Exceptionally we ll-preserved Triassic and Early Jurassic floras from North

• Main Author: Victoria Land
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antarctic; East Antarctica; The Antarctic; Victoria Land; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.507.3583; http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1047/ea/of2007-1047ea034.pdf

Summary During the IX. German Antarctic North Victoria Land Expedition, fossil plant material from a dozen newly discovered localities has been collected. These floras are of special interest, because compressions yield excellently preserved cuticles and also anatomically preserved material has been found. Cuticle-bearing compression floras, which allow detailed systematic analyses and ecological interpretations, are extremely rare in the Antarctic. The floral succession from Dicroidium-dominated floras in the lower part to bennettitalean- and fern-dominated floras in the upper part of the sequence is well in accordance with previous age assessments, which assign a Triassic to Early Jurassic age to the sequence. The ongoing research project may contribute to a better understanding of the palaeoenvironmental characteristics in East Antarctica during the earliest phase of the Gondwana break-up.