New geochemical data on fossil wood from the Albian of the Dolomites (Southern Alps, Italy)

Abstract

Abstract Information is provided about organic-matter bearing sediments and fossil drift-wood from the Puez area (Col de Puez, Southern Alps) near Wolkenstein (S. Tyrol, Italy). The locality is located on the Trento Plateau which represents a submarine high during the Lower Cretaceous. Its terpenoid hydrocarbon composition indicates that the wood fragment derived from a conifer belonging to the family Podocarpaceae or Araucariaceae. Intense degradation of OM argues for lengthier drifting. Long-term drifting is also indicated by the infestation of the bivalve Teredo (“shipworm”). The finding of a fossil tree trunk sheds some light on the early Lower Cretaceous tectonic history of the Trento Plateau and the Dolomites.