Neogene wetland vegetation
based on a leaf assemblage from
the Bełchatów Lignite Mine (Central Poland)
1 | W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512 Kraków, Poland |
2 | KART-GEO, Bacciarellego 39/1, 51-649 Wrocław, Poland |
Online publication date: 2016-12-13
Publication date: 2016-12-13
Acta Palaeobotanica 2016; 56(2): 441–497
ABSTRACT
Well-preserved leaf macroremains collected in the Bełchatów Lignite Mine (Central Poland) were
investigated. Fossil leaves of Acer, Dicotylophyllum, Fagus, Eucommia, Laria, Laurophyllum, Liquidambar, Pinus,
Populus, Pterocarya, Quercus, Salix, Salvinia, Taxodium, Ulmus, Vitis, and Zelkova, and fossil fruit of Eucommia
were found in fossil assemblage KRAM-P 218 formed in a fluvial sedimentary environment. The fossil assemblage
is dominated by plant remains of riparian vegetation of bottomland hardwood forest type. Some taxa point to the
presence of mesophytic upland communities. The floristic composition points to warm temperate climate with mild
winters, comparable to Cfa type (warm temperate, fully humid with hot summer) in the Köppen-Geiger climate
classification. Mean annual temperature of 13.5–16.5°C was reconstructed by the coexistence approach method.
Middle to late Miocene age (late Sarmatian to early Pannonian) is suggested for the plant-bearing deposits.