7th International Congress on the Jurassic System, Kraków, Poland, September 6-18, 2006 3

7th International Congress on the Jurassic System,Kraków, Poland, September 6-18, 2006

Nicol MORTON

Chairman of ISJS, Le Chardon, Quartier Brugi¯re, 07200 Vogüé, France; e-mail: NICOL.MORTON@orange.fr

The International Subcommission on JurassicStratigraphy (ISJS) has sponsored InternationalSymposia or Congresses on the Jurassic Systemsince it was re-established in 1977 – in Erlangen,Germany (1984), Lisbon, Portugal (1987), Poitiers,France (1991), Mendoza, Argentina (1994),Vancouver, Canada (1988) and Mondello, Sicily(2002). The 7th Congress was held in Kraków, Polandin September 2006. The Organising Committee,chaired by Andrzej Wierzbowski (Univ. of Warsaw),included representatives from the University ofWarsaw, AGH University Kraków, Polish GeologicalInstitute, Polish Academy of Sciences, JagellonianUniversity Kraków, University of Silesia Sosnowiec,Polish Oil and Gas Company, Geosfera Kraków andComenius University Bratislava (Slovakia). TheCongress was sponsored by ISJS, the Ministry ofthe Environment of Poland, the Orlen Group, thePolish Oil and Gas Company and WarsawUniversity Foundation. Four days of oral and posterpresentations were held in AGH University ofScience and Technology in Kraków and fiveCongress Fieldtrips demonstrated the extremelyvaried Jurassic geology of southern Poland andnorthern Slovakia. 195 participants from 29countries, representing 6 continents, registered forthe Congress (Fig. 1).

CONGRESS SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS

The Congress began with an ice-breakerreception in the Wawel Castle Restaurant inKraków on 10th September. Scientific sessions were

held in Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza (AGH) –University of Science and Technology, Kraków, from11th to 14th September. The abstracts are publishedin Volumina Jurassica vol. 4 (ISSN 1731-3708),which contains 226 abstracts involving 398 differentauthors. During the opening ceremony participantswere welcomed by Tadeusz Słomka (Vice Rector ofAGH), by Jacek Matyszkiewicz (Dean of the Facultyof Geology, Geophysics and EnvironmentalProtection of AGH), by a representative of thePresident of the City of Kraków and by Nicol Morton(Chairman of ISJS). Keynote talks were then givenby Felix Gradstein (Chairman of the InternationalCommission on Stratigraphy) on ICS on Stage, andby Andrzej Wierzbowski (Chairman of OrganisingCommittee) on Jurassic of Poland: review andcurrent research.

Presentations of scientific communications byoral communication (133) or by poster (93) werearranged by the scientific programme convenorEwa Głowniak (Univ. of Warsaw) into nine topics:

Geodynamics and evolution of different areas;Facies analysis and reconstruction of

palaeoenvironments;Palaeoecology, palaeobiogeography;Integrated stratigraphy;Jurassic organisms in space and time;Geoconservation and geological heritage;Organic geochemistry;IGCP 506: Marine and non-marine Jurassic:

global correlation and major geologicalevents;

IGCP 458: Triassic/Jurassic boundary events.

Submitted papers will be subject to peer reviewand those accepted after referees’ reports will bepublished as the Congress Proceedings in a futureissue of Volumina Jurassica (this volume), editedby Faculty of Geology of the Warsaw University.

MEETINGS OF STAGE GSSPWORKING GROUPS

Four of the eleven Jurassic Stageshave ratified GSSPs (Sinemurian,Pliensbachian, Aalenian, Bajocian)and the remaining seven WorkingGroups held discussion meetingsduring the Congress in order to makeprogress with preparation of GSSPproposals. Details of two proposals(Toarcian, Kimmeridgian) werepublished in Volumina Jurassicavol. 4) together with the CongressAbstracts. Although no formaldecisions could be taken during themeetings (these must be bypostal/email vote), concensus wasreached over three proposals(Toarcian, Bathonian, Kimmeri-dgian) and timetabled plans withdeadlines were agreed for selection

of preferred candidate followed by formal proposalfor three others (Hettangian [which is also theTriassic/Jurassic boundary], Callovian, Oxfordian).

FIELDTRIPS

For the fieldtrips an extremely well-illustratedFieldtrip Guidebook with 235 pages was prepared

Fig. 1. Participants of the Congress before the conference gala dinner in the 900 years old the "Wieliczka" salt mine.

Fig. 2. Trzy Korony Mts in the Pieniny Klippen Belt at the Polish/Slovakian border: whitelimestones of the maiolica type of the latest Jurassic – earliest Cretaceous age.

4 Volumina Jurassica, Volumen VI

7th International Congress on the Jurassic System, Kraków, Poland, September 6-18, 2006 5

and published. This contains reviews of theJurassic geology of Poland and northern Slovakiaand a vast amount of detailed information, much ofit new and previously unpublished. It includesmaterial provided by 47 contributors, from 13institutions in 2 countries, and features contribu-tions by many young researchers. The bibliogra-phic reference for the volume is:

Wierzbowski A., Aubrecht R., Golonka J.,Gutowski J., Krobicki M., Matyja B. A., PieƒkowskiG. and Uchman A. (Eds) 2006. Jurassic of Polandand adjacent Slovakian Carpathians. Field tripguidebook, 7th International Congress on theJurassic System, 6-18 September 2006, Kraków,Poland. Polish Geological Institute, Warsaw. ISBN83-7372-909-7.

