Searching for biological fingerprints and grain alteration patterns in Devonian and Carboniferous microbial facies - examples from the Bohemian Massif

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Axel Munnecke
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: from 2019 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 431867332

In this project we will investigate putative microbialite facies associated with one of the most severe extinction evens of the Phanerozoic, the Late Devonian Kellwasser and Hangenberg events, and on the to preceding Middle Devonian Basal Choteč and Kačák events. We intend to focus on internal arrangement and fabric of micritic precipitates in order to assess the role of taphonomy in the formation and preservation of recorded microstructures, and to decipher modes and patterns in grain alteration and peloid formation within the mentioned stratigraphic levels. We further aim to test whether extinctions at the end of Devonian influenced the structure of microbial biota. To document and compare the range of morphologies at ultrastructural level using SEM and to assess spatial and textural relations of carbonate precipitates is essential in our investigation but in addition to that, REE+Y analysis will be carried out as it has proved to represent promising additional fingerprint of microbial involvement in carbonate precipitation.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Czech Republic
• Partner Organisation: Czech Science Foundation
• Cooperation Partner: Dr. Stanislava Vodrázková