Transgressive Events Research Articles

Moral injury in treatment-seeking police officers: A qualitative study.

In their work, police officers are routinely exposed to potentially traumatic events, some of which may also be morally distressing. Moral injury refers to the multidimensional impact of exposure to such potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs). Mainly originating from a military context, there is little empirical research on moral injury in policing. The aim of this study was to gain insight into what PMIEs and moral injury in police officers entail. We used a generic qualitative research approach inspired by grounded theory. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 treatment-seeking, trauma-exposed police officers at a Dutch national center for psychotrauma. Participants were 11 men and two women with a diagnosis of profession-related posttraumatic stress disorder, who reported being troubled by exposure to a morally transgressive event. Findings were categorized into three categories in terms of PMIEs and moral injury: (1) no high stakes PMIEs, (2) high stakes PMIEs but no moral injury, and (3) high stakes PMIEs and moral injury. Within the third category, three main themes and associated subthemes emerged: (1) a sense of responsibility in death, (2) the illusion of control, and (3) a duty to remember. This study is the first to explore high stakes PMIEs and moral injury in trauma-exposed, help-seeking police officers. Findings show that moral injury seems a relevant clinical concept in policing. PMIEs may change their fundamental self-perception and lead to deep feelings of guilt and shame. Directions for future research include examining police officers' treatment needs and perspectives on "moral recovery." (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

MULTI-PROXY PALEOENVIRONMENTAL AND PALEOECOLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE FOREMOST FORMATION (UPPER CRETACEOUS, CAMPANIAN) OF ALBERTA

Abstract The Foremost Formation of southern Alberta, Canada, is the basal member of the Cretaceous (Campanian) Belly River Group and has been understudied relative to the overlying Oldman and Dinosaur Park formations of this group. Here we describe and analyze the sedimentology, foraminiferal micropaleontology, vertebrate microsite paleoecology, and paleoenvironmental conditions of the Foremost Formation. Outcrop of the Foremost Formation is characterized by estuarine and shallow marine facies that transition upward into coastal/fluvial facies that accumulated during the Claggett marine regression of the Western Interior Seaway (WIS). This is consistent with at least two rapid transgressive events driven by local subsidence interrupting the overall regressive phase of the Claggett marine cycle, creating the aggrading profile in the lower portion of the sections measured here, and suggesting that orogenic buildup in the Rocky Mountains and its associated basin subsidence were a controlling factor of local deposition in the WIS. A low abundance, low diversity agglutinated benthic foraminiferal fauna suggests frequently stressed oxygen and salinity conditions in marginal marine environments. Vertebrate microsite faunas display a mixed freshwater to brackish water environmental influence, with an increase in diversity upsection in conjunction with increased freshwater influence. Among dinosaurs, ceratopsids and ankylosaurs experience notable relative abundance decreases through the Foremost Formation and into the lower Oldman Formation, potentially reflecting preference for coastal habitats and/or plant resources relative to other terrestrial herbivores.

Organic matter accumulation driven by land-sea interactions during the Late Cretaceous: A geochemical study of the Nenjiang Formation, Songliao Basin

The Late Cretaceous Nenjiang Formation in the Songliao Basin presents a unique setting to examine how climate change and sea-level rise influenced organic matter accumulation. This study combines TOC analysis, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, GC–MS, GC–MS-MS, and elemental geochemistry on core samples from two wells to assess organic matter deposition before and after transgressive events. TOC values range from 0.18 to 14.63 wt%, with significant variations in hydrocarbon potential and thermal maturity. Periodic warm and cool climates triggered intermittent seawater intrusions that created anoxic conditions conducive to marine diatom and lacustrine dinoflagellate proliferation. Extended warm periods, however, suppressed dinoflagellate development and reduced paleo-productivity. The activity of methanogenic bacteria further contributed to the degradation of sedimentary organic matter, hindering its accumulation. While warm climates facilitated flood events that transported terrigenous nutrients, enhancing dinoflagellate blooms and expanding the oxygen minimum zone. These findings highlight the bio-environmental interactions that governed organic matter accumulation during transgressions, offering insights for exploration in similar sedimentary environments.

