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Explosion (Credit: Fulvia Favaro, distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

SSP Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology Division on Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology

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European Geosciences Union

Division on Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology
ssp.egu.eu

Division on Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology

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

Introducing the TIMES initiative

TIMES is the acronym of a large-scale international science initiative “Time Integrated Matrix for Earth Sciences” (Link: https://www.codd-home.net/times/). The idea is to launch a global program with the aim of synchronizing age models for particularly important geological climate records from the past 100 million years. The motivation for this program is given in a white paper published in the journal Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology of the American Geophysical Union (Link: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024PA004932). Geological records of the past allow researchers to better understand …


Tracing temperatures in tropical Lake Petén Itzá over the last 24,000 years

Past and present global warming: its effect on the tropics According to meteorological data and climate models, global temperatures have increased by up to 1.1 °C since 1960 because of rising atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, including an increase in CO₂ concentrations by up to 200 ppm. In some regions, such as the tropics, home to over 40% of the world’s population, warming has reached up to 2 °C compared to preindustrial values (INSIVUMEH, 2024; Fig. 1). This phenomenon can cause …

Recent awardees

Donald Ross Prothero

Donald Ross Prothero

  • 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.


Silvia Frisia

Silvia Frisia

  • 2024
  • Jean Baptiste Lamarck Medal

The 2024 Jean Baptiste Lamarck Medal is awarded to Silvia Frisia for her highly significant impact as a sedimentologist researching carbonate-based palaeoclimate science, in particular through her work on carbonate fabrics in cave deposits, or speleothems.


Miguel Ángel Maté González

Miguel Ángel Maté González

  • 2024
  • Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award

The 2024 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award is awarded to Miguel Ángel Maté González for his outstanding work in palaeontology and archaeology developing a new methodology for the analysis of 3D cut marks on bones.


Mélinda Martins

Mélinda Martins

  • 2024
  • Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award

The 2024 Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award is awarded to Mélinda Martins Deciphering local from global signals in Portimão Bank sedimentary dynamics

Current issue of the EGU newsletter

In our September Issue we look back at 65 years of the OPEC nations and how the legacy of petroleum can be used to move us to a sustainable future, learn more about activities you can do for this years' Earth Science Week in October, watch our new video on managing vulnerabilities whilst on fieldwork, apply for the EGU26 Artists in Residence programme by 27 October and if you know a work-student in Germany, why not suggest they apply for our new vacancy as a Community Development Assistant! 

All this and much more, in this month's Loupe!

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