Oxygen-containing aromatic compounds in a Late Permian sediment

In northern Italy the base of the Tesero Oolite Horizon represents the lithological boundary between the Bellerophon and Werfen Formations and marks one of the most dramatic environmental perturbations in Phanerozoic time. The marl, which directly underlies the Tesero Horizon, contains many indicators of environmental change during the end-Permian mass extinction. At Vigo Meano, near Trento, the marl is relatively thermally immature and contains abundant terrestrially-sourced oxygen containing aromatic compounds such as xanthones, dibenzofurans and dibenzo-p-dioxin as well as abundant alkylated naphthalenes.