. Echinoderm palaeontology
Naturalis staff: S.K. Donovan
Collaborators: F.E. Fearnhead (Naturalis), D.N. Lewis and P. Crabb (The Natural History Museum, London), and R.E. Widdison (University of Birmingham)
27. Systematic ichnology
Naturalis staff: S.K. Donovan
Collaborators: R.K. Pickerill and D.J. Blissett (both University of New Brunswick, Canada), and D.N. Lewis (The Natural History Museum, London)
28. Small mammal taxonomy, with emphasis on insectivores
Naturalis staff: L.W. van den Hoek Ostende, M. Freudenthal
Collaborators: I.G. Paredes (Museum of Natural Sciences Madrid, post-doc at Naturalis)
Project summary
A one month field campaign in Cerro de Batallones pseudokarstic system (Madrid basin, Spain) yielded two more skulls of Parasorex, allowing a detailed analyses including both fossil and recent taxa. Dr. Garcia Paredes’s continued on his project “Evolutionary trends and adaptative response of Gliridae (Rodentia, Mammalia) to climatic and ecological change during lower and middle Miocene”. Ongoing study of fossil collections to evaluate patterns of change in morphology and size in Miocene Gliridae and other micromammals within a palaeoecological and palaeoclimatic context. Some old collections of fossil Gliridae and related specimen information were returned from National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid to Naturalis. This activity was combined with fieldwork during summer.
29. Ammonite systematics
Naturalis staff: F. Hoedemaeker
Collaborators: M. V. Kakabadze (Georgia); see also list of publications
Project summary
The project focusses on the taxonomy and biostratigraphy of Cretaceous ammonites, worldwide. A large manuscript on the genus Pseudothurmannia was prepared for publication in ‘Special Papers in Palaeontology’. A chapter ‘Phylogeny and Ontogeny ‘ was added at the request ofthe reviewers. A second manuscript was written with Prof. Dr. M.V. Kakabadze on heteromorphous ammonites from northern Germany (Wiedenroth collection housed at Naturalis).A new project deals with the ammonite fauna of the Berriasien stage along the Río Argos, (Caravaca, Prov. Murcia, Spain). It is a crucial section for the stratigraphical position of the boundary between the Jurassic and Cretaceous Systems.
30. Palaeozoic brachiopod systematics
Naturalis staff: C. Winkler Prins
Collaborators: T.I. Nemyrovska (Kiev), R.H. Wagner (Córdoba), M.L. Martínez Chacón (Oviedo)
Project summary
Additional fieldwork for a major publication on the Palentian Carboniferous together with Dr R.H. Wagner. Visit to Oviedo to continue research together with Dr M.L. Martínez Chacón on the Carboniferous brachiopods from the Cantabrian Mountains (especially from the Valdeteja Formation of Bashkirian age), which resulted in some publications that are now in press. A short visit by Dr T.I. Nemyrovska (financed by NWO) to continue the study of the conodont material from the Carboniferous of Palencia was partly carried out, resulting in a lecture held by her in Kiev and published as Nemyrovska et al., 2008).
31. Cainozoic holoplanctonic snails
Naturalis staff: A. Janssen
F. PHYSICAL EARTH
32. Systematic gemmology: gem characteristics & genesis
Naturalis staff: H. Zwaan
Collaborators: J. Touret (Musée de Minéralogie, Ecole des Mines, Paris)
Project summary
Emphasis has shifted from Zimbabwe emeralds (Zwaan’s 2006 PhD thesis) to a new emerald locality in Brazil. No fieldwork yet in 2008, but the mine is likely to be accessible in 2009. A research paper is being produced on mass balance in emerald genesis. A recent project dealt with the geology and gemmology of cuprian elbaite (Paraiba-type) from Mozambique. Fieldwork was carried out in September 2007, and further studies on the gems were subsequently done and published in 2008.
33. High-temperature processes in the continental crust.
Naturalis staff: L. Kriegsman
Collaborators: A. Alvarez-Valero (Granada University, Spain); O. Eklund (Turku University, Finland)
34. Glacial Landsystem Dynamics
Naturalis staff: K. Rijsdijk
Collaborators: W.P. Warren (Geological Survey of Ireland), J.J.M. van der Meer (University of London), D. McCarroll (University of Wales), J. Hiemstra (University of Wales)
Friday, September 18, 2009