Eocene flora and trace fossils from the Hruby Regiel section in the Tatra Mountains (Poland) : taxonomic revision of the Wiktor Kuźniar fossil plant collection

Latest Eocene plant macrofossils and trace fossils collected a century ago by Wiktor Kuźniar are revised and their stratigraphical and palaeoecological meaning is re-considered. They derive from marine limestones and marls cropping out on the northern slope of the Hruby Regiel mountain in the Western Tatra Mountains. Leaves belonging to the families Fagaceae and Lauraceae and fruits of the palm Nypa are recognized. The co-occurrence of the planktonic foraminifer taxa Chiloguembelina cf. gracillima and Globigerinatheca cf. index and fruits of Nypa suggests a latest Eocene age of the fossil flora. The plant assemblage is typical of paratropical or subtropical evergreen forests in a warm and humid subtropical climate, recent counterparts of which occur in southeast Asia. The presence of Nypa is characteristic of mangroves. The good state of preservation of the leaves suggests coastline proximity during sedimentation of the plant-bearing deposits

Unique geological, palaeobotanical and archaeological site in Witów near Brzesko Nowe (Southern Poland)

Stanowisko w Witowie, położone ok. 50 kilometrów na północny wschód od Krakowa, jest znane z odsłonięcia osadów określanych mianem serii witowskiej. Były one przedmiotem badań paleobotanicznych, paleozoologicznych, sedymentologicznych i petrograficznych. W osadach serii witowskiej znaleziono oznaczalne makroszczątki roślin iglastych i okrytozalążkowych. Szczególnie interesujące są kopalne gatunki Pinus cf. palaeostrobus, Zelkova zelkovifolia i Spirematospermum wetzleri. Wyniki badań szczątków roślinnych wskazują na późnomioceński lub plioceński wiek serii witowskiej. Kopalne zbiorowiska roślinne, które występowały w okolicy Witowa można porównać do współczesnych podzwrotnikowych lasów wilgotnych obszaru Kolchidy i Niziny Tałyskiej na Zakaukaziu oraz środkowych Chin. Obecność szczątków roślinności ciepłolubnej wskazuje na cieplejszy niż obecnie klimat okresu sedymentacji serii witowskiej. Witów jest znany także ze stanowisk archeologicznych. Obszar ten od neolitu był wielokrotnie zasiedlany. Ślady najintensywniejszego osadnictwa pochodzą z końca epoki brązu i początków epoki żelaza (1000-600 BC) i są odnoszone do kultury łużyckiej. Na stanowisku w Witowie znaleziono także średniowieczny cmentarz datowany na koniec jedenastego wieku po Chrystusie, będący pierwszym dowodem na obecność średniowiecznego osadnictwa na tym terenie. Położenie Witowa na brzegu doliny Wisły zapewne dawało mu kontrolę nad okolicznymi szlakami oraz, być może, także nad brodami. Możliwe, że Witów sprawował także polityczną kontrolę na otaczających go terenach. Biorąc pod uwagę naukową wartość stanowiska w Witowie i wynikającą stąd konieczność jego ochrony, postulowane jest utworzenie na jego obszarze rezerwatu przyrody.The study area near village Witów situated about 50 kilometres north-east of the Kraków city is famous for its exposed deposits called the "Witów Series" on which palaeobotanical, micro- and macrofaunistic, malacological, sedimentological and petrographical studies have already been performed. From deposits of the Witów Series, plant macroremains belonging to gymnosperms and angiosperms were reported. Pinus cf. palaeostrobus, Zelkova zelkovifolia and Spirematospermum wetzleri are particularly interesting. Results of investigations on fossil plant remains point to the Late Miocene to Pliocene age of the Witów Series. Plant communities that existed in the vicinity of Witów could be compared to recent warm temperate and humid forests of the Colchis and Talysh Lowland in Transcaucasus and to forests of Central China. Presence of remains of termophilous taxa point to warmer climate of the period of sedimentation of the Witów Series than recent climate of Poland. The Witów region is also famous for archaeological localities that has been known since the turn of the twentieth century. The site was being repeatedly settled beginning with the late Stone Age (the Neolithic Period). Traces of the most intensive periods of settlement come from the late Bronze and early Iron Ages (1000-600 BC) and are attributed to the so-called Lusatian culture. The site also yielded a medieval cemetery that can be dated to the turn of the twelfth century AD. This is the first confirmation of the presence of medieval settlements on this site. Location of Witów in the Vistula river valley may have allowed this settlement to control nearby routes and possibly river fords and also probably exercised political control over the surrounding areas. Considering scientific value of the Witów locality and necessity of their protection, creation of natural reserve on this area is suggested

