Carbon Isotopic Signature and Organic Matter Composition of Cenomanian High-Latitude Paleosols of Southern Patagonia

The Cenomanian Mata Amarilla Formation (MAF) in southern Patagonia (~55° S paleolatitude, Austral-Magallanes Basin, Argentina) is composed mainly of stacked fluvial deposits with intercalated paleosols, which document environments at high-paleolatitudes the Southern Hemisphere. We performed a multiproxy study paleosols and sediments MAF order to (1) understand composition soil- sediment-derived organic matter (OM), (2) apply carbon isotope stratigraphy as tool correlate patterns obtained from existing marine non-marine δ13Corg records worldwide, (3) investigate relationship between variations spore-pollen assemblages climatic conditions prevailing An integrated dataset was generated, including total content, Rock-Eval pyrolysis data, stable (δ13Corg) composition, palynological combined published paleosol-derived mean annual temperatures precipitations. results indicated that OM preserved allowed its use chemostratigraphic tool. curve showed rather pattern characteristic for Early Late interval. absence major positive excursion associated oceanic anoxic event 2 provided an upper limit stratigraphic range MAF. data suggested development fern prairies during warmer moister periods expense background gymnosperm-dominated forests. Overall, record new insights into long-term environmental high latitudes