NEWS
Change of name of the Department of Mineral Resources to the Department of Mineral Resources and Marine Geology
The status change of the name of the Department of Mineral Resources which will operate under the name Department of Mineral Resources and Marine Geology from January 23, 2024, is related to the change and refocusing of our identity, mission and strategic vision to better serve researchers and experts in collaboration with partners and other external entities. The name change was emphasised to differentiate from the historical name that the department has proudly carried for 30 years and to find its place in the demanding marketplace and in the evolution of science. The previous name of the department was part of the historical heritage and tradition of the activity, but it did not fully meet the requirements of recognition and information. By renaming, we wanted to summarise the successful activities in the field of marine geology over the last 20 years in each segment and indicate the direction the department intends to take in the future based on realistic indicators. This report describes in more detail the process of the strategic change of the department name and the institutional involvement in this process.
Since the 1950s, when the department was formed within the institute under the name "Department of Mineralogy, Petrology, Ore Deposits and Geochemistry", its main task has been geological-mining research with the aim of finding mineral resources. For the longest time, it retained the name "Department of Mineralogy, Petrology and Mineral Resources" (MP MS), which operated under the Institute for Geological Research and the Geological Survey, which, after merging and separating from the Department of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, has been operated independently since 1993 as the Department of Mineral Resources. The name of the departments thus changed several times during the existence of the institute, depending on the challenges of the economy.
The research infrastructure of the department has been constantly and continuously improved from the very beginning through investments in field and laboratory equipment. The analytical activity of the Department has a long tradition and developed in several phases: mineralogical-petrographic (1960-1990, B. Šćavničar, A. Šimunić, Z. Magdalenić, S. Novosel-Škorić); geochemical-mineralogical (since 1980, E. Prohić, S. Miko) until today, with the acquisition of geophysical equipment. Geochemical investigations of sediments and soils as part of several master's and doctoral thesis over the last 20 years have directed department's activity towards the study of lake and marine sediments and the reconstruction of paleoenvironments during the Quaternary on the eastern Adriatic coast. An important role was played by investments in the scientific infrastructure and the renovation of the laboratory, which included the acquisition of an atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS; 2006), an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) for mineralogical analyses (2008), a device for measuring magnetic susceptibility (2010), carbon and nitrogen analyzer in solid samples (2012) and laser diffractometer (2014). At the same time, the department's laboratories were completely renewed and the corresponding equipment was purchased (digestors, analytical balance, deionizer, freeze-dryer). Field equipment was purchased for sampling the undisturbed sequence of sediments from karst poljes, lakes and shallow seas (Eijkelkamp, UWITEC). This period was characterised by work on commercial projects (over 30) that provided funding for equipment, field work and the necessary external laboratory analyses. Systematic research was supported by stable funding through the Croatian Science Foundation research projects LoLADRIA (Lost Lake Landscapes on the Eastern Adriatic Shelf; 2013-2017) and QMAD (Sediments between source and sink during a Late Quaternary eustatic cycle: The Krka and the Mid Adriatic Deep System; 2019-2023). Collaborations and specialisations were established with the MARUM marine research centre in Bremen, scientists from the Oceanus Lab of the Department of Geology at the University of Patras, the Department of Geology at the University of Innsbruck, and the Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen. In the meantime, the colleagues acquired knowledge and became experts in the field of geophysical remote sensing of the seabed based on acoustic-seismic methods. Side Scan Sonars (SSS), Multibeam Sonar (MBS) and Sub-Bottom Profiler (SBP) were acquired. In addition to the upgrading the equipment for sediment sampling (motorised winches for the piston core on the research platform); a sound velocity probe for determining conductivity and water temperature (CTD probe), a drop-camera, underwater robots (ROV) and a navigation system at sea were purchased. In addition, a national repository for sediment cores drilled on the teritorry of Croatia was built in 2020, i.e. a cooling chamber for storing sediments, which currently contains more than 600 m of archived sediment cores. Earlier economic and scientific projects enabled exploration of areas from the north (Vransko jezero on Cres, Lošinj Channel, Kvarner Bay, Zambratija Bay, Soline Bay on the island of Krk, Caske