From June 28 to July 3, a group of researchers from the Quaternary Research Laboratory participated in the annual symposium of the PeriBaltic Working Group of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), entitled “Middle and Upper Pleistocene Glaciations and Interglacials in Central Poland.” The event brought together approximately 60 scientists from various European countries.
During the scientific sessions, the laboratory’s researchers presented two oral presentations and three poster presentations. Discussions with colleagues from the University of Gdańsk focused on the progress of preparations for a joint Lithuanian–Polish research proposal under the Daina-4 funding programme and opportunities for further scientific collaboration.
The field excursions included visits to several unique geological sites in central Poland. For many decades, this region has been considered one of the classic areas for Quaternary research in Europe. Owing to the well-preserved marginal zones of the last and earlier glaciations, central Poland is exceptionally rich in erosional, deformational, and depositional landforms that directly reflect the activity of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet. The region’s landscape has also been significantly influenced by tectonic processes associated with the activity of the pre-Quaternary substratum.
Participants visited the Bełchatów open-cast lignite mine, one of the largest of its kind in Europe, as well as the Owadów-Brzezinki marl and limestone quarry, a Late Jurassic fossil site renowned for its rich paleontological record. Several other geologically significant localities were also included in the excursion programme.
During the symposium, it was decided that the next annual meeting of the INQUA PeriBaltic Working Group will be hosted in Lithuania, providing an excellent opportunity to showcase the country’s Quaternary research and geological heritage to the international scientific community.
