Directory

Born in Spain, raised in Italy, developed in Texas.
Geology? I collected a lot of data cruising on research vessels and walking in the outcrops. Now I scout around the Americas for energy resources to feed this hungry world.

Ph.D. in Sedimentary Geology, Universita’ di Bologna (2006)
“Submarine mass-transport deposits in continental margins” (Advisors: F. Trincardi, C. Venturini)
B.Sc. in Geology (with Honors), Universita’ di Bologna (2003)
Major thesis in Field Geology: "Ancient Cold Seeps, Central California" (Adv.: J.C. Moore, G.B. Vai, C. Venturini)
Minor thesis in Marine Geology: "Sequence Stratigraphy: Trasgressive System Tract in the South Adriatic Sea" (Adv.: F. Trincardi, F. Ricci Lucchi)

Visitor scientist at University of Oxford (Nov 2014), Indiana University (July 2013), Bureau of Economic Geology, Austin (Nov 2008, Nov 2007), University of Barcelona (Jun. 2004), National Oceanographic Center, Southampton (Oct. 2003).

Lucky to have had all my studies covered by grants and fellowships, but I've never being a recipient of a formal "American Award"

communication, outreach, k-12, journalism, energy, resources, oil, gas, sedimentology, stratigraphy, marine geology, basin infill, jurassic, cretaceous, quaternary, outcrop, experiments, seismic, geomorphology, interview, geologists, minigeology, mindset

SMALL picture: sedimentology, integrated stratigraphy, petroleum geology
BIG picture: geopolitics of energy and science communication

Tesi, T., Asioli, A., Minisini, D., Maselli, V., Dalla Valle, G., Gamberi, F., Langone, L., Cattaneo, A., Montagna, P., and Trincardi, F., 2017. Large-scale response of the Eastern Mediterranean thermohaline circulation to African monsoon intensification during sapropel S1 formation. Quaternary Science Reviews, 159, 139-154.

Eldrett J., Dodsworth P., Bergman S., Wright M. and Minisini D., 2017. Water-mass Evolution in the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway of North America and Equatorial Atlantic. Climate of the Past, 13, 855-878,
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-855-2017, 2017.

Jobe, Z., Z. Sylvester, M. B. Pittaluga, A. Frascati, C. Pirmez, D. Minisini, N.Howes, and A. Cantelli, 2017. Facies Architecture of Submarine Channel Deposits on the Western Niger Delta Slope: Implications for Grain-size and Density Stratification in Turbidity Currents, J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf.,vol.122-2, p. 473–491. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2016JF003903

Ruhl, M., Hesselbo, S.P., Hinnov, L., Jenkyns, H.C., Xu, W., Riding, J.B., Storm, M., Minisini, D., Ullmann, C.V. and Leng, M.J., 2016. Astronomical constraints on the duration of the Early Jurassic Pliensbachian Stage and global climatic fluctuations. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 455, pp.149-165.

Eldrett J., Ma C., Bergman S., Lutz B., Gregory F.J., Dodsworth P., Phipps M., Minisini D., Ozkan A., Ramezani J., Bowring S.A., Kamo S.L., Macaulay C., Kelly A.E., 2015. An astronomically calibrated stratigraphy of the Cenomanian, Turonian and earliest Coniacian from the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, USA: Implications for global chronostratigraphy. Cretaceaous Research, v. 56, pp. 316–344.

Eldrett J., Ma C., Bergman S., Ozkan A., Minisini D., Lutz B., Jackett S., Macaulay C., Kelly A.E., 2015. Origin of Limestone-Marlstone Cycles: Astronomic Forcing of 1 Organic-Rich Sedimentary Rocks from the Cenomanian to Early Coniacian of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, USA. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 423, pp. 98–113.

Minisini D.,Wang M., Bergman S. and Aiken C., 2014. High resolution and accuracy terrestrial LiDAR: acquisition, modeling and application of 3D-photorealistic outcrop models to geologic interpretation. Geosphere, v.10, n.3, doi: 10.1130/GES00937.1

Eldrett J., Minisini D. and Bergman S., 2014, Decoupling of the Carbon Cycle during Ocean Anoxic Event-2. Geology, v.42, n.5.

Dalla Valle, G., Gamberi, F., Rocchini, P., Minisini, D., Errera, A., Baglioni, L., Trincardi, F., 2013. 3D seismic geomorphology of mass transport complexes in a foredeep basin: Examples from the Pleistocene of the Central Adriatic Basin (Mediterranean Sea). Sedimentary Geology, v. 294, pp. 127–141.

Minisini D., Baglioni L. and Rocchini P., 2012. Paleoceanography insights from a channel complex within a Pleistocene foredeep basin, in: Application of Seismic Geomorphology Principles to Continental Slope and Base-of-Slope Systems: Case studies from seafloor and sub-Seafloor analogues, Edited by Bradford E. Prather, Mark E.Deptuck, David Mohrig, Berend Van Hoorn, and Russell B. Wynn. SEPM Spec. Publ. No. 99, p. 279-289.

Abdel-Gawad, S., Pirmez, C., Cantelli, A., Minisini, D., Sylvester, Z. and Imran, J., 2012. 3-D numerical simulation of turbidity currents in submarine canyons off the Niger Delta, Marine Geology. Volumes 326–328, pp.55–66.

Abdel-Gawad, S., Cantelli, A., Pirmez, C., Minisini, D., Sylvester, Z. and Imran, J., 2012. Three-dimensional numerical simulation of turbidity currents in a submarine channel on the seafloor of the Niger Delta slope. Journal of Geophysical Research (Oceans), Volume 117, C05026, doi:10.1029/2011JC007538.

Minisini D., 2012. Starting from Scratch: Insights for Geoscientists Exploring Unconventional Resources. Upstream Exploration Content Series, Elsevier.

Minisini D. and Trincardi F., 2009. Very high frequency failure of the continental slope: the Gela Basin (Sicily Channel). Journal of Geophysical Research (Earth Surface), v. 114, F03014, doi:10.1029/2008JF001037

Minisini D. and Schwartz H., 2007. An early Paleocene cold seep system in the Panoche and Tumey Hills, Central California (United States), in: A.Hurst and J.Cartwright, eds., Sand injectites: Implications for hydrocarbon exploration and production, AAPG Memoir 87, pp. 185-197.

Minisini D., Asioli A., Trincardi F., Canu M., Foglini F., 2007. Morphologic variability of exposed mass-transport deposits on the eastern slope of Gela basin (Sicily Channel). Basin Research, v. 19, n.2, pp. 217-240.

Ridente D., Minisini D., Trincardi F., Verdicchio G., 2007. The onset of the Bari Canyon System on the South-Western Adriatic Margin, Central Mediterranean. Marine Geology, v.246, pp. 193-207.

Trincardi F., Foglini F., Verdicchio G., Asioli A., Correggiari A., Minisini D., Piva A., Ridente D. and Taviani M., 2007. The Bari Canyon System: interaction between mass-transport and along-slope processes on the SW-Adriatic Margin (Central Mediterranean). Marine Geology, v. 246, pp.208-230.

Minisini D., Trincardi F., Asioli A., 2006. Evidence of slope instability in the Southwestern Adriatic Margin. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, v. 6, n.1, pp. 1-20.

Schwartz H., Sample J.C., Weberling K., Minisini D., Moore J.C., 2003. An ancient linked fluid migration system: cold-seep deposits and sandstone intrusions in the Panoche Hills, California, USA. Geo-Marine Letters, v.23/3-4, pp. 340-350.