Keywords
landscape evolution
palaeovegetation
plant habitats
wood decomposition
How to Cite
Abstract
This study re-evaluates previous results based on analyses of fossil wood (xylites) from the 2nd Lusatian lignite seam (LLS-2) and xylites and detritic lignite samples from the 1st Mid-Polish lignite seam (MPLS-1), and outlines temporal and spatial differences in vegetation and depositional environments. Evidence for varying contributions of gymnosperms and angiosperms during peat accumulation comes from the biomarker and carbon isotopic composition of detritic lignite from MPLS-1. The investigated woody macrofossils (xylites) from all deposits (Lubstów, Adamów, Jóźwin IIB, Tomisławice) were derived from conifers. Slightly lower contributions of Cupressaceae and a greater contribution of Pinaceae in the peat-forming environment during deposition of LLS-2 are indicated by higher average abundance of tricyclic diterpanes (abietane-type) and lower contents of phyllocladanes. A higher groundwater table in the area of the Jóźwin IIB mine is indicated by enhanced gelification and lower cellulose content of xylites. Cellulose decomposition and contamination by inherent detritic lignite affect the δ13C values of fossil wood. Variations in δ13C values of wood cellulose were most probably caused by differences in water availability to conifers, associated with highly dynamic landscape evolution, including changing river flow directions, flood frequency, and crevasse-splay formation. Slightly higher average δ13C values of fossil wood cellulose during deposition of LLS-2, together with a similar trend observed in tree stumps from the Lower Rhine Basin, suggest episodically lower groundwater tables in the mires, probably related to variations in precipitation.
References
Arens N.C., Jahren A.H. & Amundson R., 2000. Can C3 plants faithfully record the carbon isotopic composition of atmospheric carbon dioxide? Paleobiology 261, 137–164.
Bechtel A., Widera M., Sachsenhofer R.F., Gratzer R., Lücke A. & Woszczyk M., 2007. Biomarker and stable carbon isotope systematics of fossil wood from the second Lusatian lignite seam of the Lubstów deposit (Poland). Organic Geochemistry 38, 1850–1864.
Bechtel A., Gratzer R., Sachsenhofer R.F., Gusterhuber J., Lücke A. & Püttmann W., 2008. Biomarker and carbon isotope variation in coal and fossil wood of Central Europe through the Cenozoic. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 262, 166–175.
Bechtel A., Widera M. & Woszczyk M., 2019. Composition of lipids from the First Lusatian lignite seam of the Konin Basin (Poland): Relationships with vegetation, climate and carbon cycling during the mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum. Organic Geochemistry 138, 103908.
Bechtel A., Widera M., Lücke A., Groß D. & Woszczyk M., 2020. Petrological and geochemical characteristics of xylites from the First Lusatian lignite seam (Konin Basin, Poland): implications for floral sources, decomposition and environmental conditions. Organic Geochemistry 147, 104052.
Benner R., Maccubbin A.E. & Hodson R.E., 1984. Anaerobic biodegradation of the lignin and polysaccaride components of lignocellulose and synthetic lignin by sediment micro-flora. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 47, 998–1004.
Benner R., Fogel M.L., Sprague E.K. & Hodson R.E., 1987. Depletion of 13C in lignin and its implications for stable carbon isotope studies. Nature 329, 708–710.
Bray E.E. & Evans E.D., 1961. Distribution of n-paraffins as a clue to recognition of source beds. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 22, 2–15.
Bruch A.A., Uhl D. & Mosbrugger V., 2007. Miocene climate in Europe-Patterns and evolution. A first synthesis of NECLIME. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 253, 1–7.
Casagrande D.J., 1987. Sulphur in peat and coal. [In:] Scott A.C. (Ed.): Coal and Coal-Bearing Strata: Recent Advances. Geological Society of London, Special Publication 32, pp. 87–105.
Ciuk E. & Grabowska I., 1991. Syntetyczny profil stratygraficzny trzeciorzędu złoża węgla brunatnego Lubstów w Lubstowie, woj. konińskie [Synthetic stratigraphic section of the Tertiary in the Lubstów brown coal deposit at Lubstów, Konin District]. Biuletyn Państwowego Instytutu Geologicznego 365, 47–72. (in Polish with English summary).
