President: Cinzia Bottini
(Emailssp@egu.eu)
Deputy President: Marc De Batist
(Email)
ECS Representative: Shradha Menon
(Emailecs-ssp@egu.eu)
The Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology Division (SSP) focuses its activities on all aspects of the sedimentary record. About 70% of the Earth surface is covered by sedimentary deposits, which are eroded and deposited right at the contact between the solid lithosphere and the atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere. Sedimentary rocks record the history of our planet since almost 4 billion of years and play a pivotal role for our understanding of the evolution of life. This deep-time archive of Earth history is studied with a wide range of analytical techniques providing ever stunning details on the evolution of our planet. Sedimentary basins host important natural resources like coal, gas, oil, ore deposits and groundwater and therefore a better understanding of the physical, chemical and biological processes controlling the formation and distribution of sediments and sedimentary rocks is of utmost importance for our society.
Latest posts from the SSP blog
CSI: Sedimentology
INTRODUCTION Shows involving homicides and associated crime scene investigation (CSI) are among the most popular on television. The public is fascinated by the work that goes into collecting and analysing data from crime scenes in the field (Figure 1), whether it be DNA, wounds and bloodstains, footprints, tire tracks, or even evidence of arson. Skeletal analysis can provide a detailed profile, and even a life history, of the victim, and there is almost always a method to estimate time of …
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SEDIMENTARY BASINS OF ALGERIA: THEIR ROLE IN EUROPE’S ENERGY SECURITY AND EMERGING GREEN HYDROGEN FUTURE
Algeria is often described as one of the great energy engines of Africa and the Mediterranean, and with good reason. Its proven oil and gas reserves are impressive, but what truly sets the country apart is the extraordinary complexity of its geological history. Over more than two billion years, tectonics, climate shifts and sedimentation created a series of basins that today host some of North Africa’s most prolific petroleum systems. These basins supply large volumes of natural gas to Europe, …
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The Guinness Book of Sedimentology: your guide to the world’s largest EVER sedimentary landforms
There is something about really BIG things that always grabs people’s attention – look at dinosaurs for example. The geological record is littered with the extreme and today we will explore the biggest, the tallest, the deepest and steepest sedimentary structures and landforms ever to grace our planet. Depositional environments ranging from fluvio-lacustrine and aeolian, coastal environments and a range of marine settings have been studied to identify the record breaking dunes, bars, channels, deltas, sheet sands, canyons and more. …
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Recent awardees
- 2025
- Jean Baptiste Lamarck Medal
The 2025 Jean Baptiste Lamarck Medal is awarded to
Donald Ross Prothero in recognition of a strong research profile in terrestrial stratigraphy, and unwavering support and education of the next generation.
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- 2025
- Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award
The 2025 Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award is awarded to
Zsanett Szilagyi Subsurface dissection of Holocene inter-reef Halimeda bioherms: morphology, facies and latitudinal variations in the northern Great Barrier Reef
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Current issue of the EGU newsletter
In our January issue, we are choosing to reflect on the ambition and risks of science - not a new year, new you, but rather a steady determination to discover, based on our existing, deep wells of curiosity. Catarina Aydar talks about how exploration sometimes goes hand-in-hand with tragedy with the story of the first attempt of a teacher, Christa McAuliffe, to go to space, onboard the ill-fated Challenger, whilst Sabrina Minnick, shares the triumph of Jacobus Kapteyn revealing the proper motion of the stars over 100 years ago. Astrobiological chemist Silke Asche talks about her work searching for life on other planets, and András Zlinszky shares his tips for your best EGU General Assembly yet! Also don't miss our on all the upcoming webinars, newest publications, a brand new EGU open access journal, and a job vacancy in the EGU Executive office in Munich, Germany!
All this and much more, in this month's Loupe!
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