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Ash fall layers and vitroclastic-carrying sediments distributed throughout the entire Permian stratigraphic range of the Parana Basin (Brazil and Uruguay) occur in the Tubarao Supergroup (Rio Bonito Formation) and the Passa Dois Group (Irati, Estrada Nova/Teresina, Corumbatai, and Rio do Rasto Formations), which constitute the Gondwana 1 Supersequence. U-Pb zircon ages, acquired by SHRIMP and isotope-dissolution thermal ionization mass spectrometer (ID-TIMS) from tuffs within the Mangrullo and Yaguari Formations of Uruguay, are compatible with a correlation with the Irati and parts of the Teresina and Rio do Rasto Formations, respectively, of Brazil. U-Pb zircon ages suggest maximum depositional ages for the samples: (1) Rio Bonito Formation: ages ranging from 295.8±3.1 to 304.0±5.6 Ma (Asselian, lowermost Permian), consistent with the age range of the Protohaploxypinus goraiensis subzone; (2) Irati Formation: ages ranging from 279.9±4.8 to 280.0±3.0 Ma (Artinskian, Middle Permian), consistent with the occurrence of species of the Lueckisporites virkkiae zone; (3) Rio do Rasto Formation: ages ranging from 266.7±5.4 to 274.6±6.3 Ma (Wordian to Roadian, Middle Permian). All the SHRIMP U-Pb zircon ages are consistent with their superimposition order in the stratigraphy, the latest revisions to the Permian timescale (International Commission of Stratigraphy, 2018 version), and the most recent appraisals of biostratigraphic data. The ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon ages from the Corumbatai Formation suggest that U-Pb ages may be >10% younger than interpreted biostratigraphic ages.

The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has led to irreversible climate changes, emphasizing the need for effective strategies to mitigate emissions. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies, including geological CO2 storage, have gained recognition worldwide due to their potential for CO2 emissions abatement. Among potential geological reservoirs, coal seams are significant due to their efficiency in securing CO2 storage, through their adsorption storage capacity. This study presents an innovative methodology for estimating the theoretical CO2 storage capacity in unmineable coal seams, focusing on the Chico Lomã deposit in southern Brazil. The methodology integrates a comprehensive drillhole database and adsorption isotherm data to define the coal reservoir zone and calculate its CO2 storage capacity. The results indicate a total theoretical CO2 storage capacity of 47.8 Gt in the Chico Lomã deposit, with the potential to mitigate emissions from local thermoelectric plants for over 500 years. The study encourages the application of the proposed methodology to assess CO2 storage capacity in other unmineable coal deposits worldwide.

A growing number of countries have set ambitious climate targets and recognized the potential of CO 2 geological storage. Brazil's goal is to neutralize carbon emissions by 2050. The Paraná Basin is one of the most favorable onshore sedimentary basins for geological storage of CO 2 in Brazil. This extensive sedimentary basin presents a privileged location in the south and southeast regions, where the largest stationary CO 2 emitters are concentrated. Our results showed Rio Bonito Formation siliciclastic deposits present pairs of reservoir-seal rocks with adequate thicknesses and depths for stratigraphic CO 2 trapping. The screening allowed us to define a favorability map area, which will be the basis for subsequent detailing and characterization studies on the Rio Bonito Formation rocks and the location of CO 2 injection sites, thus contributing to the mitigation of the impacts of this gas in climate change.

The combustion of fossil fuels accounts for over 85% of global energy supply and is a major source of CO₂ emissions. Geological storage in mature reservoirs and deep saline aquifers is a promising mitigation strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Paraná Basin (South America) and the Gondwana Damodar and Son-Mahanadi basins (India) present suitable conditions, with porous sandstone reservoirs sealed by impermeable caprocks. This study investigates CO₂–brine–rock interactions in a synthetic saline aquifer under high pressure (25–200 bar) and temperature (50–100 °C) for 24–96 h. The laboratory experiments in a hydrodynamic reactor revealed precipitation of carbonate minerals, confirmed by XRD. PHREEQC modeling predicted the formation of calcite, dolomite, magnesite, siderite, and dawsonite, with a marked decrease in the concentrations of brine ions. The results effectively establish that CO₂–brine interactions promote mineral trapping, providing insights into long-term CO₂ stabilization in saline aquifers.

The formal description of a liverwort from the Paraná Basin is presented. The fossil was found in the Rio Bonito Formation, Early Permian (Sakmarian), and is identified as a new species of the genus Hepaticites, named H. iporangae n. sp. The samples studied were collected from the macrofossil-rich roof-shale layer of the Quitéria Outcrop in the municipality of Encruzilhada do Sul, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. H. iporangae is one of the oldest liverworts reported from South America. The fossil described here provides more evidence of the relative diversity of liverworts in Paleozoic Gondwana despite the severe climatic conditions during the glaciations of the Permo-Carboniferous.

The comparative analysis of floral diversity data on Permian rocks from the Parana Basin, Brazil, and nine Australian basins revealed that the South American and the Australian basins bear completely different floral-diversity signatures. The Parana Basin displays a peak in microfloral diversity during deposition of the coal-bearing Rio Bonito Formation, followed by a steady decrease during the Middle and Late Permian, whereas diversity in Australia remained high throughout the Permian. These data suggest that, while the flora in the Parana Basin was submitted to more stressful conditions as the continent moved from humid, temperate zones into subtropical, desertic ones, the flora in Australia thrived under persistently humid conditions. Therefore, the increased aridity recorded by the Permian rocks in the Parana Basin is more likely to be due to the northward migration of western Gondwana across climate zones rather than a global trend throughout the Permian.