Diefendorf A.F. & Freimuth E.J., 2017. Extracting the most from terrestrial plantderived n-alkyl lipids and their carbon isotopes from the sedimentary record: A review. Organic Geochemistry 103, 1–21.
Diefendorf A.F., Freeman K.H., Wing S.L. & Graham H.V., 2011. Production of n-alkyl lipids in living plants and implications for the geologic past. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 75, 7472–7485.
Diefendorf A.F., Sberna D.T. & Taylor D.W., 2015. Effect of thermal maturation on plant-derived terpenoids and leaf wax n-alkyl components. Organic Geochemistry 89–90, 61–70.
Eglinton G. & Hamilton R.J., 1967. Leaf epicuticular waxes. Science 156, 1322–1335.
Fabiańska M. & Kurkiewicz S., 2013. Biomarkers, aromatic hydrocarbons and polar compounds in the Neogene lignites and gangue sediments of the Konin and Turoszów Brown Coal Basins (Poland). International Journal of Coal Geology 107, 24–44.
Grantham P.J. & Douglas A.G., 1980. The nature and origin of sesquiterpenoids in some Tertiary fossil resins. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 44, 1801–1810.
Grimm K. (Ed.), 2002. Tertiary. [In:] German Stratigraphic Commission (Ed.): Stratigraphic table of Germany 2002.
Hagemann H.W. & Hollerbach A., 1979. Relationship between the macropetrographic and organic geochemical composition of lignites. [In:] Douglas A.G., Maxwell J.R. (Eds): Advances in Organic Geochemistry. Pergamon Press, pp. 631–638.
Hayek E.W.H., Jordis U., Moche W. & Sauter F., 1989. A bicentennial of betulin. Phytochemistry 28, 2229–2242.
Inglis G.N., Naafs B.D.A., Zeng Y., McClymont E.L., Evershed R.P. & Pancost R.D., 2018. Distribution of geohopanoids in peat: Implications for the use of hopanoid-based proxies in natural archives. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 224, 249–261.
Jahren A.H. & Sternberg L.S.L., 2008. Annual patterns within tree rings of the Arctic middle Eocene (ca. 45 Ma): isotopic signatures of precipitation, relative humidity, and deciduousness. Geology 36, 99–102.
Jordan M., 1995. δ13C-Markierungen in Jahrringen fossiler Baumstämme – miozäne Klimazeugen aus der Niederrheinischen Bucht. [δ13C of growth rings from fossil tree stumps – climatic proxies for the Miocene of the Lower Rhine Basin]. PhD Thesis University of Cologne, Hundt Druck GmbH, Köln, 109 pp. (in German).
Karrer W., Cherbuliez E. & Eugster C.H., 1977. Konstitution und Vorkommen der organischen Pflanzenstoffe [Configuration and appearance of phytochemicals]. Sublimentary volume I, Birkhäuser, Basel, Stuttgart, 1035 pp. (in German).
Kasiński J.R. & Słodkowska B., 2016. Factors controlling Cenozoic anthracogenesis in the Polish Lowlands. Geological Quarterly 60, 959–974.
Kojić I., Kus J., Životić D. & Stojanović K., 2021. The potential of biomarkers to distinguish Lower and Middle Miocene lignites from coal-mining districts of Lusatia. [In:] 30th International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry (IMOG), 12–17 September 2021, Montpellier, France.
Kwiecińska B. & Wagner, M. 2001. Możliwość zastosowania refleksyjności jako metody badawczej w klasyfikowaniu i technologicznej ocenie jakości węgla brunatnego [Application of reflectance in natural and technological classification of brown coal (lignite)]. University of Science and Technology Press, Cracow, 35 pp. (in Polish).
Logan G.A. & Eglinton G., 1994. Biogeochemistry of the Miocene lacustrine deposit at Clarkia, northern Idaho, U.S.A. Organic Geochemistry 21, 857–870.
