A new late Miocene (Tortonian) flora from Gavdos Island in southernmost Greece evaluated in the context of vegetation and climate in the Eastern Mediterranean

A new late Miocene (Tortonian) leaf flora has recently been recovered in the southernmost part of Europe on the island of Gavdos, Greece. So far, three conifers (Tetraclinis salicornioides, Taxodium dubium and Pinus sp.) and 27 fossil species/morphotypes of angiosperms have been recognized. Among them, some represent subtropical, partly evergreen woody elements (e.g. Daphnogene sp., Laurophyllum sp., Myrica lignitum), some others (e.g., ?Sassafras, Fagus gussonii, Ulmus, Acer angustilobum, Populus populina, Ailanthus pythii, Paliurus tiliifolius, several legumes) belong to deciduous shrubs or trees. The number of the determined angiosperms is sufficient for using statistical techniques to estimate palaeoclimate (LMA, CLAMP, CA) and to reconstruct the palaeovegetation (phytosociological approach, IPR-vegetation analysis). The Gavdos flora is based on leaf impressions and allows correlations with other Greek floras of almost the same age, namely from Crete – Vrysses (latest Tortonian to Messinian, ca. 7.5-6.0 Ma), Makrilia (late Tortonian, ca. 8.6-7.7 Ma) and Pitsidia, Messara Basin (early Tortonian, ca. 10.5 Ma), while that from Vegora, Macedonia (Messinian, ca. 7-6 Ma) may document further trends in the late Miocene

Regional implications of U-Pb zircon ages from rhyolitic pebbles of Suncho Formation conglomerates, northern Sierras Pampeanas (NW Argentina)

Conglomerates are scarce in the Neoproterozoic/Cambrian strata of the South American Central Andean Basin. In NW Argentina, unusual conglomerates within meta-psammites of the Suncho Formation contain rhyolite clasts that yielded 524.9 ± 1.12 Ma and 525.1 ± 1.3 Ma LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon ages. These ages coincide with the reported youngest age populations obtained from detrital zircons in the host rocks. The new geochronological data, the regional geology and published data suggest that the source areas of these pebbles were located to the NE and E of the Suncho Formation, which may include some reworked older sedimentary levels of the Puncoviscana Formation. The origin of the Suncho conglomerate is linked to Pre-Tilcaric magmatism which closed the Pampean Cycle, whose ages are in the range 541-517 Ma. The match between the radiometric data and the age provided by the Oldhamia trace fossils with both sedimentary and magmatic events occurring during the Terreneuvian - Series 2 time span ("lower Cambrian") is here emphasized. Considering that the dated rhyolite clasts were derived from magmatic rocks, a Puncoviscana active margin can be proposed as their source, and an active margin setting is proposed for Puncoviscana in this part of the western margin of South America. The knowledge of unusual facies within the Neoproterozoic/Cambrian sequences in the South American Andes provides a better understanding of the geology of little known areas in the western protogondwanan margin.Fil: Toselli, Alejandro Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Departamento de Geología. Cátedra Geología Estructural. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica; ArgentinaFil: Aceñolaza, Guillermo Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Departamento de Geología. Cátedra Geología Estructural. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica; ArgentinaFil: Stipp Basei, Miguel Angelo. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Aceñolaza, Guillermo Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Departamento de Geología. Cátedra Geología Estructural. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica; ArgentinaFil: Rossi, Juana Norma. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Departamento de Geología. Cátedra Geología Estructural. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica; ArgentinaFil: Mantzouka, Dimitra. Universidad Nacional y Kapodistriaca de Atenas; GreciaFil: Tsaparas, Nicolaos. Universidad Nacional y Kapodistriaca de Atenas; GreciaFil: Karakitsios, Vasileios. Universidad Nacional y Kapodistriaca de Atenas; Greci