Do we drive a golden spike at Deșli Caira? The story of a geological site ready to make history, within the fourth episode of the series “Project under the lens”

Located in Northern Dobrogea, near Agighiol, the Deșli Caira geological section is considered to be the candidate with the best chances in the competition for defining the GSSP stratotype of the base of the Anisian stage (Middle Triassic), victory which would be marked by the symbolic placement of a golden spike between the geological stages.

In this context, the Project under the lens team went to Deșli Caira to ask geologists Iuliana Lazăr, Marco Balini, Marius Stoica, Micha Horacek, Alexandra Lăcătuș and Valentin Răuță what makes this geological site unique in Romania and the world and how it could become a reference point in the geological history of the Planet.

We invite you to watch the resulting material in the fourth episode of the Project under the Lens series, which can be accessed with a click below.

The geological site Deșli Caira, formerly known by its old Turkish name and now called Stânca Țuguiată or Dealul Ascuțit (Sharp Hill), is a geological section approximately 247 million years old. According to researcher Iuliana Lazăr, it contains a very interesting succession of limestones from the perspective of Mesozoic era history. This geological time interval is well-documented at Deșli Caira through a fossil-rich succession of limestones, meaning it contains significant remains of organisms that lived 247 million years ago in a sea with depths of up to 200 meters and normal salinity. This sea was home to various types of organisms, including mollusks and cephalopods, which are well-known as ammonoidea, or ammonites in common language, along with many other organisms.

Following the results communicated from the research at Deșli Caira, the site was included in the competition for the ratification of the GSSP (Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point) for the base of the Middle Triassic. Most importantly, according to all evaluation criteria, Deșli Caira is considered, based on preliminary scientific results, the strongest candidate. However, to win the competition, the site requires exhaustive research with solid and relevant results.

To this end, a team of geologists from the University of Bucharest, led by Professor Iuliana Lazăr, is conducting continuous and intensive work at the site, alongside several international specialists: Prof. Marco Balini (University of Milan), Dr. Spencer G. Lucas (New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, USA), Dr. Martyn Golding (Geological Survey of Canada), and Dr. Micha Horacek (University of Vienna).

Starting from all these premises and given the importance of the site, we invited part of the team of geologists researching the section to lead us through the geological past of the Planet, as it can be observed at Deșli Caira.

Building on all these premises and given the importance of the site, we invited part of the team of geologists researching the section to guide us through the Earth’s geological past as it is revealed at Deșli Caira.

• When and how did the research at Deșli Caira begin?
• What is a GSSP stratotype and how is it defined?
• How did the Deșli Caira section come to participate in the competition to define the GSSP stratotype of the base of the Anisian (Middle Triassic) stage?
• Where does the name Anisian come from?
• What is the relevance of the Anisian and Middle Triassic in the geological evolution of the Planet?
• What fossils do we find at Deșli Caira and what is their role in the competition?
• What are the competing geological sites and how long does it take until the winning section of the competition is designated?
• What connects the history of the American West to the geological history of the Planet?
• What is the golden nail and what does it symbolize?
• What does a day in the life of a geologist on a field campaign look like?
• What happens after the fieldwork and how does the research continue until it is reported through a top scientific article?

Answers to all these questions and many more are provided by the geologists Iuliana Lazăr, Marco Balini, Marius Stoica, Micha Horacek, Alexandra Lăcătuș and Valentin Răuță within the fourth episode of the series “Project under the lens”.

Iuliana Lazăr is a professor at the Faculty of Geology and Geophysics of the University of Bucharest and a researcher at the Research Institute of the University of Bucharest (ICUB). She attended the Faculty of Geology and Geophysics of the University of Bucharest, and after graduation worked as a geological engineer for geological prospecting and exploration at IPEG Craiova (1987-1993).

She was curator of the Paleontology and Stratigraphy collections of the Paleontology Laboratory of the University of Bucharest. During her PhD, she benefited from training internships (in Tempus projects) at the Claude Bernard University Lyon I and at the University of Bristol, Teaching and Learning Center. She obtained her PhD in Geology in 2000 at the University of Bucharest, where she then held all academic positions up to the professor position, in 2016. She was director of the Geology Department of the FGG (2008-2011).

