The Kanaka Creek fossil flora (Huntingdon Formation), British Columbia, Canada — paleoenvironment and evidence for Paleocene age using palynology and macroflora

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 348-365
Author(s):  
Rolf W. Mathewes ◽  
David R. Greenwood ◽  
Renée L. Love
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Coastal Vegetation ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Fossil Flora ◽  
Leaf Margin ◽  
Leaf Analysis ◽  
Thermal Maximum ◽  
Margin Analysis

Paleogene sediments of the Huntingdon Formation, a correlative to the Chuckanut Formation of neighbouring Washington State, USA, are exposed in the Greater Vancouver area, British Columbia, Canada. Palynology and plant macrofossils suggest the Kanaka Creek section is Paleocene rather than Eocene in age. Detrital zircon dating is less decisive, yet indicates the Kanaka rocks are no older than Maastrichtian. Analyses of plant macro- and micro-fossils suggest an early to middle Paleocene age for the Kanaka fossil flora. Paleocene indicators include macrofossils such as Platanus bella, Archeampelos, Hamamelites inequalis, and Ditaxocladus, and pollen taxa such as Paraalnipollenites, Triporopollenites mullensis, and Duplopollis. Paleogene taxa such as Woodwardia maxonii, Macclintockia, and Glyptostrobus dominate the flora. Fungal spores including the Late Cretaceous Pesavis parva and the Paleogene Pesavis tagluensis are notable age indicators. Physiognomy of 41 angiosperm leaf morphotypes from Kanaka Creek yields mean annual temperatures in the microthermal to lower mesothermal range (11.2 ± 4.3 to 14.6 ± 2.7 °C from leaf margin analysis; 14.8 ± 2.1 °C from Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program), with mild winters (cold month mean temperature 3.9 ± 3.4 °C). Paleoclimate was cooler than the upper Paleocene and Eocene members of the Chuckanut Formation. Mean annual precipitation is estimated at ∼140 cm with large uncertainties. The Kanaka paleoflora is reconstructed as a mixed conifer–broadleaf forest, sharing common taxa with other western North American Paleocene floras and growing in a temperate moist climate. Kanaka Creek is a rare coastal Paleocene plant locality that provides new insights into coastal vegetation and climate prior to the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum.

THE PALEOBOTANY AND PALEOECOLOGY OF THE EOCENE HERREN BEDS OF NORTH-CENTRAL OREGON, USA

Palaios ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 424-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANTHONY P. JIJINA ◽  
ELLEN D. CURRANO ◽  
KURT CONSTENIUS
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Leaf Margin ◽  
North Central ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Margin Analysis

ABSTRACT New collections of plant macrofossils and radiometric dates from the Herren beds of north-central Oregon provide the opportunity to document floral communities and calculate foliar-derived climate estimates from the warm early Eocene and the cooler middle Eocene. Plant macrofossils were collected from one fluvial site at East Birch Creek approximately 2 m below a 51.9 ± 0.9 Ma tuff. Collections were also made at two co-occurring fluvial sites at Arbuckle Mountain, whose ages are constrained to ca. 44.5–43.8 Ma based on a dated tuff from Willow Creek (44.5 ± 0.8 Ma) and reported ages for the overlying Clarno Formation. Floral findings show an almost complete vegetation overturn, with only two genera (Glyptostrobus and Allantodiopsis) appearing in both floras. Both floras are species poor, but the older East Birch Creek flora has higher richness and evenness than the younger Arbuckle Mountain flora. The four named genera at East Birch Creek are taxa found throughout Eocene North America; named genera at Arbuckle Mountain also include taxa restricted to the Pacific Northwest. Leaf margin analysis and leaf area analysis of the East Birch Creek community suggest a warmer and possibly wetter (mean annual temperature 23.4 ± 4.3 °C; mean annual precipitation 206 +89, -63 cm) climate than the Arbuckle Mountain flora (16.4 ± 4.2 °C; 165 +50, -71.4 cm). This research provides a framework for future research on Eocene floristic, environmental, and climatic trends of the Pacific Northwest.