Epiphyllous fungi from the Oligocene shallowmarine deposits of the Krabbedalen Formation, Kap Brewster, central East Greenland

Fructifications of epiphyllous fungi were encountered during palynological investigation of the Lower Oligocene shallow-marine deposits of the Krabbedalen Formation at the Savoia Halvø, Kap Brewster, central East Greenland. Six fossil taxa from the family Microthyriaceae (Phragmothyrites kangukensis Kalgutkar, Phragmothyrites sp., Plochmopeltinites sp., Trichothyrites cf. ostiolatus (Cookson) Kalgutkar & Jansonius, Trichothyrites sp. 1, and Trichothyrites sp. 2) and one incertae sedis fungal remain are reported. Fungal remains from the Krabbedalen Formation represent the youngest, Oligocene occurrence of the epiphyllous fungi in the Palaeogene of the Arctic. The presence of epiphyllous, microthyriaceous fungi in low quantities and in low taxonomical diversity points to a humid and not necessarily warm climate, which is corroborated by data obtained from the analysis of microscopic plant remains

Palynoflora and palaeoenvironment of the early Miocene palaeolake from the Bełchatów mine, central Poland

The Bełchatów lignite deposits are a rich archive allowing palaeoenvironmental, palaeoecological and palaeoclimatic reconstructions from the Neogene and Quaternary periods. We describe the results of palynological studies (including non-pollen palynomorphs) of eight samples from the lower Miocene KRAM-P 211/214 collection of plant macroremains. The results of this palynological analysis are consistent with the results of previous studies of plant macroremains and significantly enrich our knowledge of vegetation and palaeoenvironment. Both studies indicate the presence of a freshwater body (a moderately large and deep lake) surrounded by wetland vegetation (including swamp forests with Glyptostrobus, Taxodium, Nyssa and Osmunda) and upland mesophytic forests. Evergreen or at least semi-evergreen forest communities grew along the ancient shores of the lake and on the slopes of the Mesozoic calcareus rocks surrounding the lake. In the lake, green algae (Pediastrum, Tetraedron and some Botryococcus) and freshwater peridinoid dinoflagellates were major components of the algal community. The same lake was the source of previously identified animal remains: freshwater fishes, molluscs, and mammals, including Megachiroptera bats. Our analysis shows that the climate was subtropical and humid, with an estimated mean annual temperature of 16.8–17.8°C

Palaeoenvironment of the middle Miocene wetlands at Drzewce, Konin region, central Poland