She has completed several scientific research internships at Kent State University and Dayton University (Ohio State), Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., Natural History Museum in Paris. In 2008 she received the “Grigore Cobălcescu” Romanian Academy Award. In 2009 she benefited from PalSIRP- Sepkoski Grants.

She was a member in 10 research project teams and coordinated as project manager 4 research projects obtained through national competitions. In 2018 and 2019 she was a member of several international research teams that worked in Dobrogea, the Carpathians, and Morocco, in the Atlas Mountains. She is a member of the Olenekian/Anisian boundary working group of the International Subcommission on Triassic Stratigraphy.

Her research activity is focused on the following areas: paleontology, paleoecology, geobiology, sedimentology of carbonate rocks, microfacies analyses and paleoenvironmental reconstructions in the carbonate domain, regional geology.

She obtained her habilitation certificate in 2021 and is currently coordinating 4 doctoral theses. She was a member of the CNATDCU Commission (2016-2020) and is a member of several national and international professional associations (Executive President of the Romanian Society of Paleontologists between 2015-2021), member of the Scientific Council of the Bucegi Natural Park, editor-in-chief of the journal Acta Palaeontologica Romaniae (BDI journal, published by the Romanian Society of Paleontologists).

Marco Balini is an Associate Professor in Paleontology and Paleoecology at the Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra “Ardito Desio, Università degli Studi di Milano.

Marco has leadership experience as chairman of several national and international Working Groups and Commitees: Chairman of the Subcommission on Triassic Stratigraphy for 8 years (>110 members); Chairman of the Norian /Rhaetian boundary Working Group for 5 years (20 members); Chariman of the Commisione Scientifica, sito UNESCO Monte San Giorgio, 3 years (8 members); Chariman of the Commissione Italiana di Stratigrafia, for 10 years (7 members).

His research interests are: Triassic ammonoid taxonomy and bio-chronostratigraphy, Triassic integrated stratigraphy and calibration of the Triassic time scale, with special interest on GSSP-Candidate sections. Regional stratigraphy of the Carboniferous-Triassic of the Middle East.

He was member on the research team of 12 research projects and grants and Principal Investigator or Scientific supervisor and coordinator for 8 of these projects.

Marco participated at numerous scientific expeditions (Nevada, Iran, Yemen, Spiti Himalaya, Oman, Kazakhstan, Grecia, Romania) and studied numerous museum collections (in Italy, Wien, Budapest, München, Berlin, Zürich, Basel, Ottawa, Vancouver, Washington, Beijing, Nanjing, Stuttgart, Denver.

He is co-editor of Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana (ISI) and associate editor of the Italian Journal of Geosciences (ISI) and reviewer for numerous international scientific journals.

Marius Stoica is a professor at the Faculty of Geology and Geophysics of the University of Bucharest, teaching courses in Micropaleontology, Dating of sedimentary formations and Well Site Geology. He graduated from the Faculty of Biology, Geography and Geology, specializing in Geological and Geophysical Engineering, class of 1987, and obtained a PhD in Geology in 2003, with a thesis on the study of Mesozoic ostracods.

He participated in numerous national and international projects as a specialist in micropaleontology (especially the study of ostracodes), biostratigraphic dating, paleoenvironmental and paleogeographic reconstructions, biostratigraphy and evolution of the Paratethys, geological mapping. He had collaborations and research stages at Utrecht University, University of Southampton, Cologne University, University College London, Institut Français de Resherche pour l’Exploration de la MER.

He was part of international teams that conducted research in the Caspian Sea area (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan), the Black Sea (Georgia, Turkey, Russia, Bulgaria), Spain, Serbia, Iraq, Mongolia, China and others. He is a biostratigraphic expert for companies such as OMV-Petrom, Rompetrol, Zeta Petroleum, Danubian Energy, Forest Oil, CASP, ASCOM, PETRO MATAD, Geohazard, ANDR, etc.