Bay and Velo blato on the island of Pag), to the centre (Vransko Lake near Biograd, Pirovac Bay, Novigrad and Karin Seas, Prokljan Lake, Visovac Lake, Kornati Canal) to the southern part (Baćina Lakes, Veliko Lake and Stupa Bay on the island of Mljet, Blue Lake, Prološko Blato, Koločep Channel, Neretva Valley) of the Adriatic Sea. In cooperation with the Department of Maritime Civilizations at the University of Haifa, submerged Roman salt pans on our coast are being investigated, and in collaboration with archaeologists from the University of Vienna, Roman settlements in the area of Osor in the Lošinj Channel are being studied. With their expertise, the scientists participate in the projects of the Croatian Hydrographic Institute fot the exploration of gas fields in the area of the northern Adriatic, whereby an official cooperation exists. Also significant is the participation in the only scientific-research cruise to date that covered the Croatian part of the Adriatic in 2017 with the research vessel RV Poseidon, which was led by the University of Tübingen. The first sediment cores over 4 m in length were drilled in the Croatian part of the central and southern Adriatic Basin. Based on the research carried out, several excursions to various national and international congresses (IAH, MS IAS) were organized, and one of the most significant was the post-congress excursion from the international INQUA congress held in Rome in August 2023, where about 20 participants from all over of the world visited the Krka and Kornati National Parks. In the last two years, the area of the Adriatic seabed with an area of about 1000 km2 has been mapped in detail as part of the project "Mapping of coastal and seabed habitats in the area of the Adriatic Sea under national jurisdiction", implemented by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development (MINGOR) through the Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014 - 2020 (total value of the project 11.9 million euros). Due to its complexity, the project required a multidisciplinary approach and brought together experts and scientists from MINGOR's jurisdiction in the fields of oceanography, geology, ecology, advanced robotics and artificial intelligence, and in addition to the Croatian Geological Survey, the project partners were the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, the company OIKON d.o.o. – Institute for Applied Ecology, Faculty of Geodesy University of Zagreb and the Ruđer Bošković Institute in cooperation with the Croatian Hydrographic Institute, the companies ECOTECH d.o.o., SCIOM d.o.o. and DVOKUT – ECRO d.o.o. The result of the project is the National Map of Marine Habitats (KMS) for 51% of the Adriatic Sea, which provides important baseline data for smart, sustainable use of marine resources, comprehensive spatial planning of the sea, sustainable fisheries and tourism, i.e. for planning sustainable economic development of marine and coastal areas. The current research of the Marine Group is focused on the continuation of the aforementioned project on mapping the marine habitats of the remaining 49% of the Adriatic Sea, and on the scientific research projects envisaged in the Institute's programme agreement with the aim of applying for competitive research projects.
The long-term participation in the expert group for marine geology of the European Geological Surveys led to the international project EMODNet-Geology in the second phase from 2013, which has been continuously worked on since then, currently in phase EMODNet-Geology 5 (II) (2023-2025). The project collects data on the European seas in order to obtain the most detailed and harmonised bathymetry data and geological maps of the seabed. As part of the Geological Service for Europe (GSEU; 2022-2027) project, which is a continuation of GEOERA, geological research of the sea is included, whereby the Institute will contribute to research of the vulnerability of the coastal area of the central Adriatic Sea.
The study of marine and lake sediments has produced most of scientists at the department in the last ten years, and all the aforementioned advances in the infrastructure for conducting research, financial stability through scientific and economic projects and the publication of scientific papers, as well as all human capacities, give us the right to this name change. The main activity of the Department continues to be the preparation of the Map of Mineral Resources of the Republic of Croatia and the Basic Geochemical Map of the Republic of Croatia in the Adriatic region, as well as the Geological Map of the Croatian Seabed. We believe that with this strategic name change we will increase the visibility of the Department and the Institute. Institutional name changes are eminent examples of efforts for planned changes that are somewhat indicative of changes in mission, values, policies, organization, and the way employees work to fulfill common organizational goals while meeting the needs and requirements of external entities. The name serves only as an implication or symbol of what the organization or institution was, is, or will be. The most important foundation is how the institution and staff work together to provide geoscientific data to the ever-evolving marketplace and scientific community, regardless of the "name".
