TY - JOUR
T1 - Palynofloral evolution on the northern margin of the Indian Plate, southern Xizang, China during the Cretaceous Period and its phytogeographic significance
AU - Li, Jianguo
AU - Wu, Yixiao
AU - Peng, Jungang
AU - Batten, David
N1 - Funding Information:
This study received financial support from the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences ( XDB03010103 and XDB18030501 ) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China ( 41172011 ). Laboratory processing of samples was carried out by Ms He Cuiling at NIGPAS. We acknowledge Dr. Cai Huawei, Zhang Xiaolin, Wang Yaqiong, Peng Bo, Rao Xin and Yao Xiaogang for their help in the field. We are grateful to Mary Dettmann, Stephen McLoughlin and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful reviews of the manuscript.
Funding Information:
This study received financial support from the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB03010103 and XDB18030501) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41172011). Laboratory processing of samples was carried out by Ms He Cuiling at NIGPAS. We acknowledge Dr. Cai Huawei, Zhang Xiaolin, Wang Yaqiong, Peng Bo, Rao Xin and Yao Xiaogang for their help in the field. We are grateful to Mary Dettmann, Stephen McLoughlin and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful reviews of the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2019/2/1
Y1 - 2019/2/1
N2 - During the Cretaceous Period, the Indian Plate separated from Gondwana and drifted northwards, eventually colliding with Eurasia at the end of the period or in the early Cenozoic. This led to major changes in the composition of the flora and fauna of the region. Palynomorph assemblages from Cretaceous deposits in Gamba County, southern Xizang (Tibet), China, are analyzed herein in an attempt to determine how the vegetation of the northern margin of the Indian Plate changed. The Gamba assemblages were initially similar in composition to those from Australia but by the Santonian Stage they were more similar to those of North Africa. Differences from the former are increasingly apparent through the Albian–Cenomanian transition. The rate of evolution of the Gamba flora was about the same as that of the Australian flora prior to the Albian, somewhat slower during this stage, but faster from the Cenomanian onwards, implying that this was, to a large extent, a result of the separation of the Indian Plate from Gondwana and its northward drift during the Cretaceous Period. During the Albian, the Australian block drifted eastwards whereas the Indian Plate remained relatively static. This resulted in few changes in the Gamba palynoflora but many in palynofloras from Australia. However, the northward movement of the Indian Plate in the Late Cretaceous led to pronounced changes, with numerous inceptions of genera and species in the Gamba succession. Of these, many have an African or equatorial distribution and none has connections with Australia, indicating that the climate at this time was similar to that of North Africa and that separation from Australia was complete. The arrival of the Indian Plate in equatorial regions allowed floral exchange between its northern part and North Africa during the Santonian
AB - During the Cretaceous Period, the Indian Plate separated from Gondwana and drifted northwards, eventually colliding with Eurasia at the end of the period or in the early Cenozoic. This led to major changes in the composition of the flora and fauna of the region. Palynomorph assemblages from Cretaceous deposits in Gamba County, southern Xizang (Tibet), China, are analyzed herein in an attempt to determine how the vegetation of the northern margin of the Indian Plate changed. The Gamba assemblages were initially similar in composition to those from Australia but by the Santonian Stage they were more similar to those of North Africa. Differences from the former are increasingly apparent through the Albian–Cenomanian transition. The rate of evolution of the Gamba flora was about the same as that of the Australian flora prior to the Albian, somewhat slower during this stage, but faster from the Cenomanian onwards, implying that this was, to a large extent, a result of the separation of the Indian Plate from Gondwana and its northward drift during the Cretaceous Period. During the Albian, the Australian block drifted eastwards whereas the Indian Plate remained relatively static. This resulted in few changes in the Gamba palynoflora but many in palynofloras from Australia. However, the northward movement of the Indian Plate in the Late Cretaceous led to pronounced changes, with numerous inceptions of genera and species in the Gamba succession. Of these, many have an African or equatorial distribution and none has connections with Australia, indicating that the climate at this time was similar to that of North Africa and that separation from Australia was complete. The arrival of the Indian Plate in equatorial regions allowed floral exchange between its northern part and North Africa during the Santonian
KW - terrestrial ecosystem
KW - pollen and spores
KW - tethys
KW - Gondwana break-up
KW - plate movements
KW - Terrestrial ecosystem
KW - Tethys
KW - Plate movements
KW - Pollen and spores
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85040557357&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.09.014
DO - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.09.014
M3 - Article
SN - 0031-0182
VL - 515
SP - 107
EP - 122
JO - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
JF - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
ER -