Detecting the late Frasnian semichatovae Event on the deep shelf of North Gondwana

The semichatovae Event is a mid-late Frasnian (Late Devonian) episode of a major marine transgression that coincides with the spread of the conodont Palmatolepis semichatovae . The occurrence of this species and the associated event were therefore proposed to define the Middle-Late Frasnian boundary. As this species is not found on the north Gondwana platforms, this event is only documented on the Laurussia marine outer-shelves. As such, it is not known in the Frasnian reference section within the Upper Quarry Coumiac, located in the Montagne Noire (southern France). In this contribution, we have used a multidisciplinary approach that combines sedimentology, conodont assemblages, magnetic susceptibility, and concentrations of certain elements that are indicative of detrital components to precisely date this event in the absence of Palmatolepis semichatovae by means of global scale correlations. We found that a significant part of the environmental signal has been preserved in the strata, and we could locate the semichatovae transgressive event in the cross-section in the lower part of Zone FZ 11. During this period of recurrent environmental perturbations, conodonts responded to sea-level changes only above a certain depth threshold which is reached only with the semichatovae event.

Use of heterosis and transgression events to optimize sizes of leaves in variety group Burley tobacco

The manifestations of heterosis and transgression regarding the length and width of the leaves in ten hybrid combinations of Burley tobacco аre investigated. The results of the study show that in almost all variants and in both indicators, the values of the hypothetical heterosis exceed those of the real one. According to length of leaves heterosis with economic significance is observed only in one of the investigated hybrid combinations. Transgressive manifestations for this indicator are even less pronounced and are not significant in any of the studied options. In contrast to length of leaves the manifestations of heterosis are of economic importance in six of the ten crosses studied and could be successfully used to increase of width of leaves. Transgressive events in width of leaves are less pronounced than heterosis, but much more pronounced than those in the length. Direction of crossing affects the heterosis manifestations only of the length of the leaves but not those concerning their width. In terms to width of leaves, the manifestations of heterosis and transgression are related. Of all the studied variants, the one with the highest selection value regarding sizes of leaves is Hybrid 1555.

Calcareous nannoplankton fluctuation within the Albian-Cenomanian Boundary Event of the Tethyan Himalaya

A hemipelagic succession 29m thick, situated in South Tibet within the Tethyan Himalaya tectonic unit, has been investigated for its calcareous nannofossil content. A total of 17 samples were subject to qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis. The studied interval belongs to the upper Albian-lowermost Cenomanian and extends into the UC0 nannofossil zone; based on the last occurrence of Hayesites albiensis, the UC0a and UC0b-c subzones were recognized. The most abundant nannofossil of the Youxia section is Watznaueria barnesiae. Other common taxa are Eiffellithus turriseiffelii, Eprolithus floralis, Rhagodiscus spp., and Zeugrhabdotus spp. In the lowermost part of the studied section, below the beginning of the Albian-Cenomanian Boundary Event (ACBE), i.e., prior to the δ13C positive excursion related to OAE1d, the nannofossils confined to high paleolatitudes, namely Repagulum parvidentatum, Seribiscutum primitivum, and Sollasites horticus, are present with a low abundance. This occurrence is believed to be evidence of a short episode of cooler surface waters linked to a transgressive event. The nannofossil abundance and diversity, along with the fluctuation patterns of the nutrient and temperature indices throughout the section, reflects a primary signal of mesotrophic to eutrophic conditions from the base of the succession up to the two oldest δ13C peaks of ACBE, both late Albian in age and within the OAE1d. By contrast, the dominance of Watznaueria barnesiae, representing more than 80% of the total assemblages, along with the significant drop in abundance and diversity shown by nannofossils within late phases of ACBE, are interpreted as a diagenetic signal. Mesotrophic to eutrophic conditions returned towards the top of the studied succession, where Biscutum constans and Zeugrhabdotus erectus again show a higher abundance.

