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Vegetation and climate in the latest Oligocene-earliest Miocene in Jylland, Denmark

Larsson, Linda LU ; Vajda, Vivi LU and Dybkjaer, Karen (2010) In Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 159(3-4). p.166-176
Abstract
Two exposures in Jylland, Denmark, encompassing beds of latest Oligocene to earliest Miocene age (latest Chattian-early Aquitanian) yielded well-preserved palynofloras. The assemblages indicate that Jylland was covered by extensive Taxodiaceae swamp forests in the mid-Cenozoic. Besides a Taxodiaceae-Cupressaceae association, which was overwhelmingly dominant, other common plants in this habitat were Alnus, Nyssa, Betula, Salix, Cyrilla and Myrica. Most of the trees and shrubs are well adapted to swamps and thrive under more or less flooded conditions in modern bald cypress swamps of the southeastern North America. Vegetation composition indicates that a warm-temperate climate prevailed in Denmark during the Oligocene-Miocene transition.... (More)
Two exposures in Jylland, Denmark, encompassing beds of latest Oligocene to earliest Miocene age (latest Chattian-early Aquitanian) yielded well-preserved palynofloras. The assemblages indicate that Jylland was covered by extensive Taxodiaceae swamp forests in the mid-Cenozoic. Besides a Taxodiaceae-Cupressaceae association, which was overwhelmingly dominant, other common plants in this habitat were Alnus, Nyssa, Betula, Salix, Cyrilla and Myrica. Most of the trees and shrubs are well adapted to swamps and thrive under more or less flooded conditions in modern bald cypress swamps of the southeastern North America. Vegetation composition indicates that a warm-temperate climate prevailed in Denmark during the Oligocene-Miocene transition. According to calculations using the Coexistence Approach, the mean annual temperature during this time span ranged from 15.6 to 16.6 degrees C. An increase to 16.5-21.1 degrees C is inferred from the palynoflora in the upper part of the section. The earlier, cooler period possibly reflects global cooling associated with the Mi-1 glaciation event at the Oligocene-Miocene boundary. No data from the very coldest part of the Mi-I event has been recorded, as this is represented by a gravel layer (representing a hiatus) in the lowermost part of the studied succession. The length of the missing time is not known precisely, but is probably in the order of some hundred thousand years. Correlation with the well-established chronostratigraphic and sequence stratigraphic framework for the studied succession reveals that the most distinctive change in palynoflora probably reflects a shift in depositional facies (due to an increase in sea level) rather than direct climatic change. The sea-level rise is herein interpreted to be eustatic and related to melting of Antarctic ice caps at the end of the Mi-1 glaciation event. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Denmark, palynoflora, palaeobotany, climate change, Miocene, Oligocene, miospores, pollen
in
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology
volume
159
issue
3-4
pages
166 - 176
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000275688400003
  • scopus:76349113802
ISSN
0034-6667
DOI
10.1016/j.revpalbo.2009.12.002
project
Climate Initiative
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
1914e064-1d50-41a7-9d68-d40b95a58c9b (old id 1587923)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:23:16
date last changed
2022-02-11 20:52:18
@article{1914e064-1d50-41a7-9d68-d40b95a58c9b,
  abstract     = {{Two exposures in Jylland, Denmark, encompassing beds of latest Oligocene to earliest Miocene age (latest Chattian-early Aquitanian) yielded well-preserved palynofloras. The assemblages indicate that Jylland was covered by extensive Taxodiaceae swamp forests in the mid-Cenozoic. Besides a Taxodiaceae-Cupressaceae association, which was overwhelmingly dominant, other common plants in this habitat were Alnus, Nyssa, Betula, Salix, Cyrilla and Myrica. Most of the trees and shrubs are well adapted to swamps and thrive under more or less flooded conditions in modern bald cypress swamps of the southeastern North America. Vegetation composition indicates that a warm-temperate climate prevailed in Denmark during the Oligocene-Miocene transition. According to calculations using the Coexistence Approach, the mean annual temperature during this time span ranged from 15.6 to 16.6 degrees C. An increase to 16.5-21.1 degrees C is inferred from the palynoflora in the upper part of the section. The earlier, cooler period possibly reflects global cooling associated with the Mi-1 glaciation event at the Oligocene-Miocene boundary. No data from the very coldest part of the Mi-I event has been recorded, as this is represented by a gravel layer (representing a hiatus) in the lowermost part of the studied succession. The length of the missing time is not known precisely, but is probably in the order of some hundred thousand years. Correlation with the well-established chronostratigraphic and sequence stratigraphic framework for the studied succession reveals that the most distinctive change in palynoflora probably reflects a shift in depositional facies (due to an increase in sea level) rather than direct climatic change. The sea-level rise is herein interpreted to be eustatic and related to melting of Antarctic ice caps at the end of the Mi-1 glaciation event. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Larsson, Linda and Vajda, Vivi and Dybkjaer, Karen}},
  issn         = {{0034-6667}},
  keywords     = {{Denmark; palynoflora; palaeobotany; climate change; Miocene; Oligocene; miospores; pollen}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3-4}},
  pages        = {{166--176}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology}},
  title        = {{Vegetation and climate in the latest Oligocene-earliest Miocene in Jylland, Denmark}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2009.12.002}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.revpalbo.2009.12.002}},
  volume       = {{159}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}