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Ancient hydrocarbon seep-carbonates of Miocene age have been reported from marine sedimentary successions of the northern Apennines in the form of irregularly shaped micritic masses containing abundant fossil remains of oligotypic assemblages. They are recognized by their peculiar biological, sedimentological and geochemical features, and represent an excellent on-land example of carbonate bodies interpreted as the remains of ancient cold seeps. In the Apenninic chain, the abundance and the extent of the outcrops provide a rare opportunity to study the geometry, facies distribution and internal structures of fossil methane-derived carbonates. The present study reports an integrated view of the sedimentology, mineral paragenesis and geochemistry of these seep-carbonates in two different tectono-sedimentary settings: foredeep and satellite basins. The main result of this study is the recognition of 17 …