Rapidly changing environmental conditions in a coastal setting during the Berriasian (“German Wealden”, lower Cretaceous): evidence from biomarker and bulk geochemical data

During the Middle to Late Berriasian (so called “German Wealden”) a large lake system developed in the Lower Saxony Basin (LSB; in northwestern Germany) of which the eastern part is characterized by varying fluvial and lacustrine influences. The changeable situation through the earliest Cretaceous, particularly in the eastern LSB, is relatively understudied and a recently drilled well (KB-Rehburg 2; R-2) can help shedding light on these variations. R-2 covers the Berriasian ostracod zones Wealden 1 to 4 (Wd1 to Wd4), and palynomorphs presented in another study record stages with fluctuating predominantly terrigenous or aquatic organic matter. Short-term marine ingressions (MI) and more extensive transgressive events (TE) during that time interval have been reported, but some remained questionable. We here present novel organic geochemical data (including Rock–Eval and biomarkers) from R-2 showing a low maturity in terms of organic geochemical stress (Rock–Eval Tmax ~ 435 to 445 °C) and bulk geochemical and biomarker data support the fluctuation in the sources of the predominating organic matter. In addition to the recently published marine influx events recorded in R-2, a significant decrease in pristane/phytane and increase in dinosterane index biomarker ratios demonstrate the previously unclear TE2 at the beginning of zone Wd4. While dinoflagellate cysts during that stage were reported to occur only sporadic, the dinoflagellate-specific dinosterane biomarker became highly abundant [“dinosterane/(regular steranes + dinosteranes)” ratio up to 0.15]. It demonstrates that dinoflagellates also flourished at R-2 during zone Wd4. This palynomorph/biomarker mismatch may be explained by the prevalence of non-cyst forming, or less likely, non-preservation of cells of dinoflagellates. Our data from R-2 also points at a likely widespread and general complication for palaeoreconstructions because we observed a slight lag between first records of palynomorphs used for TE and MI event identification compared to changing biomarker ratios and bulk organic geochemistry. We hypothesize that while the first likely demonstrate first occurrences of pioneer organisms, which mark events best, organic geochemical data appear to be more integrating and record changes only after establishment of a palaeoenvironment.Graphical

Pennsylvanian epicontinental sea dynamics in Western Gondwana: Stratigraphic, petrographic, and C, O, and Sr isotopic insights from the Itaituba Formation, Amazonas Basin

During the Pennsylvanian period, an epicontinental sea significantly influenced the paleogeography of Western Gondwana, as evidenced by the Pennsylvanian units of the Tapajós Group (Monte Alegre, Itaituba, and Nova Olinda formations) in the Amazonas Basin, Brazil. The carbonate deposition within the Itaituba Formation represents a Pennsylvanian transgressive event linked to the Panthalassa Ocean. Comprehensive stratigraphic, petrographic, and isotopic analyses were conducted on a carbonate succession in the Itacimpasa Quarry, one of the best-exposed carbonate outcrops in the southern Amazonas Basin, notable for its rich fossil content. The petrographic analysis allowed the identification of eleven microfacies grouped into three facies associations: tidal flat (FA1), lagoon (FA2), and outer platform (FA3) representative an epicontinental carbonate platform system. The general transgressive trend is evidenced by the superimposition of marine facies (FA3) over coastal facies (FA1 and FA2). Fossil content was quantified through detailed petrography, revealing a clearly marine fossiliferous diversity, including brachiopods, echinoderms, bivalves, ostracods, foraminifers, trilobites, and bryozoans. Isotopic data, including carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotopes, refined previous chemostratigraphic framework. δ13C values ranged from +2.15‰ to +4.54‰, and δ18O values spanned −6.99‰–2.82‰, consistent with the expected values for the Pennsylvanian carbonates. An upward δ13C trend within the studied interval suggests significant organic productivity during a predominantly transgressive phase, although minor sea-level falls explain variations in the δ13C trend. The 87Sr/86Sr values indicate epicontinental marine conditions, ranging from 0.70852 to 0.70858. However, samples affected by diagenetic processes can reach up to 0.70940. A representative δ13C curve for the Itaituba Formation was constructed for the first time, integrating isotopic data using a sixth-degree polynomial fit. The resultant curve for the carbonate succession shows a positive upward trend, following the δ13C curve trends of other contemporaneous carbonates from the Panthalassa and Paleo-Tethys oceans and with the global relative sea-level curve. This correlation, in addition to reinforcing the validity of the δ13C trends observed in the Itaituba Formation, also suggest a response to paleoceanographic and paleoenvironmental changes during the Pennsylvanian period linked to a deglaciation-induced transgressive event.

