The reconstruction of ancient environments is one of the major goals of palaeontology. One of the most important factors in shaping the environment is the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂). A commonly used praxis to assess Deep Time CO₂-concentrations is via a dependent proxy. The aim of this study was to estimate concentrations in the late Pliocene using the ratio between stomata and epidermis cells (Stomatal Index, SI) on the surface of Ginkgo adiantoides leaves as a proxy. In order to establish a reliable reference for the quantitative relationship between CO₂ concentration and this SI, measurements ideally should be done with specimen grown across a wide range of known CO₂ concentrations. Additionally the reference taxon has to be as closely related to the fossil taxon as possible since the SI at a given CO₂ concentration and its reaction to changing concentrations varies greatly between different species. Due to these constraints the baseline for the present analysis was calculated using Ginkgo biloba, the closest living relative to the now extinct Ginkgo adiantoides. For this purpose leaves were taken from herbarium archives collected across the last 150 years, as well as leaves freshly collected in 2023 and 2024, together with abundant data from the literature. In order to visualize the epidermal cells and stomata a number of microscopic techniques were used. Utilizing this modern calibration dataset CO₂ concentrations were estimated based on Ginkgo leaves from the Late Pliocene floras of Frankfurt am Main and Ruppach-Goldhausen (both Germany).

The study of natural climate archives is a significant method to understand past environmental conditions and depositional processes. Investigating Central German lignite is particularly suitable, as it serves as an environmental and climate archive, formed from Tertiary mires and their ecological and climatic conditions.

The petrographic composition of lignite is greatly influenced by the plant communities that formed the paleo-mires, serving as direct indicators of the climate and environmental conditions of that era. These plant communities developed in cyclic sequences, progressing from coniferous swamp forests and angiosperm-dominated peatlands to reed marshes and pine woodlands, culminating in raised bogs.

In this contribution, detailed petrographic and facies analyses of lignite seams are provided to show insights into the physicochemical and ecological conditions of these ancient marsh sequences. Field mapping and core logging at the open-pit mines Profen and Vereinigtes Schleenhain in Central Germany were conducted. Taken samples were analysed macropetrographically, as well as microscopically in terms of maceral analysis and moor facies analysis.

The resulting depositional model reconstructs the development and disturbances of the paleo-mires, revealing external environmental influences. It demonstrates the sequence of moor facies cycles and identifies areas with peat fires or the drying out of the marsh. This includes information on plant communities, groundwater levels, oxygen and nutrient availability, and climatic conditions during deposition. By correlating this information throughout different parts of the Central German lignite basin, new insights into its depositional model are provided.

Geophysical data from the Liguro-Provençal Basin shows prominent margin asymmetry but the nature of the crust, especially in the northeastern part of the basin, remains unclear. The basin formed at the junction of the northern Apennines and the western Alps due to the rollback of the Calabrian-Apennines subduction zone in the Oligo-Miocene. The opening of the basin was accompanied by counter-clockwise rotation of the Corsica-Sardinia block relative to Europe with the basin widening southwestwards. Recent weak compressional earthquakes offshore within the basin suggest possible basin inversion due to the ongoing Africa-Eurasia convergence. An insight into the crustal structure of the basin is therefore the key to understanding these recent processes. To this end, we compiled existing geological and geophysical data, including new data from the German project “Mountain Building Processes in Four Dimensions” (4DMB), to constrain the crustal and sedimentary thicknesses throughout the basin. Moreover, we derived kinematic parameters of extension using regional tectonic reconstructions and used the coupled ASPECT and FastScape geodynamic code to model the opening of the basin in its northeastern (Corsica – Provence) and southwestern (Sardinia – Gulf of Lion) parts. The comparison of the geodynamic models and geophysical data suggests: 1) the extent of oceanic crust in the Liguro-Provençal Basin did not reach as far north as previously presumed; 2) rift-related structures are possibly being reactivated offshore to the northwest of Corsica. We also present new constraints on the lateral extent of rifted continental crust and exhumed mantle and evolution of the basin through time.

The Rodada Formation is one of the Ordovician sequences that crops out in the eastern domain of the Iberian Central System (Central Iberian Zone, CIZ). This formation is mainly composed of Middle Ordovician (Darriwillian) fine-grained shales. An isotopic study (Sr and Nd) in 15 shale samples of this formation reveals negative εNd₍₄₆₀₎ values, which indicate a high cortical affinity and relatively older isotopic signatures (T_DM= 1.6-1.8 Ga). These Nd model ages prove to be older than those associated with Ediacaran and Cambrian sequences in southern CIZ. Altogether, T_DM values represent an inverse chronological evolution compared to the ages of the stratigraphic sequences. The causes for this evolution are yet unclear, however it should be considered that, during the Middle Ordovician, the North African margin of Gondwana shares the characteristics of a passive margin affected by a pronounced extension. In this margin, the location of the CIZ is subject to an extensive debate. Even so, it is commonly accepted that its sedimentary sequences were deposited in an elongated section of the continental shelf adjacent to the Sahara Metacraton and Trans-Saharan Orogen. The evolution followed by the T_DM record may be compatible with a progressive variation in the source areas and their shifting towards regions closer to the West African Craton. In addition, it may be also explained by an increased exposure or progressive exhumation of the cratonic domains of northern African continent. An extended post-glacial period may have contributed to both processes, either by the retreat of the ice sheet or by the subsequent isostatic compensation.