Palynological analysis of the 1st mid-Polish lignite seam (MPLS-1) of the Drzewce deposit (Konin region, central Poland) was used as the data source for palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic interpretations. Lignites of the 1st group developed in the middle Miocene, during and shortly after the last peak of the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum, over a large area of Poland, and they are the youngest of the main Neogene lignite seams in Poland. In the Konin region, these lignites have a relatively significant thickness (up to 20 m) and therefore they are (or were in the past) exploited in several open-pit mines. A total of 36 palynological samples from the 6.3-m-thick seam of the Drzewce opencast mine was studied in detail. Palynological analysis of the lignite seam indicates that the area was overgrown by palustrine wetland communities, similar in composition to modern pocosins. The most characteristic elements of them were shrubs in the Ericaceae family. The climate at that time was warm temperate and humid. The estimated mean annual temperature (MAT) for the lignite seam at Drzewce is 15.7–17.8 °C. Comparison with other palynofloras from the MPLS-1 shows that the climate during the formation of the group of seams was more or less homogenous across the entire Polish Lowlands. Sedimentological data and results of palynological studies (including NPPs) at Drzewce indicate that the palaeomires were relatively distant from the channels of the river system in the Konin Basin. The fossil fungal assemblage indicates dense vegetation on damp, swampy soils and the presence of small, shallow-water bodies, with a variable water level or even periodic reservoirs, existing only during the wet season or after floods. In small, flooded depressions, such as the pools in bogs, filamentous green algae occurred. The presence of zygospores of the desmids Desmidiaceaesporites cosmarioformis most probably indicates relatively nutrient-poor (ombrotrophic) conditions. Fluctuations in the frequency of individual plant taxa (including Sequoia and Sciadopitys) are likely to reflect changes in water level and trophic conditions

Late Neogene leaf assemblage from Bełchatów Lignite Mine (central Poland)

Leaf macroremains collected in the Bełchatów Lignite Mine (central Poland) were investigated. The fossil assemblage consists of leaves of Acer, Betula, Carpinus, Dicotylophyllum, Fagus, ?Magnolia, “Parrotia”, Pinus, Quercus, and Zelkova. Mesophytic (zonal) elements dominate, with admixture of riparian (azonal) leaf taxa. The floristic composition points to late Neogene (late Miocene to late Pliocene) age and suggests favourable temperate climate with mild winters

Foraminiferal and Palynological Records of an Abrupt Environmental Change at the Badenian/Sarmatian Boundary (Middle Miocene): A Case Study in Northeastern Central Paratethys

The Badenian/Sarmatian boundary in the Central Paratethyan basins is characterised by a change from open marine conditions during the late Badenian to the assumed brackish conditions during the early Sarmatian. The foraminiferal and palynological results of the Badenian/Sarmatian boundary interval in the Babczyn 2 borehole (in SE Poland) showed that the studied interval accumulated under variable, unstable sedimentary conditions. The Badenian/Sarmatian boundary, as correlated with a sudden extinction of stenohaline foraminifera, is interpreted as being due to the shallowing of the basin. The lack of foraminifera and marine palynomorphs just above the Badenian/Sarmatian boundary can reflect short-term anoxia. The composition of the euryhaline assemblages, characteristic for the lower Sarmatian part of the studied succession, indicates from marine to hypersaline conditions

Tectonic-climatic interactions during changes of depositional environments in the Carpathian foreland: An example from the Neogene of central Poland

Many geological problems have not been convincingly explained so far and are debatable, for instance the origin and changes of the Neogene depositional environments in central Poland. Therefore, these changes have been reconstructed in terms of global to local tectonic and climatic fluctuations. The examined Neogene deposits are divided into a sub-lignite unit (Koźmin Formation), a lignite-bearing unit (Grey Clays Member), and a supra-lignite unit (Wielkopolska Member). The two lithostratigraphic members constitute the Poznań Formation. The results of facies analysis show that the Koźmin Formation was deposited by relatively high-gradient and well-drained braided rivers. Most likely, they encompassed widespread alluvial plains. In the case of the Grey Clays Member, the type of river in close proximity to which the mid-Miocene low-lying mires existed and then were transformed into the first Mid-Miocene Lignite Seam (MPLS-1), has not been resolved. The obtained results confirm the formation of the Wielkopolska Member by low-gradient, but mostly well-drained anastomosing or anastomosing-to-meandering rivers. The depositional evolution of the examined successions depended on tectonic and climatic changes that may be closely related to the mid-Miocene great tectonic remodelling of the Alpine-Carpathian orogen. This resulted in palaeogeographic changes in its foreland in the form of limiting the flow of wet air and water masses from the south and vertical tectonic movements