We present the first high-resolution palynological and multiproxy reconstruction from a coastal doline in the Kvarner Archipelago (northeastern Adriatic). A continuous sediment core from Osor Lake documents more than three millennia of vegetation change, human impact, and hydrological shifts since the Bronze Age. The record reveals three major phases of landscape transformation: (i) dense deciduous forests (3400-2550 cal BP) with initial signs of clearance; (ii) a progressive landscape opening from 2550 cal BP, marked by expanding grasslands and cultivated fields; and (iii) intensified deforestation and arboriculture after similar to 800 cal BP. The introduction of Juglans and Castanea sativa between 2200 and 1200 cal BP, together with increasing Olea europaea, reflects evolving Mediterranean agricultural strategies. Charcoal peaks coincide with forest decline, indicating recurrent fire use for land management. This study establishes Osor Lake as a benchmark record for late Holocene land-use history in the northeastern Adriatic and demonstrates how human activities progressively reshaped Mediterranean karst landscapes.

The extinct land snail genus Chilonopsis (Achatinidae) endemic to St Helena is revised, based on existing and new material collected during palaeontological investigations in 2022–2023. We recognise nine species, including one from the new material that was previously undescribed: Chilonopsis lanceoloideus sp. nov. We review the nomenclature of all species and confirm the recent, but largely overlooked, validation of C. aurisvulpina, and the correct spelling of C. melanioides. We designate lectotypes for C. aurisvulpina and C. subtruncatus and synonymise Bulimus relegatus Benson with the former. Two species were recorded alive in 1878 and 1884–86 (C. melanioides and C. turtoni), but neither have been found alive since; the others have only ever been found as subfossil material.

The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau profoundly influences Asian climate and surface processes, yet records of Cenozoic volcanic activity and its environmental responses remain sparse. Mercury (Hg) serves as a powerful volatile tracer for volcanic emissions and its sedimentary record often offers a unique opportunity to identify volcanic events where other proxies are lacking. In this study, we carried out a Hg concentration study in fluvial-lacustrine sediments from the Tuotuohe Basin, providing the first continuous record of Late Eocene to Early Miocene mercury concentration changes over the Tibetan Plateau to date. Our data reveal that depositional conditions -not volcanic flux- primarily controls sedimentary Hg preservation. Paradoxically, Hg concentrations significantly increased after similar to 25 Ma during volcanically quiescent periods, contrasting with absent enrichment during earlier volcanic peaks (37-33 Ma and 28.5-27 Ma). This decoupling stems from contrasting Hg sequestration mechanisms: (1) Pre-25 Ma, oxidizing fluvial sandstones and limited adsorption capacity suppressed preservation despite active volcanism; (2) Post-25 Ma lacustrine mudstones facilitated Hg retention via clay mineral adsorption, FeS synergism, and reducing conditions. The shift to enhanced Hg preservation coincides with Late Oligocene warming and South Asian Monsoon intensification (similar to 26 Ma), which expanded lakes and intensified chemical weathering-increasing clay flux (Al content) and creating reducing basins. Our findings demonstrate that depositional conditions can overprint primary volcanic Hg signals, necessitating rigorous facies evaluation when applying Hg as a proxy for volcanism in terrestrial archives.

