PUBLICATIONS AND RESULTS
By the end of the first year, we will have collated
the data as to the existing evidence that is available across the
whole area being investigated. This will provide the foundation
for filling-in the gaps in our knowledge.
By the end of the third year, the main databases
on biotas (species inventories and diversities) and sedimentary
patterns should be finished. This will allow us to identify where
additional information needs to be obtained.
By the end of the fourth year, the data should
be complete and ready for inter-basinal analysis during the last
year.
By the end of the project, the following results
are anticipated
a) Basic sciences
• Revised taxonomic inventories (or in some cases new inventories)
for the basins in the study areas, mainly in the macrofloras and
palaeoentomology.
• Palynological ranges and spectra for the basins where taphonomic
factors allow the preservation of pollen and spores. This will provide
evidence of changes in the overall composition of the vegetation
in the different basins and their surrounding areas, responding
to local, regional and possibly global ecological factors.
• Species diversity curves based on the macrofloras for each
of the basins. This will also provide evidence of changing vegetation
in the different basins, albeit focussed on a narrow set of clastic-substrate
habitats within the swamps.
• Improved biogeographical models for Variscan Euramerica
for the vegetation and insect faunas. Changing biogeographical patterns
across the area will provide insights into the wider changes taking
place to the wetland habitats across Variscan Euramerica.
• New and improved data for patterns of drainage and sedimentation
in the different basins across the study area. This will provide
insights into the tectonically-induced topographic evolution of
Variscan Euramerica in Pennsylvanian times.
• A new palaeogeographical model for eastern Variscan Euramerica
• Improved understanding of the palaeoclimate of Euramerica
during Late Carboniferous times.
b) Applied sciences
• Improved understanding of the distribution of Pennsylvanian-aged
coal deposits in SE Europe and northern Turkey.
• Improved correlation between the IUGS Chronostratigraphical
Classification for and the ‘Heerlen’ Regional Chronostratigraphical
Classification for the Pennsylvanian Subsystem.
c) Benefits to society
• Improved skill-base within eastern Europe and northern Turkey
in specialities relating to Carboniferous geology and palaeontology.
• Enhanced public awareness of the issues surrounding climate
change, in particular the importance of the role of Late Palaeozoic
coal deposits in affecting atmospheric carbon levels.
• Encouragement of geoconservation strategies to help protect
relevant sites in the area being studied.
Page updated on 14 June 2010