Palynological evidence for the Late Cretaceous lake transgression event in the Songliao Basin, NE China

The lake transgression event (LTE) associated with a lake anoxic event (LAE) has been reported previously from the Cretaceous Nenjiang Formation in the Songliao Basin, NE China. Detailed studies based on sedimentology, dinoflagellates, ostracods, and biomarkers have provided important evidence for this LTE in Member 1 of the Nenjiang Formation (K2n1). However, the related floristic record has not received enough attention. In this paper, palynological data of borehole Ji Tao Di-1 (JTD-1) from the western slope of the Songliao Basin were analyzed to investigate vegetation and climate changes associated with this Cretaceous LTE. Three palynological sub-assemblages reflect significant paleovegetation and paleoclimate changes through this LTE and reveal ecosystem fluctuations related to the global Cretaceous oceanic anoxic event (OAE3). A significant increase in the relative abundance of Schizaeoisporites and Cyathidites spores may represent the LTE in the Nenjiang Formation. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Sporomorph EcoGroup (SEG) model indicate that climate changed from cool and humid subtropical before the LTE, to relatively warm temperate during the LTE and temperate after the LTE in this area. The relatively warmer and drier climate during the later period of the LTE may be influenced by the contemporaneous OAE3. After the LTE, the highland mixed forests were dominant, and a large number of angiosperms (i.e., members of the Proteaceae) occupied the ecological niches of the middle canopy, indicating that the flourishing of angiosperms in the late Santonian may be closely related to environmental disturbances resulted from the LTE and OAE.

Compliance and Attitudes towards the Gluten-Free Diet in Celiac Patients in Italy: What Has Changed after a Decade?

This study aims were (i) to describe Italian celiac patients who agreed to participate in the latest web survey and their attitudes toward the GF diet (compliance, perceived limitations, and worries) and (ii) to compare the answers given by the 2011 and 2022 responders. The self-administered questionnaire was distributed through the Italian Coeliac Association channels (link on social media, websites, and newsletters) to all of the celiac patients willing to participate in 2011 and 2022 (2427 and 3529 responders who answered the same questions, respectively). Descriptive analyses and the Pearson's chi-squared test were performed. The responders were 1 to 84 years old and mainly female. The prevalence of adherent patients in 2022 was 91%, with the highest value (94%) in children (≤10 years old) and adolescents (15-17 years old). Overall, young adults were the most worried group. About a decade after the first survey, we observed a decreasing prevalence of transgression events (-5%) and (at least) occasional temptation (-17%), a decreasing prevalence of health-related and general worries, but an increasing prevalence of social life withdrawal. In conclusion, it is important to periodically monitor celiac patients' compliance and attitudes towards the gluten-free diet. As also highlighted in international guidelines, a reorganization of the diagnosis/follow-up visits, including an expert dietary consultation, is needed.