Master's and doctoral theses
- Hasan, Ozren (2004): Intenzitet kemijskog trošenja eocenskih klastita u različitim dijelovima sliva rijeke Dragonje, magistarski rad, PMF
- Šparica Miko, Martina (2004): Geokemijsko frakcioniranje i mobilnost olova(II) u onečišćenim tlima, magistarski rad, PMF
- Mesić, Saša (2004): Antropogeni utjecaj na geokemijski sastav holocenskih sedimenata Vranskog jezera na Cresu, doktorska disertacija, PMF
- Miko, Slobodan (2008) Raspodjela potencijalno toksičnih elemenata u tlima na kršu sjeverozapadne Hrvatske, doktorska disertacija, PMF
- Ilijanić, Nikolina (2014): Minerali glina u jezerskim sedimentima istočno jadranske obale kao pokazatelji promjena okoliša tijekom kasnog pleistocena i holocena, doktorska disertacija, PMF
- Hasan, Ozren (2017): Paleookolišna rekonstrukcija slivova Karinskoga mora, Novigradskoga mora i Velebitskog kanala tijekom holocena, doktorska disertacija, RGNF
- Ivan Razum (2018): Paleookolišni i tefrostratigrafski sedimentni zapis kasnopleistocenskih i holocenskih okoliša otoka Mljeta, doktorska disertacija, PMF
- Dario Hruševar (2018): Promjene vegetacije na području središnje Hrvatske tijekom holocena, doktorska disertacija, Biološki odsjek, PMF
- Dea Brunović (2019): Morska i jezerska sedimentacija u potopljenom u potopljenom kršnom bazenu: Taložni sustav Lošinjskoga kanala tijekom kasnog kvartara, doktorska disertacija, PMF
- Katarina Jerbić (2019): Zambratija: A 6000-year-old pile-dwelling submerged under the Adriatic Sea, doktorska disertacija, Sveučilište Flinders, Adelaide, Australija
- Benny Bechor (2023): Ancient saltpans as a new proxy for the last 2ka relative sea levels, a test case from the Dalmatian coast, Croatia, doktorska disertacija, Sveučilište u Haifi, Izrael
- Dragana Šolaja (u izradi): Kasnopleistocenski i holocenski paleookoliši i geomorfologija Koločepskog kanala, PMF
- Natalia Smrkulj (u izradi): Evolution of coastal depositional systems of the Krka river estuary in response to the Late Pleistocene – Holocene sea-level changes (Razvoj obalnih taložnih okoliša estuarija rijeke Krke tijekom kasno pleistocensko-holocenskih promjena razine mora), PMF
- Ivona Ivkić Filipović (u izradi): Environmental changes in Dalmatian karst lakes and paleolakes during Holocene based on sedimentology, geochemistry and ostracod proxies in lake sediments (Paleookolišne promjene u krškim jezerima i paleojezerima u Dalmaciji tijekom holocena na osnovi sedimentoloških, geokemijskih i ostrakodoloških pokazatelja u jezerskim sedimentima), RGNF
- Vedran Sudar (u izradi): Paleopoplave kao pokazatelj klimatskih promjena u području donjeg toka rijeke Gline (RGNF)
Significant economic projects
2023.-2024. Paleolimnološka istraživanja u Nacionalnom Parku Krka, II. faza – analize jezgri sedimenata Visovačkog jezera, JU Nacionalni Park Krka
2021.-2023. Kartiranje obalnih i pridnenih morskih staništa u obalnom moru RH i pridnenih morskih staništa u hrvatskom epikontinentalnom pojasu u sklopu OPKK projekta Kartiranje obalnih i pridnenih morskih staništa na području Jadranskog mora pod nacionalnom jurisdikcijom, Grupa 1: Usluga kartiranja područja obalnog mora, Grupa 2: Usluga kartiranja područja epikontinentalnog pojasa, Ministarstvo gospodarstva i održivog razvoja (MINGOR)
