Triassic vegetation and climate evolution on the northern margin of Gondwana: a palynological study from Tulong, southern Xizang (Tibet), ChinaShow others and affiliations
2019 (English)In: Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, ISSN 1367-9120, E-ISSN 1878-5786, Vol. 175, p. 74-82Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
We present vegetation reconstructions based on an almost complete succession through the Triassic of Tulong, Nyalam County, southern Xizang (Tibet), China. The Permian and earliest Triassic samples were barren of palynomorphs, however, in overlying strata we identified well-preserved and diverse miospore assemblages. Seven pollen and spore zones spanning the Olenekian to the Rhaetian were recognized. These palynological zones were amalgamated into three floral stages that comprise distinct vegetation types: (1) an early Olenekian lycophyte dominated flora with common pteridosperms, indicative of a warm and dry climate; (2) a late Olenekian transitional flora composed of abundant conifers with low abundances of lycophytes, signifying a decrease in temperature and increase in humidity; (3) a Middle to Late Triassic mature conifer-dominated flora with diverse sphenophytes, ferns and cycadophytes, indicative of a stable, temperate and humid climate. The changes in vegetation and climate tentatively correlate with the rifting of northern Gondwana, suggesting that regional tectonics was a contributive driving factor to local floral community change.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Amsterdam, 2019. Vol. 175, p. 74-82
Keywords [en]
Palaeovegetation, Palaeoclimate, Palynology, Tectonics, Triassic, Tethys Ocean
National Category
Other Earth and Related Environmental Sciences
Research subject
The changing Earth
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:nrm:diva-3416DOI: 10.1016/j.jseaes.2018.06.005OAI: oai:DiVA.org:nrm-3416DiVA, id: diva2:1372931
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2015-4264Wenner-Gren Foundations, UPD2017-0155
Note
This work was also supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant numbers XDB26010206, XDB18000000, XDB03010103), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 41688103), Key Laboratory of Economic Stratigraphy and Palaeogeography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant number 2017KF07), UNESCO grant IGCP 632.
2019-01-012019-11-25Bibliographically approved