Depositional setting, fossil flora, and paleoenvironment of the Early Eocene Falkland site, Okanagan Highlands, British Columbia

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 811-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Y. Smith ◽  
James F. Basinger ◽  
David R. Greenwood
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Fossil Flora ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Leaf Margin ◽  
Early Eocene ◽  
Similarity Coefficients ◽  
Okanagan Highlands ◽  
Depositional Setting

The fossil flora and depositional setting of the Early Eocene Falkland site in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada, is reported in detail for the first time, using a census sampling approach. The Falkland site is part of the series of Okanagan Highlands fossil localities in British Columbia and Washington State that represent relatively cool upland environments within the context of the greenhouse world of the Early Eocene, providing microthermal (mean annual temperature (MAT) < 13 °C) climatic conditions for the establishment of cool-adapted plants geographically adjacent to subtropical elements from lowland floras. Plant community composition of the Falkland flora is most similar to the Republic (Washington) and McAbee (British Columbia) floras based on high Sørenson similarity coefficients, together forming a southern cluster of Okanagan Highlands sites. The site is a lacustrine deposit that formed in a volcanically active landscape. Paleoclimate reconstructions based on leaf physiognomy characterize the site as microthermal (MAT 8.9 ± 2.0 °C by leaf margin analysis or 11.9 ± 2.0 °C by climate leaf analysis multivariate program (CLAMP)), mesic (mean annual precipitation (MAP) 114 [Formula: see text]cm/year), and equable (cold month mean temperature (CMMT) 3.0 ± 2.0 °C). Paleoelevation of the site is estimated to be similar to or slightly higher than modern levels (>1.3 km) during the Early Eocene. The Falkland locality adds new data to the temporal, latitudinal, and altitudinal gradients of the Okanagan Highlands series, reflecting the regional landscape of northwestern North America during the warmest period of the Cenozoic.

Foliar physiognomic climate estimates for the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) Lark Quarry fossil flora, central-western Queensland, Australia

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (8) ◽  
pp. 575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara L. Fletcher ◽  
Patrick T. Moss ◽  
Steven W. Salisbury
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Fossil Flora ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Leaf Margin ◽  
Museum Collections ◽  
Growth Season ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Leaf Analysis

Although there is a broad knowledge of Cretaceous climate on a global scale, quantitative climate estimates for terrestrial localities are limited. One source of terrestrial palaeoproxies is foliar physiognomy. The use of foliar physiognomy to explore Cretaceous assemblages has been limited, and some of its potential sources of error have not been fully explored. Although museum collections house a wealth of material, collection bias toward particular taxa or preservation qualities of specimens further magnifies existing taphonomic bias to cold temperatures. As a result, specific collection for foliar physiognomy can be necessary. Here, we conduct three foliar physiognomic analyses on the early Late Cretaceous Lark Quarry flora and assess the results in the context of other proxies from the same formation. Our results suggest that the climate at the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary in central western Queensland was warm and had high precipitation (leaf-area analysis: 1321 mm + 413 mm – 315 mm mean annual precipitation; leaf-margin analysis: 16.4°C mean annual temperature, 5.3°C binomial sample error; climate leaf-analysis multivariate program: 16 ± 2°C for mean annual temperature, 9-month growth season, 1073 ± 483 mm growth-season precipitation). Our analysis also gave higher mean annual temperature estimates than did a previous analysis by climate leaf-analysis multivariate program, based on museum collections for the Winton Formation.

The Eocene Thomas Ranch flora, Allenby Formation, Princeton, British Columbia, Canada

Botany ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
pp. 514-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. Dillhoff ◽  
Thomas A. Dillhoff ◽  
David R. Greenwood ◽  
Melanie L. DeVore ◽  
Kathleen B. Pigg
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Leaf Analysis ◽  
High Uncertainty

