paul.joube01[at]univ-poitiers.fr
Research objective
About 33 million years ago, a large salt lake stretched across the Alsatian part of the Rhine Rift.
As its waters evaporated, they deposited layers of sylvinite, a potassium-rich salt also known as potash, forming a deposit that was mined throughout the 20th century around Mulhouse. This century of industrial activity left behind an immense collection of samples, archives and knowledge about the region.
Research subject
My thesis work aims to bring this forgotten heritage back to life: I use modern analytical methods and tools to study the potash, strata and fossils of the Mulhouse Basin in order to reconstruct the vanished landscapes of the Alsatian Cenozoic, while also organizing and safeguarding this collection so that it serves research, the museum and today’s mining community alike.
Main field
The Mulhouse Basin and its surroundings in southern Alsace.
