In this paper, we provide a late Miocene (Tortonian) to early Pleistocene (Gelasian) palynological record from the Eryuan Basin, Yunnan Plateau, China, to investigate plant diversity over this time. Between 7.6 and 4.3 Ma, the palynological assemblage was dominated by coniferous trees (70.2% on average), with subordinate amounts of broadleaved trees (8.8% on average). This suggests that the vegetation mainly comprised mixed forests, and that the climate was relatively warm and humid. After 4.3 Ma, the proportion of conifer pollen increased overall, and amount of cold-temperate coniferous forest Picea and Allies pollen, in particular, increased significantly (from 19.1% to 41.9%), concurrent with decreases in the pollen of broadleaved trees, shrubs, herbs, and other plant taxa. We suggest that these plant variations and overall reduced diversity may be responses to the tectonic uplift of the Yunnan Plateau and global cooling.
1.Chinese Acad Sci, CAS Ctr Excellence Tibetan Plateau Earth Sci, Beijing 100101, Peoples R China 2.Chinese Acad Sci, Key Lab Continental Collis & Plateau Uplift, Inst Tibetan Plateau Res, Beijing 100101, Peoples R China 3.Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Beijing 100049, Peoples R China 4.Lanzhou Univ, Sch Earth Sci, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, Peoples R China 5.Lanzhou Univ, Key Lab Western Chinas Mineral Resources Gansu Pr, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, Peoples R China 6.China Univ Petr East, Sch Geosci, Qingdao 266555, Shandong, Peoples R China
Recommended Citation:
Wu, Fuli,Gao, Shoujie,Tang, Fenjun,et al. A late Miocene-early Pleistocene palynological record and its climatic and tectonic implications for the Yunnan Plateau, China[J]. PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY,2019-01-01,530:190-199