the stratigraphy of the Khorat group and the palinspatic reconstruction of Southeast Asia. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 189, 104153.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136791201930505X Xenoxylon The fossil wood genus is reported in-situ for the first time in Thailand. It originates from the Indosinian terrane, from the Mesozoic continental redbeds of the Phu Kradung Formation (Khorat Group). Palinspatic reconstruction, palaeobiogeography and correlation with other occurrences of the genus, in southern China as well as in Vietnam, suggest a middle to late Jurassic age for the Phu Kradung Formation level yielding the fossil wood. The dating of this formation is still controversial and thus our data is an important step towards a better understanding of its geological history and palaeoecology, as well as of the Southeast Asia Mesozoic continental redbeds significance for the evolution of the vertebrates.

Borrelli, Borrelli, C., Gabitov, R.I., Liu, M.C., Hertwig, A.T., Panieri, G., 2020. The benthic foraminiferal δ S records flux and timing of paleo methane emissions. Scientific Reports 10, 1304.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-58353-4 In modern environments, pore water geochemistry and modelling simulations allow the study of methane (CH ) 4 sources and sinks at any geographic location. However, reconstructing CH dynamics in geological records is 4 34 challenging. Here, we show that the benthic foraminiferal δ S can be used to reconstruct the flux (i.e., diffusive 34 Cassidulina neoteretis vs. advective) and timing of CH emissions in fossil records. We measured the δ S of 4 specimens from selected samples collected at Vestnesa Ridge, a methane cold seep site in the Arctic Ocean. Our 34 ∼ results show lower benthic foraminiferal δ S values ( 20‰) in the sample characterized by seawater ∼ conditions, whereas higher values ( 25 -27‰) were measured in deeper samples as a consequence of the 34 presence of past sulphate- methane transition zones. The correlation between δ S and the bulk benthic 13 18 34 foraminiferal δ C supports this interpretation, whereas the foraminiferal δ O- δ S correlation indicates CH 4 advection at the studied site during the Early Holocene and the Younger-Dryas - post-Bølling. This study 34 highlights the potential of the benthic foraminiferal δ S as a novel tool to reconstruct the flux of CH emissions 4 in geological records and to indirectly date fossil seeps.

Bouamoud, R., Moine, E.C., Mulongo-Masamba, R., El Hamidi, A., Halim, M., Arsalane, S., 2020. Type I kerogen- rich oil shale from the Democratic Republic of the Congo: mineralogical description and pyrolysis kinetics. Petroleum Science 17, 255 - 267.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12182-019-00384-2 The Democratic Republic of the Congo holds important reserves of oil shale which is still under geological status. Herein, the characterization and pyrolysis kinetics of type I kerogen-rich oil shale of the western Central Kongo (CK) were investigated. X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis (TG/DTA) showed that CK oil shale exhibits a siliceous mineral matrix with a consistent organic matter rich in aliphatic chains. The pyrolysis behavior of kerogen revealed the presence of a single mass loss between 300 and 550 °C, estimated at 12.5% and attributed to the oil production stage. Non-isothermal kinetics was performed by determining the activation energy using the iterative isoconversional model-free methods and exhibits a - 1 constant value with E=211.5 ± 4.7 kJ mol . The most probable kinetic model describing the kerogen pyrolysis mechanism was obtained using the Coats - Redfern and Arrhenius plot methods. The results showed a unique kinetic triplet confirming the nature of kerogen, predominantly type I and reinforcing the previously reported geochemical characteristics of the CK oil shale. Besides, the calculation of thermodynamic parameters (ΔH*, ΔS* and ΔG*) corresponding to the pyrolysis of type I kerogen revealed that the process is non-spontaneous, in agreement with DTA experiments.

Boulila, S., Charbonnier, G., Spangenberg, J.E., Gardin, S., Galbrun, B., Briard, J., Le Callonnec, L., 2020. Unraveling short- and long-term carbon cycle variations during the Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 from the Paris Basin Chalk. Global and Planetary Change 186, 103126.