The Paleogene succession of the Esparron syncline consists of three superimposed stratigraphic units, in ascending order: (1) a lacustrine-palustrine-dominated basal unit (BU) bearing channels filled by limestone breccias at base, (2) fluvial deposits of the lower Molasse Rouge Formation (MR1), and (3) well-rounded polygenic conglomerates, bearing Alpine "green rocks" and radiolarites overlain by red clays in the upper Molasse Rouge Formation (MR2). Breccia deposits of the basal unit represent a multi-channeled torrential system generally sloping to the northeast. However, the regional extent and character of the BU is difficult to determine due to its truncation by the basal surface of MR1. Around the northwestern termination of the Esparron syncline the succession is complete and 200 m thick. Basal breccias of the BU pass upward to reddish fluvial overbank mudstones, then to grayish lacustrine-palustrine limestones, and back to reddish silty claystones. Field data suggest that this unit cannot be proximal deposits of the "Nummulitic foreland basin", but is younger, just predating deposition of the MR1, likely in the late Rupelian. These also cannot be proximal deposits of MR1, as formerly suggested. They constitute a fully distinct tectono-stratigraphic sequence whose deposition cannot be understood without a broad regional synthesis (in preparation). Along the southern flank of the syncline, MR1 has a sheet geometry featuring amalgamated fluvial point bar deposits at the base, which are overlain by the deposits of a large fluvial fan prograding to the west. MR1 deposits abruptly pinch out along the northern flank of the syncline, and are interpreted as having filled a paleovalley that roughly matches the E-W orientation of the syncline. South of the syncline, in the Esclangon and Hautes Duyes areas, the same succession is found but the meandering fluvial deposits of Esparron are lacking at the base of MR1. Here, MR1 deposits are represented by fluvial fan deposits prograding to the west, but have a more proximal character than at Esparron. In this area, the MR1unit is capped by the Molasse Grise (MG), which represents a flattening of the depositional profile after the progradation of the underlying fluvial fan. Across the entire region, MR2 deposits are thin, and likely truncated by the main Digne thrust. They are deposited disconformably on top of either MR1 or directly on folded Mesozoic deposits, suggesting that erosion and tectonic activity occurred between deposition of MR1 and MR2. The occurrence of well-rounded pebbles of Alpine "green rocks" and radiolarites in the basal fluvial conglomerate of MR2 indicates that the system had a large watershed that encroached the inner Alps, probably during uplift of the latter. In the Ainac area, the braided fluvial facies at the base of MR2 acquired a more distal character with channels filled by either conglomerates or a more sand-prone facies. The vertical facies trend in MR1 and MR2 suggests that a low-gradient fluvial setting was followed by regional uplift responsible for the progradation of fluvial fans. The two stratigraphic units are therefore regarded as tectono-stratigraphic sequences, in response to changes in the Alpine stress regime. With unit 1 (BU), the Molasse Rouge is therefore composed of three independent sequences. Finally, the ages of the MR1 and MR2 deposits are revised, both to Chattian and probably not extending into the Aquitanian, as previously reported for the MR2. Geometric relationships suggest that the three continental Paleogene sequences record a changing depositional setting controlled by both active tectonics and intervening periods of quiescence in a time interval grossly bracketing the late Rupelian and the Chattian.

The Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT) is crucial for understanding the climate evolution of the Earth but is poorly documented in the terrestrial domains. A pollen record from the early Priabonian to the late Aquitanian encompassing the EOT was produced for thirty-three locations in Southeastern France. Changes in lowland flora and vegetation were documented based on the shift from dense forests with tropical-subtropical plants to open shrublands rich in xeric plants, paving the way for the future Mediterranean landscapes. Cupressaceae, particularly Tetraclinis, and Ephedra, occupied a proeminent place in the newly structured vegetation. Palaeolimatic fluctuations were quantified using the Climatic Amplitude Method, revealing the fact that the EOT was mainly characterized by a decrease of 7-9 degrees C in winter temperatures and by an increase in overall temperature and rainfall seasonality. Using the climatostratigraphic approach further improved the regional chronostratigraphy. This climate change occurred during a period and in a region marked by an extensive geodynamic upheaval. This work documents the pathways of some influential marine incursions of the Mediterranean Sea earlier than is usually considered. Finally, the deposition of evaporites in lakes is interpreted as the result of a combination of different factors, including the entrance of marine waters in the terrestrial realm, a decrease in regional rainfall, a decrease in the supply of water by rivers and increased seasonality. Palaeoelevations of nearby mountains were also estimated using pollen grains transported from highlands and reconstructed palaeotemperature of the lowlands.

ABSTRACT The mechanisms controlling the stacking patterns of deep‐water turbidite lobes are currently open to a wide range of interpretations. A study of Turonian to Coniacian turbidite lobe complexes in the greater Marulk area (Dønna Terrace, Norwegian Sea) was undertaken to examine the balance and respective influences of various controlling factors using a large sediment core, well‐log and seismic dataset. A four‐tiered lobe hierarchy is described based on a detailed sedimentological study of three Cretaceous turbidite lobe systems, involving a variety of sedimentary processes and flow regimes. The inferred depositional stacking patterns were then used to identify autogenic and allogenic forcings on the large‐scale depositional architecture of turbidite lobes. Autogenic processes (best observed in core data) control the self‐regulation of sediment dispersal and the broad evolution of lobe sub‐environments. Conversely, allogenic forcings (best observed in well‐log data) regulate axial migration within the turbidite lobe succession, and control sediment pulses and ultimately the general evolutionary trend of the turbidite lobe complex. Beyond this, an updated approach is proposed here aiming at deciphering autogenic‐dominant and allogenic‐dominant processes at different hierarchical levels in both confined and unconfined turbidite lobe deposits, which may help with assigning appropriate inputs for geomodels for an improved understanding of the internal and external controls on lobe depositional architecture. It is advocated that this approach may eventually be used in other depositional systems, such as in deltaic complexes from coastal settings, both in actual and ancient sediments.