Anatomy of the late Famennian Dasberg event in a deep shelf of southern Euramerica: Oxygenation and productivity in a restricted basin during a progressive long-term cooling

The late Famennian Dasberg event is described as a series of global hypoxic and transgressive events associated with global faunal turnover. The event, recorded on a deep shelf of the Rhenohercynian basin from southern Euramerica, was investigated in the Holy Cross Mountains of Poland using integrated high-resolution geochemical, mineralogical, and palynological studies. The data revealed the progressive restriction of the intrashelf basin resulting from intense regional block tectonics likely connected with the Late Devonian Variscan tectonic activity. This led to weak chemocline ventilation, the development of anoxic conditions, and the deposition of two organic-rich Dasberg black shale (DBS) horizons. The DBS was deposited in an environment characterized by the constant contribution of detrital components from a common source area. A slight change in terrestrial input may have been driven by modest bathymetric changes associated with the tectonics and stronger winds delivering charcoal and terrestrial components (i.e., miospores and phytoclasts). A supply of nutrients from land and delivery of crucial biolimiting elements (i.e., nitrogen and phosphorus) from deeper waters stimulated primary productivity, as recorded in phytoplankton blooms. The δ13Corganic values in the DBS reflect the incorporation of primary biomass from mainly marine photoautotrophs into sedimentary organic matter. Episodic delivery of toxic sulphides to the photic zone was detected by small-sized framboids and biomarkers, which record the appearance of green sulphur bacteria that photosynthesized in euxinic water column. The activity of phototrophic sulphide-oxidizing bacteria could have led to hyper-enrichment of Zn (715–1002 ppm) in the Lower DBS. The diachronous appearance of the DBS horizons in Euramerica and Gondwana, and regionally marked extinction of benthic fauna, suggest that anoxia developed in restricted Black Sea–like basins formed by intensive tectonic activity and continental plate convergence.

5Ecocriticism

Abstract Over the last two decades, the Anthropocene and its calamitous signatures of climate upheaval, species loss, and biocultural fragmentation has garnered dedicated attention from ecocritics, ecologists, and the public. As the culmination of a fifteen-year scientific process, however, in early 2024, the International Union of Geological Sciences, or IUGS, rejected the Anthropocene as a unit of geological time in favour of a view of the Anthropocene as a temporally transgressive event. Prominent within the year’s work are trajectories in empirical ecocriticism, ecocritical ageing studies, intermedial ecocriticism, and blue ecocriticism, all of which place emphasis on agency, narrativity, and temporality. As the example of the blue humanities reveals, explored in this essay’s conclusion, intersections between ecocriticism and emerging areas of the environmental humanities continue to generate novel directions. The expansion of interdisciplinary research engaging ecocritics, social scientists, ecologists, and geoscientists is a potential outcome of the IUGS decision. As ecocriticism evolves in the era of the Anthropocene as an event, concerns of more-than-human agency, expression, and creativity will likely attract greater focus. In addition to presenting a broad overview of publications, each of the sections below hones in on one specific work. This review of ecocritical publications in 2023 comprises six sections: 1. Introduction: The Anthropocene from Epoch to Event, which contextualizes the IUGS’s refusal to ratify the Anthropocene as an official geochronological designation; 2. Ecocritical Directions: Towards More-than-Human Agencies, which focuses on the special issue of the journal Anthropocenes, ‘Life Out of Place’; 3. Empirical Ecocriticism: Appraising Environmental Narratives, which considers the landmark edited collection Empirical Ecocriticism; 4. Ecocritical Ageing Studies: Rethinking Narratives of Decline, which turns to the edited collection Aging Studies and Ecocriticism; 5. Intermedial Ecocriticism: Diversifying Anthropocene Narratives, evaluating Jørgen Bruhn and Niklas Salmose’s monograph Intermedial Ecocriticism; and 6. Conclusion: Ecocritical Agency and the Environmental Humanities, which reflects on developments in the blue humanities.