A flora from Thomas Ranch near Princeton, British Columbia, Canada, is assessed for biodiversity and paleoclimate. This latest Early to early Middle Eocene flora occurs in the Allenby Formation. Seventy-six megafossil morphotypes have been recognized, representing at least 62 species, with 29 identified to genus or species. Common taxa include Ginkgo L., Metasequoia Miki, Sequoia Endl., Abies Mill., Pinus L., Pseudolarix Gordon, Acer L., Alnus Mill., Betula L., Fagus L., Sassafras J Presl, Macginitiea Wolfe & Wehr, Prunus L., and Ulmus L. More than 70 pollen and spore types are recognized, 32 of which are assignable to family or genus. The microflora is dominated by conifers (85%–97% abundance), with Betulaceae accounting for most of the angiosperms. The Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP) calculates a mean annual temperature (MAT) of 9.0 ± 1.7 °C and bioclimatic analysis (BA) calculates a MAT of 12.8 ± 2.5 °C. Coldest month mean temperature (CMMT) was >0 °C. Mean annual precipitation (MAP) was >70 cm/year but is estimated with high uncertainty. Both the CLAMP and BA estimates are at the low end of the MAT range previously published for other Okanagan Highland localities, indicating a temperate climate consistent with a mixed conifer–deciduous forest.

When are leaves good thermometers? A new case for Leaf Margin Analysis

Paleobiology ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Wilf
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Multivariate Data ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Leaf Margin ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Leaf Analysis ◽  
Climate Analysis ◽  
Margin Analysis

Precise estimates of past temperatures are critical for understanding the evolution of organisms and the physical biosphere, and data from continental areas are an indispensable complement to the marine record of stable isotopes. Climate is considered to be a primary selective force on leaf morphology, and two widely used methods exist for estimating past mean annual temperatures from assemblages of fossil leaves. The first approach, Leaf Margin Analysis, is univariate, based on the positive correlation in modern forests between mean annual temperature and the proportion of species in a flora with untoothed leaf margins. The second approach, known as the Climate-Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program, is based on a modern data set that is multivariate. I argue here that the simpler, univariate approach will give paleotemperature estimates at least as precise as the multivariate method because (1) the temperature signal in the multivariate data set is dominated by the leaf-margin character; (2) the additional characters add minimal statistical precision and in practical use do not appear to improve the quality of the estimate; (3) the predictor samples in the univariate data set contain at least twice as many species as those in the multivariate data set; and (4) the presence of numerous sites in the multivariate data set that are both dry and extremely cold depresses temperature estimates for moist and nonfrigid paleofloras by about 2°C, unless the dry and cold sites are excluded from the predictor set.New data from Western Hemisphere forests are used to test the univariate and multivariate methods and to compare observed vs. predicted error distributions for temperature estimates as a function of species richness. Leaf Margin Analysis provides excellent estimates of mean annual temperature for nine floral samples. Estimated temperatures given by 16 floral subsamples are very close both to actual temperatures and to the estimates from the samples. Temperature estimates based on the multivariate data set for four of the subsamples were generally less accurate than the estimates from Leaf Margin Analysis. Leaf-margin data from 45 transect collections demonstrate that sampling of low-diversity floras at extremely local scales can result in biased leaf-margin percentages because species abundance patterns are uneven. For climate analysis, both modern and fossil floras should be sampled over an area sufficient to minimize this bias and to maximize recovered species richness within a given climate.

scholarly journals Paleoenvironment of the Quilchena flora, British Columbia, during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum

2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 574-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolf W. Mathewes ◽  
David R. Greenwood ◽  
S. Bruce Archibald
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Size Analysis ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Leaf Margin ◽  
Early Eocene ◽  
Early Eocene Climatic Optimum ◽  
Climatic Optimum

