Palaeoclimatology

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from gr. παλαιός (palaiós) “ancient,” κλίμα (klima) “region, area,” and λογία (logìa) “discourse, expression.”

A branch of Earth sciences that aims to reconstruct the climatic conditions that have existed on Earth's surface throughout the various geological eras.

It is based on the remains of plant and animal communities found in sedimentary formations, on the study of specific deposits (such as moraine accumulations, evaporites, sedimentary rocks of biological origin, etc.), and employs methods based on radioactivity that allow for the determination of absolute temperature values for the climatic periods under study.

 

Browse the in-depth slides (currently available in Italian)

Credits and acknowledgments

Special thanks to Damiano Furlan and Domenico Marchitelli for creating the slides.

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