Mathematical researching in geology (Geomat)

Mathematical researching in geology

https://www.croris.hr/projekti/projekt/16373

Funding source:  European Union (NextGenerationEU)
Duration: 1.10.2025 – 30.9.2029
Principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Tomislav Malvić
Budget: 50.659,04 EUR
Call for project proposals: Poziv za financiranje institucionalnih istraživačkih projekata financiran iz izvora 581 – Mehanizam za oporavak i otpornost (2025.) / Call for Funding of Institutional Research Projects Funded from Source 581 – Recovery and Resilience Facility (2025)

Project goal and hypothesis

Project abstract and goal

               There will be researched depositional environments of Mesozoic (Velebit Mt. and Dalmatia hinterland) and Cainozoic (the Croatian part of the Pannonia Basin System and Adriatic coast and islands), especially parts that had not been analysed by geomathematical methods until now. Important part will be fieldwork and sampling, measuring and creating of databases for each particular analysed area. Regarding theory, there will be applied probability, mathematical analysis, statistics, geostatistics and neural algorithms, which proven their applicability. Many of them, participants in this project, had been published in scientific journals and books and register in the Croris database. Consequently, project team will continue develop geomathematics in theoretical and practical parts, using existing and newly acquired data. The four workgroups will be realised: (1) collection of data into (ir)regular grids, and developing of methods for decreasing of sampling error; (2) analyses of such data in 1, 2 or 3 dimensions, mostly by mapping, but also using statistics, especially distribution testing, its influence on interpolation algorithm selection as well as fitting of hyper-parameters of neural networks and linear interpolators; (3) researching of the Kriging matrices selection, regarding uncertainties in variogram models and data distribution; (4) using of probability in new synthetic data calculation, sampling and stochastic mapping and structure volumes calculations, especially with integrals.

               Summarised goals are:

1. Explore Mesozoic depositional environments (Velebit Mt. and Dalmatia hinterland) and Cainozoic (Croatian part of the Pannonian Basin System as well as island and coast of the Adriatic Sea), especially parts that were not analysed by geomathematical methods until now.
2. Finished necessary fieldtrips with goal to increase number of a geological subsurface and surface data for this and future similar projects.
3. Develop new neural algorithms or adapted existing ones for quality geological mapping, especially during analyses of data collected on this or previous similar projects.
   Fulfilling of such goals will make possible to reach the following professional and scientific results:
4. Establishing stronger project team, equipped with more tools and licenses as base for several further similar researching.
5. Data collected on the fieldtrips will significantly increase the Croatian geomathematical database and support the further similar projects.
6. Publication of the numerous scientific papers from applied geomathematics in journals indexed in WoSCC and/or Scopus, where team members are co-authors.

Hypothesis

               Currently available public geological databases (samples and measurements) are not satisfactory in Croatia. This project can fill such gap between needs and available data in geomathematics, at least for some areas. Geological work will be intensified, in the first two years, on data collection and their laboratory analyses, particularly lithological and paleontological. Further, in the last two years the more intensive application of mapping, applied geometry, computer graphics, statistics and numerical mathematics has been planned. However, all those activities will be mixed and applied during entire project period, and balanced with needs and collected data.

Significant, previously published, results that will be further developed during this project:

• Bošnjak, M.; Mandic, O. & Sremac, J. (2024): Middle Miocene (Langhian and Lower Serravallian/Badenian) Scallops (Bivalvia: Pectinidae) from the Precious Collections of the Croatian Natural History Museum. Diversity, 16, 508. https:// doi.org/10.3390/d16080508
• Sudar, V. ; Malvić, T.; Vujnović, T. & Ivšinović, J. (2021): Modeling of the geological probability procedure for the prediction of high flows in small streams, case study of Medvednica Mt., Croatia. Hydrology, 8, 2; 83, 14. https:// doi.org/10.3390/hydrology8020083
• Ivšinović, J. & Malvić, T. (2022): Comparison of Mapping Efficiency for Small Datasets using Inverse Distance Weighting vs. Moving Average, Northern Croatia Miocene Hydrocarbon Reservoir. Geologija, 65, 1; 47-57. https:// doi.org/10.5474/geologija.2022.003
• Ivšinović, J.; Pimenta Dinis, M. A.; Malvić, T. & Pleše, D. (2021): Application of the bootstrap method in low-sampled Upper Miocene sandstone hydrocarbon reservoirs: a case study // Energy sources. Part A-recovery utilization and environmental effects, 43 (2021), 4474-4488. https:// doi.org/10.1080/15567036.2021.1883773
• Bralić, N. & Malvić, T. (2022): Cement raw material reserve calculation – geological sections vs. structural maps approaches, case study from Southern Croatia. Minerals, 12, 8; 1056, 14. https:// doi.org/10.3390/min12081056
• Malvić, T., Ivšinović, J., Velić, J. & Rajić, R. (2019): Kriging with a small number of data points supported by Jack–knifing, a case study in the Sava Depression (Northern Croatia), Geosciences, 9, 1, 36, 1–24.
• Malvić, T., Ivšinović, J., Velić, J. & Rajić, R. (2019): Interpolation of small datasets in the sandstone hydrocarbon reservoirs, case study of the Sava Depression, Croatia, Geosciences, 9, 5, 201, 1–11.
• Malvić, T., Rajić, R., Slavinić, P. & Novak Zelenika, K. (2014): Numerical integration in volume calculation of irregular anticlines, RGN Zbornik, 28, 2, 1–8.

Team members

Members from faculty:
	Josipa Velić, Prof. Emer. University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, Croatia Homepage		Tomislav Malvić, Full Prof. (tenured) University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, Croatia Homepage
	Rajna Rajić, Full Prof. (tenured) University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, Croatia Homepage		Ema Jurkin, Full Prof. University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, Croatia Homepage
	Jasna Orešković, Full Prof. University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, Croatia Homepage		Uroš Barudžija, Assoc. Prof. University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, Croatia Homepage
	Zlatko Briševac, Assoc. Prof. University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, Croatia Homepage		Dubravka Pleše, Senior Lecturer University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, Croatia   Homepage
	Zrinka Vidović-Tisanić, Senior Lecturer University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, Croatia Homepage		Toni Čvrljak, Assist. University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, Croatia Homepage
External collaborators:
	Marija Bošnjak, Honorary Assoc. Prof. Homepage		Josip Ivšinović, Research Assoc. Homepage

Regional researching (methodology)

Dissemination

Conferences

Published papers

Field campaigns

Campaign no. 1 - Novo Selo Okićko 13-10-2025 (photos)

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Project films