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1. WERSJA PODSTAWOWA ZNAKU TIME IN GEOLOGY SYSTEM IDENTYFIKACJI WIZUALNEJ PROJEKTU „WIRTUALNE MUZEA MAŁOPOLSKI” ZAKŁADA WYSTĘPOWANIE 1 PODSTAWOWEJ FORMY ZNAKU W POSTACI LOGOTYPU. JEJ ROZSZERZENIE STANOWIĄ: LOGO, UZUPEŁNIAJĄCE WARIANTY LOGOTYPU I DODATKOWE WERSJE KOLORYSTYCZNE. ZNAK OPARTY ZOSTAŁ O STYLIZOWANE LITERY „WMM” NAWIĄZUJĄCE SWOIM KSZTAŁTEM DO KORONY OBECNEJ W IDENTYFIKACJI WIZUALNEJ WOJEWÓDZTWA MAŁOPOLSKIEGO. LITERY WPISANE SĄ W OTWARTĄ FORMĘ OPARTĄ O KOŁO MAJĄCĄ BUDZIĆ SKOJARZENIA ZE ZNAKIEM @. DO ZAPROJEKTOWANIA LOGOTYPU WYKORZYSTANO KRÓJ Time measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years has been with us since PISMA FF DIN ROUND PODKREŚLAJĄCY ZWIĄZEK PROJEKTU Z NOWOCZESNĄ TECHNOLOGIĄ. birth. It facilitates communication and helps to organise life. Time has existed since the very beginning and people only managed to learn to describe it by observing some cyclically occurring natural phenomena. Geologists measure time in millions and even billions of years. An error in the estimation of the absolute age of the universe (that is, the time which is counted from the point of the formation of the universe until now) of a given geological object by one or two million years seems nothing in comparison to the history of the Earth… However, can we imagine what one million years means? Are we able to imagine the difference between 165 million years and one billion years? Surely not, because our lifespan is too short. I would therefore like to invite you to discover how geologists measure time. Fossils are the remains of plants and animals which have been preserved in fossilised form until the present time. After the death of a given organism, the soft parts of its body (e.g. the internal organs or the skin) decompose, while the hard parts (skeleton bones, shells) are preserved and undergo fossilisation under the cover of sedimentation. These remains offer useful information to geologists. Ammonite (cephalopod) Perisphinctes (Dichotmosphinctes) cortalinus Siemiradzki http://muzea.malopolska.pl/en/obiekty/-/a/26837/1124790 Ammonite Euaspidoceras paucituberkulatum Arkell http://muzea.malopolska.pl/en/obiekty/-/a/1875581/1890612 Ammonites are marine cephalopods which once swam in warm seas in the Jurassic period. Near Krakow, one can find fossils of these animals (hardened sediment which filled the shell). Jurassic ammonites were excellent swimmers. They grew to a huge size and the largest specimen found has a diameter of ca. 3 m. These animals help us determine the age of the rocks because they are ideal index fossils. Individual species of ammonites described by palaeontologists existed on Earth for a relatively short time (several million years). The fossils of the representatives of these species found in sedimentary rocks allow for an exact estimation of the age of these rocks. Such rocks are referred to as index fossils. In this case, the period of the appearance of a given species on Earth with its representa- Time in geology / 1 muzea.malopolska.pl 1. WERSJA PODSTAWOWA ZNAKU tives being fossilised is treated as a unit of time (the biostratigraphic level). Index fossils SYSTEM IDENTYFIKACJI WIZUALNEJ PROJEKTU „WIRTUALNE MUZEA MAŁOPOLSKI” ZAKŁADA WYSTĘPOWANIE 1 PODSTAWOWEJ FORMY ZNAKU W POSTACI LOGOTYPU. JEJ ROZSZERZENIE STANOWIĄ: LOGO, UZUPEŁNIAJĄCE WARIANTY LOGOTYPU I DODATKOWE WERSJE KOLORYSTYCZNE. are usually globally spread species. Thanks to this, the same levels (e.g. ammonites) can be ZNAK OPARTY ZOSTAŁ O STYLIZOWANE LITERY „WMM” NAWIĄZUJĄCE SWOIM KSZTAŁTEM DO KORONY OBECNEJ W IDENTYFIKACJI WIZUALNEJ WOJEWÓDZTWA MAŁOPOLSKIEGO. LITERY WPISANE SĄ W OTWARTĄ FORMĘ OPARTĄ O KOŁO MAJĄCĄ BUDZIĆ SKOJARZENIA ZE ZNAKIEM @. DO ZAPROJEKTOWANIA LOGOTYPU WYKORZYSTANO KRÓJ distinguished on each continent. Ammonites are particularly useful as index fossils in the PISMA FF DIN ROUND PODKREŚLAJĄCY ZWIĄZEK PROJEKTU Z NOWOCZESNĄ TECHNOLOGIĄ. Jurassic and Cretaceous period. Ammonite mineralised with quartz and