- 1Ferrara, Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Ferrara, Italy (sgsslv@unife.it)
- 2Dipartimento di Geoscienze, University of Padua, Italy,
The middle Eocene was marked by long-term global cooling trend, interrupted by a notable
warming event lasting ~500 kyr, the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO, ~40 Ma),
characterized by a 4–6°C increase in surface and temperatures, accompanied by a transient rise in
atmospheric pCO2. The MECO event is attracting increasing scientific interest, as it records
temperatures and pCO2 levels that Earth could reach by the end of this century if anthropogenic
greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced. Continental weathering plays a critical role during warm
phases, as it contributes to carbon removal from the atmosphere through silicate hydrolysis.
Analyzing clay and bulk mineralogy in the stratigraphic archives offers valuable insight into past
environmental conditions. The preservation of clay minerals allows for the reconstruction of the
conditions under which they formed, providing clues about continental weathering and geochemical
conditions in the water columns or pore waters (neoformed or transformed) of the sedimentary
environment during climate events. However, bulk and clay mineralogy data that characterize
paleoenvironmental conditions during the MECO, are still insufficiently explored. This study
presents an integrated approach to assess changes in weathering regimes through bulk and clay
mineralogy from the Alano di Piave section, a Neo-Tethys bathyal succession located in NE Italy.
This section, the GSSP of the Bartonian/Priabonian boundary, offers a continuous and well-
preserved record of the MECO interval, well constrained by stable isotope record, making it an
ideal location to study paleoclimatic conditions of this crucial warming event, especially in relation
to continental weathering. Changes in mineralogical assemblages observed in this study reflect the
regional climatic expression of the MECO global warming event. In addition, climatic variations as
derived by our analyses can provide significant information on the marked biotic changes recorded
from this section.
How to cite: Cruciani, G., Sigismondi, S., Giusberti, L., and Luciani, V.: Investigating warm climatic conditions through bulk and clay mineralogy in the AlanoSection (Neo-Tethys) during the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO, ~40 Ma), EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-19148, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-19148, 2025.
