Abstract
Stable carbon isotope ratios of fossil wood from the Miocene brown coal deposits in former East Germany are compared with palaeobotanical and sedimentological data to test the use of stable isotopes in determining palaeoenvironment. Significant differences in the chemical composition of samples from different horizons were observed. Those specimens preserved under the most (bio)degrading conditions yielded stable carbon isotope values least representative of original wood specimens. Overall, the chemical preservation of the wood was seen to affect the stable isotope signal but deconvolving the preservational bias using a molecular approach enabled estimations of δ13Cbiomass and δ13Cpalaeoatmosphere that were then used to interpret more fully the palaeoenvironment.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 345-354 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |
| Volume | 236 |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| Early online date | 18 Jan 2006 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 27 Jun 2006 |