Changes in organic matter composition during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) in the Posidonia Shale Formation from Dormettingen (SW-Germany)

During the Early Toarcian, deposition of organic carbon-rich-shales occurred throughout the epicontinental sea across Europe. Climate instability and high extinction rates in the marine realm were associated with profound environmental changes. The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) has been linked to the injection of greenhouse gases (e.g. oceanic methane) into the atmosphere triggered by the emplacement of the Karoo-Ferrar large igneous province (LIP) volcanism. The data presented are obtained from the Posidonia Shale Formation in Dormettingen (southwestern Germany), similar to 2 km from the well-known Dotternhausen section. Despite the intense palaeontological and geochemical research, studies on the particulate organic matter (POM) across the T-OAE are scarce. Here, we provide a detailed study of POM of the Dormettingen section as a tool to evaluate changes in the depositional environment. Integrated POM (i.e. amorphous organic matter, marine and terrestrial palynomorphs) and geochemical (i.e. carbon isotope delta C-13) analyses reveal different episodes of palaeoecological upheavals during the studied time interval. In this study, we will integrate new palynofacies data and combine it with the existing sedimentological and palaeoecological data of Dotternhausen in order to interpret relative sea-level fluctuations and climatic changes at the local palaeogeographic setting.

Automated summary

The study conducted detailed analysis of the Posidonia Shale Formation in Dormettingen, Germany, revealing different episodes of paleoecological upheavals during the studied time interval. By integrating new palynofacies data with existing sedimentological and paleoecological data, it helps to interpret relative sea-level fluctuations and climatic changes at the local paleogeographic setting.