The Quilchena fossil locality is dated (51.5 ± 0.4 Ma) to the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum, and this locality is reconstructed as the warmest and wettest of the Early Eocene upland sites from the Okanagan Highlands of British Columbia and northern Washington State. Mean annual temperature (MAT) is estimated from leaf margin analysis, using 55 dicot morphotypes, as 16.2 ± 2.1 °C/14.6 ± 4.8 °C. Using bioclimatic analysis of 45 nearest living relatives, a moist mesothermal climate is indicated (MAT 12.7–16.6 °C; cold month mean temperature (CMMT) 3.5–7.9 °C; mean annual precipitation (MAP) 103–157 cm/year. Leaf size analysis estimates MAP at 121 ± 39 cm/year. Estimates from the climate leaf analysis multivariate program corroborate these results, although with a slightly cooler MAT (13.3 ± 2.1 °C). Plants that support an interpretation of warm winters with minimal or no frost include Azolla, Glyptostrobus, Taxodium, Keteleeria, Pseudolarix, Eucommia, Dipteronia, Hovenia, Ternstroemia, and others. These thermophilous elements occur together with temperate genera such as Alnus, Betula, Ulmus, Calocedrus, and Fraxinus. Palynological assemblages at Quilchena are dominated by bisaccate conifers and Cupressaceae. Common angiosperms include Ulmus type, triporates, Pterocarya, and Alnus. Insect fossils at Quilchena that today inhabit tropical and subtropical regions also support warm and equable climate without significant frost, and include obligate palm-feeding beetles (Pachymerina), which indicate CMMT perhaps as high as 8 °C. These are found together with temperate aphids, wasps, giant lacewings, brown lacewings, and a panorpoid scorpionfly, supporting an interpretation of equable climatic conditions during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum.

scholarly journals Post-Pliocene establishment of the present monsoonal climate in SW China: evidence from the late Pliocene Longmen megaflora

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1675-1701 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Su ◽  
F. M. B. Jacques ◽  
R. A. Spicer ◽  
Y.-S. Liu ◽  
Y.-J. Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Leaf Margin ◽  
Late Pliocene ◽  
Leaf Analysis ◽  
Asian Winter Monsoon ◽  
Monsoon Index ◽  
Coexistence Approach ◽  
Western Yunnan ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau ◽  
Margin Analysis

Abstract. The paleoclimate of the late Pliocene Longmen flora from Yongping County located at the southeastern boundary of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was reconstructed using two leaf physiognomy based methods, i.e. Leaf Margin Analysis (LMA) and Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP), to understand the paleoclimate condition and geographical pattern of monsoonal climate in southwestern China during the late Pliocene. The mean annual temperatures (MATs) estimated by LMA and CLAMP are 17.4 ± 3.3 °C and 17.4 ± 1.3 °C, respectively, compared with 15.9 °C at present. Meanwhile, the growing season precipitation (GSP) estimated by CLAMP is 1735.5 ± 217.7 mm in the Longmen flora, compared with 986.9 mm nowadays. The calculated monsoon index (MSI) of the Longmen flora is significantly lower than that of today. These results appear consistent with previous studies based on the coexistence approach (CA), and further suggest that there was a slightly warmer and much wetter climate during the late Pliocene than the present climate in western Yunnan. We conclude that the significant change of the monsoonal climate might have been resulted from the continuous uplift of mountains in western Yunnan, as well as the intensification of eastern Asian winter monsoon, both occurring concurrently in the post-Pliocene period.

scholarly journals Late Holocene climatic changes in Tierra del Fuego based on multiproxy analyses of peat deposits.

2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmitri Mauquoy ◽  
Maarten Blaauw ◽  
Bas van Geel ◽  
Ana Borromei ◽  
Mirta Quattrocchio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Medieval Warm Period ◽  
Warm Period ◽  
Tierra Del Fuego ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Raised Bog ◽  
Climate Fluctuations ◽  
Peat Deposits ◽  
Tree Ring Data

A ca. 1400-yr record from a raised bog in Isla Grande, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, registers climate fluctuations, including a Medieval Warm Period, although evidence for the ‘Little Ice Age’ is less clear. Changes in temperature and/or precipitation were inferred from plant macrofossils, pollen, fungal spores, testate amebae, and peat humification. The chronology was established using a 14C wiggle-matching technique that provides improved age control for at least part of the record compared to other sites. These new data are presented and compared with other lines of evidence from the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. A period of low local water tables occurred in the bog between A.D. 960–1020, which may correspond to the Medieval Warm Period date range of A.D. 950–1045 generated from Northern Hemisphere tree-ring data. A period of cooler and/or wetter conditions was detected between ca. A.D. 1030 and 1100 and a later period of cooler/wetter conditions estimated at ca. cal A.D. 1800–1930, which may correspond to a cooling episode inferred from Law Dome, Antarctica.

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