Deciphering the interactions between tectonic and exhumation processes in the Tanggula Mountains (centralnorthern Tibetan Plateau) can provide insights into the processes of the Tibetan plateau uplift and its geomorphic evolution. In this study, we present new detrital apatite fission track (AFT) data from Cenozoic sediments of the Tuotuohe Basin (northeastern part of the Qiangtang terrane) and its periphery (including the Tanggula Mountains), with the aim to reconstruct the cooling history of the Tanggula Mountains during the Cretaceous and the Cenozoic era. Our results show that the provenance of detrital material evolved in the Tuotuohe Basin and highlight that previously deposited sediments were recycled into the Tuotuohe Basin at similar to 27.5 Ma. The data further outline that the Tanggula Mountains and the Tuotuohe Basin experienced three major phases of tectonic uplift and exhumation: 122-106, 65-54, and 44-35 Ma. These exhumation-induced cooling phases might be related with three phases of primary tectonic activity, i.e., the collision between the Qiangtang and Lhasa terranes (central part of the Tibetan Plateau) that started during the Early Cretaceous, the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates in the Early Cenozoic and finally, the "hard collision (the Indian and Eurasian continents)" that occurred during the Early Eocene-Oligocene.

Interglacial periods are characterised by thick accumulations of halite units in the Dead Sea Basin. During these intervals, small water droplets (fluid inclusions, FIs) were entrapped in the halite crystals which serve as windows to estimate the chemistry and physical properties of the primary lake water conditions. Brillouin spectroscopy is used here to reconstruct annual resolution temperatures from a halite core section in the Dead Sea Basin during the onset of Marine Isotope Stage 5e ( ca 130 ka) of the Last Interglacial. Lake bottom temperatures can be inferred based on the occurrence of coarse/fine halite facies, as observed today with the formation of equivalent halite facies during winter/summer seasons in the Dead Sea. A recurring increase in lake bottom temperatures is found along the direction of coarse halite layers in three successive years. Moreover, low FI entrapment temperatures were detected in layers of fine (cumulate) halite facies. These results imply a twofold stronger seasonality in the Dead Sea Basin compared to today, with colder winters at the onset of Marine Isotope Stage 5e. The results therefore highlight the potential of using cyclic salt deposits to reconstruct seasonal temperature variability for numerous evaporitic environments in the geological record.

The fact that the western Alps Miocene foreland basin succession is poorly dated impacts directly our understanding of the deformation kinematics of that part of the external part of the Alpine belt (France). Here we propose a multidisciplinary approach aiming at building a robust tectono-stratigraphic framework of the Miocene deposits at the basin scale (northern subalpine massifs, southern Jura, Royans, Bas-Dauphiné and La Bresse basins). Sr isotopes stratigraphy combined with magnetostratigraphy and biostratigraphy enable sequence stratigraphy subdivisions S1 to S8 between the Upper Aquitanian (-21 Ma) and the Tortonian (-9 Ma) dated with a precision <0.5 Ma. These results highlight four different palaeogeographical domains during the Miocene: (i) the oriental domain with depositional sequences S1a to S3 (~21.3 to 15Ma), (ii) the median domain, in which sequences S2, S3, S4 and S5 occurred (~17.8 to 14Ma), (iii) the occidental domain with sequences S2 to S8 (~17.8 to ~9.5Ma); and (iv) the Bressan domain, in which sequences S6 to S8 are found (~ 11.5 to ~9.5Ma). This revised chronostratigraphy was complemented with a structural and tectono-sedimentary study based on new fieldwork data and a reappraisal of regional seismic profiles, allowing to highlight five major faults zones (FZ). It appears that the oriental, median and occidental paleogeographical domains are delineated by FZ1, FZ2 and FZ3, therefore suggesting a strong interplay between tectonics and sedimentation. Evidences of syntectonic deposits and a westward migration of the depocenters impart the following deformation chronology : a Oligocene compressive phase (P1) corresponding to thrusting above FZ1 rooted east (above) Belledonne, which generated reliefs that limited the early Miocene transgression to the east; an Early- to Middle Miocene W-WNW/E-ESE-directed compressive phase (P2) involving the Belledonne massif basal thrust, which between 18.05 +/- 0.15 Ma and 12Ma successively activated the Salève thrust fault, and the FZ2 to FZ5 from east to west. P2 deeply impacted the Miocene palaeogeographical evolution by a rapid westward migration of depocenters in response to the exhumation of piggy-back basins above the growing fault zones; a last Tortonian phase (P3), less well constrained, apparently implied a significant uplift in the subalpine massifs, combined with the activation of the frontal Jura thrust.

