33IGC – Symposium report from the conveners
Code and title of the symposium: STN-03 Morphotectonics of lowland areas
Conveners:
Jonas Satkunas, Lithuanian Geological Survey, IUGS-GEM,
Andrzej Piotrowski, Polish Geological Institute,
Marek Graniczny, Polish Geological Institute, IUGS-GEM
The symposium STN-03 Morphotectonics of lowland areas was initiated Polish Geological Institute and supported by IUGS Commission Geosciences for Environmental Management (IUGS-GEM) and other organizations.
Number of presentations: 2 invited lectures, 10 oral presentations, 17 posters.
Symposium summary:
This symposium dealt with problems of activities of subsurface structures in connection with active subsurface and surface processes, impact of tectonic structures on glacial morphology and glacial processes, techniques and methodologies of morphotectonic investigations, mapping and modelling. The Symposium represented main results of the current EU project Morphotectonic Map of the European Lowland Area - MELA (www.mela.3dsign.pl/).
The MELA project foresees integration of knowledge on stratigraphy, tectonics, hydrogeology and, on the basis of new scientific experiments, elaboration of an interdisciplinary method of studying of environmental changes in Quaternary, in the past and present. With reference to the goals of the MELA project, presentations of the symposium STN-03 can be grouped into following subjects:
- impact of the various tectonic structures on the glacial processes in Pleistocene, in connection with multiphase liquid flow in the basement (Zuchiewicz et al; Holzbecher et al; Schröder & Oehm; Piotrowski et al; Urbanski; Cyziene & Satkunas, Pikies & Piotrowski, Lehne & Sirocko; Bregman; Kasinski & Kramarska);
- morphotectonic analysis of tunnel (fossil) valleys (Oehm & Schröder, Piotrowski et al; Satkunas; Piotrowski J. et al);
- correlation of the direct and remote sensing techniques, used in the analysis of the young Alpine, glaciotectonic and neotectonic structures to define zones with especially intensive disturbances, influencing hydrodynamic field and initiating mass movements (Graniczny et al);
- coastal processes and neotectonics (Jeglinski & Koszka-Maron; Bitinas; Zaleszkiewicz; Piotrowski);
- development of bio- and lithostratigraphical methods (Brose; Krzyminska et al);
- elaboration of a new technique for prospecting of oil and gas deposits and geothermal resources (Fuszara & Piotrowski, Piotrowski et al);
- 3D-Modelling and visualization of subsurface (Juschus; Oehm et al; Brose F.).
General comments
Andrzej Piotrowski on behalf of the MELA project team summarized symposium and emphasized that the project has enabled to create a interdisciplinary research team involved in elaboration of a new methodologies for construction of a Morphotectonic Map of European Lowland Area. As the STN -02 symposium demonstrated, various research methods were applied, different environments of the vast European Lowland area were examined. The pilot sheet of the map of the "Model Area" is available in the format GIS database.
The symposium was attended by 60 participants (not counting visitors of the poster session), who contributed with questions, comments and discussions.
Papers from the symposium are under preparation for publication in different scientific journals (eg. Boreas). The report of the symposium (with illustrations) will be published in IUGS-GEM News, PGI bulletin etc.