The present study investigates the climatic influence on the geochemistry and mineralogy of the Lower Cretaceous succession of the Ericeira region (Lusitanian Basin, western Portugal). Palaeoclimatic conditions are inferred from a combination of weathering indices and independent palynological and palaeobotanical data. A composite weathering intensity index is computed from selected geochemical and mineralogica...
The Lower Cretaceous (Barremian to lower Albian) of Central Portugal yields some of the earliest and best-preserved angiosperms, which are excellent materials to study the mid-Cretaceous fast and huge diversification of angiosperms. Regional stratigraphic and sedimentological studies are crucial to enlighten the timing and environmental forcing factors of angiosperm evolution, namely geodynamics, magmatism, cli...