Ecological control of the Pelsonian colonisation event (Anisian, Triassic) leading to the first settlement of Tetractinella-beds (Brachiopoda) in the Iberian palaeomargins. Palaeobiogeographical and biostratigraphical significance

Marine benthic biota recovery after the Permian/Triassic extinction is still a challenging topic in several fossil clades such as brachiopods. In fact, available data from the Early-Middle Triassic are scarce worldwide and their global record derives from limited localities throughout the Tethys Ocean. This work presents the first record of the Anisian Tetractinella-beds (Brachiopoda, Athyridida) in the peri-Iberian epicontinental platforms established in the westernmost Tethys margins. Their utility as a reliable biohorizon marker is emphasised as they provide an effective tool for age calibration and correlation in the middle Anisian (Pelsonian) successions, also supported by the co-occurring fossil assemblage. In the South-Iberian Palaeomargin, Tetractinella-beds occur in an intensively-burrowed shallow-marine succession. The rich ichnological content has been exhaustively evaluated in order to assess the ecological factors controlling the development of the brachiopod fauna. Three ichnoassemblages are documented dominated by Oravaichnium, Balanoglossites and Thalassinoides, respectively. The gathered faunal, ichnological, taphonomical, and sedimentological data reveal an alternation of sea-level changes influencing the composition of the Anisian marine communities. The first stage consists of near-shore restricted environments sporadically disturbed by short-term shallow-marine interludes, characterised by the presence of Oravaichnium and its associated fauna. Subsequently, the Pelsonian transgression event is recorded (MID-2), documented by a firm-ground surface pointed out by the development of a Balanoglossites surface, followed by the highstand, when shallow epicontinental environments developed in connection with open-marine areas. This phase involved the spreading of Tetractinella and deep-water bivalves. Finally, near-shore restricted conditions were re-established typified by Oravaichnium and the last occurrences of Tetractinella, with the disappearance of the open sea-water fauna. The maximum flooding reached after the Pelsonian transgression facilitated new palaeobiogeographical migration routes, allowing for an Alpine-Germanic dispersion of taxa throughout the North-South epicontinental Tethyan seaway as well as the earliest first faunal migration event from the Sephardic Bioprovince northwards to the South-Iberian palaeomargin.

Moral injury appraisals and complex PTSD in refugees: A longitudinal study.

Refugees show elevated rates of complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). However, relatively little is known regarding the psychological mechanisms that underlie the association between exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and CPTSD following exposure to war, persecution and displacement. In this study, we investigated the potential mediating role of moral injury appraisals (cognitive appraisals regarding the experience and consequences of morally transgressive events) in the association between PTE exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and disturbances in self-organization (DSO) symptoms. Participants were 889 refugees from Arabic-, Farsi-, Tamil-, and English-speaking backgrounds who completed an online survey in their own language at two time points 12 months apart. We assessed PTE exposure, moral injury-other appraisals (appraising moral transgressions as enacted by others), moral injury-self appraisals (appraising moral transgressions as enacted by the self), PTSD symptoms, and DSO symptoms. Longitudinal structural equation modeling indicated that moral injury-other appraisals mediated the association between PTE exposure and both PTSD and DSO symptoms. In contrast, moral injury-self appraisals only mediated the association between PTE exposure and DSO symptoms. Findings highlight the role of moral injury appraisals in exacerbating traditional PTSD symptoms, as well as the broader symptoms characteristic of CPTSD. Further, results indicate that specific types of moral injury appraisals (relating to one's own and others' perceived moral transgressions) may lead to differential psychological reactions, raising important implications for clinical practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Spatial heterogeneity in nutrient utilization during the end-Devonian ocean anoxic event: a case study of the Western Canada sedimentary basin