Few sedimentary archives of lake meromixis are available in palaeolimnological records, because long-term observations are limited in time and indisputable sediment proxies of hypolimnetic anoxia are still scarce. Here we use visible and near infrared (VNIR), and short-wave infra-red (SWIR) hyperspectral imaging combined with geochemical analyses to reconstruct lake stratification history, redox status and mixing conditions in the water column of Lake Son Kol (Kyrgyzstan) in Central Tian Shan during the last 8500 years. In particular, the detection of Bacteriopheophytin a (Bphe a), a pigment produced by anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria at the chemocline of meromictic lakes, emphasizes episodes of multidecadal to centennial hypolimnetic anoxia in Lake Son Kol. Phases of hypolimnetic anoxia are inferred from the deposition of dark organic sediments within a stratified lake system, which occurred during periods of increased snowmelt (and solid winter precipitation) and warmer spring/summer temperatures that promoted floods and the export of terrestrial material from the catchment. Prolonged euxinic conditions in bottom waters (involving the development of a stable chemocline) are reported around 8500, 8400, 8200-7800, 7700-7500, 7300-7000, 6500-6100, 6000-5700 and 5500-5250 cal yr BP. At ca. 5250 cal yr BP, the chemocline abruptly vanished as Lake Son Kol tipped into a regime with predominantly cooler and well-mixed conditions (predominance of oxygenic phototrophs), coeval with higher lake levels. The disappearance of hypolimnetic anoxia in Lake Son Kol coincides with strengthened wind conditions that imply enhanced lake overturning and upward mixing of nutrients in the water column. This study reveals the strong potential of hyperspectral imaging, in combination with more classical palaeolimnological approaches, to reconstruct the lake trophic and mixing history and explore the controlling mechanisms at work on decadal to centennial timescales. Our results outline how abrupt ecosystem changes may occur even in the absence of anthropogenic climate change. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The pattern and timing of deformation in southeast Tibet resulting from the early stages of the India-Asia collision are crucial factors to understand the growth of the Tibetan Plateau, but they remain poorly constrained. Detailed field mapping, structural analysis, and geochronological and thermochronological data along a 120 km section of the Ludian-Zhonghejiang foldand-thrust belt bounding the Jianchuan basin in western Yunnan, China, document the early Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the conjunction between the Lanping-Simao and South China blocks. The study area is cut by two major southwest-dipping brittle faults, named the Ludian-Zhonghejiang fault and the Tongdian fault from east to west. Numerous kinematic indicators and the juxtaposition of Triassic metasedimentary rocks on top of Paleocene strata indicate thrusting along the Ludian-Zhonghejiang fault. Similarly, structural analysis shows that the Tongdian fault is a reverse fault. Between these structures, fault-bounded Permian-Triassic and Paleocene rocks are strongly deformed by nearly vertical and upright southwestvergent folds with axes that trend nearly parallel to the traces of the main faults. Zircon and apatite (U-Th)/He and apatite fission-track data from a Triassic pluton with zircon U-Pb ages of 237-225 Ma in the hanging wall of the Ludian-Zhonghejiang fault, assisted by inverse modeling, reveal two episodes of accelerated cooling during 125-110 Ma and 50-39 Ma. The Cretaceous cooling event was probably related to crustal thickening during the collision between the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes. The accelerated exhumation during 50-39 Ma is interpreted to record the life span of the fold-and-thrust belt. This timing is corroborated by the intrusive relationship of Eocene magmas of ca. 36-35 Ma zircon U-Pb age into the fold-and-thrust belt. Early Cenozoic activity of the deformation system controlled deposition of alluvial-fan and braided-river sediments in the Jianchuan basin, as evidenced by eastward and northeastward paleoflows and terrestrial clasts derived from the hanging wall of the Ludian-Zhonghejiang thrust. Since 39 Ma, decreasing cooling rates likely reflect cessation of activity on the fold-and-thrust belt. Early Cenozoic compressive deformation on the western margin of the South China block together with geological records of contraction in central, northern, and eastern Tibet document Eocene upper-crustal shortening located in the Himalaya, Qiangtang terrane, and northern plateau margins together with contractional basin development in the intervening Lhasa, Songpan-Garze, and Kunlun terranes, coeval with or shortly after the onset of the India-Asia collision. This suggests that moderate crustal shortening affected a large part of Tibet in a spaced way, contrary to models of homogeneous crustal thickening soon after the collision, and prior to the main crustal thickening, propagating progressively from south to north. This complex deformation pattern illustrates the complexity of Asian crustal rheology, which contrasts with assumptions in existing geodynamic models.