Palaeoenvironment assessment of Pliocene Lom lignite (Bulgaria) from bitumen analysis and preparative off line thermochemolysis

The bitumen provided unequivocal information for an angiosperm contribution to the mire, while the results of the TMAH pyrolysis revealed a concomitant angiosperm and gymnosperm input. The biomarker assemblage makes the Lom lignite unique in Bulgaria, all the other Bulgarian Neogene lignites being dominated by coniferous vegetation, with only traces of angiosperm contributions.