The continental record of the Eocene-Oligocene Transition in the Eastern Ebro Basin. Decoding the paleoclimate signature from sediments and clay mineralogy.

The Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT) represents a major reorganization of the global climate, initiated by a high-amplitude shift in deep-sea δ¹⁸O, interpreted as an orbitally forced global cooling and growth of the permanent ice cap in the Antarctic continent. Marked paleogeographic changes such as the widening of the Southern Ocean gateways and the decreasing marine connectivity across the Paratethyan realm could have played a role, as well as other factors such as the decline of pCO2 and changes in atmospheric circulation patterns. 

The impact of the EOT on continents was recognised as a large-scale biota turnover affecting vertebrate faunas in Eurasia, possibly related to dispersals triggered by changing landmasses connectivity and climate-driven extinctions. Paleoflora investigations around this period also revealed that terrestrial environments are characterised by a substantial regional variability, time-lags and heterogeneous responses to climate forcing. 

In this contribution we study the EOT in a well dated alluvial-lacustrine sedimentary succession of the Eastern Ebro Basin. The integrated analysis of sedimentary trends and clay mineralogy over this 2Myr long stratigraphic record and its correlation with other records aims at understanding the variable response of the sedimentary systems to climate forcing.