earth science

Schlern Formation

Schlern Formation is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Schlern Formation rather than just read about it. In short: The Schlern Formation, also known as Schlern Dolomite, and Sciliar Formation or Sciliar Dolomite in Italy, is a limestone, marl and dolomite formation in the Southern Limestone Alps in Kärnten, Austria and South Tyrol, Italy. Description It preserves fossils dating back to the Middle Triassic period (late Anisian-middle Ladinian), or Illyrian to Longobardian in the regional stratigraphy.

Key takeaways

Schlern Formation belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Schlern Formation to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Schlern Formation from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Schlern Formation, also known as Schlern Dolomite, and Sciliar Formation or Sciliar Dolomite in Italy, is a limestone, marl and dolomite formation in the Southern Limestone Alps in Kärnten, Austria and South Tyrol, Italy.

Description

It preserves fossils dating back to the Middle Triassic period (late Anisian-middle Ladinian), or Illyrian to Longobardian in the regional stratigraphy. The formation correlates with the Wetterstein Formation of the Northern Limestone Alps. The formation is also coeval with the Livinallongo or Buchenstein Formation. The Schlern Formation is unconformably overlain by the Cassian Dolomite, and overlies the Contrin Formation separated by another unconformity. Deposition of the formation took place between the Pelsonian Humid Interval and the Ladinian Humid Interval, that preceded the better known Carnian Pluvial Event (CPE). In Italy, the unit is recognized in the Civetta and Latemar reef buildups, and in Austria at the Gartnerkofel.

Fossil content Among others, the following fossils have been described from the Schlern Formation:

Bivalves Daonella esinensis Gastropods

See also

References

Bibliography Friesenbichler, E.; Hautmann, M.; Nützel, A.; Urlichs, M.; Bucher, H. (2019), "Palaeoecology of Late Ladinian (Middle Triassic) benthic faunas from the Schlern/Sciliar and Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi area (South Tyrol, Italy)" (PDF), Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 93 (1): 1–29, Bibcode:2019PalZ...93....1F, doi:10.1007/s12542-018-0423-7 Bernardi, M.; Gianolla, P.; Petti, F.M.; Mietto, P.; Benton, M. J. (2018), "Dinosaur diversification linked with the Carnian Pluvial Episode", Nature Communications, 9 (1): 1–10, Bibcode:2018NatCo...9.1499B, doi:10.1038/s41467-018-03996-1, PMC 5902586, PMID 29662063 Text and images are available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Ogilvie Gordon, M. M. (1927), "Das Grödener-, Fassa- und Enneberggebiet in den Südtiroler Dolomiten: Geologische Beschreibung mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Überschiebungserscheinungen. Teil III. Paläontologie", Abhandlungen der Geologischen Bundesanstalt, 24: 1–88 Böhm, J (1895), "Die Gastropoden des Marmolatakalkes", Palaeontographica, 42: 211–308

Further reading A. Emmerich, V. Zamparelli, T. Bechstädt and R. Zühlke. 2005. The reefal margin and slope of a Middle Triassic carbonate platform: the Latemar (Dolomites, Italy). Facies 50(3–4):573-614 J. Pfeiffer. 1988. Paleontology and microfacies of a platform margin in the Carnic Alps (Austria, Middle Triassic). Facies 19:33-60 E. Fois and M. Gaetani. 1981. The northern margin of the Civetta buildup. Evolution during the Ladinian and the Carnian. Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e stratigrafia 86(3):469-542 E. Fois. 1981. The Sass da Putia carbonate buildup (western Dolomites): biofacies succession and marginal development during the Ladinian. Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia 87(4):565-598

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Schlern Formation

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Schlern Formation claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Schlern Formation before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Schlern Formation ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Schlern Formation

In research: Schlern Formation appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Schlern Formation in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Schlern Formation is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Anisian Stage, Carinthia, Dolomite formations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Schlern Formation outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Schlern Formation in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Schlern Formation means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Schlern Formation out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Schlern Formation in simple terms?

Why does Schlern Formation matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Schlern Formation?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Schlern Formation.