On 5 October 2026 at 10:00, Prof. Joseph Cartwright of the University of Oxford will give a lecture in Lecture Hall 133, Building A-0, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Krakow.
The lecture is entitled:
“A comparison of the Messinian and Zechstein evaporite depositional systems: insights based on integrating geophysical and petrophysical data”
Prof. Joseph Cartwright’s research interests are in understanding process linkages between depositional, diagenetic and deformational processes in sedimentary basins. He has primarily used seismic data for this purpose, and has built laboratories at Imperial College London and in Cardiff prior to coming to the University of Oxford.
He is particularly interested in developing quantitative methods in 3D seismic interpretation to gain a better understanding of basin shaping and filling processes. His current projects include: seal integrity for hydrocarbons and CCS; hydrocarbon migration and leakage and how understanding of these processes can be used in the geological sequestration of carbon dioxide; the propagation of tectonic faults; the genesis of polygonal fault systems; the emplacement of giant dyke swarms; the genesis of mud volcanoes; fluid overpressure in the subsurface: mechanisms and controls on highly focused fluid venting; and the seismic and petrophysical characterisation of evaporites as seals.
His longer term interests centre on the break-up of continents and the formation of volcanic passive margins, with a particular focus on the South Atlantic.
You are very welcome to join us!
The Institute of Geological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences invites prospective candidates to explore the current offer of the GEOPLANET Doctoral School.
The website provides information on admission procedures, study conditions, current announcements and available research topics.
The group of asteroids bearing names associated with Poland has expanded to include an object named in honour of Dr Anna Łosiak, a planetary geologist and researcher at the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Asteroid (20160) Annalosiak, previously designated 1996 TH42, was discovered on 8 October 1996 at the La Silla Observatory in Chile by Belgian astronomer Eric Walter Elst. It belongs to the main asteroid belt, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Dr Anna Łosiak is an assistant professor at the ING PAN Research Centre in Wrocław. Her research interests include the surfaces of planetary bodies and impact craters. She studies the processes involved in the formation of meteorite impact craters on Earth and other bodies in the Solar System.
In July 2026, asteroids were also named in honour of four other Polish researchers involved in the study of small Solar System bodies:
Emil Wilawer, a specialist in the physical properties of asteroids and the analysis of variations in their brightness, after whom asteroid (20322) Emilwilawer was named;
Dr Karolina Dziadura, whose research includes the Yarkovsky effect as well as asteroid density, size, rotation and shape, honoured with asteroid (20446) Karolinadziadura;
Dr Krzysztof Langner, who studies asteroid dynamics and the Didymos–Dimorphos system investigated by the DART and Hera missions, after whom asteroid (20459) Krzysztoflangner was named;
and Monika Kamińska, an astronomer affiliated with Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań who conducts asteroid observations, commemorated by asteroid (20551) Monikakamińska. (astro.amu.edu.pl)
Among the researchers affiliated with Polish institutions, Dr Milagros Colazo, who comes from Argentina and works at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, was also honoured. Asteroid (20280) Colazo bears her surname. (polskieradio.pl)
Naming an asteroid after Dr Anna Łosiak is a remarkable distinction and a recognition of her achievements and contribution to the development of planetary geology.
We warmly congratulate Dr Anna Łosiak and all the researchers who have received this distinction!
More information:
We are proud to announce that Dr hab. Marek Szczerba, Professor at ING PAN—Head of the ING PAN Research Centre in Kraków and a member of the Clay Minerals Research Group at ING PAN—is the joint first author of an article published in the prestigious journal Science.
The publication, entitled “Hematite is a mineralogical marker of ancient climate change on Mars,” presents the results of research into climate changes that occurred on Mars in the past. The scientists analysed mineralogical data from 20 rock samples collected by NASA’s Curiosity rover at different elevations within Gale Crater.
The study demonstrated that the size and structure of hematite crystallites may provide a mineralogical record of the environmental conditions that once prevailed on Mars. The observed differences in hematite crystal size, together with the presence or absence of goethite, made it possible to reconstruct changes in temperature and water availability during successive stages of Gale Crater’s history.
The results indicate that warm groundwater may have persisted in deeper rock layers for approximately 4.7 million years, even as the climate at the Martian surface became increasingly cold and dry. This suggests that potentially habitable environments may have existed beneath the surface of the Red Planet for much longer than previously thought.
The publication contributes to research on the geological and climatic history of Mars and demonstrates how detailed mineral analysis can support the reconstruction of ancient planetary environments.
We warmly congratulate Dr hab. Marek Szczerba, Professor at ING PAN, and the entire research team on this outstanding achievement!
Publication:
M. Szczerba et al., “Hematite is a mineralogical marker of ancient climate change on Mars,” Science, 2026, Vol. 392, No. 6801, pp. 966–971.
We are proud to announce that a publication by our colleague, Stefano Giunti, has been recognized among the most-read articles published in 2024 in Sedimentology — one of the world’s leading journals in the field of sedimentology.
This distinction is especially meaningful as the article represents the first publication related to Dr. Giunti’s doctoral research and has already attracted considerable attention from the international scientific community.
This achievement highlights the importance of the research being conducted and demonstrates the vital role that early-career scientists and international collaboration play in advancing modern science.
We warmly congratulate Dr. Giunti on this success and wish him many more inspiring scientific achievements in the future!
