Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum sensitivity of a continental lake basin from geochemical records of the Fushun Basin, Northeastern China

•Chromaticity to sediment color and magnetic susceptibility can effectively reflect paleoenvironmental information.•MECO events have phases, of which 401.5–374.3 m (41.2–40.42 Ma) is the main stage and 374.3–371.2 m (40.42–40.32 Ma) is the recovery stage.•MECO promoted the rapid rise of paleotemperature and precipitation in continental lacustrine basin, and then both temperature and precipitation decreased rapidly.