New Evidence for an Episode of Accelerated Environmental Change in the Late Barremian: Geochemical and Paleontological Records from the Subbetic Basin (Western Tethys)

We investigate a new event of accelerated environmental change that was recorded during the late Barremian in the pelagic Subbetic Basin (Western Tethys). Two pelagic sections have been studied using a multi-proxy approach based on C-isotope stratigraphy and a high-resolution quantitative study of n...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inGeosciences (Basel) Vol. 14; no. 7; p. 187
Main Authors de Gea, Ginés A., Castro, José Manuel, Company, Miguel, O’Dogherty, Luis, Sandoval, José, Quijano, María Luisa, Sequero, Cristina, Froehner, Sandro, Aguado, Roque
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2024
Subjects
Analysis
Basins (Geology)
Biological fertilization
Biomarkers
Biostratigraphy
C-isotopes
calcareous nannofossils
Carbon
Carbon cycle
Chromatography
Climatic changes
early cretaceous
elements
Environmental aspects
Environmental changes
Fertilization
Geochemistry
History
Hydrologic cycle
Hydrological cycle
Isotopes
Natural history
paleoenvironments
Paleontology
Quantitative research
Scientific imaging
Sediments
Stratigraphy
Surface water
Trace elements
Volcanic activity
Volcanism
Spain
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Summary:We investigate a new event of accelerated environmental change that was recorded during the late Barremian in the pelagic Subbetic Basin (Western Tethys). Two pelagic sections have been studied using a multi-proxy approach based on C-isotope stratigraphy and a high-resolution quantitative study of nannofossil assemblages, along with major and trace elements and biomarkers. Our results provide a detailed biostratigraphy and C-isotope stratigraphy, and outline the paleoenvironmental conditions recorded during the early stages of the Taxy Episode. A disturbance has been identified in the C-isotope record, called the IFeNE (Intra-Feradianus negative C-excursion), which is coeval with environmental and biotic changes that predate the well-known ISNE (Intra-Sarasini negative C-excursion). The combined analysis of nannofossil associations, C-isotopes, major and trace elements, and biomarker distributions indicates a separate episode of warming heralding the ISNE, resulting in the acceleration of the hydrological cycle and a consequent increase in continental inputs and the fertilization of surface waters. The origin of the Taxy Episode (the IFeNE and ISNE) has been related to orbital factors (high-eccentricity cycles), and to a global increase in volcanism, probably related to the early phases of the Ontong Java Plateau.
ISSN:2076-3263
2076-3263
DOI:10.3390/geosciences14070187