J-DESC Core School Micropaleontology Course

One of the keys to the success of IODP research expeditions is to determine geological ages quickly during the voyage. Even after disembarking, microfossils have contributed greatly to IODP, such as determining ages with high accuracy and clarifying paleoenvironments. However, determining the name of a microfossil species requires skilled work. For example, for radiolarians, it is necessary to determine just one name from about 10,000 species. To acquire practical micropaleontology skills, it is best to handle actual specimens, but this is difficult at universities where there are no instructors.

The “Microfossil Course” provides practical microfossil training for students interested in microfossils and beginners in microfossils. This course has two features: team teaching with multiple experts as instructors, and observing actual specimens. Students can gain experience that is difficult to obtain from textbooks alone.

This is a three-day, two-night course that has been held every summer since 2004. Up until now, practical training has been conducted on foraminifera, calcareous nannofossils, radiolaria, diatoms, and ostracodes, and about 30 students have attended each session from all over the country. Since 2008, practical training has been limited to one taxonomic group. In the morning of the first day, there is a lecture on the relationship between IODP and micropaleontology research. From the afternoon of the first day to the second day, students learn the basics while observing actual specimens, and practice actually naming species that are important for dating and environmental research. In the morning of the third day, students may conduct more in-depth practical training or ask questions about taxa that were not covered in the practical training. Teachers of other taxa are on standby to answer questions. All practical training is completed before noon on the third day, and the microfossil course ends with the students being handed over their certificates of completion.