chalcedony http://muzea.malopolska.pl/en/obiekty/-/a/1875581/1891263 The Jurassic period lasted 56 million years and is divided into eleven stages. Each of them was established based on an important event in the Earth’s history, which is reflected in the fossil record. The most precise division of the Jurassic period is provided by ammonites. A palaeontologist can establish the beginning of a specific ammonite level in the place of the first occurrence of a given species in the fossil record. The level finishes where the last trace is noted. This is the simplest level known as the range level. Obviously, it can also be determined by the co-existence of one or more species. Didymoceras sp. ammonite In the Cretaceous period, ammonite shells had non-typical shapes and this facilitates their identification. Cretaceous ammonites are also perfect index fossil forms and the non-standard shell shapes enable their distinction from earlier forms. Some species took shapes similar to the conical shells of snails. The causes of such a rapid change in the morphology of Cretaceous ammonites can be seen in the changes to the environment. Frequently, when examining rocks of a similar time interval, it is possible to trace the entire evolutionary (phylogenetic) linage of particular ammonite species and their individual stages (e.g. to what extent the shell has been twisted) can also be used to determine time. The method is based on the assumption that evolutionary changes constitute a continuous process in time, so Natura non facit saltus (“Nature does not make jumps”), as Darwin said. Cymatoceras patens nautiloid http://muzea.malopolska.pl/en/obiekty/-/a/26837/4881598 There are some species of animals on Earth which existed many millions of years ago and have been preserved until the present time in an almost unchanged form. Such species cannot be Time in geology / 2 muzea.malopolska.pl 1. WERSJA PODSTAWOWA ZNAKU index fossils. Apart from ammonites, Jurassic and Cretaceous seas were also the habitats SYSTEM IDENTYFIKACJI WIZUALNEJ PROJEKTU „WIRTUALNE MUZEA MAŁOPOLSKI” ZAKŁADA WYSTĘPOWANIE 1 PODSTAWOWEJ FORMY ZNAKU W POSTACI LOGOTYPU. JEJ ROZSZERZENIE STANOWIĄ: LOGO, UZUPEŁNIAJĄCE WARIANTY LOGOTYPU I DODATKOWE WERSJE KOLORYSTYCZNE. of nautiloids, which we know also from seas today. Although they resemble ammonites ZNAK OPARTY ZOSTAŁ O STYLIZOWANE LITERY „WMM” NAWIĄZUJĄCE SWOIM KSZTAŁTEM DO KORONY OBECNEJ W IDENTYFIKACJI WIZUALNEJ WOJEWÓDZTWA MAŁOPOLSKIEGO. LITERY WPISANE SĄ W OTWARTĄ FORMĘ OPARTĄ O KOŁO MAJĄCĄ BUDZIĆ SKOJARZENIA ZE ZNAKIEM @. DO ZAPROJEKTOWANIA LOGOTYPU WYKORZYSTANO KRÓJ in their appearance, they are distant relatives. The first specimens, which actually did not PISMA FF DIN ROUND PODKREŚLAJĄCY ZWIĄZEK PROJEKTU Z NOWOCZESNĄ TECHNOLOGIĄ. resemble today’s Nautilus, due to their simple shell, appeared as early as the Cambrian (ca. 541 million years ago). Paradoxides bohemicus trilobite http://muzea.malopolska.pl/en/obiekty/-/a/26837/4874459 Trilobites belong to the arthropod family. Their bodies are covered with a shell built of chitin and calcium carbonate. They are known from the Palaeozoic Era but their particularly intensive development took place in the Cambrian (ca. 542 million years ago). Trilobites grew gradually and shed their shells like most arthropods. Apart from the shells of these animals, ecdysis are often found in Cambrian rocks. Thanks to their diverse morphology and widespread occurrence, they are perfect index fossils, especially for the Cambrian period. Although they can be treated as long-lived organisms (they died out at the end of the Palaeozoic Era, ca. 251 million years ago), thanks to their unique evolution trilobites are used to measure time in geology. Imprint of an insect (fossilised dragonfly) in lithographic limestone http://muzea.malopolska.pl/en/obiekty/-/a/26837/4881509 One of the characteristics of an index fossil is its widespread occurrence in fossilised form. It is estimated that around 5% of organisms with hard body parts can be