The Devonian-Carboniferous (D-C; 359 Ma) boundary is marked by widespread deposition of organic-matter-rich black shales associated with the Hangenberg mass extinction event. The Exshaw Formation spans the D-C boundary in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) and includes the basal Exshaw Shale deposited under broadly anoxic waters. The sediments at the base of the Exshaw Shale were deposited synchronously during a transgressive event across the WCSB, spanning the geographic variability of the basin. The variable Corg content of the shale was affected by local nutrient upwelling and paleotectonic features impacting water depth and circulation. To characterize the link between paleogeography and nutrient cycling, geographic (N = 20 locations) and stratigraphic (N = 6 locations) trends of δ13Corg and δ15Nbulk were examined throughout the WCSB, representing a range of depositional settings. The δ15Nbulk values range between 0.0 and 6.3‰ and δ13Corg from −29.5 to −26.8‰. Phytoplankton production in focused upwelling zones acquired a relatively 15N-depleted signature through isotopic fractionation during nutrient assimilation, and the residual nutrient pool was 15N-enriched. The advection of surface waters away from the location of upwelling supported additional phytoplankton growth and the deposition of sediments with higher δ15N values. The stratigraphic sections include black laminated and burrowed mudrock sequences that record changes in paleoredox conditions, water depth, and tectonism over time. Up-core from the base of the Exshaw, the Corg content decreases and simultaneously δ15Nbulk increases, suggesting a decrease in eutrophic conditions. Variable δ13Corg and δ15Nbulk trends demonstrate that there is no “type” isotopic profile spanning the D-C boundary in the WCSB.

Facies models for rocky shorelines and their application to transgressed basement highs in the North Sea

Rocky shorelines form where basement highs are eroded and flooded during marine transgressive events. Although the Mesozoic North Sea rift generated numerous platform margins and rotated fault blocks that acted as basement highs, rocky shoreline deposits have not previously been reported in this region. Rocky shoreline deposits are usually represented in the rock record by thin conglomerates overlying major unconformities. They are typically characterized by their ichnological aspects rather than by their depositional facies. This study used the sedimentological aspects of modern and Miocene rocky shorelines from Spain and Austria to create facies models, which were then applied to the recognition of rocky shorelines in the Mesozoic of the Central North Sea. Our results demonstrate that structureless, clast-supported, poorly to moderately sorted conglomerate–breccia deposits are associated with competent basement lithologies, which produce hard, resistant coastal cliffs around previously overlooked volcanic centres in the subsurface of the North Sea. The basement lithologies in most of the Central North Sea favoured the formation of softer coastal cliffs, with less resistant lithologies that did not generate or preserve gravel-sized particles. These softer coastal cliffs were mostly characterized by low-angle, unconformity-bounded sandstones and fine-grained deposits, precluding the preservation and recognition of Mesozoic rocky shores in much of the North Sea's stratigraphic record.

Insights into organic matter source and depositional environments of shales from the Ponta Grossa Formation in Parana basin, Brazil

Marine transgression events and plant species' evolution to terrestrial environments increased the amount of organic matter in sediments during the Devonian Period. Subsequently, a bituminous material known as shale was formed, containing organic compounds that enable the reconstruction of environmental conditions from previous eras. These rock formation events are recorded worldwide, however, in the Ponta Grossa Formation, southern Brazil, a deeper understanding of samples from the Devonian Period is necessary. The goal of this study was to understand the regional environmental conditions, the origin of the organic matter, and the degree of maturation of the bituminous material. Shale samples were collected from an outcrop on the eastern border of the Paraná Basin and processed in the laboratory to obtain the saturated hydrocarbons fraction posteriorly analyzed. The results indicate a poorly oxygenated environment, with various salinity levels, mixed organic sources, and a high thermal maturity of the samples. The analysis of compound hydrocarbons elucidates the environmental conditions during the Devonian Period in the Ponta Grossa Formation, providing inferences applicable to the stratigraphic interval represented by this record and within the domain of the sampled area.

