Network on Impact Research

Nordic Research Board
Network on Impact Research (NIR)
has completed the compact course

The Mountains of Saint Francis
– discovering the geologic events that shaped our Earth

The NIR course “The Mountains of Saint Francist – discovering the geologic events that shaped our Earth” was arranged in Ossevatorio Geologico di Coldicioco with excursions to several localities around the Umbria-marche Apennines of Italy during a week from Saturday October 3 th. to Friday October 9 th. 

Pictures from field, lessons and labwork
Other pictures of people, landscape and animals we met during the course
Info flyer for the course

During the theoretical part the following scientists were instructors:

• Dr. Alessandro Montanari, Ossevatorio Geologico di Coldicioco
• Birger Schmitz, University of Lund, Sweden

Shedule:

Saturday Oct. 3rd
1730 – 1900: Lecture: The geologic evolution of the Umbria-Marche Apennines (Alessandro)

Sunday Oct. 4th
0900 – 1000: Lecture: Neotectonics and speleology of the Frasassi area (Alessandro)
1000 - 2000: Field trip across the Marche Ridge with various outcrops, the Frasassi blind thrust and its carstic complex

Monday Oct. 5th
0900 - 1330: Field trip to the stratigraphic succession in the Contessa Valley
1430 - 1630: Lecture: The KT boundary story (Alessandro)
1630 - 1900: The classic KT-boundary outcrop at Gubbio and return to Coldigioco

Tuesday Oct. 6th
All day:: Field trip to Furlo Regional Park (Jurassic, Bonarelli event, KT-boundary). More KT-boundary at Pietralata and Torricella

Wednesday Oct. 7th
All day: Field trip to Monte Conero. KT-boundary, Eocene-Oligocene, and the Messinian Salinity Crisis

Thursday Oct.  8th
Before lunch: Lecture on fossil meteorites and extraterrestreial chromite (Birger) and on impact stratigraphy (Alessandro)
After lunch:: Lab and microscope studies of impact ejecta

Friday Oct. 9th - departure

Many thanks to Birger Schmitz and Alessandro Montanari for arranging this course, to Gabriele Gambacorta for assisting and to all others at Ossevatorio Geologico di Coldicioco for making this a week we will remember!