Lücke A., Helle G., Schleser G.H., Figueiral I., Mosbrugger V., Jones T.B. & Rowe N.P., 1999. Environmental history of German Lower Rhine Embayment during the Middle Miocene as reflected by carbon isotopes in brown coal. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 154, 339–352.
Marynowski L., Otto A., Zatoń M., Philippe M. & Simoneit B.R.T., 2007. Biomolecules preserved in 168 million year old fossil conifer wood. Naturwissenschaften 94, 228–236.
Noble R.A., Alexander R., Kagi, R.I. & Knox J., 1985. Tetracyclic diterpenoid hydrocarbons in some Australian coals, sediments and crude oils. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 49, 2141–2147.
Otto A. & Simoneit B.R.T., 2001. Chemosystematics and diagenesis of terpenoids in fossil conifer species and sediment from the Eocene Zeitz formation, Saxony, Germany. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 65, 3505–3527.
Otto A. & Wilde V., 2001. Sesqui-, di-, and triterpenoids as chemosystematic markers in extant conifers – a review. Botanical Review 67, 141–238.
Otto A., Walther H. & Püttmann W., 1997. Sesqui- and diterpenoid biomarkers in Taxodium-rich Oligocene oxbow lake clays, Weisselster basin, Germany. Organic Geochemistry 26, 105–115.
Otto A., Simoneit B.R.T., Wilde V., Kunzmann L. & Püttmann W., 2002. Terpenoid composition of three fossil resins from Cretaceous and Tertiary conifers. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 120, 203–215.
Pettersen R.C., 1984. The chemical composition of wood. [In:] Roswell R.M. (Ed.): The chemistry of solid wood. American Chemical Society, Washington D.C., pp. 57–126.
Philp R.P., 1985. Fossil fuel biomarkers. Applications and spectra. Methods in Geochemistry and Geophysics 23, 1–294.
Piwocki M. & Ziembińska-Tworzydło M., 1997. Neogene of the Polish Lowlands — lithostratigraphy and pollen-spore zones. Geological Quarterly 41, 21–40.
Poole I., Dolezych M., Kool J., van der Burgh J. van Bergen P.F., 2006. Do stable carbon isotopes of brown coal woods record changes in Lower Miocene palaeoecology? Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 236, 345–354.
Rullkötter J., Peakman T.M. & ten Haven, H.L., 1994. Early diagenesis of terrigenous triterpenoids and its implications for petroleum geochemistry. Organic Geochemistry 21, 215–233.
Sadowska A. & Giża B., 1991. The flora and age of the brown coal from Pątnów. Acta Palaeobotanica 31, 201–214.
Schleser G.H., Frielingsdorf J. & Blair A., 1999. Carbon isotope behaviour in wood and cellulose during artificial aging. Chemical Geology 158, 121–130.
Simoneit B.R.T. & Mazurek M.A., 1982. Organic matter of the troposphere – II. Natural background of biogenic lipid matter in aerosols over the rural western United States. Atmospheric Environment 16, 2139–2159.
Simoneit B.R.T., Otto A., Oros D. & Kusumoto N., 2019. Terpenoids of the Swamp Cypress Subfamily (Taxodioideae), Cupressaceae, an Overview by GC-MS. Molecules 2019 24, 3036.
Słodkowska B. & Widera M., 2021. Vegetation response to environmental changes based on palynological research on the Middle Miocene lignite at the Jóźwin IIB open-cast mine (Konin region, central Poland). Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae 91, 149–166.
Słodkowska B. & Widera M., 2022. Reconstruction of the sedimentary environment of phytogenic deposits in the Tomisławice opencast mine (Konin Region, central Poland). Geological Quarterly 66, 34. https://doi.org/10.7306/gq.1666
Stock A.T., Littke R., Lücke, A., Zieger L. & Thielemann T., 2016. Miocene depositional environment and climate in western Europe: The lignite deposits of the Lower Rhine Basin, Germany. International Journal of Coal Geology 157, 2–18.
Spyckerelle C., Greiner A.C., Albrecht P. & Ourisson G., 1977. Aromatic hydrocarbons from geological sources. Part III. Journal of Chemical Research (M), 3746–3777.
