Sedimentary record and mechanics of collapse of orogenic belts
The research held in co-operation with the Continental Tectonic Group (http://ctg.cuni.cz/) addresses mechanism of decay of orogenic belt, particularly with respect on formation of paleorelief, sedimentary basins, and related volcanic processes in final stages of orogeney. We examine depositional record and architecture of sedimentary fill in scale of basins and their individual lithostratigraphic units to understand base level changes driven by tectonics. Attention is paid also to provenance of sediments that reflect composition and drainage as well as tectonic processes in the source areas adjacent to basins.
Cyclic deposition in the Late Paleozoic basins, its driving mechanisms and implication for basin stratigraphy
Using a combination of methods of sedimentary geology, cyclostratigraphy and calibration of climatically/orbitally driven cycles by radiometric data we examine and compare cyclic patterns in selected continental and paralic Late Paleozoic basins of the Bohemian Massif and abroad. The main aim is to distinguish between auto- and allocyclicity and to better understand mechanisms generating cyclic deposition (cyclothems). This research helps us to better understand Late Paleozoic climate and its influence on deposition in various tectono-sedimentary environments and allows for significant high-resolution refinement of basin stratigraphy.
Climatic signal recorded in the Late Paleozoic basins
The research addresses analyses of climatic indicators recorded in the fill of the Late Paleozoic basins of the Bohemian Massif and elsewhere in former tropical Pangea by a complex of geochemical, mineralogical, petrological, and sedimentological methods. Data provide information on character of climate in various stratigraphic intervals, and in combination with new high-precision radiometric ages of intercalated volcaniclastics and existing biostratigraphic data serve as a base for reconstruction of a climatic history of the Bohemian Massif during the Pennsylvanian and early Permian times. Research is performed mainly on lacustrine strata and paleosols embedded in fluvial intervals of the basin fills and is a combination of sedimentological and geochemical methods.
Late Paleozoic terrestrial ecosystems and their dynamics in context of climatic changes, high-resolution floral biostratigraphy
This research is focused on analysis of fossil record, particularly of macrofloras and its changes in scale of individual sedimentary units, often cyclothems. Data are used to establish high-resolution floral biostratigraphy of the basins and to test reliability of floral biozones but also to track changes in diversity and vegetation patterns throughout the Late Paleozoic as a consequence of climatic changes of various time scales/orders and intensities.
