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Thilo Bechstädt (Info)
Rainer Zühlke (Info)
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+49 6221 54-8292
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+49 6221 54-5503
Thilo Bechstädt (Info)
Rainer Zühlke (Info)
Phone
+49 6221 54-8292
+49 6221 54-6055
Fax
+49 6221 54-5503
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Spore Assemblage Correlations across the Rhenohercynian Basin – Differences in Palaeobotanical Evolution of Laurussia and Peri- Gondwana |
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| Abstract | ||
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| Scientists Hartmut Jäger, GeoResources and University of Heidelberg Anna Górecka-Nowak, University of Wroclaw, Poland Jiri Bek, Academy of Science, Prague, Czech Republic |
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| Abstract Palynological studies are done in Lower Carboniferous (upper Viséan) strata near Chemnitz (Frankenberg Fm, Saxony, SE-Germany) in the very southeast of the Saxothuringian Zone at the northern margin of the Bohemian Massif. The sand-rich deposits of the Frankenberg Fm are typical delta- to floodplain sediments, including some siltstone layers and very rare thin-bedded sandy shales. These dark pelitic interlayers have recorded moderately to well preserved microflora, used for palynostratigraphy, spore assemblage analysis and palaeobotanical/palaeoecological interpretation. Most palynological studies in the Lower Carboniferous in Germany are from the northern part of Germany (NW-Germany, Rügen Island, Rhenohercynian Zone), located at or derived from the Laurussian shelf north of the Rhenohercynian basin. In opposite spore assemblages from Saxony are related to the shelf south of the Rhenohrcynian basin along the Bohemian Massif, which is part of Peri-Gondwana, an assembly of terranes along the northern margin of Gondwana. Samples from Saxony are compared to age equivalent samples from similar depositional settings from the North Sea area (Germany, UK). Palynofacies shows high similarities between both areas, but diversity is less in Saxony. Qualitative analysis of microflora shows some similarities between Saxony and the North Sea again, but about 30% of genera typical in North Sea samples are absent in Saxony. Major differences are observed in the quantitaive analysis of the microflora. Spore assemblages from Saxony show much higher amounts of round and triangular spores and much less transitional formscompared to North Sea assemblages. Also heavily ornamented and cingulate spores are very rare to absent in Saxony. Also the quantitative analysis of genera shows major differences between Saxony and the North Sea. Several genera (e.g. Tripartites, Triquitrites, Lycospora, Cingulizonates) typical for Upper Visean assemblages from the North Sea are very rare to absent in Saxony. This causes major differences in the palaeobotanical interpretation of the spore assemblages. Samples from Saxony are dominated by fern related spores (non-forest mires). Lycopsid related spores are very rare to absent, whereas spore assemblages from North Sea samples are clearly dominated by lycopsid related spores (forest mires). These differences are a result of primary differences in regional vegetation, because palaeoenvironmental settings of sample localities are closely comparable. Based on spore assemblage analysis palaeobotanical and palaeoecological correlations will be done along the northern margin of the Bohemian Massif towards the Carpathian foredeep just as along the Laurussian shelf from Northern Germany to Western Europe (UK, Ireland). The information on regional spore assemblage variations gives new insights on the distribution and evolution of terrestrial vegetation and different palaeoecological environments throughout Central Europe in the Upper Palaeozoic. |
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| Presentations CIMP General Meeting, Prag, 2006 1st Meeting CIMP Spores and Pollen Subcommission, Cork, 2000 |
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| Funding Organizations German Research Fund (DFG) |
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