STRATI 2013 - 1st International Congress on Stratigraphy (Proceedings Volume)

The International Congress on Stratigraphy - STRATI 2013 follows the decision to internationalizethe STRATI conferences previously organized by the French Committee of Stratigraphy, the last one ofwhich was held in Paris in 2010. Thus, the Congress possesses both the momentum gained from anestablished conference event and the excitement of being the first International Congress onStratigraphy. It is being held under the auspices of the International Commission on Stratigraphy(IUGS), and it is envisaged that this first Congress will lead to others being held in the future.Stratigraphy is a geoscience speciality that involves numerous researchers and practisingsworldwide and has many applications, with growing importance in scientific, technological, economic,and environmental fields. The Organizing Committee welcomes all interested parties to this event andintends to hold a congress of high scientific quality in a friendly and professional environment.The Congress has been organized within the Department of Earth Sciences and the Research Centrein Geological Science and Engineering from the Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia of theUniversidade Nova de Lisboa where, from the very outset, it has developed research in the Meso-Cenozoic stratigraphic units field. The overall theme, "At the cutting edge of Stratigraphy", reflects therecent advances in research in the field of Stratigraphy, new methodologies, applications for industry,and needs for society in general.It includes a vast programme comprising twenty-four sessions covering three main themes: A -Principles and methods, B - Regional Stratigraphy, and C - Applied Stratigraphy. It correspond to afirst proposal developed by the Organizing and Scientific Committees, with the input of the HonoraryPresident of the Congress, the Chairman of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS/IUGS)and some colleagues from the French Committee of Stratigraphy (CFS). The scientific sessions will becoordinated by world-famous specialists.The scientific programme also includes three plenary sessions, one for each of the main themes.About three hundred abstracts were presented to the Congress and they have been assessed by abroad international scientific committee that included the Coordinators of the different sections of theCongress. This work was valuable for improving the scientific quality of the accepted papers.Unfortunately the difficulties that affect many of our countries prevent the participation of somecolleagues with accepted communications (oral and poster).The Congress participants belong to more than forty countries on four continents (only the Oceaniais not represented) which shows the interest aroused by the realization of this Congress; in theaccepted two hundred and eighty communications (oral and poster) are represented more than eighthundred authors.The progress of scientific knowledge in this area is remarkable and the increasingly importantinteraction of stratigraphy with other areas of the Geosciences. The volume published under STRATI2013 with texts about the "state of the art" on the various topics discussed in the Congress, and authored bymembers of our Scientific Committee, show that the diversity of methods used in studies of nature andthe stratigraphic advancement of such knowledge in recent years, already go beyond our planet.
The Organizing Committee is honored by the presence of such a vast and competent scientificcommunity and thanks all for your participation. Particular thanks are due to colleagues whoparticipated in the organization of the Congress and whose support was essential for the high scientificquality of the communications that will be presented; this is a particular reference to the HonoraryPresident Jacques Rey, the President of the International Commission on Stratigraphy Stanley Finney,the colleagues from the French Committee on Stratigraphy, the members of the Scientific Committee,the guest lecturers and the Coordinators of the field-trips.