2020.-2021. Usluga analize sedimenata Velog i Malog blata te Kolanjskog blata na otoku Pagu, JU Natura-Jadera, Zadarska županija
2019.-2020. Paleolimnološka istraživanja u Nacionalnom Parku Krka, I. faza – geofizička istraživanja Visovačkog jezera, JU Nacionalni Park Krka
2018.-2020. Geopark Imotska jezera, provedba Paleolimnoloških istraživanja Prološkog blata, Dinaric Hub
2014.-2016. Promjena zaliha ugljika u tlu i izračun trendova ukupnog dušika i organskog ugljika te odnosa ugljika i dušika, Agencija za okoliš i prirodu
2013.-2015. Paleolimnološka istraživanja Baćinskih jezera, Hrvatske vode
2013.-2015. Istraživanja paleorazina Vranskog jezera na Cresu, Hrvatske vode
- ˝Lječilište Meline˝ u Zaljevu Soline, otok Krk, JU Zavod za prostorno planiranje Primorsko-goranske županije
2012.-2014. Paleolimnološka istraživanja Vranskog jezera kod Biograda, Park Prirode Vransko jezero
Popis projekata Hrvatske zaklade za znanost i MZO
2019.-2023. Porijeklo i taloženje sedimenata u vrijeme kasno kvartarnih promjena morske razine: Sustav rijeke Krke i Srednjojadranske kotline (QMAD), IP Hrvatska zaklada za znanost
2014.-2018. Izgubljeni jezerski krajobrazi na istočno jadranskoj obali (LoLADRIA), IP Hrvatska zaklada za znanost
2008.-2014. Holocenski sedimenti kao zapis promjena u okolišu Jadranskih slivova. MZOS z-projekt
Popis europskih projekata vezanih za marinsku geologiju
2022.-2027. Geological Service for Europe (GSEU), Horizon Europe, radni paketi WP2 (Mineralne sirovine) i WP5 (marinska geologija)
2023.-2025. EMODnet Geologija-5: The European Marine Observation and Data network, EU EASME DG MARE
27.5.-16.6.2017. Micropaleontology, Actuopaleontology, and Environmental Baseline Study of the Holocene to latest Pleistocene in the northern and eastern Adriatic Sea basin, RV Poseidon znanstveno-istraživačko krstarenj po Jadranskom moru (POS 514), Sveučilište u Tübingenu i Hrvatski geološki institut, Njemačka znanstvena zaklada (DFG)
2013.-2023. EMODNET-Geologija I, II, III i III.2, IV, EU EASME-DG MARE
2009.-2012. CC-WaterS: Klimatske promjene i utjecaj na vodoopskrbu
Marine geophysical research
- Sub-botom profiler
Uvala Zambratija, Riječki zaljev, Lošinjski kanal, Osor, Novigradsko more, Karinsko more. Uvala Telašćica, Kornatski kanal, Žutski kanal, Vransko jezero Biograd, Pirovački zaljev, Pakoštane, Vrgada, Zlarin-Žirje, Jabučka kotlina (Žirje), Prokljansko jezero, Visovačko jezero, Šibenska luka, Kaštelanski zaljev, Splitski kanal, Ušće Cetine, Prološko blato, Baćinska jezera, Koločepski kanal, Mljetski kanal, Luka Kaše (Dubrovnik)
- Multi-beam
Lošinjski kanal, Olib-Silba, Uvala Telašćica, Žutski kanal, Kornatski Kanal, Zlarin-Žirje, Žirje-jugozapad (Jabučka kotlina), Prokljansko jezero, Visovačko jezero.
- Implemented coring and collected sediment cores
~400 meters of sediment cores is stored in the core repository (cooling chamber of the Institute)
