Geo.Cro.2-3-61-KB.pdf


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�EDI TO RIAL

Dear readers,
You have certainly noticed that this volume of Geologia 

Croatica is rather unusual. Surely it is quite thick, since it is 
a double issue, but also since it is the fi rst time that, besides 
the usual editors, Geologia Croatica also has a guest-editor. 
Dr. Tonći Grgasović has been appointed guest editor for this 
volume since he is a spiritus movens of the main topic of the 
volume you have in front of you – fossil algae, and who was 
also in charge of the last year’s celebration of the 100th anni-
versary of the research of fossil algae in Croatia.

In 1907, the Austrian geologist and palaeontologist Rich-
ard Johann Schubert described the fi rst Permian dasyclad – 
Mizzia velebitana from Velika Paklenica on Mt. Velebit. In the 
following years, fi rst a pioneer of the research on fossil algae 
Julius von Pia, and later Croatian researchers Milan Herak, 
Vanda Kochansky-Devidé, Ivan Gušić, Momčilo Milanović 
and Branko Sokač described hundreds of algal taxa in Croatia 
(many for the fi rst time), making a signifi cant contribution to 
the knowledge on fossil algae, especially those from the order 
Dasycladales. More information about the history of this re-
search can be found in the following pages.

For the occasion of this jubilee, we invited prominent in-
ternational experts to send us their contributions on the topic 
of fossil algae. As you can see, they have gladly responded, 
and we are able to present you with as many as 20 papers made 
by 58 authors. A signifi cant part of these contributions were 
presented at the “9th International Symposium on Fossil Al-
gae” that was organized in the occasion of the jubilee, and 
took place in Zagreb from 19 to 20 September 2007. The main 
organizer of the Symposium was the Croatian Geological Sur-
vey (former Institute of Geology), that will celebrate its 100th 
anniversary in 2009. During the Symposium, two fi eld-trips 
were organized. A pre-symposium fi eld-trip in the area of the 
Dinaride Mts. focused on Permian – Cretaceous calcareous 
algae and evolution of the shallow-water carbonate environ-
ments in the area of Velebit Mt. and Biokovo Mt. and on the 
recent algal biocalcifi cation in the Plitvice Lakes. A post-sym-
posium fi eld-trip took place in the area of North-West Croatia 

(Medvednica Mt., Ivanščica Mt., Žumberak-Samoborsko gor-
je Mts.), and focused on Triassic, Miocene and Palaeocene 
deposits with calcareous algae. The Symposia represent the 
main activity of the “International Fossil Algae Association” 
(IFAA) that gathers researchers together on the diverse topic 
of fossil algae.

Papers presented in this volume are quite diverse, both in 
topics and in geological ages represented. The stratigraphic 
range of the deposits described comprises almost the entire 
history of Life on Earth, from the Precambrian to Recent. Var-
ious groups of microbes and algae (in the broad sense) have 
been described, from cyanobacteria, different green algae – 
dasyclads, halimedaceans, charophyta etc., red algae – coral-
lines, solenoporaceans, to various groups of benthic calcare-
ous algae with a problematic taxonomic position, as well as 
various sediments and sedimentary structures that they form, 
together with biological and geological processes in which 
they are involved. The localities investigated are scattered all 
over the world. Many contributions are not only palaeonto-
logical, but have multidisciplinary approach, and include bio-
stratigraphy, palaeogeography, ecology and palaeoecology, 
diagenesis, facies analysis, sequence stratigraphy, hydrogeol-
ogy and speleogenesis.

All contributions, although predominantly devoted to fos-
sil algae, have passed the regular reviewing procedure, since 
this is a regular volume of our journal, Geologia Croatica. 
Therefore, after “algal” papers there are two other interesting 
contributions regarding volcanic facies and Triassic rifting in 
NE Hungary, as well as beach sand analysis of some Adriatic 
islands.

It is our pleasure to thank numerous authors and similar-
ly numerous reviewers that contributed to the 61 volume of 
Geologia Croatica with the hope that the steady enhancement 
of quality will be recognized in the impact of our journal.

Tonći Grgasović, guest editor,
Mladen Juračić and Ivo Velić, editors

100th anniversary of the research
on fossil algae in Croatia

Geologia Croatica 61/2–3 49 Zagreb 2008

Geologia CroaticaGeologia Croatica

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