Flügel-Course: International Course on Carbonate Microfacies

29/05/2026

Photo of the month June 2026: Thin section of a stromatoporoid (hypercalcified sponge) from the Silurian of Gotland in transmitted light (right, TL) and fluorescent light (left, FL). Orange arrow indicates the stromatoporoid skeleton, purple arrow points to a gallery, and white arrows shows an example of a microgallery. Yellow dashed lines mark outline of FRIC crystals (picture modified from Dworczak et al. 2026, FACIES, vol. 72, no. 18; online available at:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10347-026-00732-w)

26/05/2026

Now on LinkedIn! It’s time for us to connect with you here and keep you up to date, so follow us and interact with us! https://www.linkedin.com/company/119154239

25/05/2026

New MSc in Earth System Dynamics & Evolution at FAU Germany! 🌍🧪
Starts Oct 2026. Interdisciplinary + Science Diplomacy. No tuition fees worldwide! 🎓
Funding: Elite Network of Bavaria.
🗓️ Deadline: July 15
💻 Webinars: May 26 (9:00/18:00 CEST)
Info & Reg:

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Schlossgarten 5 91054 Erlangen

18/05/2026

Modern LEDs and digital image processing in fluorescence microscopy make it possible to visualise skeletal structures that would otherwise be impossible (or very difficult) to detect in thin sections. Patrycja Dworczak, who is currently working as a postdoc with us at the GZN in Erlangen (Germany), has, together with her co-authors, applied this method to demonstrate that some Palaeozoic stromatoporoids originally possessed highly porous skeletons. The article is freely accessible and can be downloaded here:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10347-026-00732-w

29/04/2026

Photo of the month May 2026: Uppermost Triassic (Rhaetian) stromatolitic limestone with dendrolites (“Cotham Marble“) from the Penarth Group south of Bristol (thin section, PPL, sample kindly provided by Stephen Kershaw; Brunel University, UK)

31/03/2026

Photo of the month April 2026: Beautiful Ordovician Rusophycus trace fossils (formed by resting trilobites) (lower surface of a quartzite bed; Khabour Formation in Northern Iraq; photograph kindly provided by Ashti Mohammed, participant of this year’s Flügel Course).

27/03/2026

Last lesson for this year at the Flügel course week 2, Anna is talking about Glendonites!

27/03/2026