He received the “Grigore Cobălcescu” Prize from the Romanian Academy (2009) and the “Ion Simionescu” Prize from the Romanian Paleontological Society (2007). He is a member of over 10 national and international professional associations and is Secretary General of the National Committee of Geologists of Romania (CNGR).

He is a reviewer for specialized journals such as Geology, Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, Quaternary International, Geobios, Global and Planetry Change, Paläontologische Zeitschrift, Geologica Croatica, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica (ISI indexed) and Geo-Eco-Marina, Acta Palaeontologica Romaniae (BDI indexed) and also the author and co-author of 72 international articles (2 listed as Highly Cited Papers), has over 3500 citations and an H-index of 32 (Scopus).

Micha Horacek is a geochemist specializing in isotope studies and a researcher at the University of Vienna and the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit – AGES). He has been working on the Triassic period during his doctoral studies. His fields of interest are extremely varied and cover geochemistry and geology, stable isotope analysis, environmental science and climate change, paleoecology, sedimentology, biostratigraphy, invasive species and paleogeography. He has been involved in numerous research projects and is the author of numerous scientific articles, with many citations in specialized publications. More information about Micha Horacek’s training and publications can be accessed here and here.

Alexandra Lăcătuș is a doctoral student at the Doctoral School of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Bucharest. Her areas of interest include paleontology, paleoecology and taxonomy of Triassic ammonoids. During her undergraduate studies, Alexandra participated in numerous volunteer projects such as the “Class with Stories from the Dinosaur and Crafts School in Sânpetru” within the UNESCO International Geopark Țara Hațegului, “Ţinutul Buzăului – the natural framework reflected in the intangible heritage” and “Meșteri 21”, within the UNESCO International Geopark Ţinutul Buzăului.

Her bachelor’s thesis, coordinated by Professor Alexandru Andrășanu, focused on the intangible heritage correlated with the geo-diversity of key points of the UNESCO International Geopark Ţinutul Buzăului to support geo-conservation activities. The master’s dissertation represented Alexandra’s orientation towards fundamental scientific research, namely the paleontological study of the Triassic ammonoid fauna from Deșli Caira. The doctoral study further focuses on the paleontological, paleoecological and taxonomic analysis of the Triassic ammonoid fauna from Northern Dobrogea. Alexandra is a member of the Romanian Paleontological Society and a member of the research team of the ICUB FDI project – 0690/2023 -2025, “Towards the definition of the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Anisian Stage (Middle Triassic) at Deșli Caira section, Northern Dobrogea”. As part of this project, a two-month training internship followed at the Department of Earth Sciences “Ardito Desio” of the University of Milan, under the guidance of Professor Marco Balini.

Valentin Răuță is a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Geology at the Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, University of Bucharest. He graduated from a bachelor’s program in Geological Resources Engineering at the same faculty, where he completed his bachelor’s thesis under the coordination of Prof. Dr. Eng. Marius Stoica on the study of the Miocene and Pliocene microfauna from the Putna Valley. He followed his master’s studies with a specialization in the Evaluation of Sedimentary Basins and Mineral Resources while his dissertation focused on the analysis of the microfauna from the Șimnicel Valley (Vâlcea County). After completing his bachelor’s studies, he began his professional activity at the international company GEOLOG, where he attended several specialization courses in the field of drilling, processing and analysis of thin sections, as well as the analysis of borehole gases. Within the company, he developed his skills as a Data Engineer, being responsible for the collection, interpretation and correlation of data obtained during drilling. He was involved in international projects carried out in Turkey, Hungary, Austria, Albania and Cyprus, accumulating significant experience in geological resource exploration.

One of the most important projects he has been involved in is the one carried out on the Transocean Barents platform (Cyprus), a state-of-the-art drilling unit, which will be used in the Neptun Deep project in the Black Sea. For his doctoral studies, Valentin focuses on deepening the analysis of microfacies and diagenesis of Jurassic and Triassic carbonate rocks from Central Dobrogea and the North Dobrogean Orogen.

Research at Deșli Caira is funded by a grant from the Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, the University of Bucharest being the first university in both Romania and Eastern Europe to support and contribute to the definition of a stratotype of such global importance.