Abstract

The first results of a multidisciplinary study on the Messinian evaporitic interval of the Govone section (northwestern Italy), subdivided into several sedimentary cycles, are reported here. Primary sulphate evaporites and intercalated shaly deposits, which formed during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, contain well-preserved and taxonomically determinable terrestrial plant remains. Palynomorphs are present continuously all along the analysed succession and among them, pollen is especially abundant and diverse. Additionally, a few fragments of silicified wood (which are rare in the studied area) occurred in layers rich in phytodebris, but their analysis showed poor preservation of anatomy. Carpological remains are not abundant and are strongly altered by diagenesis. Compressed conifer shoots and angiosperm leaves are well-preserved in several layers, one of which yielded a particularly diverse assemblage. The various plant records have been integrated to obtain an initial general idea on the floristic composition of the assemblages and the palaeoenvironment. We hypothesize that a subtropical humid forest may have surrounded the basin, not only during the deposition of shale deposits, but also during the formation of gypsum, generally considered a product of arid climate. Despite the low-resolution sampling strategy for macrofossils, the identification of several relevant plant taxa (Engelhardia orsbergensis, Eurya stigmosa, Symplocos casparyi, Taiwania sp.), seems to indicate that the Govone section could provide an interesting glimpse into the composition of the palaeoflora of northern Italy during the deposition of the Messinian evaporites.

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Abstract

The late Early/early Middle Miocene flora from Parschlug (Styria, Austria) is famous for its numerous specimens and high diversity. Some taxa previously described are revised here and 42 new angiosperm leaf morphotypes/taxa are described. The Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP) is applied to assess the palaeoclimate. An update of the tool to assess the most suitable modern climate CLAMP calibration dataset is introduced. The Integrated Plant Record (IPR) vegetation analysis, assessing the most likely major vegetation type represented by a fossil flora, and similarity approaches Drudges 1 and 2, indicating the most similar modern vegetation proxies, had been previously applied to data from Parschlug. Both are again applied here on the enlarged floristic spectrum. The results indicate “sclerophyllous subhumid forest” as the most likely major zonal vegetation type for Parschlug and European vegetation, namely “Thermophilous mixed deciduous broadleaved forests”, distributed today in southern and southeastern Europe, as the most similar modern vegetation. The climate for Parschlug, inferred from CLAMP and the climate in the region of the modern vegetation proxies, indicates distinct seasonality in precipitation and temperature.

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