The bivalve-bearing carbonate platform on the east Tethys during the middle Eocene and its response to the Tethys transgression

The Eocene was a typical greenhouse climate period in the history of the Earth, with a high global sea level and extensive carbonate deposits developed in Tethys. During the Eocene, a carbonate platform was deposited in the western Tarim Basin, which belongs to the easternmost Tethys. However, the details of this carbonate platform and its complications for paleoecology and paleoclimate are still unclear. This research focuses on the bivalve-bearing carbonates of the Kalataer Formation in the western Tarim Basin, and detailed analyses of microfacies, biostratigraphy, paleoecology, and sea-level change were carried out. The bivalves of the Kalataer Formation are dominated by the Ostrea (Turkostrea) strictiplicata, Ostrea (Turkostrea) cizancourti, Ostrea (Turkostrea) strictiplicata, Ostrea (Turkostrea) strictiplicata, and Sokolowia buhsii, and the age is middle Lutetian of the Eocene. The biota of the Kalataer Formation mainly lives in open shallow sea environments, with medium to low energy and rich nutrients and oxygen, representing a typical shallow marine ecosystem of the carbonate platform. Microfacies and paleoecology indicate a large marine transgression event occurred in the western Tarim Basin during the middle Eocene.

The Early Pennsylvanian transgressions in western Gondwana, the Pituil Formation as a reference in the Calingasta–Uspallata Basin

During the Carboniferous, western Gondwana was affected by numerous transgressions resulting from fluctuations in the ice sheet throughout the Late Paleozoic Ice Age. These sea level rises are well documented in western Argentina basins: Paganzo, Río Blanco, San Rafael, and Calingasta–Uspallata. Three transgressive events are recognized: The first corresponds to the post-glacial transgression of early Bashkirian age, which flooded the basins of western Argentina. The second transgression, the Pennsylvanian Transgression 1, is limited to the San Rafael, Río Blanco, western Paganzo, and Calingasta–Uspallata basins. This transgression facilitated the deposition of carbonaceous shales and thin coal beds in transitional estuarine-type environments. This stratigraphic interval is accompanied by megaflora of Nothorhacopteris–Botrychiopsis–Ginkgophyllum, microflora of Raistrickia densa–Convolutispora muriornata Subzone b, and an association of marine invertebrates that constitute the Marginovatia–Maemia Fauna. Finally, Pennsylvanian Transgression 2 or “Stephanian” transgression is more extensive and is associated with a Moscovian age invertebrate fauna. This contribution focuses on a sedimentological and paleontological analysis of the Pituil Formation. This unit comprises five facies associations: I, offshore; II, shoreface; III, deltaic systems; IV, barrier islands; and V, coastal lagoon. These sedimentological data and the fossil content of the Pituil Formation allow us to characterize the Pennsylvanian Transgression 1 in the Calingasta–Uspallata Basin and correlate it with other basins in western Gondwana.

Late Quaternary marine transgressions off the Shandong Peninsula inferred from paleosalinity indicators: Implications for Holocene mud wedge formation

Mud depocenters play an important role in the sediment source–sink system of marginal seas; however, the factors controlling the formation of mud deposits are not well understood. This study focused on Core LHSD-1, which is located on the southern margin of the Shandong Peninsula mud wedge in the northwestern part of the South Yellow Sea. Elemental ratios, such as the C/S ratio (the mass ratio of total organic carbon and total sulfur) and Sr/Ba ratio, were used to track the changes in paleosalinity during the late Quaternary and to investigate the mechanisms that influenced the formation of the mud wedge off the Shandong Peninsula. Our results indicate that Core LHSD-1 likely recorded two transgression events, corresponding to MIS3 and MIS1. Following sea-level rise after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), transgressive deposition began in the study area at approximately 11.5 kyr BP. During the early Holocene, fluctuating water salinity was recorded by Sr/Ba ratios, which became stable at approximately 6.8 kyr BP when the sea level reached its highstand. At the same time, the modern current system was established, and a significant amount of terrestrial material, such as refractory organic carbon and iron, has been transported to the study area by enhanced coastal currents, which was documented by elevated C/S ratios (C/S > 2.8) in mud sediments. Our findings indicate that marine transgressions controlled the initial development of the mud depocenter and that the establishment of the modern ocean current system promoted the rapid deposition of mud sediments, which corresponded to the growth of global mud depocenters.