Palynological evidence for a warmer boreal climate in the Late Pliocene of the Yukon Territory, Canada

• Published in: Palynology
• Main Authors: Pound, MJ, Lowther, RI, Peakall, J, Chapman, RJ, Salzmann, U
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 2015
• Subjects: Bonanza; Canada; Yukon; Dawson
• Online Access: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/96052/; https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/96052/7/Pound_et_al_2015_AF.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1080/01916122.2014.940471

The Late Pliocene (3.6–2.6 Ma) was a period of significant global warmth, considered a potential analogue for future anthropogenic climate change. Newly discovered fine-grained sediments from between the gold-bearing lower and upper White Channel Gravels show the presence of a wetland or lake within Bonanza Creek, Dawson Mining District, Yukon. This environment was surrounded by a diverse Pinaceae-dominated boreal forest with significant stands of angiosperms in favourable sites. Quantitative climate reconstructions derived from pollen and spores reveal a mean annual temperature at least 6 °C warmer than today with warm summers and relatively mild winters. Finally, the new pollen assemblage is used to discuss the age of the White Channel Gravels.