Pre-Congress Fieldtrip A – From Tethyan toplatform facies was convened by Jan Golonka andMichał Krobicki (both AGH University, Kraków) andcovered a traverse of the Outer Carpathians,through the Pieniny Klippen Belt (Czorsztyn,Niedzica and other units) (Fig. 2), the CarpathianFlysch Belt (including Magura and Silesian units,Štramberk-type olistoliths) to the Kraków Uplandon the European Platform (especially UpperJurassic bioherms).

Post-Congress Fieldtrip B1 – Biostratigra-phical framework from Bajocian to Oxfordian,convened by Andrzej Wierzbowski (University ofWarsaw), demonstrated the biostratigraphy andsedimentology of the Middle Jurassic andOxfordian of the Polish Jura Chain between Krakówand Cz´stochowa, including the Bajocian andBathonian black clays of the Cz´stochowa andWieluƒ areas (Fig. 3) and the Oxfordian cyano-bacteria-sponge bioherms (Fig. 4) and carbonatesalong the whole chain.

Post-Congress Fieldtrip B2 – Upper Jurassicshallow-water carbonate platform and openshelf facies, convened by Jacek Gutowski (PolishGeological Institute, Warsaw) and Bronisław A.Matyja (University of Warsaw), focussed on thesedimentology of Late Oxfordian to EarlyKimmeridgian progradation of shallow marinecarbonate platform facies over open shelf spongefacies in the Holy Cross Mts. and Polish Jura Chain,between Bałtów and Cz´stochowa.

Post-Congress Fieldtrip B3 – Inside Tethys,convened by Roman Aubrecht (ComeniusUniversity, Bratislava, Slovakia), Michał Krobicki(AGH University, Kraków) and Alfred Uchman(Jagiellonian University, Kraków), demonstratedthe Jurassic of different palaeogeographic units inthe Inner Carpathians of Poland and NW Slovakia,from the inner Carpathian Križna unit (StražovskéMts., Slovakia and Tatra Mts, Poland) to the PieninyKlippen Belt, including the Rogoênik lumachelles(Poland) and Vršatec coral limestones (Slovakia)(Fig. 5).

Fig. 3. Bathonian, Callovian and Lower to Middle Oxfordian succesionat the Ogrodzieniec quarry, Polish Jura Chain.

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Post-Congress Fieldtrip B4 – Lower Jurassicmarginal-marine and continental deposits:sedimentation, sequences and ecosystems,convened by Grzegorz Pieƒkowski (PolishGeological Institute, Warsaw), demonstrated thealluvial, deltaic, barrier-lagoon and nearshoresuccessions of Hettangian, Sinemurian andPliensbachian age on the northern slopes of theHoly Cross Mts., with special reference to use ofsequence stratigraphic analyses for marine to non-marine correlation.

OPEN MEETING OF JURASSICSUBCOMMISSION

The final afternoon of theCongress was devoted to an openbusiness meeting of the Interna-tional Subcommission on JurassicStratigraphy. Agenda items inclu-ded:

Brief reports by the WorkingGroup Convenors on the results oftheir Group discussions duringthe Congress and their futureplans;

Mechanism (nominations co-mmittee) for election of Chair-man and Vice-Chairman of theSubcommission for 2008-2012,and subsequently for renewal ofVoting Membership;

Location and preferred dates for nextInternational Jurassic Congress (see below).

FUTURE PLANS: 8TH INTERNATIONALCONGRESS ON THE JURASSIC SYSTEM

Following presentations, discussions and a voteby participants present at the open meeting of theJurassic Subcommission, it was decided that thenext International Jurassic Congress, due to bearranged for 2010 in accordance with our four-year

Fig. 5. Rogo˝a Klippes built of ammonite Rogoênik lumachelles (Tithonian-Berriasian) in thePieniny Klippen Belt. Michał Krobicki and Andrzej Wierzbowski are explaining the section.

Fig. 4. Cyanobacteria-sponge biohermal limestones (Oxfordian) at the Olsztyn Castle, Polish Jura Chain.

7th International Congress on the Jurassic System, Kraków, Poland, September 6-18, 2006 7

cycle, should be held in China, in Suining City andShehong County. There was some discussion overpreferred dates, because the traditional Septemberperiod has become less suitable for a significantnumber of potential participants, and Augustemerged as the preferred option.

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND IMPACT

Great help in organisation of the Congress givenby various public bodies was obtained. Thisincluded special permission for entrance toprotected areas in Ojców National Park, PieninyNational Park and Tatry National Park, free accessto other places of interest related with JurassicSystem (Bałtów Park dinosaur reconstructions,Krzemionki Archeological Museum and ReserveNeolithic underground flint mine). Help was

obtained also from other institutions (Lhoist SAPoland, “Jurajska” Natural Mineral Water) and frommany private persons.

Short reports about the Congress were given ontelevision (TVP 3 – programme of Kraków) andradio (Polish Radio – Programme 1, AcademicRadio “Campus”, local stations such as KrakówRadio and Silesia Radio). Polish Radio 1 andAcademic Radio “Campus” also gave one-hourbroadcasts presenting interviews with theorganisers and the Chairman of ISJS. Thesepopularized the scientific problems of the JurassicSystem, presented the purposes of the JurassicCongress, and the tasks it had to complete.Advance information about the Congress appearedin Polish geological journals – Tomy Jurajskie(Volumina Jurassica), and Przeglàd Geologiczny,as well as on many websites in the world.