Sukh Dev, 1989. Terpenoids. [In:] Rowe J.W. (Ed.): Natural Products of Woody Plants, Vol. 1. Springer, Berlin, pp. 691–807.
Teichmüller M., 1989. The genesis of coal from the viewpoint of coal petrology. International Journal of Coal Geology 12, 1–87.
ten Haven H.L., Peakman T.M. & Rullkötter J., 1992. Early diagenetic transformation of higher-plant triterpenoids in deep-sea sediments from Baffin Bay. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 56, 2001–2024.
Tipple B.J., Meyers S.R. & Pagani M., 2010. Carbon isotope ratio of Cenozoic CO2: a comparative evaluation of available geochemical proxies. Paleoceanography 25, PA3202.
Urbański P., Wachocki R. & Widera M., 2025. Sedimentary record of the late Neogene avulsion process at the Tomisławice lignite opencast mine in central Poland – a new hypothesis. Acta Geologica Polonica 75, e55.
Wakeham S.G., Schaffner C. & Giger, W., 1980. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Recent lake sediments. II. Compounds derived from biological precursors during early diagenesis. Geochimimica et Cosmochimica Acta 44, 415–429.
Widera M., 2007. Litostratygrafia i paleotektonika kenozoiku podplejstoceńskiego Wielkopolski [Lithostratigraphy and Palaeotectonics of the Sub-Pleistocene Cenozoic of Wielkopolska]. Adam Mickiewicz University Press, Poznań, 224 pp. (in Polish with English summary).
Widera M., 2016. Depositional environments of overbank sedimentation in the lignite-bearing Grey Clays Member: New evidence from Middle Miocene deposits of central Poland. Sedimentary Geology 335, 150–165.
Widera M., 2021. Geologia polskich złóż węgla brunatnego [Geology of Polish lignite deposits]. Bogucki Science Press, Poznań, 180 pp. (in Polish).
Widera M. & Kita A., 2007. Paleogene marginal marine sedimentation in central-western Poland. Geological Quarterly 51, 79–90.
Widera M. & Klęsk J., 2025. Poznań Clays versus Poznań Formation in the upper Neogene of the Polish Lowlands: Controversy about meaning, origin and age. Geological Quarterly 69, 17.
Widera M., Bechtel A., Chomiak L., Maciaszek P., Słodkowska B., Wachocki R., Worobiec E., Worobiec G. & Zieliński T., 2021a. Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Konin Basin (central Poland) during lignite accumulation linked to the Mid-Miocene Climate Optimum. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 568, 110307.
Widera M., Zieliński T., Chomiak L., Maciaszek P., Wachocki R., Bechtel A., Słodkowska B., Worobiec E. & Worobiec G., 2021b. Tectonic-climatic interactions during changes of depositional environments in the Carpathian foreland: An example from the Neogene of central Poland. Acta Geologica Polonica 71, 519–542.
Widera M., Dzieduszyńska D. & Petera-Zganiacz J., 2022. Geological and palaeogeographical peculiarities of the Adamów Graben area, central Poland. Geologos 28, 1–17.
Wissel H., Mayr C. & Lücke A., 2008. A new approach for the isolation of cellulose from aquatic plant tissue and freshwater sediments for stable isotope analysis. Organic Geochemistry 39, 1545–1561.
Wolff G.A., Trendel J.M. & Albrecht P., 1989. Novel monoaromatic triterpenoid hydrocarbons occuring in sediments. Tetrahedron 45, 6721–6728.
Worobiec E., Widera M., Worobiec G. & Kurdziel B., 2021. Middle Miocene palynoflora from the Adamów lignite deposit, central Poland. Palynology 45, 59–71.
Zachos J., Pagani M., Sloan L., Thomas E. & Billups K., 2001. Trends, rhythms, and aberrations in global climate 65 Ma to present. Science 292, 686–693.
Zieliński T. & Widera M., 2020. Anastomosing-to-meandering transitional river in sedimentary record: A case study from the Neogene of central Poland. Sedimentary Geology 404, 105677.
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Achim Bechtel, Doris Groß, Andreas Lücke
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.