Prydz Bay Unit II (Eocene of Antarctica)

Where: Prydz Bay, Antarctica (69.0° S, 75.0° E: paleocoordinates 68.2° S, 69.6° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

When: Marine dinocyst other zone, Late/Upper Eocene (37.2 - 33.9 Ma)

• The proposed Late Eocene age of sediments between 142.5 and 240.36 mbsf at Site 1166 is primarily based on marine dinocyst and acritarch species (see discussion in Macphail and Truswell 2004a).

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; claystone

• During the period represented by Units II and III, the East Antarctic ice sheet extended from the mountain front down to sea level and onto the continental shelf. Unit II contains dropstones or lonestones signalling the arrival of glaciers at sea level in Prydz Bay.

•The sedimentary record at Site 1166 shows that the sequence spans the transition from preglacial to glacial conditions.

• Unit II (135.63–156.62 mbsf) is composed of diatom-bearing claystones, with thin interbedded silts.

Size class: microfossils

Preservation: original sporopollenin

Collection methods: chemical,

• The material that forms the basis of the present study comes from ODP Site 1166 in Prydz Bay, drilled during Leg 188 of the Ocean Drilling Program.

Primary reference: E. M. Truswell and M. K. Macphail. 2009. Polar forests on the edge of extinction: what does the fossil spore and pollen evidence from East Antarctica say?. Australian Systematic Botany (22)57-106 [C. Jaramillo/C. Jaramillo]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 168823: authorized by Carlos Jaramillo, entered by Carlos Jaramillo on 30.04.2015

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
Equisetopsida
 Pinidae - Pinidae
 Coniferales - Podocarpaceae
Podocarpidites spp. Cookson 1947 podocarp
Microcachryidites antarcticus Couper 1953 podocarp
Dacrycarpites australiensis Cookson and Pike 1953 podocarp
Phyllocladidites mawsonii Cookson 1947 podocarp
Lygistepollenites balmei Stover and Evans 1973 podocarp
Magnoliopsida
  -
Angiospermae
 Poales - Restionaceae
 Mesangiosperms - Liliaceae
Liliacidites spp. Couper 1953
 Mesangiosperms - Arecaceae
Arecipites spp. Nichols et al. 1973 palm
 Aquifoliales - Aquifoliaceae
Ilexpollenites spp. Thiergart 1937
 Gunnerales -
 Proteales - Proteaceae
Polypodiopsida
  - Polypodiaceae
Laevigatosporites ovatus Wilson and Webster 1946
L. ovatus–major
Trichotomosulcites spp. Couper 1953
Trichotomosulcites–Podosporites
  - Osmundaceae
 Gleicheniales - Polypodiidae
Dictyophyllidites cf. arcuatus Pocknall and Mildenhall 1984
 Schizaeales - Polypodiidae
Ruffordiaspora australiensis Dettmann and Clifford 1992
 Polypodiales - Polypodiidae
Polypodiisporites spp. Potonié 1931
  - Gleicheniaceae
Gleicheniidites spp. Dettmann 1963
Pteridopsida
  -
Cyathidites minor Couper 1953
C. minor-australis
Algae
  - Botryococcaceae
Botryococcus spp. Kutzing 1849
Coptospora
  -
Bryopsida
  -
Lycopodiopsida
 Selaginellales - Selaginellaceae
Neoraistrickia cf. suratensis McKellar 1974 spikemoss
 Lycopodiales -
Retitriletes spp. Pierce 1961 clubmoss