Arend Jan Krijgsman

Arend Jan Krijgsman
Name	Arend Jan Krijgsman
Birth date	1960s
Birth place	Netherlands
Fields	Paleomagnetism; Neogene stratigraphy; Tectonics; Geochronology
Workplaces	Utrecht University; University of Barcelona; Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
Alma mater	Utrecht University; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Known for	Mediterranean Neogene paleogeography; magnetostratigraphy; biostratigraphy integration

Arend Jan Krijgsman

Arend Jan Krijgsman is a Dutch geologist and paleomagnetist notable for contributions to Neogene stratigraphy, Mediterranean paleoceanography, and chronostratigraphic calibration. He has held academic positions at Utrecht University and the University of Barcelona and collaborated with research centers including the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and the Netherlands Institute of Ecology. Krijgsman's work combines field stratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and isotope geochemistry to address questions about the Messinian Salinity Crisis, Mediterranean connectivity, and global quasi-periodic climate events.

Early life and education

Born in the Netherlands in the 1960s, Krijgsman studied geology and earth sciences during a period influenced by landmark projects such as the International Geological Correlation Programme and the Ocean Drilling Program. He completed undergraduate and graduate studies at Utrecht University and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, engaging with research groups associated with the Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research through collaborative theses. During his doctoral work he trained in laboratory techniques developed in cooperation with teams from the British Geological Survey, the United States Geological Survey, and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris.

Academic career

Krijgsman began his academic career as a researcher and lecturer at Utrecht University, affiliating with institutes that included the Faculty of Geosciences and the Netherlands Centre for Luminescence Dating. He later held a professorship at the University of Barcelona and participated in Mediterranean research networks alongside scientists from the Spanish National Research Council, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, and the University of Pisa. His appointments involved collaborations with the International Union for Quaternary Research, the European Geosciences Union, and the International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans, contributing to coordinated drilling campaigns and stratigraphic synthesis. Krijgsman has supervised doctoral students who have taken positions at institutions such as the University of Cambridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry.

Research and contributions

Krijgsman's research advanced the application of paleomagnetism to refine Neogene time scales, integrating magnetic polarity stratigraphy with calcareous nannofossil and foraminiferal biostratigraphy developed by teams at the Natural History Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Geological Survey of Japan. He contributed to resolving the chronology of the Messinian Salinity Crisis by collaborating with researchers from the International Ocean Discovery Program, the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica, and the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program. His work on Mediterranean paleoceanography interfaced with studies by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory to reconstruct episodes of desiccation, brine formation, and reflooding. Krijgsman has also applied magnetostratigraphic calibration to tectonic reconstructions involving the Alpine orogeny, the Anatolian fault system, and the Betic Cordillera, connecting to research from the Geological Survey of Norway, the Swiss Seismological Service, and the Spanish Geological Survey.

Methodologically, Krijgsman promoted synthesizing paleomagnetic records with isotope stratigraphy practiced by groups at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Utrecht's geochemistry laboratories, and the University of Barcelona's isotope facilities. He collaborated on projects that used magnetic minerals analyses with electron microscopy and mass spectrometry techniques common at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the German Research Centre for Geosciences, and the National Oceanography Centre. His interdisciplinary approach linked paleomagnetism with paleoecology work by researchers at the Natural Environment Research Council, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, and the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Publications and selected works

Krijgsman authored and coauthored influential papers in journals where colleagues from the Royal Society, the American Geophysical Union, and Elsevier publish. Selected works include stratigraphic syntheses and magnetostratigraphic frameworks that have been cited alongside contributions from the University of Oxford, Columbia University, and the University of Barcelona. He contributed chapters to edited volumes by Springer and Elsevier that intersect with studies by the International Commission on Stratigraphy, the PAGES (Past Global Changes) working groups, and the Mediterranean Science Commission. His datasets have been used in syntheses by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and in regional atlases produced by the Geological Surveys of Spain and Portugal.

Representative publications integrate findings from multidisciplinary teams including contributors from the University of Geneva, the University of Milan, and the Turkish Petroleum Corporation, reflecting applications in basin analysis, paleoclimatology, and hydrocarbon exploration. His work on magnetostratigraphy remains a reference for projects coordinated by the International Geoscience Programme and the European Research Council.

Awards and honors

Krijgsman has received recognition from Dutch and international scientific bodies, including fellowships and grants from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, the European Commission's research programmes, and competitive awards associated with the European Geosciences Union and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has been invited to give plenary and keynote lectures at meetings of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the International Paleontological Association, and the Geological Society of London. His leadership roles have involved service on committees for the International Union of Geological Sciences and editorial responsibilities for journals linked to Wiley, Elsevier, and Copernicus Publications.

Personal life and legacy

Krijgsman resides in the Netherlands and has maintained active collaborations across Europe and beyond with peers from institutions such as the University of Hamburg, the University of Lisbon, and the University of Athens. His legacy includes the training of a generation of stratigraphers and paleomagnetists who now work at research centers like the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, the National Taiwan University, and the University of New South Wales. His integrated chronostratigraphic methodologies continue to inform studies on Mediterranean paleoenvironments, global Neogene correlations, and basin evolution undertaken by international consortia and geological surveys.

Category:Dutch geologists Category:Paleomagnetists