Palaeoclimatic oscillations in the Pliensbachian (Early Jurassic) of the Asturian Basin (Northern Spain)

One of the main controversial items in palaeoclimatology is to elucidate if climate during the Jurassic was warmer than present day, with no ice caps, or if ice caps were present in some specific intervals. The Pliensbachian Cooling event (Lower Jurassic) has been pointed out as one of the main candidates to have developed ice caps on the poles. To constrain the timing of this cooling event, including the palaeoclimatic evolution before and after cooling, as well as the calculation of the seawater palaeotemperatures are of primary importance to find arguments on this subject. For this purpose, the Rodiles section of the Asturian Basin (Northern Spain), a well exposed succession of the uppermost Sinemurian, Pliensbachian and Lower Toarcian deposits, has been studied. A total of 562 beds were measured and sampled for ammonites, for biostratigraphical purposes and for belemnites, to determine the palaeoclimatic evolution through stable isotope studies. Comparison of the recorded uppermost Sinemurian, Pliensbachian and Lower Toarcian changes in seawater palaeotemperature with other European sections allows characterization of several climatic changes of probable global extent. A warming interval which partly coincides with a negative δ13Cbel excursion was recorded at the Upper Sinemurian. After a "normal" temperature interval, a new warming interval that contains a short lived positive δ13Cbel peak, was developed at the Lower-Upper Pliensbachian transition. The Upper Pliensbachian represents an outstanding cooling interval containing a positive δ13Cbel excursion interrupted by a small negative δ13Cbel peak. Finally, the Lower Toarcian represented an exceptional warming period pointed as the main responsible for the prominent Lower Toarcian mass extinction

Palaeoclimatic oscillations in the Pliensbachian (Early Jurassic) of the Asturian Basin (Northern Spain)

One of the main controversial themes in palaeoclimatology involves elucidating whether climate during the Jurassic was warmer than the present day and if it was the same over Pangaea, with no major latitudinal gradients. There has been an abundance of evidence of oscillations in seawater temperature throughout the Jurassic. The Pliensbachian (Early Jurassic) constitutes a distinctive time interval for which several seawater temperature oscillations, including an exceptional cooling event, have been documented. To constrain the timing and magnitude of these climate changes, the Rodiles section of the Asturian Basin (Northern Spain), a well exposed succession of the uppermost Sinemurian, Pliensbachian and Lower Toarcian deposits, has been studied. A total of 562 beds were measured and sampled for ammonites, for biochronostratigraphical purposes, and for belemnites, to determine the palaeoclimatic evolution through stable isotope studies. Comparison of the recorded latest Sinemurian, Pliensbachian and Early Toarcian changes in seawater palaeotemperature with other European sections allows characterization of several climatic changes that are likely of a global extent. A warming interval partly coinciding with a <i>δ</i>¹³C_bel negative excursion was recorded at the Late Sinemurian. After a “normal” temperature interval, with temperatures close to average values of the Late Sinemurian–Early Toarcian period, a new warming interval containing a short-lived positive <i>δ</i>¹³C_bel peak, developed during the Early–Late Pliensbachian transition. The Late Pliensbachian represents an outstanding cooling interval containing a <i>δ</i>¹³C_bel positive excursion interrupted by a small negative <i>δ</i>¹³C_bel peak. Finally, the Early Toarcian represented an exceptional warming period, which has been pointed out as being responsible for the prominent Early Toarcian mass extinction