fossilised, so they may behave like fossils. This shows how little we know about the world in past geological epochs. However, sometimes, thanks to unique conditions, their remains are preserved which would otherwise be destroyed (e.g. delicate wings of insects or soft parts). Such findings provide important information about the world millions of years ago but they cannot be treated as index fossils as there are too few of them or their occurrence is restricted. Lower Jurassic limestone from Solnhofen (Germany) belongs to unique fossil records. Perfectly preserved fossilised insects were found in them. During the Lower Jurassic the present location of Solnhofen was an isolated lagoon of increased salinity and probably with waters of high oxygen content, which contributed to such a perfect preservation of the fossils. Time in geology / 3 muzea.malopolska.pl 1. WERSJA PODSTAWOWA ZNAKU Crinoids SYSTEM IDENTYFIKACJI WIZUALNEJ PROJEKTU „WIRTUALNE MUZEA MAŁOPOLSKI” ZAKŁADA WYSTĘPOWANIE 1 PODSTAWOWEJ FORMY ZNAKU W POSTACI LOGOTYPU. JEJ ROZSZERZENIE STANOWIĄ: LOGO, UZUPEŁNIAJĄCE WARIANTY LOGOTYPU I DODATKOWE WERSJE KOLORYSTYCZNE. ZNAK OPARTY ZOSTAŁ O STYLIZOWANE LITERY „WMM” NAWIĄZUJĄCE SWOIM KSZTAŁTEM DO KORONY OBECNEJ W IDENTYFIKACJI WIZUALNEJ WOJEWÓDZTWA MAŁOPOLSKIEGO. LITERY WPISANE SĄ W OTWARTĄ FORMĘ OPARTĄ O KOŁO MAJĄCĄ BUDZIĆ SKOJARZENIA ZE ZNAKIEM @. DO ZAPROJEKTOWANIA LOGOTYPU WYKORZYSTANO KRÓJ PISMA FF DIN ROUND PODKREŚLAJĄCY ZWIĄZEK PROJEKTU Z NOWOCZESNĄ TECHNOLOGIĄ. http://muzea.malopolska.pl/en/obiekty//a/1875581/1902347 Crinoids are animals which may be mistaken for plants due to their non-typical morphology. Currently, they constitute a relatively small group of sea animals but in the earlier geological eras they were common in warm seas. Thanks to this, individual species of crinoids are used in geology to measure time. The fossilised calyx of these animals is rarely preserved but the stems, which burst apart after their death into many single parts known as crinoids, are found relatively often. Trigonia interlaevigata crustacean http://muzea.malopolska.pl/en/obiekty/-/a/26837/4875285 Inoceramus bivalve, Geological Museum of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Jagiellonian University (extra exhibit) Bivalves belong to the most diverse and dynamically developed classes of animals. In the Palaeozoic Era they did not occur in large numbers and were dominated by brachiopods. Their intensive development began in the Mesozoic, when they started to control marine ecosystems and developed mechanisms to facilitate their survival, for example an ability to bury oneself quickly. Owing to their diversity and widespread occurrence, bivalves are very useful index fossils. Based on individual species of bivalves from the Inoceramus genus, the whole Upper Cretaceous was divided into smaller units. In contemporary seas, bivalves are still developing abundantly and they amaze not only with their appearance but also their taste (!). Agata Jurkowska, PhD – A geologist who is associated with the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. She carries out geological research in Poland and in Madagascar. She likes to teach, especially to children. For the last few years, she has been organising workshops and presentations with the goal of popularising science. • Graphic design: She has been the organiser of, among others, The Days of the Earth, a series of geological, Anna Zabdyrska speleological, cartographic and ecological workshops within the Science Festival and “The • Interactive presentation: St. Anne Mountain Meeting on the Volcano” (Annogórskie spotkanie na wulkanie). Winner Igor Szelest of the “Science Popularisation” (Popularyzator Nauki) competition organised by the Polish • Editor: science news website of the Polish Press Agency in Poland and the Ministry of Science and Kinga Kołodziejska Higher Education in the category of Scientist/Scientific institution. Geology is not only her profession but also her passion. Time in geology / 4 muzea.malopolska.pl